Aloha to Sherry Harris and TAGGED FOR DEATH - Book Review

Starting your life over at age thirty-eight isn't easy, but that's what Sarah Winston finds herself facing when her husband CJ runs off with a 19-year-old temptress named Tiffany. Sarah's self-prescribed therapy happily involves hitting all the garage and tag sales in and around her small town of Ellington, Massachusetts. If only she could turn her love for bargain hunting into a full-time career.

One man's junk is another man's treasure.

But after returning from a particularly successful day searching for yard sale treasures, Sarah finds a grisly surprise in one of her bags: a freshly bloodied shirt…that undoubtedly belongs to her ex, CJ, who now happens to be Ellington's chief of police. If that's not bad enough, it seems Tiffany has gone missing. Now it's up to Sarah to prove that her cold-hearted ex is not a cold-blooded killer…

But finding that treasure can be murder.

I shop at thrift shops probably five times a week. - Macklemore

Sherry Harris, Air Force spouse-turned-cozy mystery author, kicks off her debut series with Sarah Winston, a recently divorced military spouse who finds solace in a bargain.  Yard sale, Craig's List, or thrift shop, there's nothing like a good deal to soothe over the emotional baggage of watching her 19 years of marriage tossed out like stained clothes.  Sarah may have changed her name, and moved off base to the fictional town of Effington, MA, but the wounds are still deep.  She indulges in Angelo's bianca pizza and Boston's fluffernutter sandwich. Sarah also helps friends organize their own yard sales and donating leftovers to the base thrift shop. 

Yet no good deed goes unpunished.  While sorting through a donation bag, she finds incriminating evidence that her ex-husband (and Effington's Chief of Police) may have harmed the young airman (actually, young woman) who broke up their marriage.  Despite the animosity she feels for her cheating husband, she cannot believe he would harm anyone, let alone the temptress who is now carrying his child.  Sarah confronts CJ with the bloodied shirt, only to find herself in the middle of a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

Harris delivers a cozy mystery which is both humorous and heartwarming.  The zany characters reminded me of people I've met through my military travels, bringing a smile to my face.  Likewise, I emphasized with Sarah's determination to stay sane while other women whisper behind her back.  Who hasn't been there, done that?  Harris gives readers a glimpse into the rewards and challenges of military life and frequent moves.  In fact, she spotlights how much time military spouses give as community volunteers, including the "dirty jobs" of sorting donations at the Thrift Shop (Macklemore would be in heaven).  Finally, Harris showcases the charm and quirks of New England from Sarah's perspective as a transplanted Californian.  She often shares how New Englanders pronounce seemingly easy words with their unique dialect.  

TAGGED FOR DEATH offered me a trip down memory lane as I served as a Lieutenant at Hanscom AFB, the inspiration for the fictional Fitch AFB.  I remember it as "Happy Hanscom"; Sarah refers to it as "Fabulous Fitch".  Indeed, TAGGED FOR DEATH is Ab Fab with Sarah mimicking Edina in her goal to put things right.  TAGGED FOR DEATH is an entertaining read with a dash of Colonial cultural and military appreciation.   

I received a print copy from Sherry Harris as military appreciation.  I chose to write an honest review to share the joy I found in TAGGED FOR DEATH. 

I love a bargain at gently read book stores.

I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  What is the most unusual "local" food you have sampled in your travels?  As mentioned in the review, Sarah adapts to the Massachusetts's state sandwich, the fluffernutter:  peanut butter and marshmallow creme usually served on white bread.

When I lived in Boston, I loved New England Clam Chowder aka chowda.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, July 25, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 26.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Check out my interview with Sherry Harris (link) and my review of Book Two in the series, THE LONGEST YARD SALE (link).

Aloha to Sherry Harris, TAGGED FOR DEATH, and THE LONGEST YARD SALE

The beauty of social media is discovering new friends.  Air Force spouse turned cozy mystery author Sherry Harris recently contacted me after reading State Of Romance.   We exchanged emails to learn that we have common ground!  I invited Sherry for a cozy interview .... from her bio,

Sherry Harris started bargain hunting in second grade at her best friend’s yard sale. She honed her bartering skills as she moved around the country while her husband served in the Air Force. Sherry combines her love of garage sales, her life as a military spouse, and her years living in Massachusetts as inspiration for the Sarah Winston Garage Sale series. 

Sherry, her husband, and guard dog Lily are living in northern Virginia until they figure out where they want to move to next.

Kim:  Air Force! Can you share a funny experience from you service as a military spouse? 

Sherry:  When we were stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts the Spouses Club had an event where we were supposed to bring a pie. I arrived with my mini-pies only to find out it was a contest. I set my easy to make pies (all it took was some melting and stirring) in phyllo shells (from the grocery store) on the table with all these beautiful homemade pies with handmade, from scratch crusts and fillings. My mini-pies won the chocolate category. I was horrified and then they asked for the recipe for the newsletter. I never gave it to them. 

Kim:  My first duty assignment in the Air Force took me to Hanscom AFB (link).  When I served as the Executive Officer for the AWACS program office, I coordinated a spaghetti lunch.  I somehow won a trophy for best sauce ... it was Paul Newman's!  

Virginia - what is your favorite sight, sound, and smell?

Sherry:  I love it when we are driving into DC on the 395 and we come around a corner and there is the Air Force Memorial (link) spiraling into the sky. It’s a beautiful memorial from a distance or up close. In the spring the sight and smell of all the flowering trees and shrubs -- our neighborhood is filled with tulip trees, cherry trees, redbuds, forsythia, azaleas, and lilacs. It’s a feast for the eyes and nose. As for my favorite sound it’s probably when I walk out my door at night in the summer. We live by some woods and there is a cacophony of frogs, birds, and insects -- it sounds like a rain forest. 

Kim:  Who or what helped you along the path to publishing?

Sherry:  So many people helped me. Attending conferences like Malice Domestic and Crime Bake and being a member of Sisters in Crime directly led to my being published. I also took a lot of writing classes and didn’t give up in the face of a lot of rejection! 

Kim:  What inspired you to pen cozy mysteries? Stories about bargain hunting?

Sherry:  I’ve always loved reading mysteries so it was natural for me to try writing them. My first two and a half books are unsold and sit in a computer file. I’ve always loved going to yard sales but an editor in New York City came up with the idea for the series. He went to an agent and asked him if he knew anyone who could write the series. The agent went to my friend, author Barbara Ross, and asked the same question. She came to me. So it was a series of fortunate events that led to me being published.

Kim:  What's next for Sherry Harris? 

Sherry:  My second book The Longest Yard Sale comes out on June 30th! And I just turned in the third in the series, All Murders Final which will be out in May 2016. Thanks for much for having me on your blog, Kim!

Learn more about Sherry and her books at sherryharrisauthor.com.

Mahalo, Sherry, for your service as a military spouse!  I look forward to catching up with your series!   I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about yard sales, flea markets, and thrift shops - have you stumbled across a treasure?   I enjoyed the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet (link) ... the treasure was the delicious food!  

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, July 4, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 5.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City