A Vintage End
by D'Arcy Kavanagh
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date Mar 08 2022 | Archive Date Feb 22 2022
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Description
A series of bicycle races honoring the sport’s history turns into a deadly puzzle for ex-pro cyclist and blogger/columnist Paul Burke.
It’s another beautiful day on the French Riviera until Paul Burke and a group of bicyclists participating in a vintage bike race come across a disturbing scene: two skeletons dressed in Nazi memorabilia linking major race sponsor Bosco Yablonski to one of the worst periods in history.
Although the authorities dismiss it as a hoax aimed at discrediting the sponsor, Burke isn't convinced. As he continues to cover vintage races for his newspaper, more bizarre incidents occur. And when two bodies turn up, Paul knows serious threats to Yablonski and the cyclists loom in upcoming events. But who would want to harm the race or its sponsor?
Paul soon finds himself involved in a mystery with deadly consequences as the vintage bike race escalates into a national news story.
A Note From the Publisher
Marketing Plan
—Advance reading copies, including NetGalley and LibraryThing
—Publicity outreach for reviews, roundups, and feature coverage
—Blog tour and ongoing blogger outreach
—Email marketing to libraries & bookstores
—Social media campaign including bonus content and shareable images
—Online advertising and marketing
Key Selling Points
—After forty years as a journalist and journalism instructor, D’Arcy decided it was time to put his writing skills to work in a fictional way. His experience as a crime reporter for newspapers and magazines involved unusual cases, and he enjoys creating these in the stories he writes.
—As a long-time travel guide who has traveled all over the world, D’Arcy has been bicycle touring for decades. These up-close and personal details give readers the sights, sounds and even smells of the communities and regions he writes about.
—Readers love cozy mysteries! The second book in the Paul Burke mystery series will appeal to fans of travel, bicycling, foodies, wine, and beer afficionados as well as those who enjoy the Inspector Bruno series by Martin Walker, the Verlaque and Bonnet Series by M.L. Longworth, and the Travis McGee series by John D. MacDonald.
Available Editions
EDITION | Hardcover |
ISBN | 9781643972862 |
PRICE | $28.00 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Having not read the first book in the Paul Burke series, I wondered how I would fare. The answer is very well. Kavanagh provides enough backstory to prevent readers from being confused and just enough to make most of them want to go back to read that first book, The Bastard Is Dead.
The plot is a familiar one, especially if you're a fan of Martin Walker's Bruno Chief of Police mysteries. Memories are long in France, and any whiff of Nazism is taken very seriously. This is why the accusations of wartime profiteering against millionaire cycling enthusiast Bosco Yablonski are so serious.
The mystery is a nice, convoluted one, and French Canadian Paul Burke is an eagle-eyed former professional cyclist who doesn't miss a trick, so much so that the local police grudgingly pay attention to him after checking in with the officer he worked with in the first book. He's got a nice life in a perfect little village in the French Riviera. A girlfriend in the restaurant business. A Jack Russell terrier named Plato. And a job as a blogger for a newspaper consortium and a weekly gig on a television sports program. I became rather envious of this man's lifestyle while at the same time thinking he was a bit too good at putting random pieces of information together.
Although I enjoyed letting my mind work on the solution to the mystery, and I did like Burke as the main character, I have to admit that I enjoyed the cycling lore and the bicycling through the small French villages the most. I could picture the vistas spread out before me and feel the wind in my hair. Spoiled by all the food in Martin Walker's mysteries, I almost wish there were more gastronomic delights in A Vintage End, but that's not being fair to this charming tale.
This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by BHC Press and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
The second in a fun cozy mystery series. If this is your genre, pick it up!
This is the second book I read in this series and it was as entertaining as the first one.
Well plotted, fleshed out and likeable characters, a solid mystery that kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine