Showing posts with label Helen Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Helen Smith. Show all posts

Sunday, 10 February 2013

Book Reviews: Emily Castles Mysteries by Helen Smith - BLOG TOUR

Title: Three Sisters
Series: Emily Castles Mysteries #1
Author: Helen Smith
Publisher: Tyger Books
Release Date: 5th February 2011
Format: eBook
Source: Author for Blog Tour
Twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles has been invited to a party in the big house at the end of her street. How could she know, as she left her house that evening, that she was making an appointment with death?

Three Sisters


Title: Showstoppers
Series: Emily Castles Mysteries #2
Author: Helen Smith
Publisher: Tyger Books
Release Date: 1st January 2011
Format: eBook
Source: Author for blog tour
When twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles helps out at a local stage school, she’s soon mixed up in murder. She teams up with eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel to solve the case.


Showstoppers

My Review

Emily Castles Mysteries are fun, humorous and intriguing. You can’t help but get drawn into the mysteries that Emily undertakes. It’s like Scooby Doo or Nancy Drew, Emily gets the help of her neighbour, Dr Muriel and together they search for clues to discover the culprit to the murders.

Three Sisters
Emily is still grieving the loss of her beloved Golden Retriever, Jessie and to help her think about something else, she is invited to a street party down the road. There is to be a bonfire and fireworks, plus performers and all sorts of entertainment. Moving from room to room throughout the house, Emily is trying to sort out what is an act and what is a real person. During a performance, a knife throwing act, two sisters’ are blindfolded and throwing knives at each other, one gets misdirected and a sister dies, but does she. The next minute the sister walks on stage and gives a bow. Emily is determined to get to the bottom of it all. Was it really a murder or just part of the entertainment?

Showstoppers
Emily’s work contract has ended and her neighbour across the road, Victoria, needs some help at her drama school, Showstoppers. While returning mail to Victoria, Emily is unloaded with details of “poison pen” letters that have arrived trying to threaten Victoria about a long ago filmed video that apparently killed a man. With another mystery on her hands, Emily agrees to help Victoria at Showstoppers and help discover who is sending these elusive letters. During the end of term performance a murder is committed and there are several possibilities as to “who did it”. Emily and Dr Muriel take it upon themselves to find the clues and the culprit. What is the old boyfriend from the video or the landlord trying to sell the building? Perhaps it is Victoria seeking attention or the handyman Dizzy?

In both of these novellas, all of the characters are strong, personable people that everyone can relate to. Emily and Dr Muriel are determined, sticky-nose characters, that like to get into everybody’s business in order to solve the mystery at hand. With Dr Muriel’s analytical approach and Emily’s thoughtful, intellectual methods, they both make a fantastic team to solve the mysteries. I enjoyed Showstoppers more than Three Sisters, as it was faster paced and the mystery began towards the beginning of the book, which allowed more mystery and more time to think about the suspects. Overall this is a great series with well written, light and entertaining mysteries.

4 FUN BOOKS - LOVED THEM

Amazon Purchase



Author Helen Smith

Helen Smith is a novelist and playwright who lives in London. She's the author of bestselling cult novels Alison Wonderland, Being Light and The Miracle Inspector as well as the Emily Castles Mystery Series.


Amazon * Facebook *  Twitter * Blog

Tour Giveaway

Tour Giveaway10 winners will each receive a Kindle Ebook copy of Showstoppers and Three Sisters
Ends 2/28/13

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Wednesday, 6 February 2013

Showstoppers and Three Sisters by Helen Smith - BOOK BLAST

Tour Schedule

Three Sisters and Showstoppers are two novella-length stories in the Emily Castles mystery series. The first full-length novel, Invitation to Die, will be published by Thomas and Mercer in October 2013.


The Emily Castles mystery series is set in present-day London. It features twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles and her neighbour  eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel Crowther. In Three Sisters, Emily goes to a party in a big house at the end of her street. She's sure she witnesses a murder, but no one will believe her. She teams up with Dr. Muriel to investigate.

In Showstoppers, Emily helps out at a local stage school run by her neighbour  Victoria. Soon she's mixed up in a blackmail plot and two deaths. Emily and Dr. Muriel team up to prevent further a massacre live on stage during the end of term show.


Praise for the Emily Castles Mystery Series

Fast-paced, funny, and mysterious... Helen Smith is a master story-teller.
~Socrates Book Reviews

It grips you from the very beginning.
~Babs Books Bistro

Bright, colorful and full of surprises.
~Amazon Vine Reviewer

Fast-paced and unusual, I highly recommend this one.
~Eva’s Sanctuary


Praise for Helen Smith

Smith is gin-and-tonic funny.
~The Booklist

About the Author

Helen Smith is a novelist and playwright who lives in London. She's the author of bestselling cult novels Alison Wonderland, Being Light and The Miracle Inspector as well as the Emily Castles Mystery Series.

Amazon ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
Blog ~ Goodreads ~ Shelfari




Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 2/22/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway