Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for The Mountain View Murder (A Wintergreen Mystery) by Patrick Kelly. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
The Mountain View Murder (A Wintergreen Mystery)
by Patrick Kelly
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive compensation at no cost to you.
The Mountain View Murder (A Wintergreen Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Chaparral Press LLC
Paperback: 270 pages
Guess who cried at Lou Thorpe’s funeral
No one. His wife, grown children, and best friends all attended the service, but no one shed a single tear. Poor Lou. He was out for his morning walk when a crazed driver knocked him out of life. Crazed? With no car, no driver, and no witnesses, it’s difficult to say. Was it an accident or intentional?
Until that morning, Bill O’Shea was living the dream. After a career of fighting crime in the big city, Bill bought a condo in the beautiful mountain resort community of Wintergreen, Virginia. When he met his attractive new neighbor, Bill knew his retirement was off to a great start. But then the short-staffed police department asked Bill to help them investigate Thorpe’s death.
Soon, Bill fell into an old routine. Interviewing suspects. Checking alibis. Everyone had a secret to hide, but Bill lacked evidence to tie any of the suspects to the crime. He was missing something–like he had an itch he couldn’t reach to scratch.
Will Bill and his new friends solve the case, or will the murder of Lou Thorpe remain a mystery forever?
If you love beautiful mountain settings, a charming cast, and intriguing plot twists, you’re going to love this new series!
Clean read: no graphic violence, sex, or strong language.
Character guest post
My girlfriend, Cindy, questions why I named a groundhog Mr. Chips
Hey, everybody. Bill O’Shea here. I have a recommendation.
If you visit the beautiful mountain resort of Wintergreen, Virginia for a vacation and need help putting together a nice meal for a special birthday or a family reunion, then you should hire Quintrell Catering. They’ll do an excellent job, and I’m not saying that just because the owner, Cindy Quintrell, is my girlfriend.
Girlfriend? That sounds nice, but truthfully, we haven’t put a formal label on our relationship. We will soon. I’m sure of it.
We have a lot in common. We’re both divorced with grown kids and are in our late fifties. (Okay, so I’m already sixty. We don’t have to split hairs. Do we?) Cindy and I agree on just about everything. I can’t remember us having a single argument. Uh. Well. Except for the other night when she questioned why I named our neighborhood groundhog Mr. Chips.
Cindy thinks it’s a silly name, and I disagree. Tell you what–I’ll relate the conversation we had on the subject, and you can decide for yourself.
After a delicious dinner of linguine tossed with sauteed shrimp, tomatoes, and Parmesan, we sat on the balcony of her third-floor condo unit. The view overlooked the Rockfish Valley below, and a blue haze hovered above mountains in the distance. A large-winged bird floated high in the air, and a light breeze rustled leaves in the nearby forest.
It occurred to me that I had not seen Mr. Chips all day, so I ambled to the railing to search the lawn below. There he was. Standing on his hind legs next to his burrow entrance, Mr. Chips serenely surveyed his domain.
“Hello, Mr. Chips,” I said with a wave.
He tilted his head upward, then gave me a quick salute, although he might have merely intended to scratch his head.
“How did you come up with that silly name?” said Cindy. “He’s not a chipmunk, you know. They’re different animals. If he was a chipmunk, I could understand, but he’s a groundhog.”
“Are you familiar with the fictional character Mr. Chips?”
Cindy pushed her lips out. “No. I don’t believe so.”
“I’m surprised given your interest in musicals. Goodbye, Mr Chips was a novella published in England in the 1930s about a boys’ school professor. It’s a love story.”
“Goodbye, Mr Chips? Never heard of it.”
“Oh, yes,” I said with confidence. “Then in the sixties, a musical came out starring Peter O’Toole and Petula Clark.”
“Who and who?”
“Come now. You must know Peter O’Toole. Lawrence of Arabia?”
Cindy nodded. “That rings a bell. But what does the story have to do with a groundhog?”
I pointed at Mr. Chips. “Look at him. See how properly he stands? Studious and serene. Professorial, I’d say. I can see him wearing a cap and gown.”
Cindy burst out laughing. “You come up with the zaniest notions. No one would guess you’re a detective.”
“A retired detective,” I said hastily.
She muttered, “Professorial. Ha! Mr. Chips. What silliness.”
But despite Cindy’s ridicule, I have since heard her call Mr. Chips by his name twice when she thought I was out of earshot. The name will stick, no question.
Yep. Cindy’s my girlfriend, even though we haven’t yet attached a label to our relationship. She certainly was a big help on that Thorpe investigation. You might have heard about it. It was big news here in Nelson County.
But don’t worry about that when you visit Wintergreen. We have very little crime up here, so far.
And don’t forget to hire Quintrell Catering. They’re terrific.
Thanks, Bill. It makes perfect sense to me…..sort of! We’ll be sure to try Quintrell Catering if we’ve ever got an event going in Wintergreen, VA!
About Patrick Kelly
Pat Kelly was raised in the idyllic suburb of Yorktown, Virginia, where children ran barefoot through the grass and fished in the York River. After graduating from UVA, he left the state to pursue a career in finance. He settled in Texas, married a wonderful woman (Susie), and together they raised two daughters in Austin.
With the girls now grown and gone, Pat has pursued a lifelong love of writing stories. Countless hours at the keyboard have produced the Joe Robbins Thriller Series, two book awards, and four standalone novels.
A few years ago, Pat and Susie bought a summer home in the bucolic mountaintop resort of Wintergreen, Virginia. The beautiful vistas there inspired Pat to write a cozy mystery series featuring the reluctant detective Bill O’Shea. Join Pat’s newsletter to follow Bill’s adventures as he dodges irrepressible bears, pursues romance, and solves mysteries.
Author Links
Webpage: https://www.patrickkellystories.com/
Blog: https://www.patrickkellystories.com/blog
FB page: https://www.facebook.com/patrickkellywriter
Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/pkfiction
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/patrickkelly
Instagram: pkellystories
Purchase Links – Amazon Paperback – Amazon Kindle
Enter the giveaways
In addition to the author’s giveaway, one of my readers can win an ebook (your choice of format) of The Mountain View Murder. Be sure to enter both!!
The Mountain View Murder TOUR PARTICIPANTS
July 5
Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
July 6
Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 7
Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
Novels Alive – GUEST POST
July 8
Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
July 9
I Read What You Write – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 10
Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 11
Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
July 12
Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 13
Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
July 14
Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Looks like an interesting book.
Thanks for the contest.
Hi Christy, thank you so much for hosting me today. You’ve put together a nice, cozy corner in a hectic world.
I’ll be checking back in from time to time today to answer questions anyone has about the main character in the novel, his girlfriend, or the groundhog named Mr. Chips.
All the best, Pat Kelly
Thank you for stopping & for the compliment! Have a great day!
This sounds like a great read and one I would enjoy reading love the cover too.
It looks like a good read.
Sounds like a good read