This Way to Murder by Shelley Shearer is the first audiobook in the Board Game Cafe Mysteries series. Narrated by Nicole Fikes, we meet Remi McKenna & her best friend Trace Cooper as things go terribly wrong during a letterboxing event. Come see why I enjoyed this cozy mystery!

This Way to Murder
by Shelley Shearer
Series: Board Game Cafe Mysteries #1
Narrator: Nicole Fikes
Length: 5 hours and 29 minutes
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Source: Author
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate

Rating:

Remi McKenna is co-hosting a letterboxing event, but her weekend plans are not all fun and games when best friend Trace Cooper is the target of a stalker. An inheritance of a stone manor house means she hopes this will be the start of her new life in Northern Virginia. Can Remi juggle the event, start planning her game-themed BnB, and solve the mystery of Trace’s strange messages? Things escalate into a real-life game of Clue when Remi finds a dead body in the garden.

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I love board games and was intrigued by the idea of Remi turning an old manor she inherited into an inn that hosted board game events. Remi and her best friend, Trace, have made their way to the woods of Northern Virginia to see what’s inside and in need of repair. Remi is also co-hosting a letterbox event with her neighbors when things turn deadly. Trace is getting strange messages and things soon turn to murder. Can Remi solve the murders? Is she a suspect with the local police?

This was fun and I learned a little about letterboxing, something I think I’d enjoy. I liked Remi and her plans for the B&B, which set the series up for future mysteries. The murders and Remi’s murder board kept me guessing. The danger slowly built until the murderer exposes themselves.

The neighbors, locals, letterbox enthusiasts and alien hunters gave us plenty of suspects, including Remi’s ex-boyfriend, who shows up unexpectedly. Who can Remi trust?

Fans of cozy mysteries will delight in this game of clue. Nicole Fikes narrates the audiobook and is new to me. She did a delightful job of capturing the characters and tone of the story. I highly recommend listening.

Amazon* | Audible

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2024 Audiobook Challenge

Source

Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2024/06/this-way-to-murder-by-shelley-shearer.html

Your Multimillion-Dollar Exit, by Wayne M. Zell, is an invaluable resource for anyone contemplating a successful business exit. Zell addresses critical questions such as: Who will run your business if health issues or a tragic accident prevent you from doing so? How will you replace the income lost from the business when you are no longer in charge? If these concerns resonate with you, this book provides the answers you need.

Zell underscores the importance of beginning exit planning at the inception of your business rather than postponing it until later stages. Regardless of where you currently stand, the book offers insights on structuring an ideal business succession plan, selecting the right exit strategy, and preparing for the years following your exit. Packed with practical exercises and introspective questions, this book allows readers to personalize and apply the knowledge they gain.

Zell’s thorough and meticulous approach offers clear, actionable advice. For instance, he emphasizes the importance of implementing “ironclad NDAs to prevent potential buyers from stealing your secrets, employees, and customers.” Additionally, readers benefit from QR codes that link to interviews, chapter summaries, a comprehensive glossary of key terms, and concise charts. A notable mention is Chris Long, a former NFL and University of Virginia football star, who founded a charity that funds well-building projects in East African communities.

Zell’s Your Multimillion-Dollar Exit is essential reading for all business owners. It serves not only as a guide for planning a business exit but also as a strategic manual for avoiding common business pitfalls and ensuring a positive legacy for your loved ones. This no-nonsense, high-value book is a must-read for any entrepreneur. Each time you delve into its resourceful pages, you will uncover something beneficial for your business.

Pages: 367 | ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C2F2R753

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/06/21/your-multimillion-dollar-exit-the-entrepreneurs-business-succession-planner-a-blueprint-for-wealth-guide/

WINX for Employees, by Irma Parone, is an insightful guide that empowers readers to make strategic choices leading to exponential success in their professional lives. Parone presents an 8-step framework called WINX (Win Exponentially), grounded in her personal experiences and extensive research. This framework helps readers thoroughly examine workplace challenges and develop effective systems for finding solutions. The book differentiates between a problem-solving mindset and mere complaining, teaches how to analyze risks and uncertainties, and underscores the importance of becoming invaluable in the workplace.

This well-structured book provides stress-free access to its resources, enabling readers to seamlessly incorporate its lessons into their daily routines. Parone’s framework is conveyed through straightforward action steps that instantly capture interest and curiosity. With clear titles like “Evaluate Alternatives” and “Craft Your Problem Statement,” the table of contents alone gives a solid overview of what each chapter and step entails.

I found Parone’s book highly resonant. Her insightful deductions and well-researched information, such as the emphasis on fostering diverse thinking and collaboration to spur innovative problem-solving in organizations, are particularly impactful. The book’s communicative style, enriched with stories and explanations, delivers profound insights in a clear and engaging manner. Readers will appreciate the book’s consistent focus. Parone stays true to her main theme, providing continuous insights into workplace dynamics without straying from the core subject. The discussions revolve around various aspects of the work environment, including employees, customers, teams, leadership, and goals, ensuring relevance to any professional setting.

WINX for Employees is an invaluable resource for both employers and employees across all industries. It equips readers with practical tools for solving problems and achieving professional success. Parone’s book serves as a smart guide to strategic thinking, helping individuals become their most competent selves at work and in life. Don’t miss out on this straightforward, research-backed, and transformative guide by Irma Parone.

Pages: 92 | ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D3WR3RC1

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/06/21/winx-for-employees-the-problem-solving-model-to-unlock-workplace-success-the-winx-descision-making-series/

Those hoops, that belt, those glasses, that scarf perfectly accessorize the outfit of the day, but wait … there is no perfect accessory to outfit life.

Our wounds from abuse and trauma are the accessories we can’t take or pull off because they’re a part of us. Building walls, wearing masks, hiding deep despair in that quick mirror check, even from ourselves. Sound familiar? Well, I’m done hiding. I’m healing.

And the process? It doesn’t always look like what I expect.

This isn’t my struggle alone; trauma binds us together. Many among us face similar barriers and obstacles. I can’t tell my story honestly without telling the story of my mama and the irremovable accessories she passed down to me. If my transparency about how I’m finding healing can help someone else, all the better.

This is our story …

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/06/21/the-accessories-we-wear/

Doctor Lucifer follows a proficient but cynical internist who becomes the target of a hacker who is killing his patients by altering their medical records. What was the initial idea behind this story, and how did that transform as you were writing the novel?

As someone who had gone through medical school and the first year of residency before calling it quits, I had seen the various ways that medical records in clinics and hospitals were maintained. Some still primarily used paper charts, another had all-electronic medical records, and others were in between. During the time I began brainstorming my own medical thriller stories after reading several by Robin Cook, I thought about cybersecurity breaches and whether they could directly impact healthcare, where a hacker could change a medication dose or something else in a medical record and ultimately leave a patient suffering or dying from a deliberately placed medical error. I proceeded to think of different ways that a manufactured error in an electronic medical record could harm or kill a patient. Then it was just a matter of placing them in the most appropriate places on the story’s fictional timeline. At first, I had spread them evenly out, but then I knew I had to turn up the stakes. That’s when I decided to shove the first three medical disasters into the beginning, making them occur nearly at the same time.

How did you come up with the idea for the antagonist in this story, and how did it change as you wrote?

I had so much fun figuring out how the computer hacker could sabotage medical records that I never thought about the villain’s identity at first. Once I finished the part of the story where the doctor protagonist has to survive in the hospital, I spent time brainstorming who the villain would be and what the motives are. Without giving anything away, I came up with all of this after thinking about another issue with the medical profession that I felt strongly about. It led me to devise an origin story for the antagonist that, if explained clearly, could ultimately be connected back to the computer hacker plot. It was like taking two pieces of metal and welding them together with a blowtorch, making sure that they connected smoothly and solidly.

I find that while writing, you sometimes ask questions and have the characters answer them. Do you find that to be true? What questions did you ask yourself while writing this story?

Many authors like to talk to their created characters like they’re real-life people in front of them, which can be fun. For me, however, the character of Mark Lin is really a version of myself, specifically me from many years ago during my darkest and most frustrating moments in medical training. I don’t find myself talking to Mark Lin as a separate imaginary person.

While writing my novel, the questions I asked were really addressed to myself. For example, I asked why Mark Lin is such a cynical and angry physician. The answer is simple: I discovered how hard it really is to be a doctor, unlike what the general public might assume, so I naturally felt the need to show everyone outside healthcare what the job is really like and how intense it can get sometimes. Another major question I asked was whether Mark Lin has the potential to grow. The answer was a definite yes because I myself opened my mind and learned things in my adult life. Surely, Mark can, too.

Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Dr. Mark Lin and the direction of the second book?

My series of medical thrillers featuring Dr. Mark Lin are all about the intersection of the world of medicine and society at large. There is a two-way relationship between medicine and society. Medicine heals people and gives them a second chance at life in society, whereas the things that happen in society determine what kinds of conditions the world of medicine treats. For example, a hospital located in a high-crime area of the city is likely to treat victims of gunshots and stabbings, and a clinic in a poor area of a city is more likely to see preventable conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure. In this context, I imagine schemes by various bad actors in society whose impacts amount to a looming public health crisis spilling into healthcare, and Dr. Mark Lin, a doctor who is also disgusted with humanity, tackles the problem both inside the hospital as a doctor and outside the hospital as a tough amateur sleuth. On the way, he may learn lessons that help him become more of a compassionate human being.

Normally, I try to avoid previewing future books before their manuscripts are finished, just to maximize the anticipation before eventual publication. But if anyone asks, I can gladly share select details. My second book will be about the intersection of healthcare and cults. Specifically, Mark faces the consequences of a secretive healing cult that is spreading medical disinformation. Besides treating patients who suffer from the cult’s dangerous practices, Mark goes undercover as a member of that cult, to find out if this group had indeed radicalized someone into murdering multiple people at a clinic, including a patient of his.

Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/06/21/medical-thrillers/

Peter’s Trip to the Dentist follows a six-year-old boy who visits the dentist for the first time and learns all about dental hygiene in a fun and engaging environment. What was the inspiration for your story?

The inspiration for Peter’s Trip to the Dentist was having had the opportunity to work in a pediatric dental setting, which provides a kid-friendly environment suited to meet the dental needs of children. The children were always so happy to come in for the routine check-up and cleaning with the two real-life dental characters featured in my book. The dentist and staff are trained to work with children, fostering a foundation for dental health with early detection, oral care lessons, and nutritional counseling. I wanted to share a positive experience with young readers, alleviate any anxiety, and help prepare children for their dental visits.

What educational aspects were important for you to include in this children’s book?

The important educational aspects of this book include a step-by-step guide dictating to children what they should expect for their routine dental visits. It was also important to encourage healthy eating and drinking habits, as well as caring for one’s teeth with brushing and flossing.

What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?

My goal was to make this children’s dental book a fun read and to reach many young readers in an exciting way by introducing the world of dentistry to them.

I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?

Readers can continue to read more fun books about pediatric dentistry, such as Charlotte Gets Braces, and Mimi Gets a Tooth Filling, both of which share a unique story and step-by-step guide for both procedures, with colorful illustrations and characters that bring the story to life through each of their journeys.

Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Amazon

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/06/21/routine-dental-visits/