Snuffed Out Kick-Off Package

About the Book

Picnics can be murder… scenes.

What was supposed to be a romantic picnic at “their spot” turns criminal when Katrina and Todd stumble—almost literally—over a body.

What’s the college chef doing under a bush up in the mountains? Other than being dead, that is.

Who killed him? Why?

All clues point to people who Katrina is certain didn’t do it. Especially the one who ends up dead himself.

Uh, oh.

Thanks to a slow-burning romantic relationship that can’t seem to get past chapter one, and a determination to save her friend from false arrest, Katrina joins Todd again as they riddle out bizarre clues, weed through unlikely suspects, and learn to communicate on a more personal level.

What do you get when you combine literary humor, sweet romance, and a practical helping of faith? A cozy mystery that’ll keep you guessing. Barbara Cornthwaite’s second Wilkester Mystery has everything you want for a cozy read.

Snag Snuffed Out today.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Barbara Cornthwaite lives in the middle of Ireland with her husband and children. She taught college English before “retiring” to do something she loves far more; her days are now filled with homeschooling her six children, trying to keep the house tidy (a losing battle), and trying to stay warm in the damp Irish climate (also a losing battle). She is surrounded by medieval castles, picturesque flocks of sheep, and ancient stone monuments. These things are unappreciated by her children, who are more impressed by traffic jams, skyscrapers, and hot weather.

Teaser for Snuffed Out

Todd closed the folder with the Franklin case paperwork in it and laid it on top of the stack of folders waiting to be filed. He almost reached for the Delaney case notes again but resisted the impulse. There was no new information in there, and he’d gone over everything a dozen times in the last few days. He had promised Katrina he wouldn’t give up, but without any new leads to pursue, there wasn’t much he could do.

He shook his head, impatient with himself. He’d been doing so well at putting her out of his mind—hadn’t thought of her all day until this moment. Now he’d probably be struggling for the rest of the day.

John Ortega poked his head into Todd’s office.

“Hey, we just got a call from the librarian at Wilkester College about the theft of a manuscript. The chief said either one of us could go, but I thought you might like to take it.”

“Why?”

“Oh, come on,” said John. “You think I’m blind and deaf?”

“It’s no use. Nothing’s going to happen between Dr. Peters and me.”

John leaned up against the door frame and grinned at him. “’Dr. Peters,’ huh? She was ‘Katrina’ for weeks.”

“Well, that was before. Now that I know a relationship isn’t possible, I need to keep my distance.”

“She turned you down?”

“I didn’t ask, but trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”

“Hmm,” John said. “You don’t usually give up on things so easily. Well, do you mind handling this anyway? I’ve got that other robbery case to deal with, and I’m supposed to be interviewing that guy from Tacoma in a couple hours.” Todd hesitated and John added, “She’s an adjunct professor, right? She’s probably not even on campus now, and she certainly won’t be in the library.”

“Oh, okay.” Todd sighed. He pushed back his chair and stood up.

“’Attaboy. Thanks for taking the call.” John turned to go and then looked back. “It will get easier, you know.”

“I know.” As long as I don’t see her again.

My Thoughts

Snuffed Out by Barbara Cornthwaite has Dr. Katrina Peters stumbling upon a very dead man with her boyfriend, Detective Todd Mason in Mt. Rainier National Forest after a cozy picnic. The victim turns out to be Travis Melford who works at Wilkester College. Dr. Susan Langton, the creator and organizer of the Regency Conference currently taking place on campus, ends up the prime suspect. Katrina has a keen eye for detail as well as good deduction skills which help Todd with this perplexing investigation. Snuffed Out is the second novel in the Wilkester Mysteries. I do recommend reading Brought to Book before embarking on Snuffed Out. I thought Snuffed Out was easy to read with realistic characters and mild pacing. I liked that the book takes place in the Pacific Northwest. Katrina and Todd visit Mt. Rainier National Forest. I would have enjoyed more details about the park and the view from their special rock (I bet it was special). I like that the series takes place on a college campus. We get to see what life is like for an adjunct professor. I enjoyed learning more about Katrina’s work and hearing about the unique Regency Conference. The mystery was nicely done. I thought it was clever. There are a couple of good suspects along with misdirection. I appreciated that all the details of the mystery are wrapped up at the end. It depends upon how many mysteries you have read on how soon you solve this whodunit. In addition to the mystery, the author has a single woman becoming a foster mother. She gets her first charge, and it is a rough ride. We get to see the difficulties and pleasures in becoming a foster parent. The relationship between Katrina and Todd is developing. They are learning more about each other and need to decide what the next step should be for them. Christianity is present throughout the story in a low key way. Katrina is a Christian, but she does not force her views on anyone. She is a woman who is at peace because she knows God is in control of her life. Snuffed Out is a crafty Christian cozy mystery with a poetry professor, a dashing detective, romantic Regency lectures, a pretty poison, and clever clues.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Barbara is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a paperback of the book. Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway. Click here to enter.

Snuffed Out is available from Amazon* and is included in Kindle Unlimited. The first book in the Wilkester Mysteries is Brought to Book. You can find the author's other novels here. Thank you for joining me today. I am glad to be back. I have spent my time away packing up my home and moving to a new one. I was fortunate to have received a generous offer for the house and I took it. The place needed more work than I was capable of doing (or could afford). This was a good opportunity for my mother and I to get a fresh start. We not only moved to a new place, we moved to a new city. We needed someplace new that did not have so many memories attached. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had completed our move the day before, so I was exhausted. I made a small dinner for my mother and I. It was a comical adventure because we only found limited kitchen supplies. I am still trying to find the boxes with our kitchen wares (our items have not moved inside yet because we are getting new floors installed and the inside painted). I will be back tomorrow with The Coffee Corner by Amy Clipston. It is the third novel in the Amish Marketplace series. I hope that you have a lovely day. Do not forget to enter the giveaway and leave a comment for extra entries. Good Luck! Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!