Mystery With A Shot Of Bourbon! ➱ Death By Theft: A Josiah Reynolds Cozy Mystery by Abigail Keam Book Tour with Guest Post and giveaway
Mystery With A Shot Of Bourbon!
Death by Theft
A Josiah Reynolds Mystery 19
by Abigail Keam
Genre: Cozy Mystery
FIVE STARS! "Abigail Keam
continues to charm with an assortment of characters that are
charismatic and endearing. Josiah is a great character and her unique
ability to stumble upon bodies is a great way to draw her into the
mystery." -Readers' Favorite
Josiah is happy for her
pals Lady Elsmere and Shaneika Mary Todd when broodmare Jean Harlow
gives birth to a male foal sired by Comanche. The owners of both
horses have high hopes the foal will become a stakes winner—maybe
even win the Kentucky Derby. The foal has a broad chest, indicating
significant lung capacity---important for winning races, but just
like his daddy, the foal is ebony with a bad attitude.
Josiah
and Shaneika visit dam Jean Harlow early one morning and are shocked
to find the prized foal is missing. They frantically search Lady
Elsmere’s and Josiah’s farms without success. It’s urgent they
find the foal fast as he is not yet weaned and is too young to be
separated from his mother. Who would snatch the feisty foal from his
mother’s care? And equally important, why?
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** Don’t miss the rest of
the series! **
Death By A HoneyBee
Death By
Drowning
Death By Bridle
Death By Bourbon
Death By
Lotto
Death by Chocolate
Death by Haunting
Death By
Derby
Death By Design
Death By Malice
Death By
Drama
Death By Stalking
Death By Deceit
Death By
Magic
Death By Shock
Death By Chance
Death By
Poison
Death By Greed
Death By Theft
Death By
Betrayal
Excerpt for
Death By Theft: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery
1
I climbed the
ladder placed under the Pin Oak tree and very carefully cut the branch holding
the bee swarm—must have been over seven thousand honeybees huddled together in
a ball protecting their queen. I
scrambled down the ladder holding the branch with the clinging bees, but you
know I’m not good at these things since my accident. Slowly I made it to the ground without
falling off the ladder or dropping the branch.
With my right hand, I swiped the clump of bees causing a huge mass of
bees to fall into my swarm box. I shook the
branch and thousands of remaining bees flew up around me and then settled on
the white sheet placed under the swarm box.
The honeybees marched like little soldiers into the swarm box bottom
opening, each eager to be near their queen and gobble the honey I had smeared
on some of the frames.
Happy that the bees were cooperating, I put the top of the
swarm box back on and watched the bees go into the bottom entrance. Within an hour, all the bees would be in the
box setting up housekeeping. Only then
would I move the swarm box to a hive where I would install frames thick with
the bees and a queen. For three days, I
would keep them locked up, so to speak, in the hive before I removed grass
clippings blocking the hive entrance and let them do their bee thing. At that time, I would open the top of the
hive, look for the queen or signs that she was laying eggs. If I found no sign of baby bees, I would
remove a frame from another hive which had a queen cell.
Happy with the successful swarm catch, I left the swarm box
alone and retreated to my golf cart when my cell phone rang.
I answered, “Hello?”
“I thought you were coming to see the colt?” Shaneika Mary
Todd asked.
Shaneika was my criminal lawyer. If you have to ask why I might need a
criminal lawyer, then you haven’t lived in these parts for long. I’m famous for stumbling over dead bodies. It’s a curse.
“I was. I mean I
am—but came across a swarm. Let me
finish up here and I’ll be over.”
“Don’t tarry too long.
The stable employees will be letting the horses out to the pastures
soon.”
I looked at the swarm box.
The bees were hurrying inside.
“Shouldn’t be too much longer.
I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“I’ll be in the breeding barn. Comanche has a cover this morning.”
“Okay. I will meet
you there as soon as I can,” I replied, hanging up. I watched bees march into the swarm box and
figured they would be okay. I would pick
the box up later. I got in my golf cart
and petted Baby, who had been waiting patiently. “I’ll get the box after we see the new colt. Don’t let me forget my bees, Baby.”
My two hundred
pound English Mastiff sneezed and put his massive paw on my
shoulder.
“Good boy,” I said,
removing his paw and scratching him behind the ear. I
started the cart and headed over to
my next door neighbor’s farm to find Shaneika and visit the colt.
The farm was owned by Lady Elsmere. She and Shaneika had bred their horses, Jean
Harlow and Comanche, to produce a colt which they hoped would win the Kentucky
Derby. It was Lady Elsmere’s dream to
win the Kentucky Derby before she died.
The colt had been born a few weeks back, but Shaneika banned visitors as
Jean Harlow was a skittish mother. The
fact that Shaneika had invited me today meant Jean Harlow had finally calmed
down.
I really wanted to see the colt and wished Lady Elsmere and
Shaneika well on their path to racing glory in the Kentucky Derby, but I had
grown disenchanted with horse racing.
Too many accidents on the racecourse.
Yeah, I know. I’m a
hypocrite. I make money boarding race
horses. I catch the overflow of pregnant
Thoroughbreds whose offspring are trained on Lady Elsmere’s farm. I don’t take in stallions anymore as they are
too difficult and high-strung. It’s a
nice income but whenever I can catch a racing official’s ear, I bring him to
task about racing horses too young and the need for the Thoroughbreds’ added
protections. My advice goes in one ear
and out the other. Oh, well, I do what I
can.
I hear the horse owners have meetings about increasing the
safety in the racing industry, but there are still too many spills on the
racing course. That’s why I don’t go to
Keeneland Race Course during the racing season.
Baby and I reached the breeding barn and waited for
Shaneika. I texted her that I was
outside. I don’t like to witness live
covers. I find horses’ breeding
encounters to be noisy, violent, and traumatic.
The mare has to be covered in protective gear as the stallion can easily
harm her with his sharp hooves and teeth.
I always feel sorry for the mare.
I looked up from my phone and glimpsed a groom leading
Comanche to a pasture. He must be done
for the day.
Shaneika came out and waved.
“How did it go?” I asked.
“Very well.”
“You’re breeding Comanche too much. He can’t catch his breath. The dew is still on the grass, and you’ve got
him covering a mare.”
“I need the money, Josiah.”
“Too much breeding weakens a stallion.”
Shaneika rolled her eyes.
“That’s an old wives’ tale.”
“Maybe. Maybe
not.”
“Before you berate me more, let’s visit the colt.” Shaneika’s hazel eyes brightened. “He’s a beauty. Black with a white star on his forehead and
four white stocking feet.”
“You want Baby along?”
“He visits the nursery barn on a daily basis. The mares are not bothered at all by him and
even Last Chance likes to play with him.”
“How does a colt play with a Mastiff?”
“Last Chance prances around Baby and tosses his head. Baby licks him. Sometimes they share a treat.”
It was always a mystery to me who my dog visited during the
day while I worked in the bee yard.
“How’s Jean Harlow doing?”
“Much better. For a
few moments, we thought Jean Harlow might reject her baby, but she came
around. I’m not sure Lady Elsmere will
breed her again though—as a dam, she is far too nervous.”
I muttered, “I see.
The horse had postpartum depression.”
Shaneika gave me a playful slap before putting Baby in the
back of the golf cart. “Let’s go. I need to get back to my office for my first
appointment.”
I pushed on the pedals, and we moseyed over to the
nursery. Excited, I entered the barn
with Shaneika leading the way. It was
still very early, and the mares were with their offspring in their stalls,
quietly munching on hay. They would be
let out when the grass had dried.
However, kicking and neighing erupted from one stall.
Shaneika shot me a worried look. “That’s Jean Harlow. I know her cry.”
We both rushed to the stall. “What’s wrong?” I asked, seeing Shaneika’s
alarmed facial expression.
Shaneika swung open the stall door and pushed a nervous Jean
Harlow out of the way.
I grabbed the mare’s halter and led her out into the barn
aisle. She was jumpy and hard to handle,
so I shouted for aid. “Can someone help
us, please?”
Shaneika ran out of the stall and began checking the others
frantically.
“What is wrong?” I asked again, handing Jean Harlow over to
a nursery groom who led the horse back into her stall.
Shaneika screamed, “WHAT’S WRONG? WHAT’S WRONG?
LAST CHANCE IS MISSING. THAT’S
WHAT’S WRONG!”
What was your inspiration for writing
this book?
Hello, I am Abigail Keam and I live in the
Bluegrass, where bourbon is cured in oak barrels, the aristocrats live in
antebellum mansions with Corinthian columns, and the Thoroughbred is king. Kentucky has been called the dark and bloody
ground. It has been fought over by Native American tribes, Europeans vying for
land, Civil War soldiers battling for supremacy, run-of-the- mill bandits, and
crooks. It is a land where the dark, rich earth keeps its secrets well. How can
I not be inspired by its culture, its history, and its people? History’s
footpath is everywhere.
What did you enjoy most about writing
this book?
I love the
relationships between Josiah and her friends.
A Southern
mystery would not be complete without eccentric friends, tea and bourbon
escapades, and who-dunnit murders. There is Lady Elsmere, who married an
English lord and came back to live at a horse farm after her husband died.
Josiah’s criminal lawyer, Shaneika Mary Todd, who is the descendant of the Todd
family as in Mary Todd Lincoln. Let us
not forget the gorgeous Matt Garth, who is desired by Josiah, but alas, she is
too old for him.
And then
there is Josiah’s complicated relationship her daughter, Asa. There is a
fraught relationship there. Asa is a difficulty and secretive woman. Josiah sometimes wonders if Asa is a
sociopath. However, it is Asa who is brought in to solve the case of Lady
Elsmere’s missing foal – Last Chance. As
Asa put it to Josiah, “Sometimes a cowboy in a white hat isn’t enough. Sometimes, a dark knight is needed.”
Do you have any other books you are
working on that you can tell us about?
The next
book in the Josiah Reynolds Mysteries is Death
By Betrayal.
Josiah is looking forward to the county fair
coming up soon. She comes across a battered tin box with a bunch of yellowed
3x5 note cards with her mother’s old recipes. Nobody could make apple walnut
cake like her mother. By golly, Josiah decides to make her mother’s cake and
enter it in this year’s fair. It’s sure to be a winner.
She makes a sample, asking Hunter and his new farm assistant, Palley, to try a
slice. When the farm helper hears it’s for the fair, the young man tells Josiah
about the demolition derby each year. Ever since Palley received his license,
he has been waiting to be old enough to compete in the derby. The only problem
is he needs an old beater of a car to get running and enter in the derby.
Josiah tells Palley he is welcome to use an old jalopy that’s been gathering
dust in an unused shed on her property. Everyone’s excited about going to the
fair to see if the old beater car comes out a winner—until the trunk pops open
to reveal—you guessed it—a body. Whose body is it? How did it get there? Josiah’s on the trail
of murder again.
Can you tell us about what you have
planned for the future?
I will be
writing Death By Betrayal: A Josiah
Reynolds Mystery and Murder Under A
Honey Moon: A 1930s Mona Moon Mystery where real people and events are
woven into the story. I will have a new
store on my website plus new audio books for fans. I will also be having
Christmas subscription boxes for sale. You can learn about all these
fascinating projects by going to https://www.abigailkeam.com/
Anything more you would like to say
to your readers and fans?
Support
authors by purchasing their books and leaving reviews. Authors need to know that you support their efforts. Authors need to be read! So, get a nice cup of tea, a comfy place to
rest, and read for an hour or two. What could be better?
Lady
Elsmere’s mare, Jean Harlow gives birth to a foal sired by Shaneika’s stallion,
Comanche. Lady Elsmere and Shaneika are delighted with the ebony foal blessed
with a white star on its forehead. They name him Last Chance as Lady Elsmere
believes the foal is her last chance to win the Kentucky Derby.
Eager to show the foal off, Shaneika
invites Josiah for a visit. Josiah is happy for her friend and can’t wait to
see the new addition to Lady Elsmere’s Thoroughbred Farm. As Josiah and
Shaneika enter the nursery barn, they hear Jean Harlow frantically kicking the
door of her stall. Rushing over, they discover the foal is missing. Shaneika
tries to calm Jean Harlow while Josiah searches the other stalls for Last
Chance and the surrounding area near the barn. The only thing she finds is a
security guard taking a nap in his car. Josiah knocks impatiently on the car
window. When the man doesn’t respond, she opens the car door only to have the
man slide out onto the ground. Startled, Josiah searches for a pulse, but it’s
too late. The man is dead!
Death By Theft: A Josiah Reynolds
Mystery
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3E4Juc3
Apple: https://bit.ly/3P2wjgp
Nook: https://bit.ly/3EtDmcW
Kobo: https://bit.ly/46KmJ8W
Google Play: https://bit.ly/3rMYgkM
I hope you give Death By Theft: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery a try. I think you will
like Josiah.
You can follow me here.
Website -
https://www.abigailkeam.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AbigailKeam
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Abigail-Keam/author/B0045PEGUQ
There is a
short story prequel to Death By Theft.
It explains the character – Asa.
Josiah Reynolds' daughter, Asa, spent her adult years
striving to make the world a better place.
However her chosen life has exacted its toll. Asa is broken in body and spirit.
Suffering an injury, Asa Reynolds flees to Key Largo to heal
and reassess her life. Asa is depressed
and feels she has made foolish mistakes in the past that have cost her much
happiness. Still, Asa can’t stop being
Asa. She sees a little girl in need of
help and decides to intercede the way only she can. And best part of all, Asa might have made a
friend with Eva Hanover, owner of the Last Chance Motel. Eva tells Asa that the motel is magical and
miracles happen. While Asa doesn’t
believe Eva’s stories, she would welcome any help—even if it comes from
mermaids and manatees.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3F8n3T8
Apple: https://bit.ly/46qDINW
Nook: https://bit.ly/3LR5jj2
Kobo: https://bit.ly/46LqZFt
Google
Play: https://bit.ly/3LVPEz7
I have enjoyed my time with you. Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter – https://www.abigailkeam.com/ I always have
giveaways on my newsletter. See you
between the pages!
Abigail Keam is an award-winning and Amazon best-selling author who writes the Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series about a Southern beekeeper turned amateur female sleuth. Besides loving history, Kentucky bourbon and chocolate, Abigail loves honeybees and for many years made her living by selling honey at a farmers’ market like her protagonist, Josiah Reynolds. She is an award-winning beekeeper who has won many honey awards at the Kentucky State Fair including the Barbara Horn Award, which is given to beekeepers who rate a perfect 100 in a honey competition.
Miss Abigail has taken her knowledge of beekeeping to create a fictional beekeeping protagonist, Josiah Reynolds, who solves mysteries in the Bluegrass. While Miss Abigail’s novels are for enjoyment, she discusses the importance of a local sustainable food economy and land management for honeybees and other creatures.
She currently lives on the Kentucky River in a metal house with her husband and various critters. She still has honeybees.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I love my protagonist Josiah and her honeybees. Abigail Keam
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