Cover Reveal and Gus's New Puppy's Name!

Hello readers and friends.

I hope this finds you well and enjoying the holiday season!

Last time I told you I was dreaming of a huge, aromatic live tree. I did it! Eight feet tall, it barely fits with the tree-topper! As promised, I'm including some photos of my wife's mom's vintage ornament collection, which is being displayed on this big live tree for the first time in decades! We had a great time trimming the tree - although it was also sad and nostalgic, as you might expect. 

I also have had a blast painting with my two grandsons, Christopher and Joey! Here are a few pictures of us hard at work. 

I want to thank all of you who send ideas for Gus's new puppy's name! I am thanking you all in the back of my new book (first names and dog's names). Read down to see which name I chose!

I have finished the rough draft of the manuscript for Murder on the Brewster Flats, the new Gus LeGarde mystery (#12), and have revealed the cover to you below. Also, you can now pre-order the eBook, and read a sample, too. ;o) 

I've contacted my Beta Reader team and my Advanced Reviewer team today. If you are on those teams and didn't get the email, please give me a shout!

Happy reading, and don't forget to take pleasure in the little things.

Aaron Paul Lazar

www.lazarbooks.com

Today's post:

• Murder on the Brewster Flats - COVER REVEAL and PRE-ORDER
• Gus LeGarde's NEW PUPPY's Name
• Excerpt from Murder on the Brewster Flats
• This Week's Sale - LeGarde Mysteries Boxed Set: $1.99

Cover Reveal: Murder on the Brewster Flats, LeGarde Mystery, #12

What Do You Think? I love it. I found the beach and man images online, but Kellie Dennis did the magic and turned it into this beautiful golden masterpiece!

Here's a bit about it:

Some family secrets shouldn’t stay buried…  

Music professor Gus LeGarde and his wife Camille are looking forward to a relaxing vacation at Paines Creek Beach on beautiful Cape Cod. But Gus barely has a chance to feel the sand between his toes before a near-miss car accident drags him right into the middle of a local family feud — and a centuries-old mystery that’s begging to be solved.

As Gus is drawn further into the conflict between the Cooks and the McNabbs — two families with a grudge going all the way back to Colonial times — he and Camille keep uncovering more questions than answers. Where is the long-lost Cook family treasure? What’s really wrong with Beckett, the McNabb-side member who’s the father of young Jane Cook’s son? And who’s telling the truth about Beckett and Jane’s clandestine relationship: Jane’s grandfather, surly patriarch Albert Cook; or Beckett’s slightly odd parents?

Before long, mounting tension gives way to true danger as people start vanishing. And in the middle of a fast-brewing hurricane, Gus discovers the real secret at the heart of the feud: someone who will stop at nothing to make sure their side wins. Including murder.

Packed with shocking twists, exciting action, and fascinating tales of family lore and pirate treasure, Murder on the Brewster Flats is the first LeGarde Mysteries crossover novel with award-winning author Aaron Paul Lazar’s popular Paines Creek Beach series. Don’t miss this installment! 

Pre-order Murder on the Brewster Flats

Beauregard ("Beau") Gus's new puppy Here are all the wonderful people who suggested names for Gus LeGarde's new puppy. (puppy names in parentheses!) Murray (Beau), Elsie (Beau/Beauregard), Joan (Muffin), Linda (Beau), Sandy (Peeve), Robin (Roman), Linda (Roy), Bobbi (Natasha, Cleo, Kiki), Mort (Boo), Judy (Mozart, Bach), Heather (Remington, Boots, Pablo), Joan (Jasper), Marsha (Buc, Brad), Linda (Patches), Joan (Lucky), Danielle (Fluffers), Memaw (Remington), Janice (Balto), Nicky (Cooper, Ace, Scamp), Marta (Biscuit), T Whitmire (Lord Rambo, Jetson the First), Julia (Gunther), Ricardo (Seadog, Sea Biscuit, Harry), Michelle (Frost), Dalice (Fizzgig), Marge (Oreo, Sherlock, Holmes), Anna (Spooky), Dave (Wellington, Duke, Hudson, Jupiter, Torque, Spanner, Barkley, Dozer, Axel), Cynthia (Twinkles), Darlene (Nelson), Teresa (Gizmo), Ray (Grappa), Linda (Coda), Renee (Henry), unknown (Herman), Debbie (Magic, Romeo, Saber), Jane (River, Copper, Willow, Patch, Bramble, Theo, Mudlark, Jules, Peabody), KC (Bobbi, Bobby), Karen (Fritz, Schultz), Sheila (Balto), Steph (Fidelio, Fido), Brenda (River), Alice (Dolce), What a list, huh? They were all so great, it was really hard to choose. ;o) Thank you all, and especially to Linda, Elsie, and Murray for suggesting Beau!

Free Excerpt from Murder on the Brewster Flats (Merry Christmas!)

Chapter 3

The next morning I woke at six, excited about the prospects of walking on the beach in the early hours before the rest of humanity rolled out of bed. I checked the tide chart on my phone and found out it would be low tide. The idea of padding through soft sand and tide pools propelled me out of sleep and into full awake-mode.

I sat up and smiled. I still couldn’t believe I was actually on a real vacation. The last time we’d tried to get away—for our honeymoon, to be exact—had ended with us captured in cells in a remote neo-Nazi compound in Austria. (Mazurka, book 3)

We found our way out of that mess, but I hadn’t wanted to chance leaving home for the last few years.

I shook off the bad memories and glanced at the sparrows chirping on pine branches outside the window. They sounded deliriously happy. The underlying sadness that persistently loomed due to the loss of my dog seemed to dissipate—just a little.

I leaned over and kissed Camille’s cheek. “Baby?”

She pulled the covers higher, snuggling into her pillow. “Go ‘way.”

I chuckled. “Too early for you?”

“Mmff.” She rolled away from me.

“Want me to go alone?”

“Mm hmm. See ya later.”

I shrugged. “Okay. I’ll be back in an hour or two.”

Her soft snoring made me smile. I got up, changed into clean denim shorts and a tee shirt, and padded down the stairs.

Coffee could wait. The shower could wait. I desperately wanted to feel the fresh sea breeze on my face.

The drive to Paines Creek Beach was quiet. No cars, no people, except a few older citizens who strode with serious expressions on their faces, baseball caps drawn down and hands pumping their fluorescent-colored weights.

The quaint houses along the way could have been featured in a travel magazine. Who knew? Maybe they had been. Cedar shake sidings, pink and white roses tumbling along fences in clouds of petals, bright blue hydrangeas waving in the breeze, and wherever they could manage to grow, thick clusters of orange daylilies lined the roads.

I pulled into the empty parking lot, making a mental note to head over to the Town Hall today to buy our beach sticker for the month. I also had to get the fridge stocked, and figured I’d try to do that early as well, before the crowds swelled into the aisles of Stop ‘n Shop.

Putting aside the thoughts of paper towels and strip steak, I opened the door and kicked off my sandals. I locked the car, snapped my keys onto a belt loop, and turned to face the azure ocean.

I breathed deeply, inhaling the tangy scent of the sea, and with it, a sense of letting go washed over me, mingled with a feeling of simple celebration of the earth.

A flock of seagulls whirled overhead, their bellies reflecting the amber blaze of the early morning sun. To my right, colorful ocean kayaks sat in their wooden berths, awaiting adventurous tourists. Cherry red, lime green, fluorescent orange, and sunny yellow crafts gleamed in the early light.

I started to walk toward the horizon, following the creek that meandered through the sand. It moved swiftly with the outgoing current, and was about calf-high now. On either side were flat, rippled expanses of damp sand and beautiful pools of water reflecting the scudding clouds overhead. In the distance, the aquamarine line of the ocean waves curled with lacy whitecaps.

I stooped to pick up a shell for Camille, admiring the pastel colors and mother-of-pearl-like sheen on it. She’d love this one.

I pocketed it, and then squinted in the distance, where I saw a figure ambling along the beach further out. I continued toward the end of the low tide area, and as I grew nearer, I recognized Albert.

He walked with his head down, holding a metal detector in his hands. When he heard me sloshing toward him, he glanced up and issued a brief wave. “Mornin’.”

“Morning, Albert.”

“Fine day for prospecting.”

“I’ll say. What’re you looking for?”

“Treasure,” he said solemnly.

“I see.” I wasn’t sure if he meant lost pocket change or pirate’s gold. “Any luck today?”

In one hand he carried an empty bucket. “Nope. Been looking for forty years. Can’t give up.”

“Are you searching for a particular treasure?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Guess I can tell you, since you’re an outta towner.” He stopped for a moment and sighed. “I’m looking for the treasure that was stole from my great, great, great granddaddy.”

“Wow. The one who built your house?”

“Yes sir. Mr. Zebediah Cook himself.” A far off look glazed his eyes.

“Cool.” I waited for a few seconds, but when he didn’t say more, I started to walk away. “Well, good luck today.”

He glanced at his watch. “Almost time to head in. You don’t wanna get caught when the tide comes in. Folks get stuck out here all the time. Have to swim in with their fancy iPhones held high in the air.”

I automatically patted my pocket where my iPhone six plus resided. “Er, thanks. I’ll turn back then.”

“See you tomorrow.” He continued to play the device back and forth over the sand.

I wandered back by a different route, alternately splashing through tide pools and padding across moist sand. Hermit crabs scuttled busily around my feet and razor clams squirted water in the air when I stepped near them.

Feeling serene and satisfied, I began to climb the bank toward the parking lot when the sound of squealing tires came from the road above.

Seconds later, a silver corvette sailed over my head, landing nose down in Paines Creek.

This Week's Sale

Today through : Jan 15th 2018

LeGarde Mysteries: a mystery/suspense boxed set

by Aaron Paul Lazar

Usual Price: 6.99 Sale: 1.99

The LeGarde Mysteries Boxed Set contains the first four books in Aaron Paul Lazar's award-winning Gus LeGarde mystery series.

Book 1. Double Forté - Gus LeGarde's life essentially ended four years ago, when his beloved wife leapt to her death. Today, Gus lavishes love on his family, trying to bury the pain. But trouble arrives when his arrogant son-in-law's business partner goes missing, and Gus's innocent friend is set up to take the fall.

Book 2. Upstaged - When Gus LeGarde agrees to play piano for the high school drama club's production of "Spirit Me Away," a sixties-style musical he wrote in college, he doesn't expect to face a barrage of menacing pranks played on his fiancée Camille and the drama club. Who's sabotaging the show? And what do they have against Camille? Gus must unravel the mystery before the backstage saboteur stakes his final, deadly claim.

Book 3. Mazurka - Join Gus LeGarde in this European rollercoaster ride where he unearths a scandalous family secret linked to a nineteenth century composer. When brother-in-law Siegfried is framed for a neo-Nazi’s murder, they’re plunged into a sizzling cat-and-mouse game where the stakes are lethal.

Book 4. FireSong - What would you do if your country church was hit by a rogue tornado during services? What if the shrieking winds unearthed the bones of a missing parishioner in a nearby wheat field? Now add the discovery of heroin in your elderly minister's bloodstream. When Gus LeGarde is thrown into the middle of the mess, he knows life has finally gone berserk in East Goodland, New York. Join Gus as he's lured into a bizarre network of underground tunnels to expose the most shocking discovery ever to rock the Genesee Valley.

Merry Christmas!