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

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(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

More reviews for Blue Magnolia and its ‘whiplash plot twists’

Blue Magnolia is book two in the Red Farlow Mysteries series and W.F. Ranew is nothing if not consistent in his story-telling and writing style.

While country music and cowboys isn’t necessarily my style, I still found myself intrigued with the mystery and curious enough to keep reading.

Blue Magnolia is chock full of vivid imagery and whiplash plot twists. Fans of mystery genres will really enjoy this on-going series.

—Hurn Publications Blog

Hank Tillman wants nothing more than to be a country singer. Hank performs in bars through out Georgia and Florida. But so far Hank has had no luck with meeting the right people that could make him famous nor has he had a number one hit so to speak. Well not until he writes a song that draws the attention of another group who wants Hank’s song and will go to any link even murder to get their hands on Hank’s song. When Hank refuses to give up the rights to his song it puts his life in danger.
Trouble sort of follows Hank around and sometimes he ends up in jail leaving his cousin Mary Ellen to bail him out. Mary Ellen has been bailing Hank out of trouble for a long while. She understands that it is not always his fault working and singing in bars will lead to trouble on occasion. Mary Ellen wants to help Hank and keep him safe at the same time. Mary Ellen hires PI Red Farlow to keep an eye on Hank and keep him safe.
Blue Magnolia has action, mystery, singing, bars, great characters, and even murder. I really enjoyed reading about all the bars and places Hank sings in as I have visited most of the places. I love reading books with places in them that I know about. It was nice reading a book set in the south. Once I picked up Blue Magnolia I was glued to the pages and racing to the end to see how it all turns out.
I highly recommend Blue Magnolia to anyone who loves a good mystery, thriller book. One click your copy today!

—The Avid Reader Blog

Blue Magnolia, Red Farlow Mysteries No. 2—For more about the novel and how to purchase, visit W.F. Ranew at Tirgearr Publishing.

Also, take a look at Rich and Gone, Red Farlow Mysteries No. 1. Red goes on the hunt for a crooked executive who bilks family and friends out of $300 million. To Red, justice might be relative. Often, it takes time to work its course.

Cowboy Tillman’s benefactor

First cousin Mary Ellen Winship supports the country singer any way she can, including bailing him out of trouble.

Blue Magnolia, Red Farlow Mysteries No. 2 excerpt:

“Yeah, Mary Ellen? Thank goodness you called back.”

The ambient noise of a jailhouse buzzed into the phone call.

“Hank, speak up. I can barely hear you,” Mary Ellen said. She spoke loudly. “I’ve been in a meeting. What happened to you?”

“Sad to say, M.E., but about the same as last time,” Hank said. “A drunk at the honky-tonk complained I wasn’t playing a song he wanted to hear. Even when I did, he continued pestering me. After the set, I broke for a beer, and he accosted me. I defended my person and my honor. But I got busted. Hit him a good one, though.”

“Are you OK? Did he hurt you?”

“He got a couple of licks in. But he was so drunk he could hardly stand up. He went down faster’n a watermelon truck wrecking in a ditch.”

“Yeah, I’ll reckon. They say I will have a court appearance later today. Likely there will be a fine.”

“I should ask, is he OK?”
“Dunno and don’t care.”
Next, Mary Ellen asked a question she knew would cost her money. “Can you get out of there?”

“Well, damned, Hank. What are we going to do?” Mary Ellen asked him. “Are you still traveling around on a Trailways bus?”

“Well, yeah. That’s the only way I can get to my gigs,” he said. “I still don’t have a truck. And, of course, I couldn’t get a license anyways.”

Hank had it rough on the road. When he graduated from high school in Norman Park, Georgia, he set out to make his fame and fortune as a country singer. His first gig was in a place called Tomcat Joe’s in Moultrie near his hometown. He did all right, too, playing to the Friday and Saturday night crowds for three weekends. Then he set off for Albany, Tifton, Waycross, and Brunswick. After his first of three nights in Brunswick in a redneck dive with a name he’d forgotten, he got a chance to play Murphy’s Tavern on St. Simons Island for a weekend. In his earliest string of engagements, Murphy’s ranked as the big time.

Hank performed well as a country singer—”itinerate” was what Mary Ellen called his trade—and his exceptional talent playing the guitar. He knew all the Texas Outlaws songs by Willie, Waylon and the boys, and everything recorded by David Allan Coe. He even had his own rendition of the “Perfect Country Song.” And always, always, he closed his sets with Dave Dudley’s “Six Days on the Road.” Cowboy loved the song, even though he didn’t have his own home to go to or a baby there. But it was a crowd favorite, especially at bars that catered to on-the-road truckers.

Of course, his specialty was Hank Williams, his idol. He knew all of Hank’s hits and then some.

“Well, we’ll try to get you out of there as soon as possible,” Mary Ellen said. She tried not to sound as disheartened as she felt about Hank.

“Oh, thank you, Mary Ellen. I’m trying to do better. Honest,” he told her. “I appreciate this and will call when I get out of court.”

Blue Magnolia, Red Farlow Mysteries No. 2—For more about the novel and how to purchase, visit W.F. Ranew at Tirgearr Publishing.

Also, take a look at Rich and Gone, Red Farlow Mysteries No. 1. Red goes on the hunt for a crooked executive who bilks family and friends out of $300 million. To Red, justice might be relative. Often, it takes time to work its course.

New 5-star review—Blue Magnolia ‘truly a satisfying book’

Amazon.com

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2020
A Great Read
Blue Magnolia is a highly rewarding book, with a constantly building plot. The drama takes hold from the beginning and entertains to the last page. The author combines a look back at dark times in Southern history, contrasted to present day. Country Western singer Hank Tillman struggles with his honky-tonk career after being shot and left for dead. His original-lyric songs, Hotter Than a Two Dollar Gun and Redneck Devil lead to unwanted interest by unsavory characters. Truly a satisfying book.

More on Blue Magnolia at Tirgearr Publishing and on Amazon.