Death on the Danube
Page 16
I appreciate it! Jennifer S. Alderson
Follow the further adventures of Lana Hansen in Death By Baguette: A Valentine’s Day Murder in Paris – Book Two of the Travel Can Be Murder Mystery Series!
Death By Baguette: A Valentine’s Day Murder in Paris
Book Two of the Travel Can Be Murder Mystery series
Paris—the city of love, lights … and murder? Join tour guide Lana Hansen as she escorts five couples on an unforgettable Valentine-themed vacation to France! Unfortunately it will be the last trip for one passenger…
Lana Hansen’s future is looking bright. She has money in her bank account, a babysitter for her cat, and even a boyfriend. Regrettably she won’t get to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her new beau, Chad. Instead, she will be leading a “lovers only” tour in France. Luckily for Lana, her best friend, Willow, and her partner will be joining her.
Things go downhill when Lana’s new boyfriend shows up in Paris for her tour—with his wife. Chad is not the website developer he claimed to be, but a famous restaurant critic whose love of women rivals his passion for food.
After Chad drops dead during a picnic under the Eiffel Tower, a persistent French detective becomes convinced that he was poisoned. And the inspector’s sights are set on several members of the tour—including Lana!
While escorting her group through the cobblestone streets of Montmartre, the grand gardens of Versailles, and the historic Marché des Enfants Rouges market, Lana must figure out who really killed Chad before she has to say bonjour to prison and adieu to her freedom.
Find direct links to buy Death by Baguette on Jennifer’s website: http://www.jennifersalderson.com/
Acknowledgments
I am deeply indebted to my husband for his support and encouragement while I wrote, researched, and edited this novel. My son also deserves a big kiss for putting up with me writing another book.
My editor, Sadye Scott-Hainchek, also deserves a huge round of applause for helping to make this novel shine.
My mother and I were lucky enough to spend a week in Budapest together. Our wonderful visit inspired me to use this vibrant city as the backdrop for my first cozy mystery.
About the Author
Jennifer S. Alderson was born in San Francisco, raised in Seattle, and currently lives in Amsterdam. After traveling extensively around Asia, Oceania, and Central America, she moved to Darwin, Australia, before finally settling in the Netherlands. Her background in journalism, multimedia development, and art history enriches her novels. When not writing, she can be found in a museum, biking around Amsterdam, or enjoying a coffee along the canal while planning her next research trip.
Jennifer’s love of travel, art, and culture inspires her award-winning Zelda Richardson Mystery series, her Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries, and her standalone stories.
Book One of the Zelda Richardson Mystery series—The Lover’s Portrait—is a suspenseful whodunit about Nazi-looted artwork that transports readers to WWII and present-day Amsterdam. Art, religion, and anthropology collide in Rituals of the Dead (Book Two), a thrilling artifact mystery set in Papua and the Netherlands. Her pulse-pounding adventure set in the Netherlands, Croatia, Italy, and Turkey—Marked for Revenge (Book Three)—is a story about stolen art, the mafia, and a father’s vengeance.
The Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries are a funny new series featuring tour guide and amateur sleuth Lana Hansen. Join Lana as she leads tourists and readers to fascinating cities around the globe on intriguing adventures that, unfortunately for Lana, often turn deadly. Book One—Death on the Danube—takes Lana to Budapest for a New Year’s trip. Can Lana figure out who murdered her fellow tour guide before she too ends up floating in the Danube? Books Two (Death by Baguette) and Three (Death by Windmill) will be released in early 2020.
Jennifer is also the author of two thrilling adventure novels: Down and Out in Kathmandu and Holiday Gone Wrong. Her travelogue, Notes of a Naive Traveler, is a must read for those interested in traveling to Nepal and Thailand. All three are available in the Adventures in Backpacking box set.
For more information about the author and her upcoming novels, please visit Jennifer’s website or sign up for her newsletter.
Marked for Revenge: An Art Heist Thriller
Book 3 in the Zelda Richardson Mystery Series
An adrenaline-fueled adventure set in the Netherlands, Croatia, Italy, and Turkey about stolen art, the mafia, and a father’s vengeance.
When researcher Zelda Richardson begins working at a local museum, she doesn’t expect to get entangled with an art theft, knocked unconscious by a forger, threatened by the mob, or stalked by drug dealers.
To make matters worse, a Croatian gangster is convinced Zelda knows where a cache of recently pilfered paintings is. She must track down an international gang of art thieves and recover the stolen artwork in order to save those she loves most.
The trouble is, Zelda doesn’t know where to look. Teaming up with art detective Vincent de Graaf may be her only hope at salvation.
The trail of clues leads Zelda and Vincent on a pulse-pounding race across Europe to a dramatic showdown in Turkey that may cost them their lives.
Available as paperback and eBook.
Find direct links to buy Marked for Revenge on Jennifer’s website: http://www.jennifersalderson.com/
Marked for Revenge
Chapter One
Marko Antic softly hummed the Dutch national anthem as he cut another watercolor from Vianden Castle’s cold stone wall. As the gilded frame dropped into his free hand, he automatically looked to the life-sized portrait of William II hanging at the opposite end of the narrow room, almost sensing the Dutch king’s disapproval.
“Will you stop already,” his partner-in-crime whispered.
Marko ceased mid-chorus, the last bar of ‘Het Wilhelmus’ hanging eerily in the air. He opened his mouth to reprehend Roko for being such a killjoy when he realized his friend was right. Even though the Turret Room was at the back of an unoccupied medieval castle—and the sole security guard had already completed his rounds—they’d still do better to be prudent. Silence was always the best approach.
Marko stepped to the nearest window and held the landscape up into the weak moonlight cutting through the room. Jean-Baptiste van der Hulst was renowned for his realistic, almost photographic renderings. And in watercolor, no less. In the painting he was holding in his hands, the castle they were currently inside of filled the canvas. In this light, it looked like a grey mass of turrets, though Marko knew from his visit yesterday that it was a picture-perfect reproduction of the building and extensive grounds. He could just make out the Our river rushing through the valley below, both sides of the steep walls covered with a thick blanket of tall trees and rocky outcrops.
Marko slipped the landscape into a padded canvas bag, careful not to put unnecessary pressure on the other two watercolors he’d already plundered from the castle’s walls. He looked to his friend and saw Roko was placing the tenth and final painting into his bag. As soon as all of the watercolors were secure, it was time to complete this job. Marko sucked in his breath, excited yet nervous about their exit, inspired by the castle’s extraordinary location.
Vianden Castle seemed to grow out of a rocky promontory jutting out into the Our Valley. It was the jewel crowning the tiny village of Vianden—literally. The town’s homes, businesses, and church were carved into the steep ridge. A single road led up to the castle at the top.
At first, Marko and Roko were overwhelmed by the castle’s position and the seemingly insurmountably high stone wall built around it. Once inside, they were pleasantly surprised by how easily looks could deceive. The castle itself was the main tourist attraction, and that was impossible to steal. Cameras were trained on the main entrances and exits but were not hung up in each room. During their tour, Marko realized why. Only a few inexpensive pieces of art were displayed, and none appeared to be hooked up to an alarm. But then, his trained eye told
him, they weren’t worth more than a few thousand euros, thus probably not worth insuring.
Breaking in had been incredibly easy. Because the castle’s entrance was literally at the end of the road, there was little chance of a random passerby seeing them return at two in the morning. Marko and Roko used rappelling hooks to climb over the meter-thick stone wall surrounding the castle and were inside in a matter of seconds. Thanks to the waning moon, they didn’t have to look hard to find shadows to climb up in. Getting out would entail a different route entirely.
Marko triple-checked his canvas bags before glancing over to see Roko doing the same. The burglars locked eyes and nodded, then rose and crossed the darkened stone floor.
A door on the left side of the Turret Room led to a wide balcony extending far out over the valley below. As soon as Roko opened it, a strong wind blew inside, chilling Marko to the bone.
Both men dragged the bags of artwork out onto the balcony, then closed the door firmly behind them. Marko knew from their previous visit that the views from here were breathtaking. Because the balcony extended a few meters out over the abyss, visitors could see for miles up and down the valley. Now, a swath of blacks and greys met their eye. The river was invisible. A handful of lights—presumably from homes—sparkled through the dense foliage of this sparsely populated region.
Before looting the Turret Room, they had placed two large tote bags onto the balcony. Marko opened one and took out a harness shaped like a padded chair. He slipped it over his back and quickly strapped himself in, then using a series of bungee cords and carabiners, he secured a crate of artwork to each side. The extra-thick padding should cushion any jarring, and both Marko and Roko were skilled enough to land softly. Their job depended on it. Once satisfied, he slipped on night-vision goggles, buckled on his helmet, then picked up a small nylon sack with two lines hanging out of it. Marko hooked them into the specially-built loops hanging from his chest. He yanked on each, ensuring they were secure before unfurling the nylon wing. The soft fabric billowed up and out above him. Marko turned on a flashing red beacon attached to his chest, then stepped out onto the wide stone railing. The strong winds tugged on the nylon, pulling him forward.
The balcony wasn’t large enough for both to jump simultaneously, but Marko could see that Roko was almost ready. Pulling tight on the controls, Marko waited until his friend had his own wing clipped in properly. As soon as Roko gave him the thumbs up, Marco released the hand brakes and stepped off the ledge, giving in to the wind’s desire. Marko’s heart raced as his stomach dropped away. For a brief moment, he was plunging toward the earth, then his chute quickly grabbed an upward draft and raced up the ridge, jerking him high above the treetops. A smile split his face; he loved the rush. He used his hand grips and weight to control his lateral movements, slowly maneuvering himself away from the tree-covered ridge and back above the river, his night-vision goggles helping him orient.
A minute later, he heard the whooshing sound of another chute catching the wind. He turned his head back toward the castle and searched until he could see his friend’s red beacon flashing. Marko let out a sigh of relief, glad that Roko had joined him. His grin intensified when he noticed there were no lights visible inside the castle. The robbery probably wouldn’t be detected until the morning.
Marko relaxed the tension on his hand grips, allowing his wing to race down the valley, relishing the brief moment of freedom. He couldn’t believe his luck. Marko had always loved his work, but since he began working for his uncle a year ago, his job satisfaction had increased significantly. Thanks to years of stealing paintings and antiques from private homes, Marko had developed a real eye for quality. The mental thrill of creating a devious plan and seeing it through was a real adrenaline kick, but getting rid of them was always such a pain. There was so much risk involved. More and more of his associates had been tripped up by selling them to undercover cops. And when Marko did find a trustworthy buyer, they offered very little payout.
He always knew he could count on his family if he ever got into real trouble, but he had enjoyed following his own path. That is until several of his friends were arrested during a recent sting operation. When his uncle Luka offered to take care of all of that hassle, Marko couldn’t refuse. And his uncle did pay top dollar, more than he’d been able to organize on his own. From time to time, Luka even supplied him with an interesting theft, to boot. There was no shortage of greedy people willing to pay anything to acquire what they wanted, especially when the object of their desire was completely out of reach even to people of their financial stature.
He kicked his legs around, reveling in the liberating feeling of flying. Too soon, he made out a set of headlights blinking in the distance. Marko adjusted his direction and relaxed into the harness, determined to enjoy the rest of his short flight.
He looked up to the moon and turned his face into the wind, letting it whip across his face. God, how he loved his job.
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If you enjoy what you’re reading, why not purchase the book now? Direct links to buy Marked for Revenge are available on Jennifer’s website: http://www.jennifersalderson.com/