Murder at the Bomb Shelter
Page 14
Rosa swallowed. She hadn’t seen this kind of intense emotion from Miguel since the day she’d boarded the plane for London back in 1945.
“I’m sorry, Miguel.”
Miguel let out a long, hard breath. “Just promise me you won’t do it again, okay? I can look after myself.”
He turned his back to her and stormed away.
Without feeling a thread of regret, Rosa slid into her Corvette. She’d always protect Miguel Belmonte, and she knew he’d always protect her. They might not be a couple anymore, but they were something.
Rosa put the Corvette into drive and headed north on the wide coastal highway, the wind in her hair and the radio on.
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Eager to read the next book in the Rosa Reed Mystery series?
Don’t miss Murder on Location.
Murder's a wrap!
Private Investigator Rosa Reed has finally accepted that her girlhood romance with Detective Miguel Belmonte has no hope of being rekindled, but when his actress girlfriend gets embroiled in a murder on her movie set, it's more than a movie schedule that's upsetting. Can Rosa put aside matters of the heart long enough to help Miguel solve the case?
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Rosa & Miguel’s Wartime Romance is a BONUS short story exclusively for Lee’s newsletter subscribers.
How it All Began. . .
Like many British children during World War Two, Rosa Reed’s parents, Ginger and Basil Reed, made the heart-wrenching decision to send their child to a foreign land and out of harm’s way. Fortunately, Ginger’s half-sister Louisa and her family, now settled in the quaint coastal town of Santa Bonita, California, were pleased to take her in.
By the spring of 1945, Rosa Reed had almost made it through American High School unscathed, until the American army decided to station a base there. Until she met the handsome Private Miguel Belmonte and fell in love. . .
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MURDER AT BRIGHTON BEACH
Book 13
Murder's a Beach!
A family holiday turns deadly at Brighton Beach. When Ginger and Basil and their family check into the Grand Brighton Hotel on a lovely warm day in June of 1926, a shocking discovery upsets their plans to relax in the sun and surf.
Not only will Ginger not finish her book, she and Basil might not get out alive.
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Start from the beginning ~ Murder on the SS Rosa!
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Read on for an excerpt.
Rosa & Miguel’s Wartime Romance
PREQUEL - excerpt
Rosa Reed first laid eyes on Miguel Belmonte on the fourteenth day of February in 1945. She was a senior attending a high school dance, and he a soldier who played in the band.
She’d been dancing with her date, Tom Hawkins, a short, stalky boy with pink skin and an outbreak of acne, but her gaze continued to latch onto the bronze-skinned singer, with dark crew-cut hair, looking very dapper in a black suit.
In a life-changing moment, their eyes locked. Despite the fact that she stared at the singer over the shoulder of her date, she couldn’t help the bolt of electricity that shot through her, and when the singer smiled—and those dimples appeared—heavens, her knees almost gave out!
“Rosa?”
Tom’s worried voice brought her back to reality. “Are you okay? You went a little limp there. Do you feel faint? It is mighty hot in here.” Tom released Rosa’s hand to tug at his tie. “Do you want to get some air?”
Rosa felt a surge of alarm. Invitations to step outside the gymnasium were often euphemisms to get fresh.
In desperation she searched for her best friend Nancy Davidson—her best American friend, that was. Vivien Eveleigh claimed the position of best friend back in London, and Rosa missed her. Nancy made for a sufficient substitute. A pretty girl with honey-blond hair, Nancy, fortunately, was no longer dancing, and was sitting alone.
“I think I’ll visit the ladies, Tom, if you don’t mind.”
He looked momentarily put out, then shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He joined a group of lads—boys—at the punch table, and joined in with their raucous laughter. Rosa didn’t want to know what they were joking about, or at whose expense.
Nancy understood Rosa’s plight as she wasn’t entirely pleased with her fellow either. “If only you and I could dance with each other.”
“One can’t very well go to a dance without a date, though,” Rosa said.
Nancy laughed. “One can’t.”
Rosa rolled her eyes. Even after four years of living in America, her Englishness still manifested when she was distracted.
And tonight’s distraction was the attractive lead singer in the band, and shockingly, he seemed to have sought her face out too.
Nancy had seen the exchange and gave Rosa a firm nudge. “No way, José. I know he’s cute, but he’s from the wrong side of the tracks. Your aunt would have a conniption.”
Nancy wasn’t wrong about that. Aunt Louisa had very high standards, as one who was lady of Forrester mansion, might.
“I’m only looking!”
Nancy harrumphed. “As long as it stays that way.”
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Excerpt - Murder on the SS Rosa
In the dismal autumn of 1918 Ginger Gold had vowed she’d never go back to Europe. Yet here she was, five years later in 1923, aboard the SS Rosa as it traversed the Atlantic from Boston to Liverpool.
“Isn’t a dinner invitation from the captain reserved for very important persons?” Haley Higgins asked.
Ginger propped a hand on her tiny waist and feigned insult. “Are you suggesting that I’m not a very important person?”
“I’d never suggest such a thing,” Haley said lightly. “Only that I’m not aware of your connection to him.”
“Oh, yes. Father used to travel to England once or twice a year for business, and they had made an acquaintance. Of course, this was some years ago, before Father fell ill. Captain Walsh recognised my name on the passenger list. It was nice of him to extend an invitation, was it not?”
Haley nodded. “I expect it to be quite entertaining.”
Ginger chose a billowy, violet dropped-waist frock with a hem that ended near her ankles, nude stockings with seams that ran up the back of her slender legs, and black designer T-strap heels. She clipped on dangling earrings and patted the ends of her bobbed red hair with the palms of her gloved hands. She made a show of presenting herself.
“How do I look?”
“Gorgeous, as always,” Haley said. Long since dressed, she waited patiently in a rose-coloured upholstered chair. She was the sensible type, having only packed a few tweed and linen suits. She wasn’t much for “presentation.” It made getting ready quick and painless.
Curled up on the silky pink quilted cover on Ginger’s bed was a small, short-haired black and white dog. Ginger scrubbed him behind his pointed ears and kissed his forehead. “You’re such a good boy, Boss.” The Boston terrier’s stub of a tail wagged in agreement.
Ginger finished her ensemble by draping a creamy silk shawl over her shoulders. “Shall we?” Ginger said, motioning to the door.
Boss stood and stretched his hind legs.
“Oh, sorry, Bossy. Not you this time
.”
The dog let out a snort of disappointment, then circled his pillow before settling and swiftly fell back to sleep.
“I love the sea! Don’t you?” Ginger said as she and Haley walked along an exterior corridor of the ship. She extended her youthful arms and inhaled exuberantly. “It’s one of the reasons I love Boston. So invigorating. Makes one feel alive!”
“Oh, honey, listen to you!” Haley said with amusement. “Your latent Britishness is becoming more pronounced the closer we get to England.”
“Makes one feel alive,” she added, mimicking Ginger’s sudden use of an English accent.
Though Ginger considered herself a Bostonian through and through, she embraced her English heritage. After all, Massachusetts was part of New England.
“You’re jolly well right, old thing,” Ginger admitted with an exaggerated English accent. She laughed heartily, bringing a smile to Haley’s normally stoic expression.
“You sounded like your father just now,” Haley said.
Ginger placed a hand on her heart. “Oh, I do miss him.”
“Me, too.”
“In his honour I shall be thoroughly British for the duration of my time abroad.”
A smile spread across Haley's wide face. “And you’ll do it charmingly.”
Ginger threaded her arm through her friend’s. “Soon-to-be Doctor Higgins,” she said. “We mustn’t keep the captain waiting.”
“If you insist, Mrs. Gold,” Haley returned, then added, “You know, I think the captain has eyes for you.”
“Pfft. How can you say that? We only met him for a second.” Ginger flicked her gloved hand. “Besides, he’s got a wife.”
“With men like the captain,” Haley said stiffly, “I hardly think that matters.”
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About the Authors
Lee Strauss is a USA TODAY bestselling author of The Ginger Gold Mysteries series, The Higgins & Hawke Mystery series, The Rosa Reed Mystery series (cozy historical mysteries), A Nursery Rhyme Mystery series (mystery suspense), The Perception series (young adult dystopian), The Light & Love series (sweet romance), The Clockwise Collection (YA time travel romance), and young adult historical fiction with over a million books read. She has titles published in German, Spanish and Korean, and a growing audio library.
When Lee’s not writing or reading she likes to cycle, hike, and watch the ocean. She loves to drink caffè lattes and red wines in exotic places, and eat dark chocolate anywhere.
Norm Strauss is a singer-songwriter and performing artist who's seen the stage of The Voice of Germany. Short story writing is a new passion he shares with his wife Lee Strauss. Check out Norm’s music page www.normstrauss.com
For more info on books by Lee Strauss and her social media links, visit leestraussbooks.com. To make sure you don’t miss the next new release, be sure to sign up for her readers’ list!
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Acknowledgments
Special thanks, as always, goes out to my editors Angelika Offenwanger, Robbie Bryant and Heather Belleguelle, along with my VIP readers Kelly Young and Polina Posner. I’m so glad you’re enjoying Rosa Reed!
I can’t forget my lovely assistant Shadi Bleiken (who is also my beautiful daughter in-law). Your competence and enthusiasm is a big part of my success as an indie writer. I’m so thankful for you!
And to Norm Strauss who’s jumped into the world of Rosa Reed with both feet and is a master at 1950s trivia and historical events. I’m so happy to be doing this with you. Thank you for coming along on this crazy ride.
Copyright © 2020 by Lee Strauss
Cover by Steven Novak
Cover Illustration by Amanda Sorenson
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Title: Murder at the Bomb Shelter : a 1950s cozy historical mystery / Lee Strauss. Names: Strauss, Lee (Novelist), author. Description: Series statement: A Rosa Reed mystery ; 3 Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20200181300 | Canadiana (ebook) 20200181319 | ISBN 9781774090985 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781774090961 (softcover) | ISBN 9781774090978 (IngramSpark softcover) | ISBN 9781774090947 (EPUB) | ISBN 9781774090954 (Kindle) Classification: LCC PS8637.T739 M872 2020 | DDC C813/.6—dc23