Book Review: Murder for a Rainy Day by Teresa Trent

SYNOPSIS

Animal rustling is alive and well in the sleepy little town of Pecan Bayou, Texas–but with a particularly peculiar spin. Only the fake livestock seem to be at risk. First, cowboy legend Charlie Loper’s larger-than-life fiberglass horse disappears from the town square, but before the police can get any solid leads, the cow in front of the local steak house gets pinched.

Betsy Livingston Fitzpatrick, local helpful hints columnist for the Pecan Bayou Gazette, is trying keep her mind off of being nine months pregnant in the blistering Texas summer heat. Troubled by haunting dreams, she pursues the odd animal thefts in a case that soon turns into murder. As Betsy closes in on the killer, a hurricane is headed straight for the Gulf Coast sending spin-off storms and tornadoes to the little town of Pecan Bayou.

“Hunker down” with Betsy and the lovable characters of Pecan Bayou in the latest Betsy Livingston mystery from cozy author Teresa Trent. Recipes and helpful hints included.

GoodReads * Amazon

~~~oOo~~~

REVIEW

This is my 2nd visit to the cozy little town of Pecan Bayou to look in on Betsy Livingston, her family and friends.  (I got to read "Burnout" when it was on tour earlier in the year and also published a review.)

Poor, poor Betsy.  Her son and her stepson are away at camp, losing money in a card game.  She is nine months pregnant in the Texas summer.  (I've been there, and it is awful!)  She accidentally broke the piggy bank that was a gift from her mother-in-law, who will be visiting soon for the birth of the baby.  They've just cut the hand carrying a gun off a statue in the town and replaced it with a gunless hand, making it the "most lame-ass entrance of any town in Texas".  And as if that weren't enough, there's a hurricane bearing down on the area and someone is stealing fake animals.  Sheesh!  It all goes on in a small town, let me tell ya!

Murder for a Rainy Day has all the things I enjoyed about Burnout, plus a baby!  The townspeople are warm and genuine.  I felt like I had a stake in the goings on about Pecan Bayou and care about its residents, including the newest little'un.

Seeing as Betsy is the 'helpful hints' columnist for the local paper, there are helpful hints at the back for those of us who are domestically challenged (like me), as well as some of the featured baby shower games and a couple of southern-style recipes that made my mouth water!

There are many things to like about Murder for a Rainy Day, making it a superb addition to the Pecan Bayou Mysteries.  I may have to revisit the whole gang as part of my 2015 Re-Reading Challenge!

~~~oOo~~~

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Website * Facebook * GoodReads * Twitter

Teresa Trent writes her Pecan Bayou Mystery Series from Houston, Texas.  With a father in the army, her family moved often finally settling in Colorado.  Living in Texas for the last 19 years she loves the people and even the weather.  Murder for a Rainy Day includes a hurricane, and having endured Hurricane Ike and Hurricane Rita with her family, Teresa would much rather write about them than evacuate from them.   Teresa includes Danny, a character with Down Syndrome in her Pecan Bayou family and in real life is the mother of an adult son with Down Syndrome/PDD.  Creating the character of Danny and all of the other inhabitants of Pecan Bayou has been a joy for her.  This book is the last one in the Pecan Bayou Series taking Betsy from single mom to mother of three.  Teresa is now working on her next series that will take place in the Piney Woods of Texas.

~~~oOo~~~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click the link above to visit other stops on the tour, including more reviews, as well as interviews and guest posts.

(Disclosure:  I received an e-copy of this book from the author and publisher via Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.)