Blog Tour: Fool Me Once by Steve Hockensmith with Lisa Falco (Review/Giveaway)

About This Book

2nd in Series
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Midnight Ink (August 8, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-0738742236



Synopsis from Goodreads:

After taking over the White Magic Five & Dime, Alanis McLachlan is trying to make up for her mother's con jobs by tracking down old customers and making amends. When Martha, one of the most loyal clients, comes looking for a way out of her abusive marriage, Alanis does everything she can to help.

But helping Martha leads to unforeseen consequences . . . including murder. When Martha's husband is found dead, the police show up at Alanis's door. And things only get more complicated as she tries to clear her name from the top of the suspect list. With her growing mastery of the tarot and the Fool card to guide her, can Alanis find her way to the truth before the killer gets to her first?

My Review

Alanis McLachlan is back in the second “Tarot Mystery” series. In the first book, The White Magic Five & Dime, she inherited her estranged mother’s tarot shop in Berdache, Arizona. Her mother had been a well known con artist who made a career out of swindling her clients of their money. Alanis may know nothing about reading tarot cards, but she intends to make up for all the bad things her mother did and perhaps even learn more about tarot cards.

One of her mother’s clients, Marsha Riggs, seeks help from Alanis. Her husband, Bill, is abusive and Marsha wants nothing more than to get away from him. Alanis makes it her mission to make sure Bill never hurts Marsha again. When Bill turns up dead, Marsha and Alanis make the top of the suspect list. With help from some whacky friends and family, Alanis tries to find the real killer before she and Marsha end up with the same fate as Bill.

I loved the first book and I was not disappointed with this second one. The author keeps you at the edge of your seat. It’s another page turner. The mystery storyline is self-contained in this book, but I think it’s more enjoyable if you get to know Alanis by reading the first one. You will have a better understanding of her relationship with her mother and the whole story falls nicely into place.

Alanis is a great character. She keeps you laughing and she’s not afraid to take a stand against the bad guys. The secondary characters truly come to life in this book – from Alanis new-found sister to the bad guys to a couple of romantic possibilities.

The author keeps you guessing with many twists and turns. The mystery is solved at the end, but there is a cliffhanger at the end of the book (which has nothing to do with the murder mystery – you don’t have to wait for months before knowing whodunit.) I, for one, am anxiously awaiting for the next book.



For reading challenges:
2015 NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge
Where are you reading? challenge (Arizona)

FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review for this blog tour. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author

Steve Hockensmith’s first novel, Holmes on the Range, was a finalist for the Edgar, Shamus, Anthony and Dilys awards. He went on to write four sequels as well as a pair of bestselling follow-ups to the international publishing sensation Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. More recently, he wrote (with collaborator “Science Bob” Pflugfelder) the middle-grade mysteries Nick and Tesla’s High-Voltage Danger Lab and Nick and Tesla’s Robot Army Rampage.

Author Links:

Website – http://www.stevehockensmith.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/steve.hockensmith.7
Twitter – https://twitter.com/MrHockensmith
GoodReads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/146628.Steve_Hockensmith

Purchase Links

Amazon             B&N            INDIE BOUND

Tour Participants

August 7 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Review  
August 8 – Lori’s Reading Corner – Guest Post
August 9 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway
August 10 – Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf – Review, Interview, Giveaway
August 11 – Celticlady’s Reviews – Spotlight
August 12 – Omnimystery News – Guest post
August 13 – Kelly P’s Blog– Spotlight
August 14 – Nadaness In Motion – Guest Post, Giveaway
August 15 – Brooke Blogs – Spotlight
August 16 – A Blue Million Books – Interview
August 17 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – Review
August 18 – LibriAmoriMiei – Review
August 19 – Chloe Gets A Clue – Spotlight
August 20 – StoreyBook Reviews – Review

BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!!

Now is your chance to win a print copy of Fool Me Once by Steve Hockensmith with Lisa Falco.  Thanks to the author and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, I have one print copy to giveaway to one lucky winner.

Just a few simple rules...

1) You must fill out the rafflecopter form below.

2) Contest is open to anyone over 18 years old

3) US Residents Only

4) For one extra entry: Tweet about this giveaway.

5) For one extra entry: Leave a comment for the author.

6) For one extra entry:  Follow this blog...old followers, too!  Just let us know how you follow and under what name.

7) For one extra entry: Follow me on Twitter.

8) For one extra entry: Follow or friend me on Goodreads

No purchase necessary.  Void where prohibited.

The giveaway begins on August 17th (midnight est) and ends on August 24th (midnight est).

The winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter. The winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. I will announce the winner here on my blog.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway