Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Shadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly FromeShadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome

Publisher:  Boutique of Quality Books (May 3, 2022)
Category: Amateur Sleuths, Crime Thriller, Love Story
Tour dates: June 9-July 15, 2022
ISBN:  978-1952782572
Available in Print and ebook, 330 pages
Shadow Of the Gypsy

Description Shadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome


A nemesis out of the past suddenly returns, forcing Josh Bartlett to come to terms with his true identity.

Josh Bartlett had figured all the angles, changed his name, holed up as a small-town features writer in the seclusion of the Blue Ridge. Only a few weeks more and he’d begin anew, return to the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut and Molly (if she’d have him) and, at long last, live a normal life. After all, it was a matter of record that Zharko had been deported well over a year ago.

The shadowy form Josh had glimpsed yesterday at the lake was only that—a hazy shadow under the eaves of the activities building. It stood to reason his old nemesis was still ensconced overseas in Bucharest or thereabouts well out of the way. And no matter where he was, he wouldn’t travel thousands of miles to track Josh down. Surely that couldn’t be, not now, not after all this.

Review Shadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome


Guest Review by Mark

A young man in hiding finds out that you can’t always escape your past in this tense and implosive thriller from author Shelly Frome.

Since he was a boy, Josh Bartlett has lived with a secret. It was this secret that made him leave his home in Connecticut and move all the way to the mountains of North Carolina, to work as a reporter. Now, however, that secret is in jeopardy, Josh will have to fight with everything that he has to keep the life that he has created.

When he was a child, Josh witnessed something that he wasn’t supposed to see. The act was at the hands of a man named Zharko, a criminal who has been looking for Josh ever since. And now Zharko has finally gotten his wish, he finds Josh in North Carolina and threatens him into committing a crime of his own.

Much of the tension in this novel derives from the interactions between Josh and Zharko and their ambiguous past dealings. At the beginning of the novel, we are told that Josh witnessed Zharko committing a murder, but no other specifics about the killing.

Reading along as the full knowledge of what happened all those years earlier slowly unfolded left me in awe of the writing. Shelly Frome’s talent for slowly revealing the answer to a mystery is unmatched, and his ability to keep the reader mesmerized is second to none.

After I finished this book, I looked back and realized that I had no inkling of how everything was going to turn out at the start of reading and I was so pleased to have been taken on such a mind-bending journey. ‘Shadow of the Gypsy,’ is worth reading in so many ways, but most of all for the mystery which is definitely going to be unlike anything you’ve ever read before!

About Shelly FromeShadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome


Award winning author, Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, a writer of crime novels, cozy mystery novels, and books on theater and film. He is also a features writer for Gannett Media’s Black Mountain News. His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, Tinseltown Riff,  Murder Run, Moon Games and The Secluded Village Murders.

Among his works of non-fiction are The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. Miranda and the D-Day Caper was his last foray into the world of crime and the amateur sleuth, until now. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Website: http://www.shellyfrome.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shellyfrome
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shellyFrome

Giveaway Shadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome


This giveaway is for 3 copies with the winners choice of print or ebook. Print is open to Canada and the U.S. only and ebook is open worldwide.

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Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus June  9 Kickoff & Interview

Lu Ann Rockin’ Book Reviews June 10 & Guest Post

DT Chantel Amazon June 13 Review

Avonna Loves Genres June 15 Review & Excerpt

Betty Goodreads June 16 Review

Denise Amazon June 22 Review

Ashley’s Bookshelf June 23 Review

Gracie Goodreads June 24 Review

Harvee BookBirdDog (Book Dilettante) June 27 Review & Guest Post

Mark Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus June 28 Guest Review

Freda’s Voice June 29 Excerpt

Suzie My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews June 30 Review

Katy Amazon July 5 Review

Sal Bound 4 Escape July 7 Guest Review

Bee BookPleasures.com July 11 & Interview

Laura Celticlady’s Reviews July 13 Guest Review

Becky Life As Rog July 14 Review & Except

Amy Locks, Hooks and Books July 15 Review & Excerpt

Shadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome

Shadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly FromeShadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome


Publisher:  Boutique of Quality Books (May 3, 2022)
Category: Amateur Sleuths, Crime Thriller, Love Story
Tour dates: June 9-July 15, 2022
ISBN:  978-1952782572
Available in Print and ebook, 330 pages
Shadow Of the Gypsy

Description Shadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome


A nemesis out of the past suddenly returns, forcing Josh Bartlett to come to terms with his true identity.

Josh Bartlett had figured all the angles, changed his name, holed up as a small-town features writer in the seclusion of the Blue Ridge. Only a few weeks more and he’d begin anew, return to the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut and Molly (if she’d have him) and, at long last, live a normal life. After all, it was a matter of record that Zharko had been deported well over a year ago.

The shadowy form Josh had glimpsed yesterday at the lake was only that—a hazy shadow under the eaves of the activities building. It stood to reason his old nemesis was still ensconced overseas in Bucharest or thereabouts well out of the way. And no matter where he was, he wouldn’t travel thousands of miles to track Josh down. Surely that couldn’t be, not now, not after all this.

Praise Shadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome


Sharp writing, and a keen pace keep this story rolling.”– Lee A. Jacobus, author of Crown Island and Hawaiian Tales

“Shadow of the Gypsy is intriguing, complicated, and mysterious. . . ”– Tina M. Zion, award winning author and international teach of intuition

“By turns charming and chilling, Shadow of the Gypsy is that rarest of gems, a crime novel that curdles the blood, even as it tugs on the heartstrings. . . “– Jaden Terrell, author of A Taste of Blood and Ashes, River of Glass, A Cup Full of Midnight, and Racing the Devil

“Once you start, you won’t want to stop reading . ..”– Jana Zinser, author of The Children’s Train: Escape on the Kindertransport and Fly Like a Bird

Winner of Readers Favorite 2021 for Miranda and the D-Day Caper: Mystery

Interview With Shelly Frome

Hi Shelly, Welcome to Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus.

TR: Please tell us something about ‘Shadow of the Gypsy’ that is not in the summary. (About the book, character you particularly enjoyed writing etc.)

SF: J.J. is streetwise, a former “juvie” from the wild side of Waterbury, Connecticut who doesn’t stand on ceremony and tells it like it is. Which forces Josh, my main character, to get off his mild-mannered conventional behavior patterns and begin to face the realities of life, especially when in the company of nefarious criminals who are either using him or about to, in one way or another, do him in. More importantly, because of her checkered past, J.J.  can put Josh in touch with an FBI agent who, if Josh plays his cards right, can help get him out of his dilemma.    

TR: How completely do you develop your characters before beginning to write?

SF: Zharko is a paranoid, rogue gypsy who thinks everyone from America and from the old country of Hungary and Odessa is out to get him.  Therefore he is always on edge, thinking and conniving all the time in broken English. Before I let Zharko loose, I read books on the vast difference between the Romany people and the stereotypical gypsy plus the ploys of the Red Mafia. Soon after, I began to realize that Zharko was a combination of a disenchanted rogue who had abandoned his Romany heritage in favor of the wiles of crooked Russians and had been betrayed a number of times.

TR: This is a question for your protagonist, Josh Bartlett. What got you into this mess and what do you think of Shelly Frome writing about you?

SF (JB): Josh tried his level best to repress his haunted memories, even to the point of changing his name from Sonny Korda, moving far from the Litchfield Hills south to the Blue Ridge and becoming a features reporter for a small-town newspaper. In this way, he thought he could look at life from a safe remove from anything ethnic and threatening and simply just fit in. In a sense, he hoped to erase his past, soon reunite with Molly, his childhood sweetheart, and return to the idyllic Connecticut countryside of his youth. After all, America is said to be the land of the second chance.

However, it turns out that the past is like an I.O.U. always out there ready to “collect.” Sure enough, because Josh was a witness to one of his nemeses Zharko’s acts of violence when he was a kid, Zharko finally caught up and had use for him.

As far as the author is concerned, Josh is indebted to the fact that he wasn’t used as some kind of foil and allowed the conflict to unfold and take its course.

TR: Where did you get the inspiration for your cover?

SF: I was inspired by the juxtaposition of the blood red background of a mystery writers handbook I contributed to and the foreboding black image of a raven.

TR: What draws you to the mystery genre?

SF: It’s not just another day. Some great disturbance always sets things going and it easily answers the questions Why now? Why here? and so what? In short, it keeps me in suspense and promises what I’m doing will be worthwhile.

TR: What are you currently working on?

SF: I find myself reminiscing about the good ole days in New York when the city seemed so accessible when I first arrived from Miami. A heady time when you could afford to be a starving actor, writer, painter or dancer. A period when you could find yourself and meet up with all kinds of kindred spirits in Greenwich Village. I’m deep into a first draft with the working title “Fast Times/ Big City.” 


About Shelly FromeShadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome


Award winning author, Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, a writer of crime novels, cozy mystery novels, and books on theater and film. He is also a features writer for Gannett Media’s Black Mountain News. His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, Tinseltown Riff,  Murder Run, Moon Games and The Secluded Village Murders.

Among his works of non-fiction are The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. Miranda and the D-Day Caper was his last foray into the world of crime and the amateur sleuth, until now. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Website: http://www.shellyfrome.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shellyfrome
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shellyFrome

Giveaway Shadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome


This giveaway is for 3 copies with the winners choice of print or ebook. Print is open to Canada and the U.S. only and ebook is open worldwide.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Buy Shadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome


Amazon
BarnesandNoble
Indiebound

Follow Shadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome


Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus June 9 Kickoff & Interview

Lu Ann Rockin’ Book Reviews June 10 & Guest Post

DT Chantel Amazon June 13 Review

Avonna Loves Genres June 15 Review & Excerpt

Betty Goodreads June 16 Review

Becky Life As Rog June 20 & Except

Denise Amazon June 22 Review

Ashley’s Bookshelf June 23 Review

Gracie Goodreads June 24 Review

Harvee BookBirdDog (Book Dilettante) June 27 Review & Guest Post

Mark Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus June 28 Guest Review

Freda’s Voice June 29 Excerpt

Suzie My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews June 30 Review

Katy Amazon July 5 Review

Sal Bound 4 Escape July 7 Guest Review

Bee BookPleasures.com July 11 & Interview

Laura Celticlady’s Reviews July 13 Guest Review

Amy Locks, Hooks and Books July 15 Review & Excerpt

Shadow Of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome


Death In Vegas by Christopher MeeksDeath In Vegas by Christopher Meeks (Now in Audiobook!)


Publisher: White Whisker Books (October, 2019)
Category: Murder Mystery, Crime Thriller, Las Vegas
ISBN: 9781499124551
Tour Date: Mid October-November, 2019
Available in: Audio Book & ebook, 176 Pages
Death in Vegas

Description Death In Vegas by Christopher Meeks


First published in 2014, In A Death in Vegas, the president of BenBugs, a company that specializes in beneficial bugs for organic gardening, discovers a young woman dead in his Las Vegas hotel suite. She had worked as a sexy lady bug at his convention booth—and he had nothing to do with her death.

While that’s being investigated, the FBI raids his booth on a money-laundering scam that he knows nothing about, either. Soon, the coroner doesn’t have good news. The police and FBI are against him—and his wife cannot be found. He flees to find the answers.

Highly acclaimed, Death In Vegas is being released as an audio book in October, 2019!

Trailer Death In Vegas by Christopher Meeks




Praise for Death In Vegas by Christopher Meeks


“Patton is easy to like right from the start. I felt myself feeling sorry for him. In a sense I started routing for him with all of his luck not going his way. I found this mystery to not only be a mystery but a mystery dosed with a bit of comedy and a love story.”-Becky Willis, What You Talking Bout Willis

“DEATH IN VEGAS he reaffirms the fact that Christopher Meeks can take the most quirky combinations of crime and humor and mold them with his magic pen into a novel that simply defies criticism. He has the gift to mold characters with such extensive backstories that after only a few pages as each new character is introduced they become part of the surround-sound family into whose story we have wandered. Meeks is a thorough-going Pro! “-Grady Harp, Amazon Hall of Fame

“The only certainty about a Christopher Meeks novel is that the readers’ senses will be delighted with his originality, superb writing, warmly sympathetic characters and clever plotting. A Death in Vegas neatly fits in the cozy mystery genre and becomes literary fiction in the hands of this deft wordsmith.” –Linda Hitchcock, Midwest Book Review

“A suspenseful story that culminates in a life-or-death situation. Five Stars!” – Jim Chambers, Amazon Top-10 Reviewer

“You can always count on Christopher Meeks for a well written novel; this time Meeks excels at bringing almost a farcical edge to the humor in A Death in Vegas.” – Lori LutesShe Treads Softly

My Thoughts Death In Vegas by Christopher Meeks (Audio Book)


I was so excited to hear that Christopher Meeks mad an audio book from his book, ‘A Death In Vegas!  I leaped at the chance to review it.  I already read the book and loved it so I wanted to experience it in a different form.

Meeks is a prolific writer across genres of short stories, literary fiction, and more recently, crime mysteries.  ‘A Death In Vegas’ is his second crime mystery.  Is it as good as the first, ‘Blood Drama’?

It is no secret that I have not been a big fan of mystery books however, with ‘Blood Drama’, Christopher Meeks won me over.  With his writing, I discovered that mysteries can also be literary and with his brand of quirky characters and pop culture throughout all of his books, there is much to love!

In ‘A Death In Vegas’ the president of Ben Bugs, Patton Burch is in Las Vegas at a convention promoting beneficial bugs for organic gardening.  He has a young woman there dressed up as a lady bug.  Her name is Chatterley and is a model hired by Patton’s wife Tess.  How does Chatterley end up in Patton’s hotel room, butt naked and dead?  Who killed her?  Patton certainly didn’t.

With Christopher Meeks trademark tongue in cheek humor and quirky characters we find out the answers by following the on the run antics of Patton.

The book grabs the reader from the first page!  Just to say I enjoyed ‘A Death In Vegas’ is an understatement, I loved it!  I can’t recommend this book enough.  ‘A Death In Vegas’ would make an excellent gift to any mystery lover, male or female!  How did the audio book compare to the book?  With the excellent narration, the audio book brings the book to life!   Christopher Meeks hit a home run again! 5 out of 5 stars!

About Christopher Meeks:


Award winning author, Christopher Meeks has had stories published in several literary journals, and he has two collections of stories, Months and Seasons and The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea. He also has a new short story collection coming soon.

His novel The Brightest Moon of the Century made the list of three book critics’ Ten Best Books of 2009. His novel Love at Absolute Zero, also made three Best Books lists of 2011, as well as earning a ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Finalist award.

Chris’s two crime novels, Blood Drama and A Death in Vegas have earned much acclaim. He has had three full-length plays mounted, and one, Who Lives? had been nominated for five Ovation Awards, Los Angeles’ top theatre prize. Mr. Meeks teaches English and fiction writing at Santa Monica College, and Children’s Literature at the Art Center College of Design. To read more of his books.

Mr. Meeks teaches English and fiction writing at Santa Monica College, and Children’s Literature at the Art Center College of Design.

Website at: www.chrismeeks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Christopher-Meeks-212382392140974/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.meeks1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeeksChris

Buy Death In Vegas by Christopher Meeks


Amazon-ebook and paperback
Audible-Coming soon
Barnes&Noble
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Giveaway Death In Vegas by Christopher Meeks


This giveaway is for the winner’s choice of one print or ebook copy of the book. Print is open to the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. There will be 3 winners. This giveaway ends November 1, 2019, midnight pacific time.

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Death In Vegas by Christopher Meeks