Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for The Case of the Bullfighting Builder (Buttercup Bend Mysteries) by Debbie De Louise. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
The Case of the Bullfighting Builder (Buttercup Bend Mysteries) by Debbie De Louise
The Case of the Bullfighting Builder (Buttercup Bend Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Setting – Buttercup Bend, New York (fictional town in the Catskills)
Publisher : Independently published
Publication date : May 14, 2026
Print length : 268 pages
Paperback
When Cathy Jefferson’s builder is found dead at the construction site of her new home, she’s pulled into a murder investigation that will test her detective skills like never before.
While sorting through her grandmother’s attic, Cathy uncovers a secret about her parents, who died in a car crash years earlier. Now juggling two cases and determined to learn the truth about her parents’ death and catch her builder’s killer, Cathy teams up with her fellow detectives Nancy and Howard.
Their investigation leads them to a ranch where a prize bull is kept, and to Cathy’s estranged uncle and her college roommate. As secrets unravel and danger closes in from every direction, Cathy discovers that the biggest surprise of all may still be waiting for her.
Will Cathy catch her builder’s killer so that her new home can be finished, and will she receive closure about the death of her parents? Find out in THE CASE OF THE BULLFIGHTING BUILDER, the sixth book in the Buttercup Bend Mysteries series by Debbie De Louise.
Author Guest Post
The Case of the Bullfighting Builder
When we last left Cathy Jefferson in The Case of the Reptile Raising Receptionist, the fifth book of the Buttercup Bend Mysteries, she’d solved a murder on her honeymoon and was hoping to settle down with her husband in a new home they planned to build in Buttercup Bend. The Case of the Bullfighting Builder picks up a year later with Cathy and Steve still living with Cathy’s grandmother while the couple await the completion.
Like the Jeffersons, my husband and I built a house in South Carolina that we moved into two years ago. Unlike the young couple, we didn’t have to deal with the murder of the head builder. But that’s not the only problem Cathy faces in her sixth adventure. Cleaning out her grandmother’s attic, she finds an accident report proving that someone tampered with her parents’ brakes which caused their fatal car accident ten years ago.
While Cathy investigates both mysteries with the help of her friend and fellow sleuth, Nancy and the boss at their detective agency, Howard, clues lead them in several directions.
When the bullet that killed Cathy’s builder, Jose Rios, matches his brother Ferdinand’s gun, Ferdinand is arrested, but Cathy sets out to prove that the sheriff has the wrong man. Cathy is also shocked to learn that several people who knew her parents, including her uncle on her father’s side, had a motive to kill them.
As Cathy searches for the truth about who murdered her builder and her parents, she suspects that she may be pregnant. This would make her the third mom-to-be in Buttercup Bend because her sister-in-law Becky recently announced her second pregnancy, and her friend Nancy confided in her that she’s pregnant, too, but isn’t ready to tell anyone about it including her husband Brian, the assistant deputy. Cathy also doesn’t want to tell anyone until she confirms the fact with a doctor. However, her grandmother figures it out. There’s little Cathy can hide from Florence Wilson.
Readers may wonder why I chose to feature the Carters’ car accident as murder in the sixth book of the series or why I decided that it was time Cathy had a baby. It made sense to me that since Cathy was married in the fourth book of the series, The Case of the Whale Watching Wedding Planner, and solved a murder on her honeymoon in The Case of the Reptile Rescuing Receptionist, it made sense that she would want to start her family soon.
As far as the crash that caused her parents’ death, I’d always intended to include it as a subplot in one of the Buttercup Bend books, and it turned out that this seemed a good time. After all, for Cathy to enjoy her pregnancy, closure about her parents’ death would be important to her.
The main story featuring Spanish builders came to me as most plots do: randomly. However, I knew I wanted to include the house building because I’d mentioned it in the previous book. Why bullfighting? Well, it’s a good alliteration with “builder.” Boris the bull doesn’t have a huge role in the book, but I do dedicate a few scenes to him. Cathy’s pets, Harry and Hermione (named after my cats) and Zippy the lizard who she and Steve rescued in the previous book, are also featured.
While Cathy has traveled away from Buttercup Bend in her previous mysteries, she’s finally at home to solve this one. Having gone to a llama farm, taken a whale-watching cruise, and honeymooned in a forest, the only journey she takes is to a ranch located in her hometown. The ranch belongs to the victim’s fiancée, Maria, who hosts a memorial for the dead builder. During this occasion at the ranch, another murder takes place. Ferdinand is suspected of both. Sheriff Miller and Brian interview the suspects, but the sheriff is convinced he’s caught the right killer. Cathy is determined to prove him wrong. The odd thing is that Cathy is just as certain Ferdinand is innocent as she is that her uncle is guilty of sabotaging her parents’ car. In neither case does she have proof. Her instincts lead her toward these assumptions, but are they right? If Ferdinand is innocent, who killed his brother and why? If her Uncle Paul is guilty, how can Cathy prove it a decade after the accident? But if she’s wrong about Ferdinand, what will it mean for the completion of her new home? If her uncle didn’t kill her parents, who did, and is she in danger if she ignores the other suspects?
The Case of the Bullfighting Builder will keep you guessing along with Cathy, Nancy, Howard, and Sheriff Miller. The book concludes with a preview of the next mystery.
About Debbie De Louise
Debbie De Louise is an award-winning author and a retired reference librarian. She is a member of Sisters-in-Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Cat Writers’ Association, and the South Carolina Writers Association. She’s written over twenty books including three cozy mystery series: the Cobble Cove Mysteries, Buttercup Bend Mysteries, and her new series, Soup the Supernatural Kitten Mysteries. She’s also written a paranormal romance, standalone mysteries, a time-travel novel, and a collection of cat poems. Her stories and poetry appear in more than a dozen anthologies. Originally from Long Island, she moved to South Carolina where she now lives with her husband, daughter, and three cats. Learn more about Debbie and her books by visiting her website at https://debbiedelouise.com.
Author Links
Website/Blog/Newsletter Sign-Up: https://debbiedelouise.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debbie.delouise.author/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2750133.Debbie_De_Louise
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2bIHdaQ
Purchase Links – Amazon
Enter the giveaway
The Case of the Bullfighting Builder TOUR PARTICIPANTS
July 6 – Sarcastically Yours, Jen – SPOTLIGHT
July 7 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 8 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 9 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 10 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
July 11 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
July 12 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
July 13 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 13 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
July 14 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 14 – Book Hookup – REVIEW
July 15 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
July 16 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT
July 16 – Salty Inspirations – SPOTLIGHT
July 17 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 18 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
July 19 – Romance Novel Giveaways – AUTHOR GUEST POST
Thanks so much for hosting a spot on my blog tour and for featuring my guest post.
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing it and the giveaway!