Monday, September 14, 2020

The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies by Adriana Licio: Review & Giveaway!


The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies


 A German Cozy Mystery


(The Homeswappers) by Adriana Licio

About The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies

Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: The Hometravellers Press (September 1, 2020)
~180 pAGES
Digital ASIN: B08DD8C46D
A holiday is a time to relax, unwind and see the sights. But for two adventurous sexagenarians, the sights have a tendency to include dead bodies. 

Etta and Dora, both newly retired teachers, travel from their home in Southern Italy to a fairy-tale German town for their first home swap holiday, delighted by their neighbours’ warm welcome. But the welcome turns sour when the Night Watchman of Rothenburg is brutally murdered while his tour group takes photographs nearby, a halberd buried in his chest and a peculiar iron mask by his side.

When the murderer claims a second victim and the son of their hospitable neighbours becomes the number-one suspect, Etta’s analytical mind goes to work. Why was a shame mask left at the scene of each murder? Is there a clandestine trade going on behind the scenes of apparently upstanding local businesses? And why does every lead take her back to the sinister Devil’s Ale pub and the terrifying gang who lurk within?

Meanwhile, Dora has a puzzle of her own – how can she persuade Etta that a loveably disobedient Basset Hound called Napoleon is now a permanent part of their lives?

◆◆◆ Pack your bags, jump into the backseat of Etta and Doras old Fiat 500, and join them on their travels around Europe. Therell be mystery, murder and mayhem aplenty wherever they go. ◆◆◆

About Adriana Licio 


She loves loads of things: traveling, reading, walking, good food, small villages, and home swapping. She runs her family perfumery, and between a dark patchouli and a musky rose, she reads and writes cozy mysteries.

She resisted writing as long as she could. But one day she found an alluring blank page and the words flowed in that weird English she'd learned in Glasgow...
> Get a taste of Adriana's world reading And Then There Were Bones the prequel to her An Italian Village Mystery series, exclusive to the subscribers on her mailing list - https://adrianalicio.com/murderclub
  

Author Links







My Thoughts

The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies by Adriana Licio has Dora and Etta arriving in Rothenburg, Germany for a monthlong stay.  They have swapped homes with the Baumann family.  They take the Night Watchman Tour of Rothenburg that evening which ends with them finding the tour guide murdered.  Dora had bonded with the watchman’s dog, Leon who is distraught at the loss of his master.  Dora insists on taking Leon home over Etta’s objections.  When their neighbor’s son becomes the prime suspect, Dora and Etta work to find the real killer.  The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies is the first full-length novel in The Homeswappers series.  It can be enjoyed without having read the prequel, Castelmezzano, The Witch is Dead.  I thought The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies was well-written with lively, developed characters.  Dora and Etta are retired teachers who get a very small pension.  They share a house and car in Italy which allows them to travel if they participate in homeswapping.  Rothenburg, Germany is their first homeswapping vacation.  Rothenburg is a picturesque village with cobblestones, narrow streets, friendly residents, and charming shops.  I loved the descriptions of the village which made me feel I was there with the ladies.  The story moved along quickly as Dora, Etta, and Leon worked to find the killer.  The mystery had a couple of suspects and good clues to help readers solve the crime.  The instrument used to kill the watchman was unique.  Leon was a great addition.  He is quite the little sleuth.  It was interesting learning about shame masks and the various pastries native to the area.  The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies takes readers abroad to Germany where there is a calculated killer, appetizing pastries, a cute canine, tension among the tour guides, charming Christmas shops, and snoopy senior sleuths. 
Night Watchman Tour in Rothenburg Germany
The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies is available from Amazon. It is available through Kindle Unlimited. The prequel to The Homeswappers is Castelmezzano, The Witch is Dead.  The next two novels in The Homeswappers  are A Wedding and A Funeral in Mecklenburg which will be out November 1 and An Aero Island Christmas Mystery which publishes on December 15.  Adriana Licio is the author of The Italian Village Mystery series. Would you like to win a digital copy of The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies?  Leave me a comment with your email address (so I can contact you if you win) for a chance to win.  I would love it if you follow my blog as well (button on the right at the top).  Contest ends on September 23 at 11:59 p.m. EST.  Good Luck! For more chances to win, visit the other stops on the tour (schedule below). The images I included today are from Rothenburg and the Night Watchman Tour. Thank you for stopping in today.  I will be back tomorrow with The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox.  I hope that you have an lucky day.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader
The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies: A German Cozy Mystery (The Homeswappers Book 1) by [Adriana Licio]

Tour Participants


September 14 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

September 14 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST

September 14 – Mystery Thriller and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 15 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
The Night Watchman – the most followed man in Germany! Rothenburg ob der Tauber
September 15 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 15 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
Rothenburg, Germany - It was fun to go on "The Night Watchman" tour!
September 17 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

September 17 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

September 17 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW

September 18 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Tilly's forces arrived and the General was furious to find only closed gates and loaded weapons bearing down on his tired, hungry troops. The battle began, hastened to a disastrous finish for Rothenburg's citizen army. A lucky shot from the attacking army hit their main storehouse of gunpowder, which was located in a tower on the exterior wall. The tower was blown to bits taking all the gunpowder with it. With a huge gaping hole in the wall and with no means to fight the citizens surrendered.
September 18 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT

September 19 – Baroness' Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

September 19 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 20 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 20 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 21 – My Reading  Journeys – REVIEW

September 21 – Here's How It Happened – REVIEW 

September 22 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT
Rothenburg ob der Tauber Germany
September 22 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 23 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT

September 23 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 23 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW, GUEST POST
Rudolf Jelinek
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