Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Murder on the Steel Pier: A Tess Mancini Time Travel Mystery by Rosie Genova. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Murder on the Steel Pier: A Tess Mancini Time Travel Mystery
by Rosie Genova
Murder on the Steel Pier: A Tess Mancini Time Travel Mystery
Historical Mystery
1st in Series
Setting -1955 Atlantic City
Publisher : Two Roses Books (March 31, 2025)
Print length : 321 pages
Greetings from the Nifty Fifties…
The morning after a blowout birthday celebration in Atlantic City, crime reporter and party girl Tess Mancini wakes up in an unfamiliar place—1955. Bread is eighteen cents a loaf, Ike occupies the White House, and the Boardwalk is crawling with vintage cars and vintage wise guys. A bewildered Tess is sure of only two things: One, she’s not crazy, and two, the clothes are fabulous. Somehow, she’s living the life of her Great-Aunt Theresa, who disappeared decades before Tess’s birth.
In her 1950s existence, Tess is a reporter at the local newspaper, living at a boarding house owned by her Zia Antonetta, an Italian immigrant with a big secret. It turns out Theresa has a kid brother, teenaged troublemaker Val Mancini—aka Tess’s paternal grandfather. Though determined to return to her own time, Tess’s curiosity takes over. What happened to the first Theresa Mancini? And is Tess’s trip through time connected to her aunt’s fate?
But when young Val is accused of murdering a boarding house guest, a Nazi in hiding, Tess ends up with two investigations on her hands—and is now stuck in time until she can prove Val’s innocence. As she searches for answers, she finds allies in a dishy police detective and a suspiciously charming fellow reporter. The clock is ticking for Tess to find a way home, but first, she has to keep her grandfather off Death Row.
Because before Tess can get back to the future … she needs to make sure she has one.
Book Excerpt from Chapter One
Someone was smoking a cigarette. I sniffed, and spikes of pain started at my chin and shot through the top of my head. Oh God, make it stop, and I promise I’ll never touch another drop of tequila. Being another year older was bad enough—did I have to be punished for it, too? My nose twitched as the smoke teased my nostrils and caressed my olfactory nerves. I’d quit a month ago, but the longing for a cig came roaring back.
With my eyes still closed, and my head nailed to the pillow, I had one coherent thought: This is supposed to be a smoke-free hotel. As far as I knew, it was also bird-free, but the chirps and twitters assailing my ears were clearly coming from feathered creatures. Then again, it’s Atlantic City. Maybe the birds were part of the hotel show. Ever so slowly, I slid my hands from under the covers and cupped them over my ears.
“Please, birdies,” I whispered. “Stop singing.” Geez, they sounded close enough to be in my room. I exhaled, yoga style. C’mon, Tess, time to open your eyes. You can do it. Actually, I couldn’t, as my lashes were glued together. (Had I slept in my make-up? Not a good sign.) Still covering my ears against the piercing bird song, I fluttered my left eyelid and squinted.
Big, fuchsia-colored roses seemed to scream at me from the wall. And sun—blinding, eyeball-searing sun—streamed in through an uncovered window. And not a hotel window bolted shut and draped to keep out that awful light, but a wooden one with glass panes. And across the top, a ruffly white curtain.
Okay, not my hotel. So where was I? My empty stomach grew queasy; I wouldn’t have gone home with a stranger. Though I did remember a cute blond guy playing the slots next to me, but it was all so … blurry. I eased open the other eye. Across the room was a vanity table draped in more white ruffles. Somehow, I doubted the blond guy lived here.
This place was obviously some kind of historic inn or something, but that still didn’t explain how I’d gotten here. I looked down at the sheets, also decorated with roses. Only these were little yellow ones. Somebody sure liked her florals.
“So weird,” I muttered. Hands shaking, eyes half closed, I felt around for my phone, but my fingers landed on a string of beads. I let go of the necklace and blinked hard, trying to ignore the little flashes of pain behind my eyes. Next to me was an old-fashioned nightstand; on it was a lamp with a frilly pink shade, an analog alarm clock ticking loudly, and the “necklace,” which had a cross hanging from it. A face stared at me from a black-and-white photo. I shifted closer, peering at a guy with slicked-back hair, thick brows, and dark-lashed eyes. Across the bottom of the picture was a name, signed in blue ink. I frowned at the image. Just who the heck was Tyrone Power?
About Rosie Genova
Proud Jersey girl Rosie Genova is a multi-genre author. Her work includes a Jersey shore cozy series, The Italian Kitchen Mysteries, and The Tess Mancini Time Travel Mysteries, set in 1955 Atlantic City. She is also the author of standalone suspense and a couple of rom-coms that presently live in her computer files (but are longing to be released into the wild). A former teacher and journalist, Rosie’s non-fiction has appeared in a variety of publications, including Entrepreneur magazine and The New York Times. The mother of three sons, Rosie still lives in her favorite state with her husband, too many dusty antiques, and a charming mutt named Lucy.
Author Links
Website: https://www.rosiegenova.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RosieGenova
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rosie-genova
Purchase Links https://books2read.com/u/bpVKdz
Enter the Giveaway
Murder on the Steel Pier TOUR PARTICIPANTS
April 7 – Frugal Freelancer – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 7 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 8 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
April 8 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
April 9 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
April 9 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
April 10 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
April 10 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT
April 10 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
April 11 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST
April 11 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
April 11 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
April 12 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 13 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
April 14 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
April 14 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
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This sounds like a book that I will enjoy reading!
Christy,
Thanks so much for highlighting my book today and for supporting authors with your work!
Rosie
You’re welcome! Thank you for stopping!