• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to footer

Barbara Ellen Brink

Barbara's Thin Line Between Truth & Fiction

  • Home
  • Bookstore
  • Blog
  • About Barbara
  • Contact
  • Bookstore
  • Mystery
  • Suspense
  • Christian Fiction
  • Young Adult

Much Ado About Murder

Your middle-of-the-week mystery fix!

August 3, 2016 By Barbara Leave a Comment

DockedSailboats2

Looking for a fun, new series with plenty of mystery, murder, and romance to go
Roadkillsmallaround? Check out my Double Barrel Mysteries series. If you want to start at the beginning of the series, pick up a copy of book one, ROADKILL.

In book two, Much Ado About Murder, Blake and Shelby Gunner are setting up residence in Port Scuttlebutt and opening their own private investigations office. Hope you enjoy the excerpt below!

ImbedMuchAdo2Shelby could hear the whine of the electric saw when she stepped out on the porch with her cup of coffee. Vanilla bean scented steam rose in the cold autumn air as she held her cup between the palms of her hands and sipped. She shivered in spite of wearing an angora sweater beneath a quilted jacket. It was hard to believe that days before Blake was working shirtless down at the boathouse. Today he’d need to wear long johns and flannel. It was already beginning to feel like Christmas. All they needed was snow.

The radio came on in the kitchen where Alice was busy mixing bread dough. It sounded like the weather report. Shelby gulped the rest of her lukewarm coffee and slipped back inside to catch the news. Maybe there would be something about the murder. The police had been tight-lipped about the case when Blake showed up asking questions. Even the brotherhood-of-blue mantra did little to open the way for him.

Blake was still upstairs sleeping, but he’d be down soon. He had an invitation to visit his grandmother at the big house for lunch. Apparently it was a single invitation, since he hadn’t invited her along, but that was okay. She had plans as well.

“Sounds like we might get snow by tonight,” Alice said, turning the radio down when the commercials came on. She slipped a clean towel over the lump of dough in the mixing bowl, and slid it closer to the stove to rise. “Good thing Mr. Dugan started early today. Maybe he’ll have the office windows and door in for you by this evening.”

“That would be wonderful.” Shelby refilled her cup from the carafe and leaned against the kitchen counter. “Especially if he turns out to be guilty.”

“Guilty? Did you find something incriminating out there at his place?” Alice peered over the refrigerator door as she pulled breakfast items from the shelves. “I mean… that would be terrible. For Tucker’s dad especially.”

Shelby shook her head. “Nothing like that. But we didn’t find anything to prove his innocence either, so…” she shrugged.

“Hey. Loose lips sink ships,” Blake said from the doorway. He pulled an imaginary zipper across his mouth. “Mrs. Private Eye, may I have a word with you?”

“Don’t worry,” Alice said, “I haven’t had time to get all the juicy details out of her yet.”

Shelby followed Blake into the sitting room and faced him, hands on her hips. “What was that all about? Paranoid much? If anyone in this town can be trusted, Alice can.”

“I know that. But sometimes things slip out inadvertently. I want to keep this ring business under wraps for the time being. I haven’t even questioned Pete Dugan about whether he knew his ex-wife was seeing someone else or not. First things first. Okay?”

“Fine. I won’t mention the ring to anyone.”

He stepped closer and tipped her chin up with one finger. “You know how beautiful you look when you’re peeved with me?”

“I’m not peeved. I just don’t like lying to my friends.” She’d done enough of that growing up. Lying to protect her alcoholic father from losing his job, lying to keep the social workers away, lying to bill collectors, the landlord, her friends.

“You don’t have to lie, babe. They’ll understand if you tell them you can’t talk about it. The same way you understood when I couldn’t share everything about the cases I worked on as a detective. Information is key. We have to keep it to ourselves until the exact right moment. Get it? Surprise attack. We want to get a natural, unguarded look at our suspect’s true feelings. Most people wear a façade, especially when they feel cornered.

“Now our client is a suspect?”

“Until I’ve proved otherwise.”

She leaned into him and he drew her close. She closed her eyes and breathed in his just-showered scent. “You smell like fresh strawberries.”

“I used your fruity shampoo. Mine was empty.”

“It smells good on you,” she said, nuzzling his neck.

“Hold on now.” He moved back out of reach, a silly grin on his face. “Are you trying to get an invitation to lunch, or…?”

“I can’t believe you’d think that. Only married four years and you’re already pouring sand on the flames.”

His brows came together. “Are you messing with me?”

“Of course. Who else would I mess with?” She reached out and tugged him back by the collar of his shirt. “Now kiss me before I leave. I’m going to the café for a chat with Luanne.”

“Heaven help us all,” he said, and then gave her a proper goodbye kiss.

~~~

Ps. Book Three: Midsummer Madness is available now!

 

 

Thanks for stopping! Hope you enjoyed this excerpt. Please leave a comment below.

Barbara

Barbara Ellen Brink is the author of The Fredrickson Winery Novels, Split Sense (winner of the Grace Award), Running Home, Alias Raven Black, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and Roadkill.
Barbara Ellen Brink is the author of The Fredrickson Winery Novels, Split Sense (winner of the Grace Award), Running Home, Alias Raven Black, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and The Double Barrel Mysteries.
Email, RSS Follow
Pin It

Filed Under: mystery Tagged With: Double Barrel Mysteries, excerpt, Much Ado About Murder, mystery, series

Roadkill giveaway!

May 5, 2016 By Barbara 2 Comments

No, I’m not giving away dead squirrels or turtles that failed to get across the highway quick enough to avoid an early demise. That’s a completely different kind of road kill.

roadkillcoverImbedI’m giving away 5 signed copies of ROADKILL (Double Barrel Mysteries) book #1 at Goodreads! Starting May 6th, you can sign up for the giveaway at Goodreads and maybe you will be one of the lucky winners of an autographed paperback of ROADKILL.

This giveaway ends May 22nd, coincidentally the exact day book #2, MUCH ADO ABOUT MURDER (Double Barrel Mysteries), hits the ebook shelves everywhere!

So, sign up now!

You can use the link over in the sidebar>>>

Or click here and go directly to Goodreads.

 

If you’ve already read Roadkill, leave a comment and tell me what character you’re hoping ImbedMuchAdo2will make an appearance in book #2! Don’t forget to preorder MUCH ADO ABOUT MURDER! >

Thanks for stopping!

Barbara

Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery Novels, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, The Second Chances series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and The Double Barrel Mysteries, Roadkill and Much Ado About Murder. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and pups.
Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery Novels, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, The Second Chances series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and The Double Barrel Mysteries, Roadkill and Much Ado About Murder. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and pups.

 

Email, RSS Follow
Pin It

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Barbara E Brink, Double Barrel Mystery, fiction, goodreads giveaway, Much Ado About Murder, Roadkill, signed copies

Mystery Lovers Celebrate!

May 3, 2016 By Barbara Leave a Comment

DBlogo4x4In celebration of the May 22nd release of MUCH ADO ABOUT MURDER (book #2 in The Double Barrel Mysteries) I have two great deals for you this week!

ImbedMuchAdo2

Now Thru May 6th, get two great books for sooooooo little!

CRUSHED is #Free everywhere right now!   (and)  ROADKILL is just $1.99 at Amazon!

Crushedsmall                                               roadkillcoverImbed

Kobo  Kindle  Nook  iTunes    Smashwords                  Kindle

Don’t forget to PreOrder MUCH ADO ABOUT MURDER now! Use the links below:

Nook  iTunes  Kobo  Smashwords  kindle

Thanks for stopping!

Barbara

Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery Novels, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, The Second Chances series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and The Double Barrel Mysteries, Roadkill and Much Ado About Murder. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and pups.
Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery Novels, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, The Second Chances series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and The Double Barrel Mysteries, Roadkill and Much Ado About Murder. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and pups.

 

Email, RSS Follow
Pin It

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Barbara Ellen Brink, book sale, Crushed, Double Barrel Mysteries, fiction, Much Ado About Murder, mystery, Roadkill

Cover Reveal! Much Ado About Murder

April 28, 2016 By Barbara 2 Comments

I know you’ve been waiting a whole year for the second book in The Double Barrel Mysteries and finally the end is near! Much Ado About Murder is set to release into the wilds of online bookstores everywhere, May 22nd! So mark your calendars for this awesome event!!

ImbedMuchAdo2Blake and Shelby Gunner’s plans to renovate the old boathouse into offices for Double Barrel Investigations go awry when murder comes calling.

Autumn in Port Scuttlebutt usually means a stormy Lake Superior, crisp temperatures, vibrant fall colors, and an invasion of deer hunters. This year, there’s also a shallow grave.

Someone killed Pete Dugan’s ex-wife and planted her under his woodpile. The police consider him the obvious suspect, but the Gunner’s have other ideas.

What does the death of a pet squirrel, the sighting of a mysterious car, a break-in at the bed & breakfast, and the reappearance of three ex-cons into the community have to do with the murder of a middle-aged legal assistant?

No detective worth a grain of salt believes in coincidence… so when things start piling up that seem too quirky to be happenstance, Blake and Shelby have to decipher the clues and come up with the truth before a killer gets away with murder.

~~~

Hope you are as excited as I am about Much Ado About Murder. If you’d like, leave a comment below!

You can pre-Order at these stores: Kobo  Apple  kindle  nook

Thanks for stopping!

Barbara

Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery Novels, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, The Second Chances series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and ROADKILL, the 1st book in the new Double Barrel Mysteries. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and pups.
Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery Novels, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, The Second Chances series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and ROADKILL, the 1st book in the new Double Barrel Mysteries. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and pups.

 

Email, RSS Follow
Pin It

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Barbara E Brink, Double Barrel Mysteries, Much Ado About Murder, mystery series

Footer

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

A reader favorite!

Split Sense

Split Sense

When a senator and pharmaceutical giant partner to experiment with a new drug on pregnant women, they tap into a world they never knew existed – the supernatural touching the natural – and it will cost the innocent more than they know. Grace Awards Winner!

More info →
Buy This Book Online
Buy from Kobo
Buy from Apple Books
Buy from Barnes and Noble Nook
Buy from Google Play
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Split Sense
Buy now!

Copyright © 2021 · Barbara Ellen Brink All Rights Reserved