Death Goes To The County Fair by Annette Drake

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Death Goes To The County Fair
by Annette Drake

The world-building is well done, the plot is fast-paced, and the characters are real and likable.
~Jane Reads

Right out of high school I was one of those carnies and ride operators. There were descriptions in this book that put me right back in the festival atmosphere, down to the tastes and smells.
~Laura’s Interests

…an exciting, fast-paced, mystery that had me racing through the pages.
~Mallory Heart Reviews

Living in a small southern town myself, the depictions of small town life, such as how quickly word spreads, and how connected the characters are, rings true and makes for many fun encounters and conversations.
~fuonlyknew

I absolutely LOVE this book, and look forward to reading more in the series.
~Book Babble

Annette Drake squeezes one heck of mystery into 100 pages.
~Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book

Death Goes to the County Fair by Annette Drake is a promising start to a fun cozy series. The characters (including the town of Ogallala) are unique and colorful.
~Brooke Blogs

Death Goes to the County Fair
(An Ogallala Mystery)
New Series
Print Length: 100 pages
Publisher: Baskethound Books (October 15, 2015)
ASIN: B014I7MH56

Thank you so much for author Annette Drake for sharing her thought with us today.

Guest Post

When I wrote my cozy mystery, Death Goes to the County Fair, I wanted the setting to be a crucial element of the story. For me, that meant paying homage to my favorite place on earth – the Iowa State Fair.

I grew up in a small town in northeast Missouri. The only vacation my family ever took was a three-day visit to the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. For me, there could be no better vacation. My brother and I even started a club to plan and fundraise for the event: the Iowa State Fair Fan Club.

As an adult, I made my home in Washington state. Attending the fair was not often possible. So, I embellished memories of days spent at the fair to my children. My youngest son would stall for bedtime by saying to me, “Mama, tell me about Iowa.”

Death Goes to the County Fair opened at the Love Moat, a carnival attraction in which fairgoers ride wooden boats around an enclosed water track. Anyone who has attended the Iowa State Fair will know this ride by its true name: Ye Olde Mill. It’s one of the most-loved rides at the fair.

Another key scene of the book – what I consider to be a vital clue in solving the mystery – occurred at a large clock tower. Yep. You guessed it. I borrowed this from the fair too.

There are no other specific locales from the Iowa State Fair in my book. But throughout, I wove my memories into the story: smoke from the BBQ grills at the pork producers’ tent rose like incense to the heavens; lemonade vendors hawked their cold, wet wares; 4-H members paraded their highly coiffed cows from the cattle barn to the show arena. All of these little details were meant to transport readers to the fair of my childhood.

Synopsis

Joni Harte knew her first job out of college would be tough, but she didn’t expect it to be murder.

With the ink mostly dry on her journalism degree, Joni accepts the position of news reporter and photographer for The Ogallala Gazette. She’s tasked with chronicling all of the goings-on of the quirky characters who inhabit this small Missouri town.

While investigating the identity of the first murder victim, Joni makes an enemy of the local sheriff. Worse, she catches the attention of a violent stalker who promises to cure Joni of her curiosity.

As the Ogallala County Fair comes to an end, Joni must uncover the truth before she comes to hers.

About The Author

Annette Drake is a multi-genre author whose work is character-driven and celebrates the law of unintended consequences.
Death Goes to the County Fair kicks off the premier of her cozy-mystery series set in Ogallala, Missouri. The book premiered on October 15th.
Her romance titles include A Beautiful Day in Alaska, A Year with Geno, and Celebration House.
Annette’s middle-grade novel, Bone Girl, was published in March of 2014 by Baskethound Books and is available in ebook, print and audiobook.
Annette makes her home in Washington State. A member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, she loves ferry rides, basset hounds and bakeries. She does not camp. If she can help it.
Author Links
http://annettedrake.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AnnetteDrakeBooks?ref=hl
https://twitter.com/annettedrake13
Purchase Link
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Death-Goes-County-Ogallala-Mystery-ebook/dp/B014I7MH56/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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