Maggie Blackbird

The month of January is all about character interviews.  Today, I’m firing questions at Adelaide from Carol A. Guy’s latest release The Silent Victims, book five in the Cresent Falls series, a cozy mystery.

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1. First off, tell us who you are (age, where you grew up, where you live now, etc.) and what role you play in the novel.

Adelaide:  I’m Adelaide McBride. I’m a widow in my mid-fifties. I grew up and still live in Crescent Falls, Ohio, a small town in the Southeastern part of the state. I guess you could say I’m the town’s amateur sleuth. You see, my son Daniel is the chief of police and I often lend a hand when he’s investigating difficult cases. Many people wonder how much crime and mayhem there can be in a small town but believe me there’s plenty. I’m also the owner of the local pharmacy, which I inherited when my beloved husband, Albert, died. It was then that I called upon Vernon Dexter, Albert’s and my best friend from high school days to leave his job as a pharmacist in a nearby town to move to Crescent Falls so he could take over the running of the business. He did so because he’d always been in love with me, even though I chose Albert over him.

2. Share with us your hobbies and interests, and why you enjoy them.

Adelaide:  I’m very active in the Crescent Falls United Methodist Church. Volunteer at the local food pantry and belong to the local historical society, I enjoy working with people, and find it interesting to study their habits.

3. Tell us how you feel about being in a novel, and if you are happy with how your author presented you to readers.

Adelaide:  Well, for the most part, I’m pleased. At least she doesn’t depict me as a nosy busybody with nothing else to do but interfere in other people’s lives. My contributions to the solving of crimes have, so far, been handled with dignity and respect. I hope she will continue to do so.

4. If your author was to create another novel with you in mind, give us a quick blurb of what it would be about.  And be sure to give the title.

Adelaide:  Oh, so many possibilities. I’d like to see her take Vernon and me —yes, we’re now a couple—out of Crescent Falls for the next adventure. Perhaps on a cruise or to some mountain retreat, where, of course, a murder would occur, and we’d solve the crime together.

5. Which character in the novel do you like the most, and why?

Adelaide:  Do I have to choose one? Of course, my son, Daniel would be first choice. He’s smart, handsome and very devoted to his job a police chief, even though there are times when he comes under fire by certain people who didn’t think he should have gotten the job in the first place.

6. Which character in the novel do you dislike the most, and why?

Adelaide:  Well, I hate to speak ill of the dead, but Lloyd Fletcher, local realtor and all-around dreadful person immediately comes to mind. He was murdered last spring and believe me there were no end of suspects. The case was solved, of course, but the aftermath of the secrets that came out still lingers in the air.

7. Tell us why we should read the featured novel and what we will find most intriguing about you.

Adelaide:  Oh, The Silent Victims is perhaps the toughest one yet. It involves my dear friend, Ethel Henshaw, her husband Carl, who is the town mayor, as well as someone who was once a dear friend, our own pastor. It also entangles my son, Daniel, in a web of deceit and lies that nearly destroys his career and his relationship with the woman he loves.

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Title: The Silent Victims
Series: Crescent Falls Series, Book Five
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Author: Carol A. Guy
Heat Rating: 2 Flames (kissing, hugging, etc.)
Length: 69,771 words/243 pages
Release Date: September 23, 2022
Publisher: eXtasy Books

A dead hooker, a missing minister, a skeleton in the mayor’s backyard and an attack on the town librarian…once again Crescent Falls is besieged by murder and mayhem

Blurb:  It’s July Fourth and the citizens of Crescent Falls are ready to celebrate the occasion. The public park has been transformed into festival central with food tents sponsored by local churches, music provided by the high school band, and a carnival midway with games and a dunking machine.

Amateur sleuth Adelaide McBride and her fiancé Vernon Dexter are ready to work a shift at the ice cream tent, sponsored by their church. The newly formed Crescent Falls Auxiliary Police Force, made up of volunteers, will be keeping the peace. But when a murder victim is found in the woods adjacent to the park, the celebration comes to an abrupt halt.

Chief of Police Daniel McBride already has a missing person’s case on his hands. Reverend James Preston mysteriously disappeared a week ago and all efforts to find him have failed. Now, Daniel is faced with the brutal murder of a woman he recognizes as Felitia Mason, an out-of-town escort, employed by Lillian Hayes, someone Daniel became infatuated with during a past investigation. Will his continued fascination with the intriguing escort service owner endanger his relationship with Officer Judy Hess, the woman he claims to love?

To make matters worse, days later a skeleton is unearthed in the mayor’s back yard and many dark secrets from the past bubble to the surface.

When the town librarian is attacked in the same manner as the escort, Daniel realizes some of his cases could be connected.

With his mother, Adelaide, lending a hand, Daniel hopes to unravel both twisted cases and find justice for the victims. But little does he realize the price some of those involved will have to pay.

Purchase at:

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Felitia crept into the two-story frame house on tiptoe. A nightlight in the foyer helped dispel the gloom. She hurried up the plushly carpeted stairs to her room, slipped inside and closed the door, locking it behind her. Only then did she dare turn on a small lamp sitting on the antique dresser.

She tossed her purse on the bed, went to the beverage cart under one window and poured a double shot of whiskey.

Her hands shook so badly that some of the liquid spilled down the front of her red silk dress. She slid into the nearby easy chair, its soft folds molding to the shape of her body.

After taking another sip of the drink, she leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and remembered….

“Things can’t go on like this. You know how I feel about you,” she pleaded.

He stared down at her with a look of displeasure. “I thought we agreed you’d never come here. We can’t be seen together.”

“I don’t care. You’ve been avoiding me since I told you—”

“You need to leave. Someone might walk in.” He grabbed her arm and tried to force her toward the front door.

“No!” She wrenched herself free from his grasp and faced him again, looking up into those enticing blue-green eyes.

He’d lost weight lately, a fact he laughingly attributed to all the exercise he got during their lovemaking. “You said you loved me. Were you lying?”

“I can’t discuss this here. I’ll call tomorrow and set up a time.”

“Bought and paid for, right? You’ll talk to me when I’m on the clock!” In tears, she fled the building and hurried to her car.

She brought her mind back to the present. The truth was hard to face. He’d never be able to give her the life she wanted—a husband, children, nice home—a normal existence without financial worries.

As the liquor soothed her frayed nerves, she began to consider options and the possible opportunity she’d been accidentally handed that evening.

Maybe if I play my cards right, I can at least get out of this business and be free to live the kind of life I deserve…with or without him!

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Carol’s love of writing dates back to her teenage years, when she pounded out her first short story on a portable typewriter her father gave her as a birthday gift. She became a fan of the mystery genre at the age of 16 after reading her first Agatha Christie novel.

Fast forward to the adult years, when a year-long stint as a newspaper reporter while living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina added to her desire to pursue a writing career. Along the way, while working various day jobs in the health care field, she had several articles and a short story published, as well as a true crime book.

Now, as a retiree, she writes full time. Most recently, she’s authored two paranormal mystery/romance series, and a cozy mystery series for Extasy Books.

Carol lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with Sherlock and Charlie, her two very inquisitive cats.

Follow Carol:  Website | Facebook | Amazon