Moon Games by Shelly Frome

Publisher:  Milford House Press (August 4, 2018)
Category: Cozy Mystery, Amateur Female Sleuth, Murder Mystery, Supernatural, Small-town Police Procedural
Tour dates: Mar-Apr, 2019
ISBN: 978-1620061848
Available in Print and ebook, 264 pages

 

 

 

Description 

At the outset, Miranda Davis has nothing much going for her. The tourists are long gone by October in the quaint Carolina town of Black Mountain, her realty business is at a standstill, and her weekend stint managing the local tavern offers little to pull her out of the doldrums. When prominent church lady Cloris Raintree offers a stipend to look into the whereabouts of a missing coed, Miranda, along with her partner Harry (an unemployed features writer) agree.

But then it all backfires. A burly figure shambles down a mountain slope with a semi-conscious girl draped over his shoulder. Miranda’s attempts to uncover Cloris Raintree’s true motives become near impossible.  The local police keep stonewalling and Harry is of little help.

Tarot cards left on Cloris’ doorstep only exacerbate the situation. Growing more desperate over the captive girl’s fate, Miranda comes across a link to a cold case of arson and murder. With the advent of the dark of the moon, she is summoned to “Tower Time” as this twisty tale continues to unravel.

 

 

Guest Review by Katy

I’ve just recently discovered Shelly Frome and have been working my way through his back catalog of books so that I can read them all. I love his writing style, his attention to detail and his clever dialog and descriptions. What a talent this man has for story telling and plotting. I feel like all of his books pull me in from the first page and don’t let go till the last! And this one was no different, of course.

 ‘Moon Games’ begins with the exciting pretense that a young girl has gone missing in the Carolina mountains. Miranda Davis is probably not the first person you’d select to go on a search for a missing person. For one thing, she’s a realtor and for another, she’s funny and somewhat scattered. Hardly a seasoned detective who deals with these sorts of things all the time. But she gets pulled into the mystery in much the same way that the reader does, and eventually she agrees to go up to the mountain with her partner, Harry, to have a look. However, there are some suspicious clues about the missing girl that don’t add up. Why was a strange tarot card shoved under the door of a local church lady? Who is the huge, hulking man they see on the mountain, and is he carrying the body of a woman? These are the kinds of questions that had me guessing till the last page.

I love a good mystery and, once again, Shelly Frome delivers just that. I highly recommend this book to all mystery fans like myself or anyone who enjoys a compelling, quick read. I can’t wait to read what Shelly Frome has in store for his next book! I feel like I’m becoming a huge fan of his as I go! ‘Moon Games’ gets 5 stars from me!

 

 

Praise 

“’Moon Games’ is an exceptional novel that will introduce the reader to the protagonist of the book, Miranda Davis who lives in a quaint town in Carolina, and it is here that she has a business. The reader will follow Miranda as she is approached by Cloris Raintree, a church leader who offers Miranda help in exchange for her help in finding a girl who went missing. As Miranda investigate the strange disappearance, more shocking truths are revealed and this book lovers is the premise of the sensational Moon Games.

The themes combined and laced throughout Moon Games perfectly compliment the atmosphere of the book and story.  As I read Moon Games, I found myself racing through it, turning the pages with haste thanks to the addictive nature. The story is unique and has the perfect combination of crime, suspense, and mystery which are all perfectly weaved together by the exceptional author.

Every event, character, and setting is well thought out and planned. Shelly Frome’s writing is detailed in the most immaculate of ways. It is beautifully written so that the reader will be able to immerse themselves in the story from beginning to end without difficulty.

Miranda is a character every reader will be able to root for, her grit and determination to not give up on the case is inspiring and will have many readers care about her. Being able to accompany Miranda on her journey was incredible, it was remarkable to witness her growth along the way and extraordinary to observe how she goes about solving the mystery and troubling situations she was faced with

Frome is an exceptional writer because he grabs his readers attention from the start very quickly and keeps them engrossed until the end. There are no long build-ups that drag in Moon Games; instead, the reader will be thrown into the thick of the story quickly, and the result of this is exciting (and slightly terrifying!).

Overall Moon Games is a superb novel that has everything a reader would want in a story; it has a thrilling narrative, magnificent plot development and excellent characterization that will thrill and excite its readers so of course, I have to award this impressive piece of literature five stars!”-  Aimee Ann, Red Headed Book Lover

“’Moongames’, the eighth mystery by respected author, Shelly Frome, covers a week around Halloween where a coed from a local college goes missing during a hike along the historic Southern Railway tracks that climb the Blue Ridge Escarpment over the Eastern Continental Divide, and the only one who seems to care is a frustrated real estate saleswoman, who must become her own detective agency if this girl is to be found alive.
Frome creates a series of colorful characters who are drawn into this quest, most against their wills, but who, never-the-less, contribute their own special talents to what would ultimately prove to be a race to the finish, with more hairpin turns along the way than the drive along the Amalfi Coast. The famous “Malecon” drive along Havana’s Atlantic shore even plays an important role in the ultimate outcome of this complicated, yet gripping tale of revenge, regret, and greed, with a dash of the Zodiac (thus the Moon) thrown in for good measure.”-       R. V. Helms, Amazon Review

 

 

Praise for Secluded Village Murders by Shelly Frome

“ In this cozy murder, Emily Ryder, a tour guide turned amateur sleuth, attempts to solve the murder of her mentor, Chris Cooper. His death has been ruled accidental. Murder just couldn’t happen in the small town of Lydfield, Connecticut, but Emily believes that Chris was murdered.

So why does Emily believe that Chris has been murdered? There are too many things that don’t make sense. And Chris had been standing in the way of a development company that wants to build an apartment and entertainment complex in their quaint little town.

The cover of this book shows what looks like a beautiful and peaceful place to live, but looks can be deceiving. Lies, bribery, and deceit are running rampant in this little town. Is there anyone that Emily can trust? Twists and turns are around every corner. If you read carefully enough, you might even be able to figure out who the guilty party is. If you don’t read carefully enough, there is a chance that you will lose track of what is going on.

The town of Lydfield has been twinned with Lydfield-in-the-Moor in England. Twin villages or sister towns was something that I wasn’t familiar with. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a twin town is a town or city that shares planned activities and visits with a similar town in another country. The following article might help you gain a better understanding of twinned towns – Odd couples: 16 weird and wonderful twinned towns.

When Emily visits Lydfield’s sister town in England, she discovers that she has not left behind the danger. Well written mystery”-Lisa, Lisa’s Writopia

“An entertaining story that has enough quirky characters, intrigue, suspense, humor, and drama that easily draws the reader into Emily’s amateur sleuth adventure. This cozy mystery is full of devious plot twists and turns that will easily keep you guessing. The Secluded Village Murders is an intriguing whodunit tale that cozy mystery fans will want to add to their reading list.”- Kathleen Higgins-Anderson, Jersey Girl Book Reviews

 

 

About the Author

Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, and a writer of crime novels and books on theater and film. He is also the film columnist for Southern Writers Magazine and writes monthly profiles for Gannett Media.

His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, The Twinning Murders, Tinseltown Riff, and Murder Run. Among his works of nonfiction are The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Website: http://shellyfrome.com/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/shellyfrome
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shellyFrome

Buy Moon Games

Amazon
BarnesandNoble
Indiebound

 

 

Giveaway 

This giveaway is for 3 winners choice of one print or ebook copy of the book. Print is open to the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. This giveaway ends April 30, 2019, midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter onlly.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Follow the Tour

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Mar 15 Kickoff

Sherry My Reading Journeys Mar 18 Review

Susan Amazon Mar 19 Review

Dawn Bound 4 Escape Mar 20 Guest Review

Connie Amazon Mar 21 Review

Laura Library of Clean Reads Mar 26 Review

Elizabeth Amazon Mar 27 Review

Beth Amazon Mar 29 Review

Steve Silver Screen VIdeos Apr 1 Review & Guest Post

Tammy’s Tea Time Apr 3 Review

Amber Imaginative Mama’s Dragonfly Apr 15 Review, Interview, & Excerpt

Michael Amazon Apr 23 Review

Donna Amazon Apr 24 Review

Jessica JBronder Book Reviews Apr 25 Review

Amy Locks, Hooks and Books Apr 26 Review & Excerpt

Nicole Willow’s Thought Book Obsessions Apr 29 Review, Guest Post, & Excerpt

Kathleen Celticlady’s Reviews Apr 30 Review & Excerpt