Copper Waters – A New Zealand Mystery Series By Marlene Bell – Stolen Obsession – Book Tour, Guest Post & Giveaway! {Ends 3/3/23}

Review By LAWonder10:

Annalisse loved her job but her boss’s brother-in-law was a major irritation and her boss was slightly intense. They were enjoying an evening of the gallery opening of a client when she noticed some unsettling anomalies culminating in a tragedy. Annalisse believed this tragedy was related to a curse attached to an antique necklace. One she believed led to the death of her best friend. 

Alec was the gorgeous playboy son of the gallery owner. Although he was truly interested in Annalisse, she couldn’t allow herself to believe someone so attractive, rich, and sought-after could be seriously interested in her. She kept avoiding his flirtations but found in him someone she could confide her fears to and obtain his help in keeping the necklace from doing more harm.

As the police and FBI get involved, Annalisse did not know who she could trust. Could she even trust Alec?

As various situations arose, Alec and his mother, convince her to flee to a relaxing time on their yacht in Greece. Relaxation was far from what she received.

This fast-paced novel keeps the reader/listener on his/her seat’s edge. One adventure and mystery leads to another. The endearing relationship between Alec and Annalisse evolves resulting in a climactic ending. It contains a strong ending and at the same time an intriguing intro to the next book of the series.

The characters are very realistic and the scenes are easy to feel a part of. It has some in-depth moments which aroused various emotions in the reader/listener. 

I listened to the audiobook. Narrator/performer Katina Kalin, did an excellent job in maintaining vocal fluxations and accents. Her performance was very believable.

*There are a few words of profanity and an explicit sex scene ad other sexual implications. I would have preferred to be eliminated.

The literary accomplishment earns a Five Stars rating.

This audiobook was gifted me with no pressure to post a positive review. This is my honest review.

Other Books in the Series:

What is my next writing project?

I’m currently outlining my next novel. Surprise! This book isn’t the next one in the queue for the award-winning Annalisse series. On the contrary, while I let the fifth Annalisse and Alec installment simmer in my mind, I’m writing a standalone story with a collection of new characters who live in the South.

We go to East Texas in my next novel, circa 2010. A favorite place of mine since the Piney Woods are my home! The location enables me to pull visuals and intricate details that include tall tree sunsets, wooded ponds, and Texas area history to spice up the backstory. My physical research books are growing even though I’m familiar with this section of Texas. I like digging into my new releases through settings from expert photographers and real facts—not those found on the Internet. Some of the “facts” presented on some search engines are nothing more than a
compilation of information from others who might or might not be experts on the subject.

There’s nothing worse than readers who fact-check in a review when bonified research sources were skimmed or skipped in haste.

At present, the new novel is a suspense mystery involving neighbors and past acquaintances. I might include a crime of passion or a crime of circumstance if the story needs this element. By the time the first draft is finished, I’ll know more with a developmental edit.

My elderly character, Hattie, has a challenging life history to portray as a WWII woman pilot keeping with the vocabulary of that era in her dialog. She’s a cursive letter-writer like me, and as you might imagine, Hattie’s set in her ways living well into her nineties. She isn’t the main character, but a colorful individual who gets things started with a figurative bang.

The book’s title is a work in progress, so I’m keeping ideas close to my chest. I’ll wait until the novel is written to be sure the original title theme fits the final draft. My developmental editor/agent knows if a title suits the narrative or she suggests another.

I’ll leave you with this much: The new protagonist is a single woman trained as a pastry chef and she’s part of a vintner’s family. Her last occupation includes working as a personal chef for a celebrity in Beverly Hills. She returns to Texas to be by her father’s side as moral support for the loss of her mother, Celeste. It gets wild from there.

You’ll have to wait until 2023 for the details!