Welcome to the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Death by Windmill: A Mother’s Day Murder in Amsterdam (Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series) by Jennifer S. Alderson. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, spotlights, reviews and more!
A Mother’s Day trip to the Netherlands turns deadly when a guest plummets from a windmill. Was it an accident or a murder? For Lana Hansen, the answer will mean freedom or imprisonment for someone close to her…
Death by Windmill: A Mother’s Day Murder in Amsterdam
(Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series)
by Jennifer S. Alderson
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Death by Windmill: A Mother’s Day Murder in Amsterdam
(Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Publisher: Independently published (May 16, 2020)
Paperback: 218 pages
Wanderlust Tours guide Lana Hansen and her mother, Gillian, haven’t seen eye to eye in over a decade; ever since Lana was wrongly fired from her job as an investigative reporter. So, when Lana’s boss invites Gillian to join her upcoming Mother’s Day tour to the Netherlands, Lana is less than pleased.
What could be worse than spending ten days with her estranged mother? Lana is about to find out…
The tour begins on a high note when the majority of guests bond during their visit to the Keukenhof flower gardens and a cruise around the picturesque canals of Amsterdam.
Despite her initial reservations, Lana thinks this might be the best group she had ever led. Until she discovers one of her guests—a recent retiree named Priscilla—is the person who destroyed her career in journalism.
All Lana can see is red. But circumstances dictate that she figure out a way to lead the tour, make peace with her mother, and not murder her guest. She doesn’t know whether she can handle the pressure.
Lana needn’t worry. Shortly after their fight, Priscilla falls off the balcony of a historic windmill at Zaanse Schans. Was she pushed or simply careless? The investigating officers suspect murder—and topping their suspect list is Lana’s mom!
Can Lana save Gillian? Or will her mother end up spending the rest of her days in a Dutch prison?
Death by Windmill Character Guest Post
Introducing Wanderlust Tour Guide Lana Hansen
Hello! I’m Lana Hansen, and I recently started working as a guide for Wanderlust Tours. My resume is what my mother politely calls ‘varied’ – before landing this job I worked as an investigative journalist, magician’s assistant, kayaking guide, and yoga instructor. My experiences do make it difficult to find work, but my unusual skillset often helps me get out of sticky situations!
I always thought I would spend my life working as an investigative reporter, but things changed pretty dramatically when I was wrongly accused of libel and fired. Soon after, I met my husband – The Great Ronaldo – at an open mic night and became his assistant during his magic shows. A short while later, I also became his wife. If only I hadn’t of injured my shoulder during a trick, I might still be by his side. Instead, his new assistant took my place on stage and in our bed.
Since starting work as a tour guide, I have gotten to travel the world – for free! I feel pretty spoiled being able to travel around Europe and stay in luxurious hotels, eat at top-notch restaurants, and go on fascinating day trips with my guests. Most tours are comprised of ten guests or less and are always accompanied by two guides, in case of emergencies.
My first tour in Budapest was memorable for many reasons, mostly because it was my first trip abroad! I had visions of a grey, somber, soviet-era architecture, but it wasn’t like that at all. The imposing statues, tiered-fountains, captivating monuments, delicate spires, and majestic buildings decorated with snow and sparkly lights made me feel as if they were driving through a postcard. Everything was so much bigger than I had imagined. Several buildings seemed to fill an entire city block and many monuments stretched high into the sky, often topped by a stately figure, angel, or knight. It was truly magical.
Unfortunately my first trip was also a trial by fire after my fellow tour guide Carl died under mysterious circumstances on our third day! The police wrongly accused another guest and I ended up having to track down the real culprit, with the help of my old newspaper editor, Jeremy.
On another tour in Paris, I also had to help the police identify the real killer of a pretty nasty client. The victim was my ex-boyfriend, and for a few days, the police actually believed that I had killed him!
Luckily my last few tours were fatality free. I hope my track record remains clean during my next assignment in the Netherlands. It’s a Mother’s Day themed-trip to Amsterdam, and I get to work with my favorite co-worker, Randy Wright, again. I’m really looking forward to visiting the Keukenhof Gardens, Museum of Bags and Purses, Rijksmuseum, and De Haar Castle while we are there. For all of our sakes, I hope we can enjoy tiptoeing through the tulips, instead of having to deal with another murder!
If you ever want to travel with me, you’re always welcome to join me on one my tours. Wanderlust Tours travels all over Europe, and soon the rest of the world, so I never know where I might end up. I hope to see you on the road one day – happy travels!
About Jennifer S. Alderson
Jennifer S. Alderson was born in San Francisco, raised in Seattle, and currently lives in Amsterdam. After traveling extensively around Asia, Oceania, and Central America, she moved to Darwin, Australia, before settling in the Netherlands. Her background in journalism, multimedia development, and art history enriches her novels. When not writing, she can be found in a museum, biking around Amsterdam, or enjoying a coffee along the canal while planning her next research trip.
Jennifer’s love of travel, art, and culture inspires her award-winning mystery series—the Zelda Richardson Mysteries and Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries—and standalone stories.
Author Links
Website: http://www.jennifersalderson.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/JennifeSAlderson
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jenniferSAldersonauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JSAauthor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/JenniferSAlderson
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jennifer-s-alderson
Enter the giveaway ENDED
Prize: Amsterdam Canals tote bag and 6 mini “Murder & Mystery” themed magnetic bookmarks
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Interesting book to read
Sounds like a great cozy!
I’d love to read this cozy mystery!
This book looks very interesting. Thanks for sharing!
Looks like a good summer book to read.. Love Christmas in July