Silver Dagger Book Tours
  • Welcome!
  • Current Tours
    • Book Tours
  • Book a Tour
  • Open Sign Ups
  • Contact
  • About
  • Welcome!
  • Current Tours
    • Book Tours
  • Book a Tour
  • Open Sign Ups
  • Contact
  • About
Silver Dagger Book Tours

 

Murder With Strings Attached - Book Tour and Giveaway

9/13/2021

61 Comments

 
Picture
Picture

Murder With Strings Attached
by Mark Reutlinger
Genre: Humorous Mystery 

Picture
Sometimes even the most carefully conceived burglary can take an unexpected turn. Florence Palmer has her eye on concert violinist Aaron Levy's priceless violin. Unfortunately, she finds it's already been stolen. Her surprise doubles when the virtuoso she'd planned to burgle offers to hire her to help him steal it back. But they're not the only ones looking for the missing violin. When Flo inadvertently becomes the prime suspect in a case of murder, she and Aaron need to clear her name. Will they find the real killer and get the violin back to its rightful owner without anyone else, especially themselves, being killed?


Add to Goodreads
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Kobo


Picture
Picture
​I silently exhaled and opened the door of the closet a bit. I peeked out, and finding the coast indeed to be clear, stepped out.
The hunt was on.
From Janice’s description, the violin should have been in the closet, but I had been in the closet for quite a while, and so far as I could tell, I had not been accompanied in there by a violin. But it had been hard to search carefully without light and the risk of making noise, so now I opened the closet door again and checked more carefully, using my flashlight.
No violin.
I looked around the room, which was almost as dark as the closet. Although it was a bright day, the real maid had closed the heavy red-and-gold tapestry drapes that were covering the full-wall windows, letting in almost no light. I didn’t want to risk turning on the lamps or the chandelier, casting light that might be noticed under the door from the hallway, so I still had to rely on my small flashlight to make my inspection of the premises. Waving it around to get my bearings, I could see that the fancy chandelier that hung from the ceiling was comparable in elegance to those hanging in the lobby, but on a smaller scale. Even in the limited light, its crystal bangles twinkled and sparkled expensively. Unfortunately, it was too big to take away with me.
The rest of the room’s décor was similarly opulent. The coffee table, either antique French provincial or a good imitation thereof, was painted in a light cream color, as was the large credenza against the far wall, probably filled with complimentary drinks and snacks. Two overstuffed chairs were upholstered in the same pattern as the drapes. The walls were covered in an old-fashioned floral-patterned wallpaper, with the carved-wood moldings painted to match the furnishings. I aimed my flashlight on all the room’s surfaces, looking for my prize.
Alas, no violin.
I tried the doors on the far wall. The bathroom provided no place for a violin to hide. Behind another door was a bedroom, in which a four-poster bed resided. It was covered by an elegant canopy of red and gold tapestry that matched the drapes and chairs. A highboy and a vanity table completed the bedroom furnishings. I saw nothing interesting in plain sight, so I checked the bedroom closet and then lay flat on the carpet and peeked under the bed.
Still no violin.
I was beginning to think that Aaron Levy had deliberately thwarted me by taking his violin with him or putting it in the safe—an ungentlemanly thing for him to do, given all the time and effort I was putting into finding it. I returned to the front room and was about to check the last remaining door—probably a connection to the neighboring suite—when I almost tripped over something sticking out from under the sofa. I reached down to shove it back out of the way.
The violin.
How could someone treat an instrument so valuable in such a cavalier manner, I wondered. More and more it seemed as if Mr. Aaron Levy was entirely too careless and had to be relieved of this heavy responsibility before someone…well…stole the damn thing!
And I was just the woman to do it. I opened the case and lifted up my trophy, held my flashlight close to it, and with great satisfaction, began to examine it lovingly.
And that’s when the lights came on.


Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Mark Reutlinger is the author of the novels "Made in China," "Murder with Strings Attached," and the "Mrs. Kaplan" cozy mystery series, as well as "Sister-in-Law" under the pen name M. R. Morgan. He is a professor of law emeritus at Seattle University. Born in San Francisco, Mark graduated from UC Berkeley and now lives with his wife, Analee, in University Place, Washington. When not reading or writing, Mark enjoys tennis, biking, playing the clarinet (in the Tacoma Concert Band), sports cars, and various arts and crafts. He doesn't know where he finds time for it all.


Website * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

​

Picture
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

Sep 13
kickoff at Silver Dagger Book Tours
A Pinch of Bookdust

Sep 14
I'm Into Books
Literary Gold

Sep 15
Inside the Insanity
Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read

Sep 16
Girl with Pen
Bedazzled By Books

Sep 17
Iris Blobel
Tina Donahue - Heat with Heart

Sep 19
A Wonderful World of Words

Sep 20
Nina Soden #TheRedheadedAuthor
Books a Plenty Book Reviews

Sep 21
The Mystery Section
Books all things paranormal and romance

Sep 22
Craving Lovely Books
Liliyana Shadowlyn

Sep 23
The Sexy Nerd 'Revue'
Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'

Sep 24
Sylv.net
Scrupulous Dreams

Sep 25
The Book Junkie Reads . . .

Sep 26
Nellie's Book Nook  - REVIEW
Sharon Buchbinder Blog Spot

Sep 27
eBook Addicts
Character Madness and Musings

Sep 28
4covert2overt ☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼
Writing Dreams

Sep 29
❧Defining Ways❧
Twisted Book Ramblings

Sep 30
ⒾⓃⓉⓇⓄⓈⓅⒺⒸⓉⒾⓋⒺ ⓅⓇⒺⓈⓈ

Oct 1
Insane Books

Oct 4
A Reader's Book Corner

Oct 5
The Faerie Review

Oct 6
Midnight Book Reader

Oct 7
Liliyana Shadowlyn

Oct 8
Cover Love Book Blog

Oct 9
Anna del C. Dye official page

Oct 11
nanasbookreviews
The Bookshelf Fairy

Oct 12
Teatime and Books
The Book Dragon

Oct 13
Valerie Ullmer | Romance Author
Plain Talk Book Marketing
Reading Authors Network


a Rafflecopter giveaway
Picture
61 Comments
Bernie Wallace
9/13/2021 05:53:05 am

How long did it take you to write your book?

Reply
Mark Reutlinger link
10/4/2021 08:35:56 pm

Flo is a spinoff character from my "Mrs. Kaplan" cozy mystery series, so she's been in my stories for quite a while. Writing this story took most of a year, including all the editing and rewrites.

Reply
Kari B
9/13/2021 07:07:26 am

Sounds like a fun and quirky mystery read.

Reply
Mark Reutlingerq link
10/4/2021 08:37:05 pm

Thanks for the comment. It's intended to be just that--fun and a little quirky. I hope you'll give it a try.

Reply
Rita Wray
9/13/2021 09:12:42 am

Sounds like a good book.

Reply
Barbara Montag
9/13/2021 10:43:44 am

Humorous Mystery - perfect mix for me!
And an eye catching cover.
Thank you for sharing this with us.

Reply
Mark Reutlinger link
10/4/2021 08:40:28 pm

Most of my stories (though not all) tend to be humorous, such as my "Mrs. Kaplan" cozy mystery series, from which Flo is a spinoff character. I guess I just enjoy writing stories that aren't overly serious, but are fun to read. I'm glad you like the cover. I think it's important a cover reflect the nature of the content.

Reply
Julie Lundstrom
9/13/2021 11:16:35 am

Sounds like a good book to read.

Reply
Jon Heil
9/13/2021 11:55:34 am

Playing the music to get the kills

Reply
Marcy Meyer
9/13/2021 12:43:09 pm

The title and cover are great. Sounds like a good story.

Reply
Mark Reutlinger link
10/4/2021 08:44:03 pm

Glad you like them. They're intended to reflect the story: The violin is central, and the tone is light.

Reply
Susan Smith
9/13/2021 01:19:09 pm

Sounds like a great book. I like the cover and excerpt.

Reply
Mark Reutlinger link
10/4/2021 08:47:19 pm

I'm glad you like them. As I've mentioned to others, the cover is intended to reflect the tone of the story and a little about the story itself. If you do read the story, I hope you'll agree it does.

Reply
Terri Quick
9/13/2021 01:27:18 pm

Nice cover

Reply
wendy hutton
9/13/2021 03:12:01 pm

sounds like an exciting book

Reply
Mark Reutlinger link
10/4/2021 08:49:14 pm

Thanks for the comment. I hope it's both exciting and at the same time humorous. At least that's what I aim for in most of my books.

Reply
Wendy Jensen
9/13/2021 04:10:03 pm

The book details sound like an interesting mystery.

Reply
David Basile
9/13/2021 04:17:00 pm

Sounds like a good book

Reply
Abigail Gibson
9/13/2021 04:17:32 pm

sounds like a great book!

Reply
Amy Jo
9/13/2021 04:23:22 pm

I would ask Mr. Mark works past writers block?

Reply
Mark Reutlinger link
10/4/2021 08:54:05 pm

I think it's good to step away from the computer and let one's mind focus on other things. If nothing else, it gives me a chance to return with a different perspective. If that doesn't help, I may work on something else until I feel ready to tackle it again.

Reply
Ann Fantom
9/13/2021 04:34:32 pm

This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.

Reply
Sherry
9/13/2021 04:45:07 pm

I love the excerpt and the cover.

Reply
Mark Reutlinger link
10/4/2021 08:55:32 pm

I hope both of them reflect well the tone of the story, light but still exciting.

Reply
Beyond Comps
9/13/2021 05:16:25 pm

Great cover!

Reply
bn100
9/13/2021 09:21:59 pm

looks interesting

Reply
angela heerde
9/13/2021 09:48:31 pm

I like book details

Reply
Debbie P
9/13/2021 10:11:23 pm

This sounds like a fun read. Nice cover!

Reply
Thomas Gibson
9/13/2021 10:48:07 pm

Cover looks awesome! Excerpt is intriguing. Great work!

Reply
Tempestt
9/14/2021 12:00:31 am

This sounds like an interesting book.

Reply
Michele Soyer
9/14/2021 07:02:02 am

Really like the title and the cover - makes me want to read your book. Best of luck with the tour and thank you.

Reply
Mark Reutlinger link
10/4/2021 08:59:02 pm

Thank you. The title and cover are both intended to get you to do just that--give the book a try, if you like stories that fit the tone of both.

Reply
Karin
9/14/2021 07:45:01 am

Great quirky title and excerpt

Reply
beth shepherd
9/14/2021 12:45:48 pm

This looks like a great read. I like the blurb

Reply
Calvin
9/14/2021 03:44:02 pm

Super interesting book, nice to learn about it.

Reply
Ken Ohl
9/20/2021 10:04:45 am

this cover looks intriguing

Reply
Elizabeth H.
9/20/2021 10:18:36 pm

Love the cover, thanks for sharing an excerpt. Are there any stories you want to write but just haven't gotten the chance yet?

Reply
Mark Reutlinger link
10/4/2021 09:02:58 pm

Yes, there are. I'd like to write more stories featuring Flo the lady burglar, and also more of my "Mrs. Kaplan" cozy mystery series. In fact, whenever I write a story with a character or characters I come to enjoy, I find I'd like to continue to write about them. This is also true of my more serious books, like "Sister-in-Law" (under my pen name M. R. Morgan), to which I'd like to write a sequel someday.

Reply
athena graeme
9/23/2021 01:06:03 am

Very clever title!

Reply
Jamie Martin link
9/23/2021 05:49:39 pm

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Reply
Mark Reutlinger link
10/4/2021 11:41:48 pm

If you're published right away, consider yourself fortunate. And if it takes a while, don't give up. There's a lot of competition out there, but a good story will stand out above the crowd. And a bit of luck doesn't hurt.

Reply
Brenda Reads
9/24/2021 09:00:43 am

This books sounds good.

Reply
Dave Gibb
9/26/2021 06:05:46 pm

wow looks awesome

Reply
Mark Reutlinger link
10/7/2021 03:27:27 pm

Thanks--I hope you'll give it a try. It's a quick read for a lazy afternoon or two.

Reply
Stephanie Liske
10/10/2021 02:02:29 pm

I like the book details.

Reply
latisha depoortere
10/11/2021 12:41:37 pm

Thank you so much for sharing!

Reply
jose rosado
10/11/2021 04:02:53 pm

What do you think of the book details? Do you have any questions for the author?


A very good blurb

THX

Reply
Daniel M
10/12/2021 12:28:59 pm

like the cover

Reply
Jessica Hays
10/12/2021 02:29:00 pm

Looks like a great book!

Reply
Carol G
10/12/2021 03:11:21 pm

This one with be added to my TBR pile--I like lighthearted mysteries.

Reply
Mark Reutlinger link
10/13/2021 08:48:15 pm

Thanks for the comment. I think you'll find it's just that, lighthearted. My other mystery series, the "Mrs. Kaplan" mysteries, is similarly humorous, although those stories are more in the cozy mystery genre.

Reply
Jennifer Mckelvey-Galindo
10/13/2021 12:02:19 am

Do you have any musical talents yourself?

Reply
Mark Reutlinger link
10/13/2021 08:52:34 pm

I play clarinet in the Tacoma (WA) Concert Band. But I didn't think a story about the theft of a priceless clarinet would be as interesting to the average reader as one about a priceless violin. :)

Reply
Renata
10/13/2021 12:08:22 am

Sounds good!

Reply
Debbi Wellenstein
10/13/2021 08:07:10 am

I enjoyed excerpt. Thank you for the giveaway!

Reply
Jen R
10/13/2021 11:32:04 am

The book details looks like a fun book to read.

Reply
Leslie Price
10/13/2021 04:08:14 pm

I love cozy mysteries, so I look forward to checking this out.

Reply
Mark Reutlinger link
10/13/2021 08:55:56 pm

I hope you enjoy it. If you like cozies, you might like my "Mrs. Kaplan" cozy mystery series. The stories take place in a senior retirement home, the amateur sleuths are senior citizens, and each revolves around a Jewish holiday. You would even learn a bit of Yiddish!

Reply
Michelle Horstman
10/13/2021 06:33:48 pm

Sounds like a good one!

Reply
Betty Curran
10/13/2021 07:41:52 pm

The excerpt was great. It really made me want to read the whole story.

Reply
Mark Reutlinger link
10/13/2021 08:57:43 pm

I'm glad you liked the excerpt. It gives you the lighthearted tone of the whole story.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Action
    Activity Book
    Adventure
    African American
    Alt History
    Anthology
    Apocalyptic
    Audiobook
    Australian
    Bdsm
    Billionaire Romance
    Biography
    Chick Lit
    Childrens
    Christian
    Coloring Book
    Comedy
    Coming Of Age
    Contemporary Fiction
    Contemporaryromance
    Contemporary Romance
    Cookbook
    Cozymystery
    Cozy Mystery
    Crime
    Cyberpunk
    Dark
    Dark Romance
    Drama
    Dystopian
    Educational
    Eroticromance
    Erotic Romance
    Fairytale
    Fantasy
    Financial
    Giveaway-hop
    Gothic
    Health-and-wellness
    Historical
    Historicalromance
    Historical-romance
    Holiday
    Horror
    Humorous
    Inspirational
    Legal-thriller
    Lgbtq
    Literaryfiction
    Mafiaromance
    Mafia-romance
    Magicrealism
    Magic-realism
    Mcromance
    Mc-romance
    Memoir
    Menage
    Middlegrade
    Middle-grade
    Military
    Mystery
    Newadult
    New Adult
    Nonfiction
    Paranormal
    Paranormalromance
    Paranormal Romance
    Parenting
    Pets
    Poetry
    Postapocalyptic
    Pulp-fiction
    Reverseharemromance
    Reverse-harem-romance
    Rockstarromance
    Rockstar-romance
    Romance
    Romanticcomedy
    Romantic Comedy
    Romanticsuspense
    Romantic Suspense
    Satirical
    Sciencefiction
    Science Fiction
    Scifi
    Scifiromance
    Scifi Romance
    Selfhelp
    Shortstories
    Short-stories
    Speculativefiction
    Speculative Fiction
    Sportsromance
    Steampunk
    Supernatural
    Suspense
    Sweetromance
    Thriller
    Timetravel
    Time-travel
    Urban
    Urbanfantasy
    Urban Fantasy
    Western
    Womensfiction
    Womens Fiction
    Ya
    Youngadult
    Young-adult
    Youngadultya
    Young Adult Ya

    Picture

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016

© 2021 Silver Dagger Book Tours