Murder Makes Scents by Christin Brecher
Murder Makes Scents (Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery)
by Christin Brecher
About Murder Makes Scents
Murder Makes Scents (Nantucket Candle Maker Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Publisher: Kensington (February 25, 2020)
Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
ISBN-10: 1496721411
ISBN-13: 978-1496721419
Digital ASIN: B07R6P9Z8M
Stella Wright loves creating candles at her Nantucket store—and she also has a burning passion for justice. Now, after visiting a perfume conference, she must solve a vial crime . . .Stella and her globe-trotting mom, Millie, have come home from a perfume industry conference in Paris, where their trip was marred by witnessing the stabbing death of a young man. It’s a relief for Stella to be back on her picturesque island, with the comforting company of her cat, Tinker. But lingering danger may have followed them back across the ocean.After someone breaks into her candle store, the Wick & Flame, Stella starts feeling spooked. And just as things threaten to ignite, Millie suffers a blow to the head. Stella receives an anonymous note claiming that her mother smuggled a secret formula out of France—and threatening her life if it isn’t returned. Now Stella’s picked up the scent of a cold-hearted criminal and an intriguing puzzle, and things are about to get wicked . . .
Excerpt
I looked behind Nathaniel for our bags, but they were in the hands of the bellhop who was heading up the stairs.“Sir?” I said to the retreating bellhop.
He continued up the stairs without seeming to hear me.
“Sir?” I said, reaching him. “You have my bag. I’d be in a lot of trouble if I lost it.”
“Excuse the confusion,” said the man, all business, and already at the entrance to the hotel.
“Got it!” I said to Nathaniel as I headed back down the stairs.
“Perfect,” he said. “See you tonight?”
“Looking forward to it,” I said, as I continued down the block.
At the other end of Centre Street was my store, the Wick & Flame. I could make out my small storefront with its paned-glass window, homey and welcoming.
Once outside, I paused to appreciate my store. Humble in comparison to those I’d visited in Paris, its white walls were covered in shelves, and were filled with different colored and scented products. I smiled with pride.
I waved at a woman behind the counter inside, who looked a bit like a bee dressed in black pants and a yellow, hand-made sweater she’d knitted. Cherry Waddle. A local resident who is also a loyal student of my candle-making classes, I’d entrusted my store to Cherry while I was away.
I always keep a different candle lit on my counter to highlight a new product. When I entered, I noticed that Citrus Lime was featured today.
“Welcome home!” said Cherry. She came toward me with a huge hug.
I hugged her back, feeling like we hadn’t seen each other in years, as Tinker sprang from my arms in order to keep from being crushed between us.
“The pink window display I came up with has been a hit,” Cherry said, motioning toward my front window. I’d left the store filled with autumn hues, but Cherry had had her own ideas. “What do you think?”
“Very creative,” I said.
“I have some other thoughts,” she began, and dove right into a full update about her sales and my stock and a few new ideas she had for the store.
As she spoke, I put Millie’s bag into a safe we’d had since I was a kid. These days, it sat behind my register, covered by a blue, block print tapestry. I used the old metal container as my deposit box when I didn’t have time to go to the bank, and also as a table for my tea stand. When my job was done, I poured a cup of tea and lingered as Cherry continued to fill me in on my days away. I had an ulterior motive for taking my time. I wanted Peter and my mom to get to know each other at home, without me hovering around them.
By the time I left Tinker in Cherry’s care, I was feeling very clever about my plan at home. I also, however, had the strangest feeling that someone was watching me. Living with a cat gives you that kind of sixth sense. I turned back to the store to see Cherry smiling and talking to Tinker as she closed up for the evening. Then a police car pulled up beside me with its lights flashing.
About Christin Brecher
Christin Brecher was
born and raised in NYC, where her family and many childhood friends
still reside. As such, she feels she is as much of a small-town girl as
any. The idea to write the Nantucket Candle Maker series sprang from her
life-long connection to the small island off the coast of
Massachusetts. Spending summers there as a child, Christin read from her
family’s library of mystery novels, after which she began to
imagine stories inspired by the island’s whaling heyday, its notoriously
foggy nights, and during long bike rides to the beach. After many years
in marketing for the publishing industry, followed by years raising her
children, Murder’s No Votive Confidence is Christin’s debut novel. Visit her at www.christinbrecher.com.
Author Links
Website – http://christinbrecher.com/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/christinbrecherbooks/
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The excerpt was just enough to introduce me to the character. She sounds nice and she like cats which is always a plus. The storyline does sounds like a good one. Thanks for sharing. Best wishes to the author on the new release.
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