Review by Kathleen Costa
Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book and a link to purchase it.
Karma Knows Best!
Karma can be a godsend or your worst nightmare. For Fionnaghuala Merrygold Czrygy, it started as the latter and ended the former. While undercover for the CIA inside a Chechen terrorist group, she was publicly outed in a spat between her Senator father and his rival the Vice President. She almost didn’t make it out, so for her continued safety, it was imperative she go into hiding. With a change of name incorporating some of her mother’s name, she escaped to a small mid-western town and became a Girl Scout leader. I mean, what international criminal would think to look for her under those circumstances? Well, unfortunately, a few have, but Merry Wrath had ten brilliant “mini me-s” coming to her rescue along with her co-leader and BFF Kelly Albers, detective and husband Rex Ferguson, her former CIA handler PI Riley Andrews, and several quirky friends and family. What a formidable team they make!
 |
| Image Source Gemma Halliday Publishing |
Maria, former colleague now considered a traitor, is desperate for Merry’s help, so they plan to meet in a very out-of-way location. For cover, it seemed easy to bring along her troop of precocious Girl Scouts. Besides, they have thwarted more bad guys than many seasoned agents, not to mention being at ease with flame throwers and zip guns. The cover story has the girls working on their Bronze Award, and for the Council, they will find and map Camp Deer Path, an old Girl’s Scout facility built in the 30s and closed in the 60s. The camp is surrounded by a private nature preserve, so everyone, including Merry’s former CIA handler in lieu of co-leader Kelly, are prepared to rough it. But, no matter how prepared they are, it’s going to get difficult…very difficult, especially when an “assassin not an assassin” friend shows up, a half-buried man is discovered, a group of decades “off-grid” senior citizen Girl Scouts show up, a dead body causes troubles, and Old Eisenhower snaps.
Witty Adventure! Leslie Langtry is a master-ess of witty repartee, quirky characters, and predicaments that defy all safety measures, and with this nineteenth into the woods adventure, she still keeps it fresh and exciting fun. As a Girl from U.N.C.L.E. and Mrs. Peel wannabe, Merry’s backstory and all the references to her past CIA experiences are fascinating and humorous, and I feel I am part of the drama with the first-person narrative she employs. Although one needs to suspend disbelief of pre-teens as unofficial agents-in-training, I am a retired teacher of ten-year-olds, so I have personal experience with their precocious manners and often surprising capabilities. This series portrays those extremes, but do we know what real undercover agents were like as young kids? I’m sure there is a real Betty out there whose parents worried about her interest in weapons, surveillance, and enhanced interrogation techniques. There is plenty of adult angst, too, with the need to find a so-called rogue former agent, a missing body, and the age-old dilemma with which all agents struggle, who can you trust? Leslie’s writing style is entertaining with a cadence that’s easy to read and incidents that are nail-biting for mystery lovers, hilarious for cozy fans, and a few four-legged creatures for animal lovers…it continues to be one of my favorite series.
Be a Big Leslie Langtry Fan!
USA Today bestselling author Leslie Langtry pens one of my favorite series, the now eighteen-book Merry Wrath series. She also writes the very entertaining ten-book Bombay Assassins Greatest Hits Mystery and is one of the contributing authors in GHP’s Aloha Lagoon Mystery with two marvelous books: Ukulele Murder and Ukulele Deadly. Something for every cozy taste!
Merry’s Troop FB group is private. Fans can join HERE.
Be a Gemma Halliday Publishing Fan!
Website - Gemma Halliday Publishing
To enter to win a copy of Mosquito Bite Murder , simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "bite,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen September 4, 2021. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. BE AWARE THAT DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS THERE MAY BE A DELAY IN SHIPPING THE WINNING BOOK. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! A new episode goes up next week.
You can use this link to purchase the book. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:
Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.Kathleen Costa is a long-time resident of the Central Valley, and although born in Idaho, she considers herself a “California Girl.” Graduating from CSU-Sacramento, she is a 35+ year veteran teacher having taught in grades 1-8 in schools from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Stockton to Lodi. Currently Kathleen is enjoying her retirement revitalizing hobbies along with exploring writing, reading for pleasure, and spending 24/7 with her husband.
Sounds interesting! Count me in!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun read. Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
I'm not familiar with this author or series and would love to have a chance to change it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance. robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com