A cozy mystery set in one of my favorite places? Yes, please! Death in Dahlonega by Deborah Malone is quick read with fun characters. Check out the details below.
A friendly adventure turns to murder and mayhem in the north Georgia mountains. Historical writer Trixie Montgomery is asked to cover Gold Rush Days in the picturesque Georgia mountain town, Dahlonega. Trixie seizes the chance to mix business with pleasure and asks her best friend, Dee Dee to tag along. Their well laid plans go awry when Dee Dee is discovered standing over the lifeless body of prominent citizen, John Tatum – the very man she’d had a run in with earlier that day – holding a bloody pickax in her hands. Can Trixie find a way to finish her assignment and keep Dee Dee out of the slammer? Winner in American Christian Fiction Writers’ Category Five writing contest!
Deborah Malone has a degree in Human Services and worked in the field several years before starting her writing career. Deborah’s first novel Death in Dahlonega, finaled in the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Category Five writing contest! Deborah was also nominated for 2012 and 2013 Georgia Author of the Year in Novel category and was award the Georgia Author of the Year Award in 2018 for Blooming in Broken Places. She has worked as a freelance writer and photographer, for the historic magazine Georgia Backroads since 2001. She has had many article and photographs published, and her writing is featured in Tales of the Rails, edited by Olin Jackson, as well as the Christian Communicator and Southern Writer’s Magazine. She is a member of the Georgia Writer’s Association, Advanced Writer’s and Speaker’s Association and the American Christian Fiction Writers. Deborah lives with her husband Travis in the North Georgia mountains.
My Impressions:
The novella length cozy mystery, Death in Dahlonega, is full of hometown charm that captures the essence of the quaint north Georgia mountain town of Dahlonega. Newly divorced Trixie Montgomery is looking to make her position with a regional magazine permanent as she plans a weekend getaway with good friend Dee Dee to cover the town’s Gold Rush Days. But they are soon right in the middle of a murder investigation with Dee Dee a person of interest. The book follows Trixie’s efforts to assist the local sheriff find out just whodunit. The book is filled with quirky characters who all seem to have a motive for murder. The book is pure cozy with its setting and humor. It is the first in the Trixie Montgomery Cozy Mystery series, and I am going to tag along with her again as she explores Georgia towns and investigates crime.
A good choice for those who like cozies with real settings.
Audience: Adults.
( I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Happy Friday everyone! I am at my cabin in the north Georgia mountains this weekend for some cleaning (we will see) and relaxing (definitely). My friend Tina is along for the ride. She and I were diagnosed with breast cancer the same week. This is her second go round after almost 20 years. We call ourselves twins because we have the same type of tumor, the same treatment protocol (no chemo or radiation — yeah us!), and the same very positive prognosis. After surgeries and the whole quarantine thing we deserve some time away for R&R. 🙂 In honor of our getaway to a cabin in the woods, I chose the cozy mystery set in a real north Georgia town, Death in Dahlonegaby Deborah Malone, for this week’s First Line Friday. It fits with the theme of reading escapes/travel destinations, plus Dahlonega is only 30 minutes away from my cabin — I know the area well. Here is the first line:
Dahlonega, here we come! I cheered, triumphant at the 10 miles to go sign.
A friendly adventure turns to murder and mayhem in the north Georgia mountains. Historical writer Trixie Montgomery is asked to cover Gold Rush Days in the picturesque Georgia mountain town, Dahlonega. Trixie seizes the chance to mix business with pleasure and asks her best friend, Dee Dee to tag along. Their well laid plans go awry when Dee Dee is discovered standing over the lifeless body of prominent citizen, John Tatum – the very man she’d had a run in with earlier that day — holding a bloody pickax in her hands. Can Trixie find a way to finish her assignment and keep Dee Dee out of the slammer? Winner in American Christian Fiction Writers’ Category Five writing contest!
Deborah Malone has a degree in Human Services and worked in the field several years before starting her writing career. Deborah’s first novel Death in Dahlonega, finaled in the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Category Five writing contest! Deborah was also nominated for 2012 and 2013 Georgia Author of the Year in Novel category and was award the Georgia Author of the Year Award in 2018 for Blooming in Broken Places. She has worked as a freelance writer and photographer, for the historic magazine Georgia Backroads since 2001. She has had many article and photographs published, and her writing is featured in Tales of the Rails, edited by Olin Jackson, as well as the “Christian Communicator” and “Southern Writer’s Magazine.” She is a member of the Georgia Writer’s Association, Advanced Writer’s and Speaker’s Association and the American Christian Fiction Writers. Deborah lives with her husband Travis in the North Georgia mountains.
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This past weekend I finally attended the annual Dahlonega Literary Festival set in the quaint and historic north Georgia town of Dahlonega. This event has been on my must-do list for a number of years, but the timing was never good. But this year I was spending the weekend at our cabin just 30 miles (as the crow flies!) away. It was a clear and warmish day for a drive through the beautiful north Georgia mountains, and when I arrived I was in for a big, big treat!
The Dahlonega Literary Festival is a once a year event that spotlights authors, both featured and regional, and hosts a number of writing and publishing workshops and panel discussions. I sat in on discussions of setting in literary fiction and portraying injustice in fiction. Most of the events were free. The few that required a ticket were very reasonable and covered the costs of the events and supported the new Lumpkin County Library. If you are ever in the neighborhood, I encourage you to attend. Or if you live too far away, check out literary festivals closer to home. I promise you will be in book lover’s heaven!
I also got to meet authors! I had scoped out the list of authors ahead of time and planned out which authors to sign books. Lindsey Brackett, Deborah Malone, and Daniel Palfrey, three Georgia writers with inspirational books, were very gracious in signing and speaking with me. What fun meeting them in person! Check out their books!
Award-winning writer, Lindsey P. Brackett just writes life — blogs, columns, articles, and stories — in the midst of motherhood. A blogger since 2010, she has published articles and short stories in a variety of print and online publications. She writes a popular bimonthly column for several local newspapers in which she meditates on small town southern life.
Her love of family ties and southern places prompted her first novel, Still Waters, a Lowcountry story about the power of family and forgiveness. Thanks to her four kids, in her home you’ll find wet towels, lost library books, and strong coffee.
Connect with her at http://www.lindseypbrackett.com, where she just writes life, on Facebook as Lindsey P. Brackett, on Twitter@lindsbrac, or Instagram@lindseypbrackett.
Cora Anne Halloway has a history degree and a plan: avoid her own past — despite being wait-listed for graduate school. Then her beloved grandmother requests—and her dispassionate mother insists — that she spend the summer at Still Waters, the family cottage on Edisto Beach, South Carolina.
Despite its picturesque setting, Still Waters haunts Cora Anne with loss. At Still Waters her grandfather died, her parents’ marriage disintegrated, and as a child, she caused a tragic drowning. But lingering among the oak canopies and gentle tides, this place also tempts her with forgiveness — especially since Nan hired Tennessee Watson to oversee cottage repairs. A local contractor, but dedicated to the island’s preservation from development, Tennessee offers her friendship and more, if she can move beyond her guilt.
When a family reunion reveals Nan’s failing health, Cora Anne discovers how far Tennessee will go to protect her — and Edisto — from more desolation. Will Cora Anne choose between a life driven by guilt, or one washed clean by the tides of grace?
Deborah Malone, author of cozy mysteries set in Georgia and Blooming in Broken Places
Deborah Malone is an established author, freelance writer and photographer.
Her love of her home state Georgia flows into her cozy mystery novels which are all set there.
Published by Lamp Post, her first novel Death in Dahlonega, finaled in ACFW’s Category Five writing contest and she was nominated for Georgia Author of the Year Award in Novel category in 2012 and 2013.
Working as a freelance writer and photographer since 2001 for the historical magazine Georgia Backroads, Deborah has had many articles and photographs published during her time for them.
Her writing is featured in “Tales of the Rails” edited by Olin Jackson.
Her photographic artwork has been displayed in the Wright Art Gallery at Floyd Medical Center where artwork contributes to the healing and therapy of patients. Her photography has also won several awards.
Deborah teaches a number of writing, marketing and speaking workshops for authors. Deborah is available for readings, signing, book clubs and author lunches.
Deborah Malone is no stranger to the trials of life that can rob a woman of her self-esteem and give her the false belief she is unworthy to be used by God. Deborah will take the reader along on her real-life journey from her early years when she became her mother’s caregiver, to the rocky years of caring for her severely disabled daughter, to the disappointment and trials of surviving an abusive marriage that left her broken and feeling worthless. But Deborah’s journey doesn’t stop there – through healing and coming to understand God’s unlimited love, Deborah discovered how He can use her despite her limitations and healed her from self-doubt. Discover your worth in God’s plan as Deborah delves into how women from the bible were all used by God, even while they were in Broken Places.
Danny along with his wife, Wanda, is currently writing the Davis Morgan mystery series set in Adairsville, Georgia. He has also been active in the areas of inspiration and Georgia history. Danny is a member of the Georgia Writers Association and American Christian Fiction Writers. He once referred to himself as a preacher who did a little writing. Presently, he is a writer who does a little preaching.
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