Nora Alexander is finding her job exciting as she welcomes paranormal investigators Jack and Daisy Foley to the Tunie Hotel. They are trying to contact the ghost of Sam Houston not only for their internet production but because it is reported there is a stash of Santa Anna’s gold hidden somewhere. They are operating on the theory that Sam Houston visited a lady of the evening in Piney Woods and … and locate Red Ruth Inn where a parking lot now stands. Not only do these two stir the spirit world, but they also bother some of the town’s most established citizens including the town’s quilting group who doesn’t appreciate their overtaking of the hotel with ghost hunting equipment.
When a townsperson is murdered with suspected ties to the local gang, The Alamo Runners, Nora finds herself wanting to protect his wife and daughter all the while getting cryptic messages from beyond. Jack and Daisy aren’t the only ones with a connection to the other side.
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I do love East Texas especially the small towns that are a character all their own.
Nora has a lot on her plate and now she has to deal with ghost hunters taking over her hotel while in search of Sam Houston’s gold. On top of that, her employee, Dominic, decides to make decisions on his own regarding these guests. Needless to say, that doesn’t go over well, as it shouldn’t! She also has the cranky fabric store owner, Grace, and the rest of the ladies in the quilting group. They are quite the motley crew.
In this book, several characters end up dead and it is a mystery how they might be tied together and why they were killed. The answer might surprise you as there are many possibilities but only one answer that surprised me when revealed.
I love the romance between Nora and Tuck continues and the twist at the end was a surprise. Now I’m wondering what will happen in the next book.
I do wish there was a little more involving the ghosts or potential ghosts. I really think that could have been expanded upon and hope it is in future books. After all, Nora has seen Mr. Tunie and it could be quite a story with more ghosts making an appearance.
Overall, we enjoyed this story and give it 4 paws up.
Die Die Blackbird by Teresa Trent has mystery, comedy, love, and family all wrapped in a small East Texas town. There are red herrings galore and ghosts too.
Will Nora figure out who is killing the townsfolk before she’s next?
Nora Alexander
Our sleuth is Nora, and she is a transplant to Piney Woods. Where she runs a historic hotel with her friend, Marty, and she has family around too. Nora is dating a police officer, and things are heating up with their relationship. Nora is one of the sleuths who stumble upon dead bodies. In this story, she finds two.
I like that Nora is independent, and she helps the local businesses with issues that she didn’t even know were happening. Nora volunteer to help the grumpiest lady in town too. She is very compassionate. The one thing that I don’t like about her was she sticks her nose in her sister’s love life.
The Mystery
We have two murders one is a creep, who cheats everyone in town, the other is a respected dentist. Are the two connected or not? Both of the victims have multiple things that similarities, but they aren’t in the same league. Then there is this whole extortion thing going on. Is that connected to the murders? There are lots of questions but don’t worry our sleuth figures things out.
Four Stars
Die Die Blackbird by Teresa Trent has a well-plotted mystery, fabulous characters, and a sweet little town setting. I enjoy the humor the author adds to the plot and the family connections. I am rating Die Die Blackbird with four stars, and I am recommending it to all cozy mystery readers out there.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Die Die Blackbird by Teresa Trent.
This Guest Review is for Baroness’ Book Trove.
Until the next time,
~Jen
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I enjoyed the plot in Die Die Blackbird because it involves a paranormal investigating team of husband and wife. We love watching shows like Ghost Adventurers, Ghost Hunters…you know…all the “ghost” shows. Some are better than others depending on how animated the hosts are. Though I was hoping for a little more ghost hunting in this story, the spirits they were searching for were pretty cool. You see, the team wanted to talk to Sam Houston’s lady friend to see if she knew where he buried the gold he supposedly stole! GASP! You got that right. These Texans won’t take no guff about their beloved Sam. Not to be deterred, the search for the gold goes on anyway…
There are several characters that I enjoyed getting to know in Die Die Blackbird: Nora’s grandma, Violet and Azalea, and Dominic, the front desk clerk who’s also obsessed with ghost hunting. The mystery is not easily solved though the murderer (or is it murderers?) becomes clearer.
Die Die Blackbird was enjoyable; however, I wish that there had been more actual ghost hunting. I liked the quilting group aspect of the story too because I think we can all use some friends with common interests!