Title: Christmas in Cave Creek: A Lucy Vaughn Mystery
Author: Carolyn Fenzl
Genre: Mystery / Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Book Blurb:
Screeching tires, smoldering rubber, a near miss on a deserted highway…
When Lucy Vaughn returns to her hometown with new boyfriend Thorne for Christmas, their quiet holiday plans are disrupted by strange reports of a mysterious creature. As they investigate, they realize things are more complicated than they initially appeared. Now the couple must race to find out what’s happening before the entire town is put at risk.
A burgeoning romance, holiday mystery, and past relationships collide in this award-winning second Lucy Vaughn Mystery novel, a riveting read that will have fans turning pages until the surprising end.
Excerpt:
After the long flight and the three-hour time difference, it was close to midnight when they arrived in Virginia. Cave Creek was much too small for its own airport, so their plan was to rent a car and drive the remaining distance.
Because of the threat of snow for the upcoming week, Lucy requested the safest car on the rental lot. She had napped a bit on the plane and felt rested enough for the hour-long trek.
"I'll drive," Lucy offered, since she was familiar with the route.
Thorne seemed content to keep her company from the passenger seat. He was mesmerized by how many stars shown in the clear night sky, and by the sliver of moon that hung sideways like a crooked smile. He could also catch glimpses of the tree-filled landscape illuminated by the night sky and the car's headlights.
Lucy liked driving at this time of night because very few cars were on the road. They had the heat turned up in the car to cut through the frosty air, and the radio was on softly.
"I can't believe how lush Virginia is. Even without all the leaves on the trees you can tell how dense they are. I bet in the summer Virginia looks like a jungle," Thorne said.
"That's funny since Sacramento is called the City of Trees," replied Lucy. "Perhaps that's the West Coast idea of a city of trees, but then you come east and..."
An animal ran right out in front of the car from the blackness, reeling up on its hind legs and bearing claws. As the headlights bore down on the screaming creature, Lucy's foot slammed on the brake and she twisted the steering wheel completely to the right. She immediately realized she'd overcompensated, but it was too late. The car wobbled unsteadily as the left tires levitated inches from the ground, sending the car spinning out of control.
Lucy cried out, trying to regain control by steering back toward the left. As the tires reconnected with asphalt, the smell of smoldering rubber permeated the air. The car spun in two complete circles before coming to a rest in the grassy dip beside the highway.
As she listened to her heart pound, Lucy realized she'd closed her eyes in fear just before coming to a rest. She slowly opened them, but her breath was still coming hard and fast. Her shaking hands left the wheel and put the car in park. It had all happened in seconds, and now she looked at Thorne, whose white knuckles were grasping the "oh shit" handle above the passenger window. His other hand was braced against the dashboard.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I think so. My heart is pounding out of my chest! I'm really sorry. I should probably have kept going."
"It's okay," he said. "I would have done the same thing."
"I'm not even sure if I missed it. Did you see?"
Thorne shook his head. "Let's take a look."
Lucy turned off the engine and checked her rearview mirror. Seeing the road was deserted, she carefully opened her door. While she looked up and down the road for signs of the animal, Thorne got out the other side and looked around the car.
"Nothing here," he said.
"Nothing in the road either," Lucy shrugged.
The night air was frosty, so they quickly got back into the car and restarted the engine.
"Are you sure you're not too shaken up to drive? I can take over if you want," offered Thorne.
"No," Lucy said, taking in a big breath and letting it out slowly as she regained her composure. "I'll be okay. And I'll be more careful." She gingerly merged back onto the highway. "We're almost there anyway," she added.
"By the way, what was that thing?" asked Thorne.
"Huh?" asked Lucy.
"That we almost hit."
"I don't know. I was just trying to avoid hitting it, so I didn't really notice. It was pretty big though."
"Yeah," agreed Thorne. He didn't say anything else about it, but something was bothering him. He just didn't know what. But it had been a long day of travel, they were almost to Lucy's childhood home, and he was more than ready to hit the pillow for the night.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Share a holiday family tradition:
Ever since I was a little girl, my family has gone almost every year to a live production of The Nutcracker ballet.
Why is your featured book perfect to get readers in the holiday mood?
Christmas in Cave Creek has all the makings of the perfect holiday read. It’s about coming home to family and old friends, working together to save the holiday season, and kindling relationships.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon gift card
Open internationally.
Runs December 1 – 31
Drawing will be held on January 2, 2024.
Author Biography:
Carolyn Fenzl is romcozy author of the Lucy Vaughn Mystery Series, including The Debt Collectors and Christmas in Cave Creek. The latter received a 5-Star Review from Indies Today, won a Literary Titan Silver Book Award, received an Honorable Mention in the Women’s – Mystery category at the Fall 2022 BookFest Awards competition, and won a Gold Medal from the Dan Poynter Global Ebook Awards.
Like her fearless protagonist, Carolyn loves entering sweepstakes and wrote No Purchase Necessary: How I’m Beating the Odds, her memoir about the hobby. She is a current member of the Idaho Writers Guild and the National Federation of the Blind’s Writers Division.
Before she started writing books, Carolyn earned a B.A. in history from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from Vermont Law School. Carolyn lives in Idaho with her husband, cats, and a trusty guide dog.
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