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MURDER OUTSIDE THE LINES, the third book in the Pen & Ink Mysteries by Krista Davis, is a hauntingly great story that provides just the right amount of shivers to put me in the mood for Halloween! A spooky ambiance via decorations is created, not only in Color Me Read, the bookstore where protagonist Florrie Fox works, but around the neighborhood as well. The author’s descriptive voice brings the ghosts, ghouls, skeletons, and witches to life as neighbors try to outdo each other in creating creepy tableaus. Adding to the spirit of the holiday, Ms. Davis weaves in an element of ghost stories and the paranormal into the mystery. Florrie Fox is a delightful character. She’s inquisitive yet is unobtrusive in her quest for finding answers. Her cheery helpfulness endears her to friends and customers alike. Surrounding her are a cast of entertaining and downright quirky characters. How about a mysterious skull, named Harry, that seems to move about on his own when no one is around? Or Hilda Rattenhorst, a psychic author, who “sees” a foot sticking out of a carpet on her way to the bookstore? These, and many more, make the story a page turner.
Hilda’s insistence that a murder has taken place, leads Florrie on a search to find out if Hilda is merely trying to create publicity for herself, or if in fact, a crime was actually committed. Twists, turns, and shivers abound as the clues unfold. The plot is well-paced and when the body(s) turn up, Florrie delves into who could have done the dastardly deed. With the victims well-known to Florrie and her friends, it seems like the killer might be someone they know. This opens up a list of suspects for Florrie to weed through and readers will be kept on their toes as they follow the clues. With a heart stopping reveal, the spider webs of the plot come together to create a story that’s perfect for a frighteningly good Halloween read!
One of the things you can count on when reading a book penned by Krista Davis is that there will be mouthwatering mentions of food and delightful recipes at the back of the book. Ms. Davis doesn’t disappoint and has included several autumn-themed recipes in Murder Outside the Lines. I decided to try her recipe for Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. First off, I’ll be making a double batch next time and serve some, sans frosting, as muffins for breakfast. With the addition of the cream cheese frosting, these had my taste testers swooning over the delectable little cakes. Rich and moist, the warm flavors hit the mark for bringing to mind chilly fall days and looking forward to jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treaters. Whether you serve these for breakfast, as a snack, or as dessert, your ghosts and ghouls will gobble up every single crumb!
Amazon Synopsis
With Halloween just around the corner, the fall colors in Georgetown are brilliant. As manager of the Color Me Read bookstore, coloring book creator Florrie Fox has arranged for psychic author Hilda Rattenhorst to read from Spooktacular Ghost Stories. But the celebrity medium arrives for the event in hysterics, insisting she just saw a bare foot sticking out of a rolled-up carpet in a nearby alley. Is someone trying to sweep murder under the rug? Florrie calls in her policeman beau, Sergeant Eric Jonquille, but the carpet corpse has disappeared without a trace. Then in the middle of her reading, Hilda chillingly declares that she feels the killer’s presence in the store. Is this a publicity stunt or a genuine psychic episode? It seems there’s no happy medium. When a local bibliophile is soon discovered missing, a strange mystery begins to unroll. Now it’s up to Florrie and Jonquille to expose a killer’s true colors . . .
A special thanks to Krista Davis for providing one lucky winner with a print copy of MURDER OUTSIDE THE LINES. Giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends Sunday, October 17, 2021 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)
Makes 12 regular-size cupcakes
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon pink sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch of cloves
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup mashed pumpkin
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 cups powdered sugar (more if needed)
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Place cupcake liners in wells of cupcake pan.
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Crack the eggs into the bowl of a mixer. Add sugar and dark brown sugar. Beat on slow for several minutes, until thick.
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In the meantime, place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a bowl and stir well with a fork to combine.
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While the mixer is running, slowly add the oil. When it is incorporated, on low speed, slowly spoon in the flour mixture. Add the pumpkin and vanilla and mix to combine.
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Divide among the cupcake liners, filling each cup three-quarters full.
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Bake 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Test two cupcakes to be sure they are done. The cupcake papers should be pulling away from the pan.
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Completely cool the cupcakes on a wire rack before frosting.
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Place the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla in a mixer and set on high speed.
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Lower the speed and gradually add the powdered sugar. Return to high setting and beat for 10 minutes. (You can beat it for a shorter time, but it's creamier if you let it beat longer.)
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Frost completely cooled cupcakes. Refrigerate any leftovers.
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I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I can remember when I was a child my mother would sit with me and color along side of me. I find it’s still something
I enjoy and find relaxing to do. A friend of mine who had a stroke has used coloring as a form of therapy to rebuild
the use in her hand. I guess we can never out grow our love of coloring.
I used to love to color. I haven’t done it in years. I have bought adult coloring books but have never started coloring yet.
I’ve always enjoyed coloring and still do as an adult.
I haven’t really used adult coloring books. I should try them. Thanks for the giveaway!
I loved to color when I was a kid but haven’t done it for years. But the adult coloring book look fun and a great way to relax.
I just LOVE adult coloring books! I color to relieve stress and help control my anxiety, too!
I do not use adult coloring books. I would rather be reading!
Love this recipe! I am drooling just seeing the yummy photos. And I can’t wait to read “Murder Outside the Lines”!
“Do you enjoy using adult coloring books?”
I think I would enjoy it very much, but I am afraid I have not actively pursued this. I really should look into this!
I love adult coloring books! When I am feeling anxious or stressed, they are a great way to calm down. There is something so therapeutic about coloring. It forces you to focus on what you are doing. And I love seeing the finished picture!
I love the cover of the book! That is such a great idea….a cozy to color! Sounds like a very interesting and great read! Thanks for the recipe too! Pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese……YUM!!!
Yes I love coloring especially with new crayons.
Love all of Krista’s books. As a lover of cozies it’s always great to find one with a different setting and premise; thus, I’m really enjoying this series.
And I do enjoy adult coloring books.
I love coloring!! I find it very relaxing and it’s a great way to lower stress!
Yes love to color it helps my fingers move as they are curled up from a nerve disease. I also love pumpkin cupcakes and can’t wait to make this.
I like the idea of adult coloring books, but can’t get the focus to do them.
The pumpkin cupcakes look good and moist. I am going to try the recipe. Thanks for the giveaway.
Thanks for a chance to win. Love this series! And the recipe always looks good, yum!
I do like coloring books, they focus me in a new directions! Thanks for a chance!
The pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese icing look delicious. I loved to color as a child.Recently, a friend gave me a coloring book and said how relaxing she found it.I was skeptical but I loved it and still love to color.
I love adult coloring books.
I enjoy coloring stamped images with my alcohol blends. It’s very satisfying to bring a black and white image to life with color!
A friend gave me a coloring book and said how relaxing she found it. I discovered that I still love to color as I did ass a child.The coloring books are a bit different, but very enjoyable.
Yes, I love Adult Coloring Books! The themes and varieties of subjects and artworks to color are amazing!
I have a few adult coloring books that I use from time to time. My favorite is cats. My husband does it too but he likes sexy female characters.
I love adult coloring books! They’re a great way to keep my hands and eyes busy while listening to an audiobook.
I last used adult coloring books when my daughter had a rough pregnancy and was having sleepless nights and lots of anxiety! They distracted her and it helped her to be more calm and kind of lull herself into a more restful phase!
I still have lots of them as I truly stocked up with books of all themes and collections.
We tried all different kinds of pens and loved the watercolor pens for specific types of pages!
Thank you ! Cynthia
I last used adult coloring books when my daughter had a rough pregnancy and was having sleepless nights and lots of anxiety! They distracted her and it helped her to be more calm and kind of lull herself into a more restful phase!
I still have lots of them as I truly stocked up with books of all themes and collections.
We tried all different kinds of pens and loved the watercolor pens for specific types of pages!
Thank you ! Cynthia
I love adult coloring books. Thank you for the recipe, and this chance.
Yes
I love to color and recently bought a coloring book but I haven’t started yet. thanks, Terry B.
I just bought a coloring book but haven’t started yet.
Thanks for chance, Terry B.
no i don’t.
I sure do!
Yes, I do use adult coloring books. I have several. My favorite are the grayscale. I have several vintage grayscale coloring books. I’m also in a coloring group where we all color the same picture each week using any medium of our choice. I enjoy coloring apps and have a couple that I can upload my own picture to color. Coloring is a nice way to relax and create at the same time. Thank you for the chance!
I have always enjoyed coloring so this would be perfect. Thank you. And those pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting sound fabulous.
I do like coloring
I do enjoy it – when I can. I find it relaxing and fun, but medical problems often makes it difficult to be able to sit where and how I need to in order to do it right where it is relaxing and not frustrating.
I find adult coloring books calming.
Yes! I have always enjoyed coloring!
When I was a kid, I loved to color. I like the idea of an adult coloring book but I don’t have the time or patience to try one. I’d rather read and I love Krista’s books!
First of all, thank you for the giveaway! As for coloring, I love to do it online. I can spend hours on so many different apps that allow me to use my imagination and just have fun!
I never have the time. But my grandmother spends hours coloring.
Will make these with my grandchildren.
No
I loved to color and still do. My father loved to color too.?
Good morning!
I have wonderful memories of my father coloring and I always have loved to color too.
I like adult coloring books and have a huge box of colored pencils to use on them. I just find it had to find the time to color. My spare time is spent reading.
I bought myself a mandala coloring book and didn’t really enjoy it but this one looks like something I would enjoy.
I am just now starting to get into adult coloring books. I think this series has made me want to color. I thoroughly enjoyed the first 2 books in the Pen & Ink Mysteries (and the recipes) and look forward to this one.
Love to color but haven’t for a long time
The cupcakes look and sound delish! Thanks for a chance to win.
Krista Davis’ books are wonderful! I have adult coloring books but sometimes they stress me out. I have no idea why. These cupcakes look amazing!
I’ve never tried an adult coloring book.
Yes, I love to color and have several adult coloring books. I can’t wait to try out this cupcake recipe because pumpkin is my favorite. Thank you for the chance!
I colored when I was a child. But never colored in an adult coloring book. Thank you for a chance.
I love adult coloring books, and so do my mother, daughter, and husband. Great for keeping my mom’s brain active, but great for destressing for the rest of us.
I love to color! Adult coloring books and kids too?
I love adult coloring books. Ans my little girl does too. Thank you for the chance.
Krista Davis is one of my favorite authors. I am going to have to make these cupcakes . They look really good. 🙂 Thank you for the chance to wint this book.
I prefer coloring in the kids coloring books best.
I love spending time coloring. My son was not a fan of coloring, and it showed with how his pages looked when he turned them into school. Once I bought him a coloring book that he enjoyed the contents he discovered that if he takes his time and makes it look nice, it isn’t just rewarding it is fun.
Love coloring, such a stress reliever, Thanks for your great generosity.
I haven’t colored in a long, long time.
I love to color!
Hopefully this is the Rafflecopter box. But if not, I enjoy the Color series by Krista Davis and the Diva series and the Pet ones. Believe I m up to date with each one, but if not I will be soon.
Yes, I love them! Very relaxing to color them.
I haven’t done any coloring in years but it sounds like fun.