Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Keeled Over at the Cliffside: A Delicious Seaside Cozy Mystery by Nancy Stewart. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Keeled Over at the Cliffside: A Delicious Seaside Cozy Mystery by Nancy Stewart
Keeled Over at the Cliffside: A Delicious Seaside Cozy Mystery
Sandcliff Mysteries
1st in Series
Setting – California
Independently Published (August 15, 2024)
Number of Pages – 254
In the charming seaside town of Saltcliff on the Sea, Dahlia Vale’s life is about to take a dramatic twist. Leaving behind her monotonous job as a defense contractor, Dahlia inherits her late sister Daisy’s cozy inn and a new role as guardian to her spirited niece, Diantha. But Saltcliff holds more than just new beginnings; it hides whispers of past loves, local feuds, and a string of suspicious deaths that soon draw Dahlia into their depths.
Navigating her new life with the loyal Taco, her service dog, at her side, Dahlia stumbles upon secrets that Daisy left behind. The quaint Saltcliff Bed & Breakfast becomes center stage for these mysteries as Dahlia uncovers links between a controversial local chef’s death and her sister’s secretive gardening habits. As Dahlia delves deeper, aided by the astute Detective Owen Sanderson, she finds herself untangling a web of betrayal, blackmail, and hidden motives—all under the guise of serving the perfect morning scones to her guests.
With each chapter, Dahlia transitions from an outsider to a beloved figure in the community, piecing together clues with a charm only a true amateur sleuth could possess. Amidst the culinary delights and scenic walks on the beach, “Keeled Over at the Cliffside” crafts a tapestry of intrigue and murder, testing Dahlia’s wit and pulling her further into the heart of Saltcliff’s darkest secrets. Will Dahlia serve justice as adeptly as she serves her guests?
Step into the pages of this culinary cozy mystery, where every character has a story, and the truth is as layered as a well-baked pastry. Perfect for fans of a good puzzle and a great plate of food (or those who just love a loyal Labrador), this book promises to be a delicious read from start to finish.
Join Dahlia, Diantha, and Taco as they discover that even the most picturesque towns can hide the most sinister secrets.
Author Guest Post
Thanks, Christy, for letting me post here today! I’m very excited to introduce cozy mystery readers to the world of Saltcliff on the Sea and my new series, which begins with Keeled Over at the Cliffside.
The book starts with a neurospicy defense contractor in Virginia giving notice at work.
What a weird place to begin, you might be thinking. And it is. Kind of. But when I sat down to think about what kind of job my protagonist and amateur sleuth Dahlia might be leaving, my mind naturally flitted through the jobs I know well. Those I’ve had. And I’ve had a lot. I have been a copywriter for a publisher, a pharmaceutical sales rep, marketing director for several tech companies, a personal trainer, a wine sales rep for a French distributor, and a brand consultant, to name just a few. But I’ve also been a technical editor and writer for the government, AKA a defense contractor. I’ve actually worked both sides – for the government directly and also as a contractor, but I won’t bore you with the details. Or I won’t bore you more, at least.
Anyway, Dahlia needed a job that would make her feel needed and smart, but one she wouldn’t mind leaving. And that was exactly what it was like for me when I worked for the government. So I drew a bit on my own experiences, and voila!
Of course Dahlia has a service dog, Taco. I also have a dog, but he performs very few services of any kind, unless you count his half-assed attempts to mop the floor with his tongue when he suspects there might be the tiniest particle of food around. Dahlia’s Taco Dog is far more refined than my own, but he is based on my own English Lab, Charlie Taco.
So in the book, Taco and Dahlia fly across the country to begin a new life after she receives word that her twin sister died and left her an inn. And guardianship of her tweenaged niece, Danny.
I love writing the fish out of water trope, and Dahlia is great for this, especially when matched with an emotionally expressive dog and a dramatic pre-teen. She’s analytical and logical, and also the perfect person to get drawn into solving a murder while she navigates parenthood and innkeeping.
Toss in some baking (there are recipes in the book!) and crocheting, and I basically wrote the book I wanted to read!
I hope you’ll enjoy it!
About Nancy Stewart
Nancy Stewart is the cozy pen name of USA Today bestselling rom-com author Delancey Stewart. This is her first cozy mystery, despite being raised on a steady diet of Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie, and supplementing that in adulthood with mysteries and thrillers whenever possible. She writes from her home near Denver, Colorado, where she lives with her former Marine hubby and two teenage boys. And of course, her dog, Charlie Taco (who appears in her mystery series as Taco the service dog.)
Author Links
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Purchase Link Amazon
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Keeled Over at the Cliffside TOUR PARTICIPANTS
August 12 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
August 13 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
August 14 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT
August 15 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
August 16 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 17 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 18 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 19 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – RECIPE
August 20 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
August 20 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
August 22 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
August 23 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 23 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 24 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
August 25 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
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Sounds like a good book.
Sounds like a very enjoyable read, with great characters.
This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.
I know I would enjoy reading Keeled Over at the Cliffside: A Delicious Seaside Cozy Mystery. Thank you for the giveaway!