Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Book Spotlight: A Sour Note (A Music Box Mystery) by Jill Piscitello

My guest today is Jill Piscitello, author of the new cozy mystery A Sour Note (A Music Box Mystery). I have the double pleasure of reading it now and being able to share this fast-paced amateur sleuth story's details with all of you. Trust me: you won't want to put it down!

TAGLINE:

When murder provides a welcome distraction…

Blurb:

On the heels of a public, broken engagement, Maeve Cleary returns to her childhood home in Hampton Beach, NH. When a dead body turns up behind her mother’s music school, three old friends land on the suspect list. Licking her wounds soon takes a back seat to outrunning the paparazzi who spin into a frenzy, casting her in a cloud of suspicion. Maeve juggles her high school sweetheart, a cousin with a touch of clairvoyance, a no-nonsense detective, and an apologetic, two-timing ex-fiancé. Will the negative publicity impact business at the Music Box— the very place she’d hoped to make a fresh start?

 

EXCERPT:

With his mouth set in a grim line, he waited.

If anyone else had enough nerve to presume she owed them an explanation, she would respond with a solid mind your own business. Instead, the seventeen-year-old still inside her refused to tell him to get lost. “He was hiding money in his office.” This was one of those times when learning how to wait a few beats before blurting out inflammatory information would come in handy. Each second of passing silence decreased her ability to breathe in the confined space. She turned the ignition and switched on the air conditioner.

“How do you know?” His volume just above a whisper, each dragged-out word hung in the air.

“I found it.”

“When were you in his office?” He swiped at a bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face, then positioned a vent toward him.

“Last night.” When would she learn to bite her tongue? Finn’s switch from rapid-fire scolding to slow, deliberate questioning left her unable to swallow over the sandpaper lump in her throat.

“Where was Vic?”

She stared at the back of the building, wishing she’d kept her mouth shut. “He’d left for the night.” If she averted her gaze, she could pretend his eyeballs weren’t bugging out of his head, and his jaw didn’t need a crane to haul it off his chest.

“You were at the town hall after hours? Did anyone see you?”

“A custodian opened his door for me.” She snuck a glance. Sure enough, features contorted in shock and horror replaced his boy-next-door good looks.

About the Author:

Jill Piscitello is a teacher, author, and an avid fan of multiple literary genres. Although she divides her reading hours among several books at a time, a lighthearted story offering an escape from the real world can always be found on her nightstand.

 

A native of New England, Jill lives with her family and three well-loved cats. When not planning lessons or reading and writing, she can be found spending time with her family, trying out new restaurants, traveling, and going on light hikes.

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Kobo

Barnes & Noble

Google Books

Walmart

BooksAMillion

Indie Bound

 

 Social media links:

Website ~ Twitter  ~ Facebook ~  Instagram  ~ Amazon ~ GoodReads ~ BookBub

 

 

7 comments:

  1. This sounds so great! Can't wait to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. A cozy mystery with a musical setting sounds like the perfect read for me! I've ordered my copy. Best wishes for its success!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Patricia! I hope you enjoy the story.

      Delete
  3. Congrats on your new release! Sounds like a great read!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you so much for featuring A Sour Note! I hope you enjoy the rest of you summer.

    ReplyDelete