Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Deadly Broadcast: A World War II Mystery (Deadly Series) by Kate Parker. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Deadly Broadcast: A World War II Mystery (Deadly Series)
by Kate Parker
I received this book free; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive compensation at no cost to you.
Deadly Broadcast: A World War II Mystery (Deadly Series)
Historical Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – London, from just after Christmas, 1939 until mid-January, 1940
JDP Press (March 8, 2022)
Number of Pages ~320
The phony war has dragged out past Christmas into a dark and dreary New Year, 1940.
In the blackout, someone murdered BBC engineer Frank Kennedy, making him more popular dead than alive. A blackmailer and bully, he sold out his friends, assaulted his Broadcasting House colleagues, and sabotaged his employer.
Kennedy was also a government informant against the IRA. Despite arrests of members, the IRA is still planning more attacks against British civilians. Attacks Frank Kennedy might have been involved in.
Britain’s counterintelligence spymaster orders newspaper reporter Olivia Redmond to find Kennedy’s killer and learn which of the many motives led to his murder. Olivia quickly learns how vicious Frank Kennedy was and halfway hopes his killer escapes hanging.
Until his killer strikes again…
A clean read. No blatant sex, violence, or bad language.
My review of Deadly Broadcast
The latest Deadly book by Kate Parker is here! Deadly Broadcast is the fourth book I’ve read in the Deadly series though it is the eighth in the series. These books can be easily enjoyed as stand-alone books. I started with book 4, and I think each book gets more exciting as the series moves along. Right now in the series, England is four months into WWI. They’ve not yet been a target, but that is coming. Kate Parker’s writing makes these books seem so real; I keep wanting to warn the characters about what is coming for them! To tell them to get out of London.
The anticipation of war is only one reason these books are hard to put down. Deadly Broadcast will keep you turning the pages for lots of reasons. Of course, I love the main character, Olivia. She writes for the paper (though her articles always seem to get re-written by a better writer…sigh), but she rarely is at this “real” job she holds. When Olivia stumbles across a murder, a certain pesky government official demands her services. No, she’s not a spy, but she’s got a way of finding the truth. People are more apt to talk to her than they would a police officer. The side characters, both those who’ve been in the books and those who haven’t, are also very well-written.
I think one of the best parts in this book is the blackout. It’s one thing to live in the countryside and experience total darkness. They’re semi-used to things being dark. But, imagine London in total darkness. People are still out and about. The danger of robbery, assault, and even murder are greater. I’d be hiding in my flat! Parker captures the emotions of Londoners living in the blackout. It’s so exciting yet so creepy! It’s bad enough when the power goes out here for an hour or two!
Deadly Broadcast‘s plot is well-paced, and it’ll keep you flipping (or swiping!) the pages. I love the interactions between Olivia and her government “boss”. The clues that Olivia finds will help you figure out whodunit. There are plenty of suspects, so pay close attention!
If you’re a fan of historical cozy mystery books, especially those set in the WWII era, you’ll love Deadly Broadcast. The strong characters, well-paced plot, blackout, and mystery make Deadly Broadcast a must read for cozy mystery lovers!
Character Guest Post: Olivia and the Blackout
Dear Diary,
Since I can’t say any of this out loud because I’d be considered a German sympathizer, a pacifist, a bad influence on morale, I am going to say all this to you. You weren’t turn me in to my neighbors to get lectured, although, if they were being honest, a large number of them feel the same way.
We’re four months into the war. Four months of darkness from sundown to sunup thanks to the blackout to keep the German bombers from finding the cities, the factories, and the rail yards. Of course, there’s not been a sign of German bombers yet, and that makes it worse. There have been plenty of false alarms, so many false alarms until we just ignore the warning sirens, but no attacks.
I wish if they were going to attack, the Germans would get it over with. Or announce they aren’t coming so we can all get on with our lives. With my husband Adam in the army, I’d rather the Germans all went home and forgot about conquering the world. I want him safe. I want him home. I want a life with him. The same as so many of the other wives and families of the soldiers feel, I am sure.
If this war gets started in earnest, it will only get worse. Rationing begins January 8 for meat, sugar, and butter. More foodstuffs will be rationed, as will clothing. Fuel is already rationed to the point that it makes no sense to have a car. My father has garaged his car and won’t license it for 1940. There’s no point, he says, without any fuel, and he’s right.
Excuse me while I laugh, but I can’t remember the last time I said my father was right about anything. It happens so seldom.
What really worries me is what happens when the German bombers do come. People will get killed. People I care about. Not only soldiers like Adam, and I am frantic for his safety, but children like Johnny and Becca Powell. They’re my best friend Esther’s babies. They could get killed in an instant by the bombs.
We all know London will get hit the worst when the bombing comes. The Germans bombed London in World War I. They barely had aeroplanes then, and they bombed London. I don’t want to think about what they can do this time.
This time is called the Phony War. The time after war has been declared by Britain, France, and Germany, but before anyone starts shooting. This is wearing on everyone’s nerves, diary, until I want to scream. Until everyone wants to scream. And still we have no idea what Hitler is going to do next.
Oh, I know. I’m just being silly and feeling sorry for myself. Now that I’ve got that out, I feel much better. More able to face tomorrow.
Except I’ve tripped over a murder victim near Broadcasting House. He worked there, apparently, and wasn’t very popular among his colleagues. Not only do we need to fear the Germans, we need to fear our fellow Londoners.
Deadly Broadcast is the eighth book in The Deadly Series by Kate Parker. Available in ebook and print from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple.
About Kate Parker
Since she was unable to build a time machine in her backyard, Kate Parker immerses herself in research and then creates the world that lives inside each book that she writes. Her favorite place is London and her time travel destination is anywhere from the late Victorian era through World War II. Since she lives in the Carolinas with her daughter and a 95-pound puppy, the practical side of her is thankful for air conditioning and all the modern comforts of life. Comforts she will take with her if she ever figures out how to build her time machine.
Author Links
Website – http://www.kateparkerbooks.com
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/author.kate.parker/
Website – http://thedeadlyseries.com
GoodReads – http://www.goodreads.com/series/192092-deadly
Purchase Links – Amazon – Apple – B&N – Kobo
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Deadly Broadcast TOUR PARTICIPANTS
March 8 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
March 8 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST
March 9 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 9 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
March 10 – I Read What You Write – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 10 – Baroness’ Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
March 11 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 11 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 12 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
March 12 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 13 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
March 13 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 14 – Reading Is My SuperPower – GUEST POST
March 14 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
March 15 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
March 15 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
March 16 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
March 16 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
March 17 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT
March 17 – Connie’s History Classroom – REVIEW
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Sounds like a book I will enjoy reading.
This sounds really interesting!
This sounds like a great book, I love the WWII era.
I love the cover. It sets the tone for the book.
This is my kind of read. Love the cover!
Sounds like an amazing read.
I like the title & cover!