We’re officially 10 weeks away from the debut of Inheritance, book 1 in the Lost Bride Trilogy, and I thought it was time to share the excerpt.
Nora wrote about the Why of writing Inheritance a few weeks back in case you want to refresh your memory.
The official description of Inheritance reads:
1806: Astrid Poole sits in her bridal clothes, overwhelmed with happiness. But before her marriage can be consummated, she is murdered, and the circle of gold torn from her finger. Her last words are a promise to Collin never to leave him…
Graphic designer Sonya MacTavish is stunned to learn that her late father had a twin he never knew about―and that her newly discovered uncle, Collin Poole, has left her almost everything he owned, including a majestic Victorian house on the Maine coast. And the will stipulates she must live in it for at least three years. Her engagement recently broken, she sets off to find out why the boys were separated at birth―and why it was all kept secret until a genealogy website brought it to light.
Trey, the young lawyer who greets her at the sprawling clifftop manor, notes Sonya’s unease―and acknowledges that yes, the place is haunted…but just a little. Sure enough, Sonya finds objects moved and music playing out of nowhere. She sees a painting by her father inexplicably hanging in her deceased uncle’s office, and a portrait of a woman named Astrid, whom the lawyer refers to as “the first lost bride.” It’s becoming clear that Sonya has inherited far more than a house. She has inherited a centuries-old curse, and a puzzle to be solved if there is any hope of breaking it…
I read this book back in March and LOVED it. Can’t wait until you get the chance to read it and we all discuss.
Today’s the day! Payback in Death is on store shelves and e-readers.
Before skipping to the comments to share your thoughts, here’s the official description:
Lt. Eve Dallas is just home from a long overdue vacation when she responds to a call of an unattended death. The victim is Martin Greenleaf, retired Internal Affairs Captain. At first glance, the scene appears to be suicide, but the closer Eve examines the body, the more suspicious she becomes.
An unlocked open window, a loving wife and family, a too-perfect suicide note―Eve’s gut says it’s a homicide. After all, Greenleaf put a lot of dirty cops away during his forty-seven years in Internal Affairs. It could very well be payback―and she will not rest until the case is closed.
Share your thoughts about Payback in Death in the comments. Please be aware that spoilers are very much allowed here.
We’re 8 days from Payback in Death hitting store shelves and ereaders. And in what’s become a tradition, I’ll share some teasers for you to look for as you read. As always, these are not spoilers to the case, just items that caught my eye.
First, here’s the official copy about Payback in Death:
Lt. Eve Dallas is just home from a long overdue vacation when she responds to a call of an unattended death. The victim is Martin Greenleaf, retired Internal Affairs Captain. At first glance, the scene appears to be suicide, but the closer Eve examines the body, the more suspicious she becomes.
An unlocked open window, a loving wife and family, a too-perfect suicide note―Eve’s gut says it’s a homicide. After all, Greenleaf put a lot of dirty cops away during his forty-seven years in Internal Affairs. It could very well be payback―and she will not rest until the case is closed.
– BUT is such a flexible word. – Jenkinson still has a way with a certain word. – when you look at the list, friends come in all shapes and sizes. – there are still arguments for buying v shopping. – one can have concerns about in utero anchoring. – Fate has lovely decorating tricks up her sleeve. – Peabody still looks good in a righteous rage. – Eve has some issues with ice pops. – it’s not hard to follow Roarke’s example.
It’s been a little quiet here since the travelogue finished. I mean, how can you match Nora relaxing with family in Cozumel?
So I’ll start from the end of the trip.
Nora arrived home and immediately dove into prep for the first family barbequue since 2019. She had a few days of her at-home routine before the annual trip to Greenbrier followed by the family spa trip – which she keeps private. (She can’t share everything.)
In the meantime, I visited my surgeon and decided to go for a right knee replacement the last week of August (to match my new hip from January 2022). That meant three trips in quick order to clear the deck for recovering in September.
In short, we each had much to occupy our time outside of work.
Nora finished the In Death she worked on while in Cozumel. Title and more info to come. Now she’s begun the first draft of the second book in The Lost Bride Trilogy. We’ll have to wait a lot longer for that update.
I dealt with the pre-op checklist those moments I was home.
Then suddenly it was time to depart for the girls + Griffin trip to Greenbrier. We had a fairly easy trip down. I caravaned with Nora, Kayla and JoAnne since I had to leave a day early for family events up in NY and NJ. Traffic flowed pretty well, except for a five mile slow down. We all kept a sedate pace, then suddenly cars ahead of us slammed on the brakes.
I braked so as not to hit Nora then looked in the rearview mirror and the semi behind me was still coming. I swerved onto the shoulder, pausing for a nanosecond to not clip Nora, and somehow we all survived. (The car behind the semi also swerved to the shoulder). The margin for error was small since there was a hill down from the shoulder.
Talk about adrenaline! Nora said later she thought I’d be rear-ended. I saw it more as pancaked. Fortunately, it was the most adrenaline-fueled portion of the trip.
First sunset was a beauty. Photo by Laura.
The first order of business was to toast our arrival, then continue with the tradition of a huge hydrangia bloom in the used bottle for the outdoor decor.
One of the nicest things about our stays Greenbrier is that everyone spends the day as they please: Nora and JoAnne worked out each morning before Nora worked a bit more on that In Death. Sarah and I compared notes about books then went back to reading. Kat and Griffin headed to the pool or adventures in the arcade with Kayla.
A little moonshine. Photo by Laura
We all met up again for dinner out on the patio followed by puzzle time and the occasional game of hearts. (Yes, I played Hearts.)
The finished puzzle. Photo by JoAnne.
Overall, a relaxing week with one day of media work along with the annual Facebook Live — which you can watch here: https://fb.watch/mrj_tZ94qu/
Yes, I like to take photos of this exterior in the evening. Photo by Laura
As mentioned in the video — and in Nora’s letter about the Lost Bride Trilogy — we usually have a full complement of spirits on this trip. Most are happy and entertained to have the rooms full. But we decided before arriving this year to keep one door in the suite closed as the spirit in that room was rather unfriendly in 2022.
But that spirit may have been a little annoyed by the exclusion.
It happened the second evening as we headed up to bed. Now, full disclaimer, there may have been some champagne consumed but we have this on record.
My room is at the top of the stairs, then there’s a hallway and a left turn to another hallway. Nora and JoAnne slept in rooms off that second hall. Oh, and the locked door is down the hall too.
JoAnne and I were talking when we heard Nora say, “Why is there a table in the middle of the hallway? And why is there one spent match on it?”
This is exactly how she found it, blocking off the way into her room and beyond to JoAnne’s on the left and the locked door on the right. (Jo took this photo as evidence.) Much discussion ensued, until finally I moved it to the wall and walked JoAnne to her room.
The next morning we asked the concierge and housekeeping, who all reported no staff had been in the suite on Saturday evening. Kayla didn’t see it when she went to bed earlier than the rest of us — her room faces that hall and she’d have noticed. We also learned that room service no longer uses that type of table. The mystery remained unsolved. Especially the spent match part of it all.
But after that, it was quiet.
Not a mystery is how much we continue to love the glass blowing classes at Greenbrier. We spent a very satisfying Monday afternoon creating with Mike the new owner of the studio.
Kayla adding color.
Nora concentrating on the color as well.
Shaping her bowl.
Red hot bowl
The very interesting sculpture made from glass pieces we gave Nora as a thank you.
The variety of finished work.
And since it’s a time to explore creative stuff, I chose to paint some watercolors in the afternoons.
My interpretation of the Hydrangea in a bottle in my very pink room
Just before we headed home, it was time to celebrate Kayla’s 21st birthday a few days early.
The gang with the cake.
I left a day early to start the my next trip (up to NY/NJ) which included throwing a baby shower for my son and DIL who are due in October. Here’s the amazing cake we found for our little girl.
Nora and family had an action-packed week at the spa which included the annual paint night. I love seeing how everyone interprets the subject.
And that’s pretty much the update from here.
What’s next? I’ll do the In Death teasers forPayback in Deatha little earlier than usual before my surgery, so look for them — in bulk — this weekend. Then I’ll open the discussion thread on September 5.
Time for a peek at Payback in Death, out September 5. To my mind it’s another little travelogue.
Here’s a short/sweet description:
Eve is just home from a long overdue vacation when she responds to a call of an unattended death. The victim is Martin Greenleaf, retired Internal Affairs Captain. At first glance, the scene appears to be suicide, but the closer Eve examines the body, the more suspicious she becomes.
An unlocked open window, a loving wife and family, a too-perfect suicide note—Eve’s gut says it’s a homicide. After all, Greenleaf put a lot of dirty cops away during his forty-seven years in Internal Affairs. It could very well be payback—and she will not rest until the case is closed.
Packing to go home’s always easier than packing for a trip. You don’t have to think: Do I want to take this? You’re taking everything.
So the majority of packing’s done in no time.
It’s panorama time! Kat and Jason already have it choreographed so that fun tradition goes smoothly.
Indoor/outdoor pano.
It’s goodbye hugs for JR, and off to the airport—but he gets in a last chase with Griffin.
When she’s back, I hang with Kayla while Colt, Kat and Griffin enjoy the pool. We learn JR’s flight’s delayed an hour. Weather.
And Kat announces there’s a crab in the pool. This seems strange. It’s a dead crab which Colt scoops out with the net. But wait! There’s another, and this one’s very much alive! Colt is not quite so eager to scoop the live one, but between him and Kat, they chase it down—it scrambles some. Into the net with you! And Colt hauls it down to toss it back in the gulf.
Kat’s gone crabbing. Photo by Nora.
Gotcha! Photo by Nora.
Colt planning his throw. Photo by Nora.
I can only assume they ran away from home, decided the pool looked good. Then one met a tragic end.
Mario and other Switch games happen during the lunch hour.
BW and Jason do a drive around the island. Along the way they spot a wild pig and what they think were monkeys. I didn’t know we had either around here.
Beach. Photo by BW.
Photo by BW.
We decide on an early dinner and head to town. JR’s connecting flight is also delayed, so more airport hanging for him. Poor guy.
While we order dinner a storm sweeps in. Wild rain blowing in the wild wind. We’re under cover, but oh, those poor people on bikes, scooters, open-air jeeps! This is monsoon level rain, occasionally blowing sideways, just lashing down.
Clouds in the distance. Photo by j a-b.
We’re lucky it finally eases off toward the end of our final dinner in Cozumel.
Home through big, splashing puddles.
Time for some Jack box.tv games, then bed before our departure day.
The birds are busy this morning, and very, very chatty. Lots of call and response going on. And no blue sky as dawn breaks. I’m really sorry to see the thick clouds up there as that’s where we’ll be in a few hours.
I’m going to squeeze in a quick workout, finish up the travel day packing—and hope some blue peeks out above as we ready ourselves to head home.
A lovely, fun, interesting, relaxing and occasionally adventurous family vacation. Many new memories banked. Really can’t ask for better.
A pretty morning becomes a stormy one. Another hard driving rain pumps down with some wicked booms of thunder that roll into echoes. It comes and it goes with sun beaming, then sun washed away.
Sometime before the rain swept in, the older kids did some kayaking. I still don’t know how I missed that event.
The gang is thoroughly entertained by Mario Cart during the storm. There are wild cheers, groans and moans.
Absorbing competition. Photo by Nora.
Then it clears again, looks like it might mean it this time. Kat takes Griffin off for a last round at the water park.
The report is much fun, but this time he was ready to go when the time came.
There are some daily chases, and my opponent appears to have forged some new weapons. He’s a tricky one.
Kayla and JR do some packing as he heads for home Sunday. The rest of us depart Monday.
Dinner plans evolve, and Italian wins the day. More Mario Cart before departure, and this time Griffin joins the cheering section. But when it comes time to do a little pano portrait in the living area, he departs and races himself for awhile.
Indoor pano. Photo from j a-b’s camera.
A LOT of standing water here and there on the drive into town. I think they might have gotten hit even harder than we did.
And the sky opens again just as we park, so it’s a mad dash through it to the restaurant. But there, we’re under cover outside while an enormous cruise ship glides by in the distance through a curtain of mist.
Citrus salad. Photo by Nora.
I can’t resist that lovely citrus salad—and will get some grapefruit at home now and then to add to ours. Pizza and pasta for all, but for Logan who orders some sort of steak. It comes coiled around a vertical skewer, and is pretty impressive.
Steak delivery. Video by Kat.
Also, Logan reports, excellent.
We have the drama of sunset to add to our meal. It never gets old.
Front row sunset seating. Photo by Nora.
Boat and sunset. Photo by Nora.
Griffin already goes for his new fave, yellow ice cream. So dessert and cappuccino it is. Jason and I both go for peach Melba, and yum. BW gets about half of mine.
Colt’s dessert. Photo by Colt.
Home again, and Poker is the game of the night. This time, all the luck seems to be on one side of the table. Logan, Kayla, Colt and I, on the other end, don’t win a single hand. JR takes an enormous pot at the end. Other than Logan, Kayla Colt and me, who are wiped out, the others fare well enough.
I hesitate to say it looks like a pretty day, but so far, so good. Workout’s done, and though Griffin and Jason aren’t in their usual morning spots, they should be over soon. We’ll do our annual panorama shot outdoors, then Jason and Kayla will take JR to the airport.
Today is for goodbyes and packing for our own departure tomorrow morning.
Whatever else today brings, it’s been a really wonderful family trip. We’re blessed to have four grandchildren ready and willing to travel with us, and as always the best traveling companions ever, Jason and Kat. Another bonus this year, with Kayla’s adorable JR.
I doubt I could’ve been more wrong about the weather.
The potentially pretty day clouds up by late morning. Rain comes, fairly nice at first. But before much longer, we have a driving wall of rain, and the palm trees are whipping. Even the covered patio won’t do during this.
It’s impressive with some quick lightning and its answering roll of thunder.
Griffin spots me, and the chase is on. He’s adopted my cross-arm Wonder Woman-like shield. And his, naturally, proves more powerful. He takes my hand in my defeat and guides me to the corner of a wall where I understand I will be stuck. With much effort, I gain my release.
We repeat this awhile until Colt takes my place.
JR and Kayla do laundry.
As it’s cooled considerably, I open the big accordion doors so the outside is in, the inside is out.
I make progress with some business at home—that’s a big check mark! My forever friend and our business manager makes more on Boonsboro business. Yay!
Time for a pitcher of margaritas.
The rain passes, and the sky blues again. Here’s the sun.
Kat and Griffin enjoy the pool. I think nobody enjoys the pool as much as Griffin, but Kat comes close.
It’s been a lazy, rainy day so the sun, the pool time, the cooler air (that won’t last) are welcome.
Off to dinner, and again, we have a live band. We’re not seated so close this time, so conversation’s possible. And the music’s fun. After considerable debate, I decide on a burger. I can’t remember the last time I had one. I manage to make it clear I want burger and bun, no more. I am a burger and bun burger person.
The enthusiastic pool time has Griffin conking on the way to the restaurant. He sleeps on Mom awhile, then wakes, blinks around. He has yellow ice cream (vanilla) chicken fingers and fries. My burger is tasty, and huge. I cut it in half and nearly manage the half.
Palms framing the sunset. Photo by Nora.
The sun’s begun its drop toward the water as we head back. But on the walk to the car, I spot a shot, and take it. Back home, Colt dashes for the dock, and I follow behind him, Kat and Griffin.
Capturing the last of the sun. Photo by Colt.
Kat’s composition.
The red sun’s hardly more than a dot at water’s edge, then poof! Gone. But the sky is still more than worthy for documenting.
BW has a rough start as he takes the Queen on an early trick. And although there are a couple hearts in the widow, as it turns out, he has no chance to run them. We’re only playing to fifty.
After she racks up some points, Kat claims to have a plan. She’ll take just enough more to hit fifty and go back to zero—and does the math. Her plan falls apart, so it’s onto Plan B. Meanwhile Kayla gets stung a couple times, as do BW and JR. Colt makes the classic mistake of announcing he has zero and will win.
Oh, sweet summer child!
He takes the Queen and a handful of hearts in the very next hand. You do not tempt the god of cards.
I, on the other hand, have taken the Queen once, and a scatter of hearts throughout the game and remain low man. I am also seasoned enough to shut up about it.
In the end, Kat’s plan—even Plan C—fails, Colt’s hubris puts him over fifty, and I slide quietly into victory.
Bedtime for Griffin, but not before a Chase. Now he simply points to where I must stand and be stuck.
This morning, the yellow warbler is perched on a branch just above my own perch on the bedroom balcony. He doesn’t sing or call, just sits and looks around. Blue skies, so fingers crossed there can be some home-style snorkeling and kayaking today.
Since I’m not going down water slides, I opt out of the water park. BW seems to want a lazy day, so the two of us stay back while the rest of the gang heads out for water adventuring.
Just as they leave, the power goes out.
Oh well.
BW and I read on the patio, and since the gang doesn’t quickly return, we assume power is okay where they are. And fortunately, it was only out a couple hours here.
I watch a grackle land by the pool, then his companion, and they play their own water games. Another joins. Then I see one sitting on the wall and start getting Hitchcock vibes when one more lands.
We do not have an attack of the grackles, so we read on.
I decide to trade my book for some work on my own.
Time for a snack, and shortly after, power’s back. I can now check my email as a lot of business is going on at home, and I need to keep up.
The gang has lunch at the park before they return. Fun for all. In fact so much fun for the youngest member, he didn’t want to leave. Some serious crying and strong objections to departure is reported.
The desired slide. Video by j a-b
Jason said while there he wanted to go on the slide. Was very determined. But the rules are you must go down alone, and no floaty vest. The kid’s too young to slide down into five feet of water alone—especially since you’re also not allowed to hang out at the bottom and catch the kid.
Gang in the pool. Photo by j a-b.
While disappointed, Griffin found much else to do, especially since the place was packed with kids.
A lower slide. Arg, matey! Photo by Kat.
Some hang time before dinner.
Then it’s back into town for food. Griffin’s new thing is delight in: 100-citement. Which means 100% excitement. We have some on the drive as a doorless Jeep pulls well into the road. Jason dodges it, then has to dodge another Jeep coming on the other side, THEN dodge a man in the road fixing a water pipe.
It’s like Mario! 100-citement. Do it again!
At the restaurant, Griffin settles for his iPad version of excitement. I have my own with the biggest margarita to date.
A little pre-dinner screen. Photo by Nora.
Nana’s entertainment. Photo by Nora.
Good food, good drink, good company. The older kids go across the street for the sunset before we head home.
rooting. Photo by Nora.
Sunset over the JR and Kayla.
We’re a little later than usual, but there’s still time for Poker. Texas Hold ‘Em is the game, and this time I win the first round. There are bluffs, hopes rise and fall. The river has two queens and an eight—I forget what else as that’s what mattered to me as I have a queen and an eight for a full house in my hand.
Logan goes all in. I call on the biggest pot of the night. He has a full house—eights over queens. My queens over eights beat that. So I win the first and last pot of the night.
Some pre-bedtime Chase wraps things up.
Quiet this morning. Maybe the birds are planning something after all. I hope not as the sky is a pretty summer blue and so is the water. A big white excursion boat just passed, absolutely packed with people.
