As you know, Barbara Burgess’ and my third cozy mystery is due to be released soon. The book is called Best left Buried. It is the third in the Darcy Campbell/Flora Tucker mother, daughter sleuth series. In this book, Darcy and Flora discover a long-buried secret from the past. A mystery that has its roots in the turbulent era of World War I somehow gets snarled around present day greed and subterfuge. Of course, Darcy and Flora set about to untangle those threads that threaten the very core of their family. Below is an excerpt from Best Left Buried.
The air had a crisp, damp smell to it. The fragrance was as old as time and as new as the morning and I filled my lungs with it. Leaves rustled in the pin oak and an acorn dropped to the ground by my feet with a soft thud. Gazing up, I saw a squirrel glaring at me from a high limb.
“Sorry to disturb your peace,” I called. Getting out of town, soaking up the feel of the country invigorated me. At that moment, I could hardly wait to make the move to our new house and have all this wildness at our doorstep.
Another sound broke the stillness of the morning, a noise that clashed with the rhythm of creek and leaves. Holding my breath, I listened. The clanging was like metal striking flint rock. Maybe a pickax biting into the side of the cliff somewhere?
The ringing of the pick seemed to come and go with the breeze and echoed off the high sides of the bluff. Ducking under tree limbs, I moved toward the sound. Thickets and tangles of briers grew under the trees and cobwebs dangled from low-hanging branches. I brushed the webs aside but they grew heavier and covered my face to the extent that I could not see. Squatting down on the ground, I swiped the sticky threads away from my eyes and mouth.
The noise began again, closer this time.Cautiously raising my head, I tried to see its source, but the webs hanging from the trees completely blocked my vision. What was this? Had I blundered into a whole colony of spiders?
Blanche’s cozy mysteries
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