Reviewer on Blood Mug ‘all of my senses were engaged’

Book reviewer Cathy Geha awarded five stars to the mystery novel. Here’s here review and a link to her post.

Blood Mug (Red Farlow Mysteries: #4)
by W.F. Ranew
Cathy Geha‘s review Apr 10, 2021
it was amazing
Blood Mug by W.F. Ranew
Red Farlow Mysteries #4

Red Farlow Mysteries are thought provoking, twisted, complex, evocative, paint pictures and intense. They are a delight and I look forward to reading each and every one of them! This time people affiliated with the Wickham Art Center seem to be dropping like flies but…why? Red is called in to find out what is what and as a PI he might have better luck than the local police force since he is not constrained in quite the same way as they are. Will Red or the police be first to find the killer? They say murder has to do with means, motive and opportunity so…who will it be this time?

What I liked:
* Red: mature, grounded, steady, wise, has many contacts, knowledgeable from past work with Georgia Bureau of Investigation, a good friend, married to a good woman…like him.
* The first-person narrative and the feeling of looking over Red’s shoulder as the story unfolds
* The slow unfolding of the story as clues are revealed
* That all of my senses were engaged
* That Red was not invincible
* The supporting characters and the parts they played
* The way it all came together
* The tidbits that made it “more” … so much information gleaned through the story that might not seem important but definitely played a part.
* The pottery tie-in since I took a class in elementary school and college and enjoyed them both
* Being reminded of previous cases/books in the series as Red mentioned bits of them
* Reading through my reviews for the first three books and remembering why this series is one to revisit and reread in the future.
* Finding out the “who, what, when, where and why” journalists are to note and also the “means, motive, and opportunity” that police look for – and that the person(s) involved in crime and murder were unearthed

What I didn’t like:
* The people I was meant not to like and the crimes they were involved in

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely.

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3936376358

Red Farlow Mysteries capture the thrill and danger of the private detective’s cases. Set mostly in Georgia and north Florida, Red sometimes travels to far-flung places to track down his suspect. Blood Mug is Farlow book four. Find them all at tirpub.com/wfranew

Blood Mug’s Red Farlow seeks killer of potters at Atlanta art center

Excerpt from Blood Mug by W.F. Ranew, Tirgearr Publishing.

The night heat hovered without relief—eighty-eight degrees at ten forty-five when I arrived. Outside, the wind swatted at oak limbs and brushed my sweat-dotted face. Inside the basement studio, fans blasted from two of the windows opening out at ground level. Lights seemed adequate but cast a gloomy pall over the front room.
While taking the final pictures of the tragic scene, my phone screen caught a shadowy movement. I looked into a dark back chamber adjoining the studio. My phone switched to video as my eyes tried to focus on the blackness through the next room’s portal. I heard nothing, but someone lurked there.
I stepped toward the darkness.
Footsteps sounded in the back of the room. I entered but saw nothing. Still, the video captured the faint, mostly dark scene and whatever else the dim available light might reveal to digital recording, or so I figured at the time.
A door creaked open. The sound came from above the room. Reaching inside the doorway, I fumbled around and found a light switch. The room lit dimly from a single bulb dangling near the far door, which stood open. A stone stairway led up in a spiral to the left and down to the right.

I started the trek. At the top, perhaps two stories up, I opened a door into the old mansion’s ballroom.
Another door at the opposite end of that large room slammed shut. The air was much cooler there than the outside temperature dictated. I quickly walked across the parquetry, opened the door, and stepped inside another dark chamber. The kitchen from the smell of it.
A crevice of light showed a nearby pantry. Someone had just moved through an exterior French door leading onto a balcony. I saw the figure move along the balustrade through the windows.
I followed cautiously and stepped onto the long, wide balcony. The summer wind whipped my face, and I looked down the wall lit by a streetlamp. The untamed growth of mature shrubs cluttered the area below me. Wickham needed a gardener.
Suddenly, an overhead spotlight went dark. I carefully made my way forward.

“Get out of here,” a voice said from a place at the far end of the balcony.
I stepped in that direction and into darkness. I stopped along the balustrade and listened for further movement.
“Leave now,” the voice said. A woman’s?
I walked on slowly, but despite caution, my foot caught on a loose stone, and I tripped, my right shoe sliding across crumbled mortar where several balusters and the railing had fallen away.
I wobbled a moment, my hands and arms waving in a desperate attempt at balance. Then I tumbled down in the darkness and met the fresh scent of leaves against my face. Thorny branches pierced my skin. I sank fast and deep into nature’s prickly bed. Along the way, my body swept out of the bushes and landed hard on a flagstone and grass walkway. My head thudded against slate.
Blackness inside and out overcame me. Somewhere I felt pain. All over, I felt discomfort. My mind blanked. For how long, I couldn’t know.

_________________

March 7-13 is Read an eBook Week at Smashwords. All four Red Farlow Mysteries are half price during the sale period.

tirpub.com/wfranew


    A mug of wine, a loaf of bread, and a dagger to the heart

    Blood Mug by W.F. Ranew, published by Tirearr Publishing

    Latest Red Farlow Mystery debuts. Take a look…

    PI Red Farlow has a meeting with Wickham Art Center board chair in Atlanta, but when he arrives, he finds the chairman slumped over his potter’s wheel with a medieval battle dagger protruding from his back.

    During the investigation, other victims are discovered in the pottery studio, each meeting the same gruesome end as the chairman. Is the dagger a dramatic flourish of a twisted mind, or a more profound message?

    Clues soon reveal a real estate scheme—wealthy Venezuelan investors plan to plow Wickham under and build condos on the site.

    Red gets his hands muddy as he throws himself into finding the answers.

    _____

    Tirgearr page

    http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Ranew_WF/blood-mug.htm

    Blood mug publishes on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021 and has a promo price until Sunday, Feb. 28.

    Plague year ends, pandemic rages; Vaccines and 4th Red Farlow mystery on the way

    We’re coming to a New Year, but thus far 2021 promises the same pandemic as the past ten months.

    Our times reflect more a medieval horror story than a modern world where medical science’s healing power tackles a new disease. And like the Middle Ages, doubters rely on mythical cures and leader’s misguided ravings rather than taking precautions. They disregard the protective measures of masks, distancing, and locking down. Many, unfortunately, suffer the consequences.

    Still, there’s hope with vaccines on their way.

    The year 2021 ushers in the next Red Farlow mystery from Tirgearr Publishing. In Blood Mug, a killer attacks potters at the Wickham Art Center in Atlanta. Red Farlow goes to meet the board chair and finds the man slumped over his wheel and a mug. He’s dead. A medieval battle dagger protrudes from his back. 

    More deaths occur in the basement pottery studio. The killer leaves a dagger in each victim, forming the core clue. Dramatic flourish or profound message?

    Red also uncovers a real estate scheme to plow Wickham under and build condos on its site. Who’s the killer, and what’s the motive? Red soon suspects revenge. Or is the killer forcing the Wickham board to sell to developers? Venezuelan investors and their millions roil the investigation. 

    Red gets his hands muddy and bloody as he throws himself into finding the answers—and the killer.

    Check Tirgearr Publishing for Blood Mug’s 2021 release date.

    .

    Early reviews give high marks for ‘twists and turns’ of East Beach

    Here are two early reviews of East Beach.

    (Four stars) “This is not my first book by this author but it is one of my favorites. I enjoyed this suspenseful story. PI Farlow is back in this fast paced story. In this one he finds a FBI Agent shot and dying. Now he is determined to find his killer. You don’t want to miss these twists and turns that will leave you turning pages. This is a well developed story from beginning to end that does a great job of making you feel part of the story. I had no issues connecting to the characters as they brought the story to life. This made a great afternoon read which I highly recommend.”

    —BJW

    ————

    (Four stars) “Red Farlow is working for free in this case. Why? His friend leaves a quick rather abrupt message that has Red worried so off her heads to Tram’s house only to find him near death. After listening to Tram’s dying words Red knows that he must find the person who killed his friend. With that goal in mind he calls in a group of people that he feels will be helpful in finding the killer and the story unfolds. The story includes an ex-wife, multiple lovers, a motorcycle gang, drug dealers, a seedy dishonest businessman, a few crazy people, and a whole lot more. The book is filled with twists and turns, sleuthing, relationships and an interesting cast of characters. What I liked: * Red: a good man, loyal husband, dedicated private investigator and loyal friend. He is more than capable of staying on the scent to get the baddie. * The newshounds helping Red: interesting people with leads and sources that help locate information while also locating leads for stories they will publish * Red’s wife: didn’t see much of her but she seems to balance Red well * The twists and turns in the story and not knowing who the killer was till nearly the end * That those that might be considered good or bad were never 100% one or the other * The location, writing and story * That the story was complete without a cliffhanger * Looking forward to another book in the series soon What I didn’t like: * The ease with which some take the lives of others * Being reminded of how seedy and difficult the lives of some people are * Knowing it might be awhile before another book in this series is ready for me to read Did I like this book? Yes Would I read more in this series? Yes Thank you to the author for the ARC – this is my honest review. 4-5 Stars”

    —CG

    East Beach tangles reader in spider’s web of arms smuggling, killer romances

    Part I

    Pardon, goddess of the night,
    Those that slew thy virgin knight;
    For the which, with songs of woe,
    Round about her tomb they go.

    —William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

    ——

    Chapter One

    JANUARY 2019

    Red Farlow resisted following his wife, Leigh, to bed. He’d slept fitfully of late. Instead, he walked to his front porch overlooking the beach and St. Simons Sound.

    He sat and listened to the water and waves, cloaked in a fog teased by a gentle winter breeze.

    The mist had drifted in earlier that evening and thickened into a likeness comparable to Brunswick stew. The cloud blanketed Red’s neighborhood.

    His nostrils flared. A southwesterly wind ushered in the rotten egg stink from the paper mills on the mainland.

    “While waiting on the small patch of grass, he watched as a lone woman approached the house from down the street.”

    A freighter hauling across St. Simons Sound to Brunswick’s port sounded its foghorn. Red watched as the ghostly hulk cruised past. Gulls danced in the breeze over the beach’s surf line. All was right with the world. Or was it?

    Red looked down at his cell phone. How did I miss a call? He noticed the time— half past midnight.

    He listened to the voice message.

    “Red, ah…Tram. Now!” The short, clipped message alarmed. Red’s friend was a talker by nature.

    He recalled Joseph Trammell’s older brother relating how he burst forth from their mother’s womb, chatting up a storm. Tram didn’t deny that. He just grinned upon hearing the story.

    At times as a federal agent, Tram faced predicaments that would dent anyone’s proclivity toward conversation.

    Red considered what the trouble might be as he went in to tell Leigh he was going out. He put on a windbreaker, walked through the mist to his truck, and drove up the road to Tram’s house.

    He parked on the street and walked to the front door, which stood half-open. A lone lamp glowed in the living room and an upstairs hall light sprayed the stairwell with its softness. He stepped into the house, down the hall by the stairs, and to the brightest lit room—the kitchen.

    “Tram!”

    Joseph Trammell sprawled, barely alive, in a pool of his blood on the floor. Red kneeled over and cupped the back of his friend’s head and shoulders.

    Tram’s eyes fought hard to open. “Red,” he managed to utter.
    “Yeah, man. It’s me,” Red said. “Tram, help will be on the way soon.”
    Red dialed for an ambulance.
    The former FBI agent fought for breath. He managed to say, “Key West.” Tram tried to heave more air, but the rattle denied it. His eyelids opened and shut several times.

    It was the last time Red saw his old boss and friend he called Tram. Someone put four bullets in him. Looking at Tram on the floor, the private investigator feared the EMTs could do little to save him.

    Joseph Trammell exhaled a final faint whoosh of breath, and his head slumped to one side. He died.

    That was too bad. Red loved the guy. Damned.

    ***

    Red looked around the kitchen and concentrated on everything in a quick view.

    A large pool of blood under his friend. Five shots fired, as indicated by the collection of brass casings on the floor five feet from Tram’s body. He’d taken four bullets. Someone else got the fifth. A trail of blood drops speckled the floor.

    Red saw no gun but noted a butcher knife on the kitchen counter near the sink.

    He remained still, not wanting to disturb the evidence there—someone who was bleeding escaped out the back. Anyone could see that much. Small puddles of blood found three to four feet apart led from the kitchen to the porch, out the screen door, and onto the sand of East Beach.

    Red took out his cell phone and shot a dozen photos of the scene. When a siren sounded a few blocks away, he gingerly stepped out of the kitchen and left through the front door. While waiting on the small patch of grass, he watched as a lone woman approached the house from down the street. A couple walked up the road that dead-ended into Tram’s property.

    ———

    Red Farlow Mysteries are published by Tirgearr Publishing—Rich and Gone #1, Blue Magnolia #2, East Beach #3. For more information and to purchase, visit Tirgearr Publishing Author Page and Red Farlow Mysteries Blog

    Blue Magnolia reviews continue high praise of Farlow’s country music story

    Here are some reviews posted on Amazon and Goodreads about Blue Magnolia.

    I must say I did not expect that I would love this book quite as much as I did! It had a little bit of all my favorite things that I enjoy in a good solid mystery novel. It kept me in suspense both with the characters and the story line and I was often on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the all the things before they played out on the kindle screen.

    Blue Magnolia is actually the second novel in the Red Farlow Mysteries but you should be able to read it in any order you wish and still enjoy it. These novels follow the PI Red Farlow as he works on different cases in each novel. This one Red Farlow’s client was Hank, an aspiring country music star with a pension for getting into trouble. I liked how this was an original story line and not something I had seen time and again and I will definitely be back for more with the next book in the series!

    +++

    This action-packed original book will have you on edge as you get absorbed into Cowboy’s world. This is a multilayered story that will have your head spinning. This book is worth every page being read and discovered as you’re thrown into the book and where it goes. As you get tangled in the story as much as the characters are, you won’t be able to put this one down. Check it out and you’ll see exactly what I mean!

    +++

    This is a great country crime story that keeps you hooked.

    Hank is a up and coming country singer who is starting his career singing around the bars. Its a steady gig until he writes one song that becomes more popular than he could ever imagine but maybe for the wrong reasons when it attracts the attention of a far right group called the Blue Magnolia.

    This group is an extremist group who believe in white power so why do they want a country song?

    When Hanks life is threatened when he refuses to sell the song or perform it for their rally, his cousin hires Red Farlow who is a PI to protect him and figure out what is actually happening.

    With Red on the case the hunt for the truth begins. Is the threat of Hanks life all for a song or is there another reason the group want him in their fold? Will the mysteries be unravelled and will Red get to the truth?

    East Beach debuts in preorder for Sept. 30 publication

    Red Farlow Three upends your sunny day on a sandy shore

    FBI Agent Joseph Trammell retires to a beachfront home on a Georgia island.

    Six months later, PI Red Farlow finds him dying in a pool of blood. Someone shot him four times. Five shell casings litter the floor. Drops of blood lead out of the house and onto East Beach on St. Simons Island. Red sets out to find out who killed Joe Trammell and why.

    Did the local drug and arms smuggler hire a hit? And who caught the fifth bullet?

    Farlow wades into the murky water of intrigue, conflicting love affairs, and danger as he tracks down the killer. It’s not exactly a relaxing day at the beach.

    Red Farlow Mysteries are published by Tirgearr Publishing—Rich and Gone #1, Blue Magnolia #2, East Beach #3. Preorder East Beach for ebook delivery on sept. 30, the publication date. tirpub.com/wfranew

    Updates on blog site: wfranew.wordpress.com