About the Book
Book: Lacey’s Star: A Lady Pilot-in-Command Novel
Author: Kay DiBianca
Genre: Christian Mystery and Romance
Release Date: October 23, 2023
Private pilot Cassie Deakin lands in the middle of an unwanted adventure when she discovers her beloved Uncle Charlie has been attacked and seriously injured by thieves.
But Cassie has a problem. She doesn’t know who she can trust. Still, she’s determined to solve the mystery behind the assault on her uncle, so she reluctantly agrees to team up with Deputy Frank White, a man she definitely does not trust, to find the culprits.
But as Cassie and Frank peel back the layers of one mystery, they uncover a deeper and more sinister crime: the murder of an eight-year-old girl decades earlier. Armed with only a single, cryptic clue to the death of young Lacey Alderson, Cassie makes a crucial discovery that lands her in the crosshairs of a murderer.
Click here to get your copy!
My Thoughts:
What could be worse than having to fly the handsome deputy who stood you up, to your uncle's farm? Finding your uncle in a life-threatening situation would be worse. That is what private pilot Cassie Deakin walks on to when she takes deputy Frank White to a meeting with her uncle. The crime scene is a mess with not only a dead body but her uncle fighting for his life, and there are no ready or obvious answers.
We get to get inside Cassie's head as she and Frank and others work to uncover what exactly went down and why. And as they dig deeper into this mystery, a decades' older mystery is uncovered begging for answers as well.
This was a suspenseful mystery with plenty of tension, both romantic and dangerous, as sometimes Cassie just wasn't picking up the hints. Frank just wants to protect her, but he is also a little relationship fearful as well. The secondary characters were fun and quirky and really livened up this story. The two big dilemmas; will the truth finally come out and will Frank and Cassie every make it to their first date? I enjoyed this story and am happy dancing since it is the beginning of a new series.
I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.
About the Author
In addition to her latest book, Lacey’s Star, Kay has three published novels in The Watch Mystery Series: The Watch on the Fencepost, Dead Man’s Watch, and Time After Tyme. Her published short stories include Lady Pilot-in-Command, The Clutter Busters, and The Money Tree.
Kay is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, Sisters in Crime, and the Collierville Christian Writers Group. She is an instrument-rated pilot and a regular contributor to the Kill Zone Blog. An avid runner, she can often be found at a nearby track, on the treadmill, or at a large park near her home
Kay and her husband, Frank, live, run, and write in Memphis, Tennessee.
Enjoy an Excerpt!
I do not like handsome men. Not that I have much experience with them, but in my opinion, they’re self-absorbed and untrustworthy. Like the one sitting in the passenger seat of my Cessna 172 while I did the run-up prior to takeoff. Frank White.
Frank and I have shared only two experiences in the short time we’ve known each other. In the first one, I saved his life. In the second, he invited me to dinner and stood me up.
Now I’m not generally a person to hold a grudge, but being stood up is on my short list of unforgivable sins. So, when the company I worked for informed me I had to fly Frank to a meeting at my uncle’s farm a couple of hundred miles away, I turned my face into stone and took the assignment.
If Frank noticed my icy silence as I did the pre-flight check, he didn’t let on. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the little smirk on his face while he scrolled on his phone, his dark hair hanging down on his forehead. He needed a haircut.
The Newton Airport tower called down. “Cessna Three One Four Bravo Charlie, you’re cleared for takeoff on runway three-six.” After a brief pause, he added, “Have a nice flight, Cassie.”
Frank adjusted his headset when he heard the call from the tower and winked at me. I gave him a look I reserve only for the lowest forms of human life and focused my attention back on the flight panel.
“Roger that,” I said and repeated the instructions back to the air traffic controller. Then I added power and maneuvered Scout onto the end of the runway. Scout is the name I use for the little blue and white Cessna that was my father’s pride and joy. He taught me how to fly when I was a young girl, and he left the plane to me when he died.
My frustration evaporated as my aircraft responded to full power and accelerated down the runway. When we reached sixty knots, I gently pulled back the yoke, the nose lifted, and in one breathless moment, we were free from the earth.
This was a feeling I could never get enough of—the thrill of release as I watched the ground drop away. We climbed over the end of the runway, and meadows of goldenrod waved goodbye as we soared into blue heaven.
Blog Stop
Book
Reviews From an Avid reader, February 6
Pause for
Tales, February 7
Gina Holder,
Author and Blogger, February 8 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s
Dusty Deliberations, February 8
Betti Mace,
February 9
Locks, Hooks
and Books, February 10
Truth and Grace
Homeschool Academy, February 11
Texas Book-aholic,
February 12
An
Author’s Take, February 13
Happily
Managing a Household of Boys, February 14
Life on
Chickadee Lane, February 15
Blogging With
Carol, February 16
For Him and My
Family, February 17
A Modern Day Fairy
Tale, February 18 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake,
February 18
Lily’s Corner,
February 19
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Kay is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and an eBook copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/2a0c6/lacey-s-star-celebration-tour-giveaway
This looks like a fantastic novel. Thanks for hosting this giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reviewing "Lacey's Star." I'm delighted that you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Lacey's Star! I liked Cassie a lot, great character, great book!
ReplyDeleteWhat's your view on self-publishing versus traditional publishing?
ReplyDeleteTracie, if that question is for me, I would say there are plusses and minuses to each. My first novel was traditionally published, but my husband and I decided to self-pub my follow-up books. It's a highly personal decision, so I recommend that authors do their homework before making the decision one way or the other.
DeleteThank you for sharing the excerpt. It's a great introduction to Cassie.
ReplyDelete