I’m delighted to introduce a new mystery by
my friend and bestselling author, Scott Bury! Scott's talent and creativity spans genres
and generations - from books for kids to a memoir in novel form about his father-in-law's experiences in World World II. His latest novel is WILDFIRE: A Wine Country Mystery.
Wildfires swept across California wine country in 2017, destroying thousands of homes and businesses, and killing dozens of people. Law school grad and single mother Tara Rezeck finds herself in the middle of the catastrophe. When she returns to her job at the most award-winning vineyard in Sonoma County, she finds her employer’s body in the ashes.
The question that challenges her brains and her legal training is: was it an accident? Or was his body burned to hide evidence of murder?
Check out the excerpt below to whet your appetite!
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WILDFIRE: Harassment
Mid-afternoon is typically a lull in a restaurant’s daily activities. The lunchtime crowd has left, and everything that can be prepared ahead of time for the supper crowd is complete.
Greg and Miguel stepped outside to smoke. Alex carried her book out to read in the foyer. From the kitchen window, Tara saw Antonio’s car driving out of the parking lot.
She jumped when a hand reached around her to place a tall stem glass on the counter. She turned to see Chef Donald almost nose-to-nose. She leaned back, and he lunged closer, picking up the glass before she knocked it over. He smiled and put the glass in her hand. He held another in his other hand. “Take it easy, there. It would be a shame to spill wine this good.”
“You startled me.”
“I didn’t mean to. I just thought you deserved a little glass of wine for your hard work today.”
What is this about? The chef who berates and belittles the rest of the staff is praising me?
“The sauce is especially good—almost as though I made it, myself,” he continued. He smiled even more. “Talented, and gorgeous, to boot. This is a trend that I hope Alan continues. Drink up.” He drank half his wine.
“Uh, is it ... I mean, are staff allowed to—”
“I run this kitchen. Staff do whatever I say.”
“Oh. Oooh—kay.”
Donald put his hand on the counter, bringing his face even closer to Tara’s. “Whatever I say.” His hand came up to her face then, to move a stray lock of hair away from her eyes. His touch was light and so gentle.
Now I know what this is about. She squirmed away from the trap between Donald and the counter. “Good to know. I have to do something on my break. Thanks for the wine.” She strode out the back door and forced herself not to walk too quickly to the guest house.
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WILDFIRE releases on March 22, and is available for pre-order on on Amazon (for Kindle e-readers) and Smashwords (for Kobo, Nook and other e-readers). You can read the first two chapters for free on Wattpad now!
Be sure to check out all of Scott's work on Amazon.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After a 30-year career as a journalist and editor, Scott Bury turned to writing fiction with a children’s story, SAM, THE STRAWB PART, and a story that bridged the genres of paranormal occult fiction and espionage thriller: DARK CLOUDS. Since then, he has published 12 novels and novellas without regard to staying in any one genre.
In 2012, he published his first novel, the historical magic realism bestseller THE BONES OF THE EARTH. His next book, ONE SHADE OF RED, was a satire of a bestseller with a similar title.
From 2014 to 2017, he published the Eastern Front Trilogy, the true story of a Canadian drafted into the Soviet Red Army in 1941, and how he survived the Second World War: ARMY OF WORN SOLES, UNDER THE NAZI HEEL and WALKING OUT OF WAR.
Scott was invited to write for three Kindle Worlds, where authors base novellas on the fictional worlds of bestselling series. For Toby Neal’s Lei Crime Kindle World, he wrote TORN ROOTS, PALM TREES & SNOWFLAKES, DEAD MAN LYING and ECHOES.
For Russell Blake’s Jet Kindle World, he contributed JET: STEALTH, featuring the explosive duo of Van and LeBrun.
And for Emily Kimelman’s Sydney Rye Kindle World, he brought Van and LeBrun back for THE WIFE LINE and THE THREE-WAY.
Now, he is beginning a new mystery series with WILDFIRE, featuring the smart and passionate Tara Rezeck. Learn more about Scott and his writing on his website, ScottBuryAuthor.com.
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