The Ransom Enigma by Breakfield and Burkey

One of the most scorching months of the year is August, making it the perfect time to release the scorching hot new Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles book from the award-winning author team, Breakfield and Burkey. The Ransom Enigma is the twenty-seventh book in this fun to read crime fiction series and is available Tuesday August 20, 2024.

For those of you familiar with the writing duo's Enigma Series, you already know you're in for a high-tech ride. The Ransom Enigma is their third entry into the little town, dubbed by one fan of the series as "The Murder Capital of the World", Magnolia Bluff, Texas. 

This time around, JJ and Jo are celebrating the completion of their summer home by inviting all their friends and residents that they've met since first visiting the Texas Hill Country a few years ago. They chose Magnolia Bluff as the place to build their vacation paradise because it offers beautiful weather, gorgeous views, an inviting lake, and plenty of room to stretch out, relax, and go horseback riding. It also provides the privacy needed for an in-demand technology guru and his supermodel wife to fall off the grid whenever their work lives become too stressful.

But murder and mayhem seem to follow the couple whenever they're in town, and this time is no exception.

Right now you can grab an ebook copy of The Ransom Enigma for a mere 99¢ by clicking here: Ransom

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Here's the blurb from the book:

Jo and JJ Rodreguiz finished their vacation dream home in Magnolia Bluff. To celebrate their accomplishment, they invite the town residents to their homewarming.

Emails are sent. Lily Offers to provide all the side dishes to compliment the barbeque. Chief Tommy Jager bartends until the last guest leaves. The teenagers act as servers. Guests dance outside until the wee hours. Toasts are made to honor JJ and Jo's dearest friends. Max the Labrador will clean up the crumbles.

After the last guest departs, JJ finds a housewarming gift addressed to Jo. She excitedly opens it and gasps with dismay. Someone left behind not a present but a blackmail letter. Jo crumbles into tears, fearing they must sell and never return. Her outraged husband swears to kill the wretched blackmailer. Unfortunately, the Chief of Police cannot unhear the threat.

• Two days later, the police find JJ unconscious next to a dead man.
• Who will help navigate this investigation?
• Who knows the blackmailer?

All the world's problems rest on her shoulders as her greatest love lies in a coma.

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I am looking forward to reading about JJ and Jo's latest turmoil in Magnolia Bluff. The little town with a proclivity for murder. Just like all the books in the series, you can read this as a standalone. However, just like any series, reading the books in sequence enables you to uncover all the hints in each story, which helps you grasp the individuality of the town's characters and how they interact throughout the series. 

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You can find out more about Breakfield and Burkey's books, contests, FREE stuff, as well as snippets of their stories, book trailers, and audible sections by visiting their website here: The Enigma Series

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You can check out all the books in the

Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series here: MBCC Series

 

Plenty of good stories - Plenty of good reading

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As always, I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog. And of course, your thoughts and comments are always welcome. 😊

You can find my books here: The Razzman Mystery Crime Files

Until next time...😎

Is Summer Over? I Hope Not!

How is it August already? Incredibly, we are more than halfway through the summer. A local weather newscaster this morning told the viewing audience not to worry, there are only fifty more days left of summer. Fall is on the way, he said. I couldn't believe it. Summer just began, how could there be so little of it left? I even went to my calendar and counted the days for myself. I counted forty-six days, so it's ending even faster than the weather guy is promoting on his TV show. 

The part about his comment that really hit me, however, was the way he said it. His tone inferred that we are all just sitting in our homes huddled around the air conditioner waiting for the first leaves to tumble out of the trees. That we're looking ahead fondly to the idea of crisp air and the temperatures that cause that chill in the air.

Now, I for one, still have a lot on my summer agenda. I am not quite ready for the muted brown and orange colors that represent the fall season. I'm still enjoying the summer Olympics. There are still parties to be had out by my pool, drinks to be guzzled by the lake, and cook outs that play the sweet sounds of the fat and juices popping and dripping off a nice steak, or a mouthwatering burger as they hit the hot coals beneath. I'm heading up to my hometown of Syracuse in a couple of weeks to visit with family and attend one of the best state fairs in the country. There will be plenty of sun, fun, and food while I'm there. They know how to enjoy the summer season in central New York. There's so little of it, they have to savor every moment.

This year, summer officially ends when the sun sets on September 21st and rises on September 22nd signifying the true beginning of the autumn season. Although for me, the summer season ends in October on the last day of the World Series, signifying the end of MLB for another year. When the boys of summer are done, then so be it, bring on the fall.

The problem is that all of the retail world starts celebrating the fall season in mid-August. They break out all the pumpkin spice stuff and start stocking their shelves with Halloween candy, costumes, and decorations. Don't misunderstand me--I love the fall season. I just want to celebrate it when summer is actually over... not before.

When I was a kid, the new school year didn't begin until after Labor Day. My grandkids went back to school this week. In August. In the middle of the summer. As much as I agree that our children need a good, solid, education, I think that starting the school year in early August is a bit much. Our kids also need to be able to play and explore and grow outside the confines of the classroom. Once their time in school ends and they are full-fledged adults, they will have plenty of time to work during the summer. Why rob them of the sweet pleasures of childhood by taking a month away from their summers? But I digress...

We wait all year long to be able to let our hair down and cut loose a little bit during the summertime. Why rush it to end? Why drive a steamroller over the beautiful sights, sounds, and smells of summer? In a way, by rushing toward the fall season during the summertime, aren't we actually also rushing away our lives? I'm not a young man anymore. I do not need the world pushing against my back to take me out of summer and into fall. Let me meander over when the season arrives in its own time. Then I'll be all in and enjoy all the pumpkins, apples, cider, and Halloween candy one man can stand. Just not pumpkin spice drinks. Sorry... not a fan.

The summer is rushing by fast enough on its own. Let's not help it.

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As always, I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog. And of course, your thoughts and comments are always welcome. 😊

You can find my books here: The Razzman Mystery Crime Files

Until next time...😎