Blog Tour: MURDER AT THE ZOO by Marcia Rosen

Murder at the Zoo

by Marcia Rosen

 

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GENRE: Mystery

 

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BLURB:

 

A body is tossed into the lion’s habitat at the zoo where Miranda Scott is the senior vet. She and Detective Bryan Anderson join forces to unravel that mystery and several more murders. A fan since childhood of Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, and Sherlock Holmes they seem to live in her head frequently telling her what to do…and not do. Murders, family, deceit, revenge and a gangster father and godfather often get in the way of a fine romance between Miranda and the Detective.

 

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Excerpt One:

 

“Miranda, get to the zoo! Visitors are pointing at a human arm in the lions’ enclosure.”

 

“Hmmm. This is intriguing. A body in the lions’ den. What are the facts?”

 

“Agatha, Raymond, facts if you please,” Sherlock demanded.

 

“All of you shut up!”

 

It was not the first time Miranda shouted to the voices in her head. Sometimes they seemed so real to her. She had read nearly every book of every famous mystery writer and had seen movies made from them many times. She was often absorbed and obsessed by the stories and the characters.

 

Miranda loved their ways of thinking, analyzing problems, finding solutions, and delving into the dark spaces hidden in humanity: Raymond Chandler’s tough Detective, Philip Marlowe, who always found a dame he could lust after and distrust and Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and her Tommy and Tuppence. Their gossip and ways of finding clues and uncovering secrets swirled in her head, while the famous Sherlock Homes demanded facts and attention to the tiniest of details.

 

There were other geniuses of mysteries who stopped by to give Miranda their “two cents” at times, especially when Agatha, Raymond, and Sherlock were disagreeing with each other. Miranda was sure they would have plenty to say about the murder at the zoo.

 

 

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 Review: It begins with a murder at the zoo. A severed limb was found in the lion’s den. Yikes!

Miranda has always had a thing for mysteries. In fact, she claimed that she had mystery writers living in her head.

“She knew that the voices of her adolescent heroes from books and movies were her own thoughts—a second conscious perhaps— that helped her sort things out with the same critical thinking skills that had been used by her “detectives” when solving cases.”

The voices of Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, and Sherlock Holmes were literally in her head and were talking to Miranda. Mmm, quirky and odd. It was funny how they would all argue with each other in her head. One thing they all did was strongly urge Miranda to solve not just one murder, but TWO murders.

Story had a simple and amusing narrative for the most part. It was good that there was a murder at the zoo right from the start; however, the storyline sort of dillydallies along the way, slowing the investigation. Little by little, the trail seems to lead to Miranda’s father. Could he have been involved somehow?

The mystery was rather interesting with small details eventually leading to one thing or another. But the story was rather slow and a tad dry for my taste. It just seemed like there was a lot of talking inside Miranda’s head. Who was really the detective here—her or them? I’m sure mystery buffs would want an unconventional mystery helped by one of the great detectives.

A fairy nice read. 

Rating: 3 stars

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Marcia Rosen (aka M. Glenda Rosen), award winning author of eleven books including The Senior Sleuths and Dying To Be Beautiful Mystery Series and The Gourmet Gangster: Mysteries and Menus (Menus by her son Jory Rosen). She is also author of The Woman’s Business Therapist and award winning My Memoir Workbook. For 25 years she was owner of a successful national marketing and public relations agency, Marcia has frequently been a speaker and/or program moderator at organization meetings and conferences, bookstores, libraries and Zoom Programs. Topics she has taught and presented over the past twenty years include: Encouraging the Writer Within You, Marketing for Authors, Writing Mysteries…Not A Mystery, Writing Your Memoir and recently “Anatomy of Writing A Murder.”  Many articles on these topics have been published on mystery reader blogs and in newsletters and magazines including “Mystery Scene Magazine” and “Mystery Reader International Journal.”

 

She is a member of Sisters in Crime National and New Mexico (Croak & Dagger), Southwest Writers, New Mexico Book Association, Women Writing the West, Public Safety Writer’s Association, and National Association of Independent Writers and Editors—for which she is also a board member.  www.MarciaRosen.com

 

“Marcia Rosen's new book is hard to put down! The characters are engaging and you enjoy getting to know them as you read this mystery. I enjoyed discovering the world and people in Murder at the Zoo and can't wait to read more from this author!”

 

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GIVEAWAY 

 

Marcia Rosen will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway