Title: When the Time is Right
Author: Bill Bush
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Book Blurb:
Eden didn’t peg bribery, kidnapping, and murder for summer activities
For eighteen-year-old Eden, her court-mandated community service is set to be every bit as punishing as prison. Sent off to work at a pizza joint while living with her grandmother in a little out-of-the-way town, at least she can appreciate the peace and quiet.
But the town is hiding its own secrets, and pretty soon peace and quiet will be very hard to come by. She might not realize it, but between the spiteful neighbor, the enigmatic mayor, and the calculating owner of the abandoned hospital, Eden’s 90 days in Halstead are set to be the most exciting of her life.
Follow Eden’s unexpected adventure in this strange and entertaining tale of mystery.
Read When the Time is Right now, before someone spoils the surprise!
Excerpt:
Eden propped her feet on the footstool and glided easily back and forth. Maimeo had said the glider was designed for mothers of newborns, but they didn’t have them when she was a young mother so she was getting her use of it now.
She tilted her head back to look up through the sunroof. Maimeo had enclosed and renovated her back porch two years ago. The room still smelled of new cedar.
The stars had yet to appear, but would soon light up the sky. Eden loved the view. Maimeo lived on the edge of town, which meant very little light interference. Not that there was an overwhelming amount of light anywhere in town; not compared to Wichita.
She couldn't get the image of Mrs. Emmet, shaking and sobbing, out of her mind. She had been so nice to Eden the night before, when she had especially needed it after Lucas had blasted her in public. She wanted to do something nice, but didn't know what. You don't send flowers to someone whose husband has been kidnapped, do you?
Her grandmother had gone to bed and Eden sat alone in the back room.
She watched a couple of funny cat videos on Youtube—boy were cats stupid—then tossed her phone onto the loveseat after the third video kept freezing. She always struggled with reception in Halstead. She had the wrong carrier for this dump of a town.
She picked up her book, but her mind wandered back to Mrs. Emmet. Usually Eden was good at ignoring pain, her own as well as that of others. She didn't like helping people with their emotional messes. She didn’t have many friends because everybody had an emotional mess.
Books allowed her to enter a world to experience the worst and the best of people without the messiness of relationships. Those were the kind of emotions Eden liked.
Her book remained closed as her mind wandered. The glider went forward and backward, forward and backward. She slowly closed her eyes and let her body relax.
Bright lights startled her awake. The clear sound of a car engine through the opened window drew her attention. Headlights slid across the alley and a red convertible parked on the concrete slab next door. The car door opened and a tall boy dressed in jeans and a dark shirt stepped out.
Eden reached over and turned off the lamp, leaving her in complete darkness. She crouched near the window like a secret agent or a spy.
Was that who she thought it was? She threw her book in frustration. It was! She had tried hard to believe he didn’t really live next door.
Lucas hustled into the white shed and came out with a large bag weighted on his shoulder. He opened the trunk of the shiny red car and tossed the bag in. Eden gasped. She could have sworn something moved. Lucas doubled over like he had been hit in the gut. This gave Eden a clear view. A blanket inside the trunk moved; someone was wrapped in it, struggling to get out. Lucas punched the blanket, then slammed the trunk shut. He quickly got into the car and sped away.
Eden ran out the back and tried to follow but there was no way to keep up. She didn't own a car. What could she have done anyway?
She returned to the back porch and curled up in a ball on the loveseat. So much for a nice quiet summer. Not only had someone been kidnapped, but the neighbor who hated her guts had done the kidnapping. She was no longer comfortable in her little slice of paradise.
Eden found Maimeo’s home phone and dialed 9-1-1.
Buy Links:
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-the-time-is-right-bill-bush/1137882288?ean=2940164496296
What makes your featured book a must-read?
When the Time is Right presents a real-life small-town setting with clever twists, unpredictable characters, and a cat. The perfect cozy mystery formula!
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $10 Amazon US or Amazon Canada gift card
Open Internationally. You must have an active Amazon US or CA account to win.
Runs February 20 – February 28, 2023.
Winner will be drawn on March 1, 2023.
Author Biography:
Bill Bush grew up in Yates Center, Kansas, and is a graduate of Yates Center High School and Tabor College, where he earned a Master's degree in Accounting. He is a dad, runner and pickleball players as well as a writer.
His desire to write comes from his mom, Phyllis Roth Lewis, who was a published author and wrote numerous short stories, poems, and books.
He took a step toward becoming a full-time fiction author in 2018 by joining Kansas Publishing Venture as a newspaper reporter. Now he writes nonfiction during the day and fiction at night.
Nonfiction:
The Kansas Press Association selected Bill’s story as the top Investigative Piece for a weekly newspaper in 2019. He won places in multiple categories in 2020 and 2021.
His variety newspaper column has appeared in the Harvey County Independent since April 2013.
Fiction:
The first book in Bill’s acclaimed Halstead Mysteries series, When the Time is Right, won the
Besides the acclaimed Halstead Mysteries series, Bill is the author of the Vetrix series and dozens of short stories. His flash fiction stories, Lonely Lucy and Uninvited Guest, were included in the Podcast, Alone in a Room With Invisible People, in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
You can learn more about Bill at billbushauthor.com or snaderpublishing.com, his publishing company.
Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billbushauthor