Blog Tour: SCARLET AT CRYSTAL RIVER by Randy Overbeck

 

Scarlet At Crystal River

by Randy Overbeck

 

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GENRE: Mystery

 

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BLURB:

 

All Darrell Henshaw wanted was to enjoy his honeymoon with his beautiful wife, Erin, in the charming town of Crystal River on the sunny Gulf Coast of Florida. Only a pair of ghosts decide to intrude on their celebration. And not just any ghosts, the spirits of two young Latino children. Unwilling at first to derail the honeymoon for yet another ghost hunt, Darrell finally concedes when a painting of the kids comes alive, weeping and pleading for his help.

 

When he and Erin track down the artist, they discover the children’s family were migrant workers the next county over. But when they travel there, their questions about the kids gets their car shot up and Erin hospitalized. Torn between fear and rage, Darrell must decide how far he will go to get justice for two young children he never even knew.

 

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Excerpt One:

 

Darrell started, “Like I said back there, it’s complicated. We—”

 

Erin’s side window exploded. The fractured glass shot slivers across the front seat. The sound of an explosion followed a beat behind. Erin screamed. Something stung Darrell’s right arm. He grabbed a cut on his skin and then looked across the seat. Damn. Erin’s arm was bleeding, bad.

 

He couldn’t breathe. “Erin?” He stared at her for a second and then jerked his gaze back to the road and straightened the car.

 

Something hit the rear window. Luis yelped. The glass shattered and a second later, another crack followed. Luis fell forward. Was he hit? Darrell’s gaze jumped from the road to Erin to the back seat. Luis had fallen to the floor. Darrell couldn’t see him.

 

“Luis?” Erin called.

 

No answer.

 

Dragging his eyes from the road, Darrell shot another glance at Erin. Her entire arm was now turning red, the edge of her short sleeve wicking up the scarlet. The fingers of her left hand gripped tight around her right arm, the knuckles turning white. The blood still seeped through.

Dragging his eyes from Erin for a second, he turned in his seat to try to look.

 

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Review: A newlywed couple, a trip to Crystal River at Christmas, and a foreboding warning.

Not wanting to spoil the honeymoon, Darrel, figured he’d handle it. But when he saw the disappearing kids, he wasn’t so sure. Those same from the prophecy kept ringing in his head: “I see a malevolence, a great danger lurking nearby.” This is repeated so often in the beginning that it takes a while for the mystery to get going while the characters navigate through their vacation spot. Darrel kept insisting on his refusal to let two ghosts ruin his honeymoon. But things slowly started happening, like the crying painting.

A good ghost mystery is always intriguing, and this one certainly was. The writing was good with an easy-going narrative. Story kept a steady and consistent pace, careful not to reveal things too quickly, which was fine but not overly exciting.

Overall a nice read.

Rating: 3 stars

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author and speaker. As an educator, he served children for more than three decades in a range of roles captured in his novels, from teacher and coach to principal and superintendent. His thriller, Leave No Child Behind (2012) and his recent mysteries, the Amazon No. 1 Best Seller, Blood on the Chesapeake and Crimson at Cape May have earned five star reviews and garnered national awards including “Thriller of the Year--ReadersFavorite.com, “Gold Award”—Literary Titan, “Mystery of the Year”—ReadersView.com and “Crowned Heart of Excellence”—InD’Tale Magazine. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Sleuthfest, Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop. When he’s not writing or researching his next exciting novel or sharing his presentation “Things Still Go Bump in the Night,” he’s spending time with his incredible family of wife, three children (and their spouses) and seven wonderful grandchildren.

 

Social Media Handles

 

https://twitter.com/OverbeckRandy/media

 

https://www.facebook.com/authorrandyoverbeck

 

https://www.instagram.com/authorrandyoverbeck/

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-KOC0LH2GQRSAjwxOFr5rg

 

Tik Tok @authorrandyo

 

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GIVEAWAY:

 

Randy Overbeck will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway