Something Shady at Sunshine
Haven
War correspondent Kate Tessler has followed the most dangerous news stories around the world. But can she survive going home?
Injured in a bombing, Kate returns to her hometown in Arizona to recover. For the first time in her life, she's starting to feel her age (49), even though she's living like a teenager again: staying with her father, trying to understand why her sister resents her so much, and running into people who still think of her as Kitty.
Seeing her mother in an Alzheimer's unit is the hardest part – until an old friend asks her to investigate suspicious deaths at that nursing home. Is a self-appointed "Angel of Mercy" killing patients to end their suffering? Are family members hastening their inheritance? Is an employee extorting money and removing the witnesses? Kate uses her journalism skills to track clues, but the puzzle pieces simply won't fit.
If Kate can't uncover the truth, her mother could be next on the killer's list.
Try An Accidental Detective short story
Get a free short story plus bonus material when you sign up for Kris Bock's newsletter. This free collection starts with a ten-page mystery short story, “The Case of the Missing Monkey,” set in the world of The Accidental Detective series. That is followed by information about the first books in the series, Something Shady at Sunshine Haven and Something Deadly on Desert Drive, plus the first chapter of book 1. After that are three fun, short stories originally written for children.
Praise for Something Shady at Sunshine Haven
I just LOVE your protagonist and the cast of characters that you built.” – Sinclair Jayne, author
“A really fun read and the perfect set up for a great series.” – Lisa Honeycutt, author/illustrator
“Book one was a good read, and I’m looking forward to a series with Kate Tessler.” – Teresa Fannin, writer
“So much fun! Her wry notes always make me laugh. The mystery seems so impossible to solve. You have so many details and such a limited ability for the heroine to get answers, which makes the story even more engaging. I love her dry sense of humor.” – Emma J. Wallace, author
Chapter 1 Preview: Something Shady at Sunshine Haven
My childhood home had faded in the
harsh Arizona sun and now showed its age—rather like me. I’d never dreamed of
living here again after thirty years of traveling the world.
This
is temporary. You’ll find a way
out.
“Do you need help?” My sister’s tone
made it clear the correct answer was no. She’d already hinted that picking me
up at the airport had been one more burden in her busy life.
“I got it.” I eased out of the car
and limped to the trunk to retrieve my travel backpack, still getting used to
my new cane. My thigh throbbed where the doctors had dug out the shrapnel and
stitched it back together with Frankenstein scars. My usual fast stride was an
awkward hobble up the walkway. My luggage might have been “light,” considering
it held everything I owned, but it still nudged the airline’s weight limit.
The front door opened, and I forced
a smile. Jen disappeared inside, and Dad and I stood face-to-face.
Our smiles faltered. I dropped the
backpack and stumbled into his arms. Tension drained out of my body. I blinked
back tears and felt his frailty, the tremor in his hands. He smelled like Dad
with a hint of a newer scent, something that only seemed to come from old men.
“Welcome home,” he whispered.
“It’s good to be home.” I needed to
rest and heal, and where better to do that than in my parents’ house? In a few
weeks—I promised myself weeks, not months, and definitely not years—I would be
well enough to return to journalism. “How’s Mom?”
“Good. Well, you know. She’s settled
in. She can’t wait to see you.”
I didn’t ask if she’d remember me. I
hadn’t noticed signs of Alzheimer’s on my last visit, but that had been a year
ago, and Jen assured me Mom had faded fast. She also made it clear that since I
was home with no job, it was my turn to take care of our parents.
“Sit,” Dad said. “You need to rest
that leg.”
Behind him, Jen sighed loudly.
“Don’t coddle her. She needs to stay active.” You wouldn’t know from the way
she acted that Jen was younger by two years.
Dad winked at me. “Come and sit
anyway.”
Jen hustled outside. She glanced
back through the open door. “Welcome home.” She sped down the path without
waiting for an answer.
I closed the door and looked at Dad.
“I guess I caught her on a bad day.”
“No, just a day. Hey, a friend of
yours runs the care home. She gave me a message for you. Said it was urgent.”
He shuffled through the mail on the little table by the door.
I couldn’t think of any friends in
Arizona. I hadn’t had any here since my childhood. My friends were scattered
around the world, wherever news was happening. If she ran the nursing home, she
might hope I’d write a story on the facility to promote it, or do some free PR
work. Drat. Were people going to treat me like I had nothing better to do than
give away my time?
Double drat. I did not, in fact,
have anything better to do. And I wanted a nap.
Dad handed me an envelope. I leaned
on the door and propped my cane against the table so I had two hands to tear
open the envelope. The handwritten message inside was brief:
Kitty—Please
come see me ASAP. I need your help.
—Heather
Garcia
“She sounded . . .” Dad hesitated. “She asked about your journalism and begged
me to bring you in as soon as possible.”
Begged? This could be interesting after all. But who was Heather Garcia? Someone I knew in high school, given her use of my old nickname. Maybe I’d recognize her when I saw her. Or maybe not. I hadn’t changed a bit, of course, but other people sure looked different after thirty years.
Author Bio:
Kris Bock writes novels of mystery, suspense, and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. She has lived in ten states and one foreign country but is now firmly planted in the Southwest, where many of her books are set. Learn more at www.krisbock.com. Kris’s cat café series is lighthearted sweet romance. Readers call it heartwarming, fun, and delightful. Visit the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series page on Amazon US or Amazon UK.
Kris writes for children as Chris Eboch.
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