Today at Celtic Connexions, I’m sharing an extract from Gail Meath’s novel, A Bloody Banquet.
Blurb
Now you see a murder, now you don’t…
The Golden Age of Hollywood, 1938. It’s the annual Awards Banquet at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub, and Vivian Steele can’t wait for the star-studded event. She’s attending with her best friend, Carole Lombard, and several acclaimed actresses will be wearing her fashion designs. What she doesn’t expect is for the night to turn deadly.
During the awards ceremony, Carole finds an actress stabbed to death in the restroom. She quickly alerts the staff, but when they return, they can’t find a body. An hour later, another guest screams bloody murder that an actor drowned in the pool outside. Again, the body disappears.
While the guests have a good laugh, Vivian is convinced the murders took place and reluctantly asks Preston Stone, Hollywood’s notorious playboy, for his help in proving her suspicions.
Together, they uncover a sinister killer who has mastered the art of illusion and set his sights on two Oscar-winning stars. Can Vivian and Preston stop the killer in time…and without revealing their well-kept secrets?
A Bloody Banquet is the second book in this exciting new 1930s Stone & Steele mystery series starring a great cast of characters ranging from the rich and famous to Bella and Boris, the canine costars, and a few other endearing folks. (A pretty clean read – series or standalone)
Book Links
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221031404-a-bloody-banquet
Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/bloodybanquet-zbt
Extract
As Vivian sipped her coffee, someone tapped on the front door. She had half a mind to ignore the person. It was only ten minutes after eight on a Sunday morning, and the boutique was closed until Tuesday. Then she heard an all-too-familiar voice followed by a loud howl.
She was livid. “I told you to call me at nine o’clock, Preston!”
“Unless you want Boris to wake the neighbors, I suggest you open the door,” he shouted back.
With a groan nearly loud enough to wake the neighbors, Vivian gathered her drawings, flipped them upside down on the table, and stormed into the display room. She opened the door just a crack and peeked out.
Preston grinned at her. “I’m ninety-nine percent sure the whole thing was a hoax last night, but I didn’t want to make a final decision until you told me what happened in the restroom.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I can’t do that. It’s not my story to tell.”
“That’s very gallant of you. All right, let’s turn this around. Why don’t I show you what I found in the pool, and maybe you’ll change your mind? Before we get into that, here’s the complete guest list from last night.” He stuck a sheet of paper through the crack.
Vivian took it from him and skimmed through it.
“Missus Eleanor Peterson is the woman who claimed she saw a dead man in the pool. She was married to Charles Peterson, a movie director at Paramount. He died of a heart attack a year ago.”
“What did you find at the pool?”
“It was in the pool. Do I smell coffee?”
Boris started pushing on the door, trying to squeeze himself inside, so Vivian opened it. “There’s a fresh pot in the backroom.” She patted Boris on the head. “Bella is next door, but she should be home soon.” They walked through the display room, and she told Preston to have a seat. She filled a bowl of water for Boris and put a few bite-sized Milk-Bones on the floor for him. When she finished, she poured Preston a cup of coffee. “Okay, tell me what you found in the pool?”
“After you left the nightclub, I went back to search the patio,” he told her. “Lo and behold, there was a striped necktie wrapped around the ladder in the deep end of the pool. It was floating in the water.”
Vivian set the coffee cup down in front of him. “The woman mistook the tie for a dead body?”
About the Author
Award-winning author Gail Meath writes historical romance novels that will whisk you away to another time and place in history where you will meet fascinating characters, both fictional and real, who will capture your heart and soul. Meath loves writing about little or unknown people, places and events in history, rather than relying on the typical stories and settings.
Author Links
| https://facebook.com/Gail-Meath-Author-121289219261348 | |
| https://instagram.com/gailmeathauthor | |
| X (formerly Twitter) | https://twitter.com/GailMeathAuthor |
| Website | https://www.gailmeath.com |
