About Burden of Poof
An amateur sleuth named Bonnie and her kitty companion Clyde, with names like those, what could possibly go wrong?
Life hasn't sparkled too brightly for Bonnie Balfour over the past few years, but a heart-breaking divorce has brought her back to her small rural hometown of Bliss, Georgia, and things are starting to shape up.
The proud new owner of Bless Her Heart—a second chance dress shop and boutique on the town square—Bonnie thinks thirty-eight might not be too late for a fresh start in life after all.
Until a grouchy old widow turns up dead in a pile of donations meant for Bonnie’s shop, and the town’s new detective pins her to the top of his suspect list!
To save her shop, dream and reputation, Bonnie must coordinate clues and stitch together the truth about her innocence, but the unreasonably handsome detective and prying eyes of the local gossip mill are fast fraying her nerves.
When a series of anonymous attacks begin to hem her in, Bonnie fears the real killer is fixing to make her his next victim. Can this amateur sleuth measure up?
Cozy Mystery Tropes Are the BEST Tropes
Did you know there was a word for the most popular themes and story elements used in a genre? The word is trope, and it’s often associated with romance, but it’s present in everything we read or watch in movies and on T.V.. We’re drawn to specific genres for different reasons, often associated with the most popular tropes and how those make us feel. We get extra excited when we discover new materials with those beloved situations or dynamics inside.
Personally, there’s nothing I love more than a well-constructed mystery, except maybe a well-constructed mystery with all my favorite story elements. Some popular tropes for romance readers might include a heroine with amnesia or a prince’s surprise baby, a story where enemies become lovers or a couple is unfortunately snowed-in with only one bed until help arrives. My cozy mystery reading preferences are significantly different, and wholly less dramatic, but it’s important to know what you like.
Writing my new Bonnie and Clyde Mysteries series was an absolute ton of fun for me, because I included all my most favorite tropes in every story. Beginning with BURDEN OF POOF, readers can expect a heaping helping of small town hijinks and deep south charm, two of my top-tier faves. There’s just something so indescribably freeing and hopeful about new beginnings, and new series are no different. I’ve done my very best to infuse these books with all the most cozy goodness.
Here’s a list of five things I promise you’ll find in each and every one of Bonnie and Clyde’s adventures:
A quirky and loveable small town community. From her parents, Bud & Blossom, and their wonderfully adorable flower farm, to What the Dickens bookstore, possibly haunted by folks who missed the light because they needed to finish their chapter, to an earthy, greenhouse owner who talks to the plants, Bliss, Georgia has all the most charming, engaging secondary characters a good cozy series needs and more.
An adorable and mischievous kitty companion, because every amateur sleuth needs someone to help plot their next move.
Food! What decent southern community isn’t going to show up with some spoonbread and a few casseroles when a neighbor’s being threatened by a killer?
A worthy hero for my heroine. Yeah, I know, I might lose a few readers here, but I am a romantic at heart, and when I can arrange for my heroine to meet the man who will become her person, help them build a friendship as strong as their attraction and establish something real on that foundation, I am HERE for it. Hopefully, you will be too.
Laughs! Mysteries are a ton of fun, but murder is decidedly not. Even if we smarties like the excitement of catching clues and solving a good puzzle, death is a tough topic. So, I apply plenty of humor to soften the heavy blows of grief and despair on the page. Thankfully, amateur sleuths make my job easy, because who among us wouldn’t bumble a bit while becoming a first-time self-taught murder investigator? I can guarantee you, I would be a complete mess.
If you enjoy a cozy mystery with these tropes and qualities, I hope you’ll give my new Bonnie and Clyde mysteries a try. BURDEN OF POOF is available now!
Thank you, again, for popping by this stop on my blog tour and checking out my post!
As a blog tour bonus, you can download a free prequel to the series and see where it all began in WHEN BONNIE MET CLYDE, available here: https://outbound.julieannelindsey.com/g9UWwY7815kgbDCo
About Julie Anne Lindsey
Julie Anne Lindsey is an award-winning and bestselling author of mystery and romantic suspense. She’s published more than forty novels since her debut in 2013 and currently writes series as herself, as well as under multiple pen names, for Harlequin, Kensington, Sourcebooks and Crooked Lane Books.
When Julie's not creating new worlds or fostering the epic love of fictional characters, she can be found in Kent, Ohio, enjoying her blessed Midwestern life. And probably plotting murder with her shamelessly enabling friends. Today she hopes to make someone smile. One day she plans to change the world. Learn more about Julie at julieannelindsey.com
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