I’ve been living in the Texas Hill Country town of Magnolia Bluff for quite a few months now. And aside from the murder rate (think Cabot Cove and Midsomer), it’s a nice place to live.
Even though I’m not a coffee drinker, I like to hang out at Harry Thurgood’s Really Good Wood-Fired Coffee Shop. Harry’s an interesting conversationalist.
And even though I’m not Methodist, I often go to St. Luke’s Methodist Church on Sundays because, well, the Rev. Ember Cole is easy on the eyes. I may end up going to hell for writing that, but perhaps she’d be willing to save my soul. Wait a minute, I think that’s Harry’s line.
This past Thursday, Death Wears A Crimson Hat, Book 1 in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series, dropped, as they say. Then, again, maybe they don’t say that anymore. At my age, I can hardly remember if I had toast and tea for breakfast and I have it every morning.
In any event, Death Wears A Crimson Hat is out there in the wild, available on Amazon. Make sure to get yourself a copy. I’ve been told it’s pretty doggone good. (BTW, the book even reached the Top 100 on Amazon’s Amateur Sleuth category.)
Read a review by SS Bazinet on her blog: http://ssbazinet.com/wp/reviews/death-wears-a-crimson-hat/
Here’s one of several nice reviews I found on Amazon:
Harry Thurgood and Ember Cole, independently, have come to the small Texas Hill Country town of Magnolia Bluff to get away from their past. And while they like each other, they are kept apart by the secrets from their past lives. Yet this delightful little town has its own secrets. One powerful woman is capable of imposing her will on others, and often her will is to harm someone not in her inner circle. But someone objects to this and that leads to a person being killed and another almost dying.
Ember, now the Reverend Ember Cole, is accused of murder. Forgetting their own hidden history, Harry and Ember must work together to keep Ember from being arrested for the murder. The problem is, as they begin to make headway on finding the murderer, they become the new targets for the killer.
Author CW Hawes has drawn several interesting characters with such careful work that you begin to believe they are your long-time friends. You are drawn not only into the charming town but also into the lives of these characters. If you like a good mystery and great characters, grab a copy of Death Wears a Crimson Hat. You won’t be disappointed.
I’ll take their word for it because I’m biased.
I can tell you that the next two books coming down the pike are dynamite. I’ve read them and thoroughly enjoyed them. So stayed tuned for more news.
Each of the next 2 books, and the 6 after them, gives a different slant on my favorite town. Which is good. It keeps me honest. About the town, that is. And that’s important, because we writers have a bad habit of making stuff up. Some call that lying. I called it rearranging the facts. Then again, others call it news.
Magnolia Bluff. That beautiful little town on the shore of Burnet Reservoir. Just make sure you look behind you. Often.
Death Wears A Crimson Hat. Book 1 of the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles. Get it on Amazon.
And after you’ve read Death Wears A Crimson Hat and while you’re waiting for Book 2, Eulogy in Black and White by Caleb Pirtle III, coming out around May 20th, you might want to check out my Justinia Wright Mystery series and Caleb Pirtle’s The Boomtown Saga.
Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!
CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes
Share This!
