This week, Susie Black’s Saturday Author Spotlight shines on cozy mystery author Rebecca Lee Smith.
About the Author: Rebecca lives with her husband and a dog named Wilbur in the beautiful misty mountains of East Tennessee, where the people are charming, soulful, and just a little bit crazy. She’s been everything from a tax collector to a stay-at-home-mom to an award-winning professional actress and director. When she’s not churning out small-town cozy-ish mysteries, she loves to travel the world, go to the Outer Banks for her ocean fix, watch old movies, and make her day complete by answering the Final Jeopardy! question. Her Southern roots and the affectionate appreciation she has for the rural towns she lives near inspire the settings and characters she writes about. Visit her at www.rebeccaleesmith.com
A Murder and Maggie MacGill is a charming, small-town cozy mystery. Here is a blurb to whet your appetite:
When elementary art teacher Maggie MacGill finds the richest, most despised woman in town dead, then inherits her estate, life in the sweet mountain town of Wrenhaven, Tennessee, takes a greased ride downhill. No one knows why Mrs. Grayson left her fortune to Maggie, but once her death begins to look like murder, and a series of unexplained pranks directed at the MacGill family turn nasty, Maggie must untangle a web of secrets and discover who has it in for her before it’s too late. Even if it means accepting help from the victim’s grandson, a man she’s loathed since high school, but whose devastating grin and quick wit can still make her heart race.
Here is what readers have to say about A Murder and Maggie MacGill:
Lori Caswell/Dollycas: “A charming cozy mystery. The characters are all well-crafted and feel true to life. The members of the supporting cast, including the suspects, are also well-crafted. The mystery was very well-plotted and written. The author knows how to set a scene, blend plotlines, and lay out the information needed to follow along with the investigation without being overly wordy or repetitive. The story unfolded at a comfortable pace and ramped up measurably as the clues started to fall into place. Just when you think the culprit is down, there’s another little twist before the satisfying final takedown. A Murder and Maggie MacGill is a charming cozy mystery filled with relatable and interesting characters. There was romantic tension between Eli and Maggie that didn’t overtake the mystery. It played in harmony with funny moments until the final pages. I loved the ending to this story. This is written as a standalone story, so no cliffhanger, but I wouldn’t mind catching up with Maggie sometime in the future.”
Karen Siddall: “Rebecca Lee Smith populates the East Tennessee mountain town with a variety of fun neighbors and potential suspects. Eli Grayson, one of the dead woman’s grandsons and a horrible memory from Maggie’s past, returns to Wrenhaven just before his grandmother’s death. While he was the catalyst for Maggie’s bullying in high school, he seems genuinely sincere in his apology and regret for his youthful behavior. The chemistry between the two is electric, while her relationship with his cousin, Stephen, her former boyfriend, was a shocking disappointment, as he was such an awful individual. The story is well-paced, with the discovery of Mrs. Grayson’s death early in the book and the development of the town of Wrenhaven, its residents, and Maggie’s current situation unfolding organically without info-dumping. I was behind Maggie every step of the way as she searched for answers, dodged disasters, and considered what to do with Mrs. Grayson’s legacy. As the deceased was generally disliked by many people, who also felt like she owed them for her nastiness in life, there are plenty of suspects to consider before the person behind everything is identified. The big reveal was exciting with some unusual twists, including the appearance of an unlikely hero. I recommend A MURDER AND MAGGIE MACGILL to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy art-themed stories or Tennessee settings.
E. J. Marino: “A good cozy that has Maggie solving the murder of a much-disliked old lady. So many twists and suspects that I couldn’t figure out who did the murder. A new-to-me author, and I will be looking to read more from this good cozy writer.”
Lib Staff 2: “An extraordinary contemporary cozy murder mystery, this novel is set in a southern small town and has a quirky cast of likeable (and questionable) characters that makes you wish this stand-alone was a series introduction. The witty and occasionally snarky banter adds light to some serious themes, and, intriguingly, many characters are attempting a second chance at life in this little corner of the world (while others seek to escape). I appreciate the inclusion of a character with a hearing impairment as well.”
Andrenne Alsum: “I relished getting to the bottom of this mystery! Alongside the heroine, Maggie MacGill, I enjoyed tooling around the streets of Wrenhaven - can I visit? - getting to know all the characters and finding out what was going to happen next. The character development, plotting, and setting were all strong and made this book a solid read. Pick this book up, settle in with a hot beverage, and have yourself an entertaining reading experience!”
Barbara: “This book is a page turner. Very well written!”
https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Maggie-MacGill-Rebecca-Smith-ebook/dp/B0FC238LWX/ref=sr_1_1?
This week, Susie Black’s Saturday Author Spotlight shines on cozy mystery author Rebecca Lee Smith.
About the Author: Rebecca lives with her husband and a dog named Wilbur in the beautiful misty mountains of East Tennessee, where the people are charming, soulful, and just a little bit crazy. She’s been everything from a tax collector to a stay-at-home-mom to an award-winning professional actress and director. When she’s not churning out small-town cozy-ish mysteries, she loves to travel the world, go to the Outer Banks for her ocean fix, watch old movies, and make her day complete by answering the Final Jeopardy! question. Her Southern roots and the affectionate appreciation she has for the rural towns she lives near inspire the settings and characters she writes about. Visit her at www.rebeccaleesmith.com
A Murder and Maggie MacGill is a charming, small-town cozy mystery. Here is a blurb to whet your appetite:
When elementary art teacher Maggie MacGill finds the richest, most despised woman in town dead, then inherits her estate, life in the sweet mountain town of Wrenhaven, Tennessee, takes a greased ride downhill. No one knows why Mrs. Grayson left her fortune to Maggie, but once her death begins to look like murder, and a series of unexplained pranks directed at the MacGill family turn nasty, Maggie must untangle a web of secrets and discover who has it in for her before it’s too late. Even if it means accepting help from the victim’s grandson, a man she’s loathed since high school but whose devastating grin and quick wit can still make her heart race.
Here is what readers have to say about A Murder and Maggie MacGill:
Lori Caswell/Dollycas: “A charming cozy mystery. The characters are all well-crafted and feel true to life. The members of the supporting cast, including the suspects, are also well-crafted. The mystery was very well-plotted and written. The author knows how to set a scene, blend plotlines, and lay out the information needed to follow along with the investigation without being overly wordy or repetitive. The story unfolded at a comfortable pace and ramped up measurably as the clues started to fall into place. Just when you think the culprit is down, there’s another little twist before the satisfying final takedown. A Murder and Maggie MacGill is a charming cozy mystery filled with relatable and interesting characters. There was romantic tension between Eli and Maggie that didn’t overtake the mystery. It played in harmony with funny moments until the final pages. I loved the ending to this story. This is written as a standalone story, so no cliffhanger, but I wouldn’t mind catching up with Maggie sometime in the future.”
Karen Siddall: “Rebecca Lee Smith populates the East Tennessee mountain town with a variety of fun neighbors and potential suspects. Eli Grayson, one of the dead woman’s grandsons and a horrible memory from Maggie’s past, returns to Wrenhaven just before his grandmother’s death. While he was the catalyst for Maggie’s bullying in high school, he seems genuinely sincere in his apology and regret for his youthful behavior. The chemistry between the two is electric, while her relationship with his cousin, Stephen, her former boyfriend, was a shocking disappointment, as he was such an awful individual. The story is well-paced, with the discovery of Mrs. Grayson’s death early in the book and the development of the town of Wrenhaven, its residents, and Maggie’s current situation unfolding organically without info-dumping. I was behind Maggie every step of the way as she searched for answers, dodged disasters, and considered what to do with Mrs. Grayson’s legacy. As the deceased was generally disliked by many people, who also felt like she owed them for her nastiness in life, there are plenty of suspects to consider before the person behind everything is identified. The big reveal was exciting with some unusual twists, including the appearance of an unlikely hero. I recommend A MURDER AND MAGGIE MACGILL to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy art-themed stories or Tennessee settings.
E. J. Marino: “A good cozy that has Maggie solving the murder of a much-disliked old lady. So many twists and suspects that I couldn’t figure out who did the murder. A new-to-me author, and I will be looking to read more from this good cozy writer.”
Lib Staff 2: “An extraordinary contemporary cozy murder mystery, this novel is set in a southern small town and has a quirky cast of likeable (and questionable) characters that makes you wish this stand-alone was a series introduction. The witty and occasionally snarky banter adds light to some serious themes, and, intriguingly, many characters are attempting a second chance at life in this little corner of the world (while others seek to escape). I appreciate the inclusion of a character with a hearing impairment as well.”
Andrenne Alsum: “I relished getting to the bottom of this mystery! Alongside the heroine, Maggie MacGill, I enjoyed tooling around the streets of Wrenhaven - can I visit? - getting to know all the characters, and finding out what was going to happen next. The character development, plotting, and setting were all strong and made this book a solid read. Pick this book up, settle in with a hot beverage, and have yourself an entertaining reading experience!”
Barbara: “This book is a page turner. Very well written!”
https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Maggie-MacGill-Rebecca-Smith-ebook/dp/B0FC238LWX/ref=sr_1_1?
It’s great to meet Rebecca. It sounds like she lives in a beautiful part of the world. Thank you for sharing, Susie!