Threshold of Deceit by Carol Pouliot (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

Title: Threshold of Deceit

Author: Carol Pouliot

Publication: 24 September 2019

Format: Kindle eBook

Amazon Description: 

On a sunny spring day in 1934, local lothario Frankie Russo is murdered in broad daylight. It seems no one saw anything, but things are not always what they seem in this small New York town.
Tackling the investigation, Detective Steven Blackwell discovers Frankie’s little black book, a coded list of dozens of flings, affairs, and one-night stands−and a solid motive for the widow. Soon, what appeared to be a straight-forward case gets complicated. A witness goes missing, a second body turns up, the victim’s cousin disappears, and an old flame surfaces. Faced with conflicting pieces of evidence, lies, and false alibis, Steven creates a psychological portrait of the killer. He realizes he’s looking for someone wearing a mask. But the killer is not the only one in disguise.
Two months ago, Steven came face-to-face with 21st-century journalist Olivia Watson when time folded over in the house they share−80 years apart. They’ve experimented within the safety of its walls and proven Einstein was right: there is no past, present, or future. All time exists simultaneously. Now, Steven and Olivia test the boundaries of time travel, risking the exposure of their secret. Olivia travels to Steven’s time, where she is embraced by the community, unaware of who she really is. She unwittingly falls in with Steven’s main suspect, an action that threatens her life.
Can Olivia outsmart a killer before becoming the next victim? Can Steven and Olivia solve the case of the poisoned philanderer in time to protect her true identity and their time-travel secret?

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I started Threshold of Deceit immediately after completing Doorway to Murder. Well, within a couple of hours at least. I was anxious to see if any of my lingering questions were answered and to find out what was going to happen with Steven and Olivia next.

Yes, this is where I urge you to pick up and read Doorway to Murder before this one. You really need the background from the first book. Really. Do it.

The basics (which does not get you out of reading) : Steven lives in 1934. Olivia lives in 2014. In the same house. Sometimes at the same time because of Einstein and time stuff. They've traveled back and forth to each other's times but never left the confines of the house until now. It started with a simple dinner in 1934 at the pub that exists in both times. It went quite well ... and then the next morning a body was found. Dead, of course.

Olivia has her own mystery to deal with -- finding out what happened to the twin of her dear elderly friend Isabel who was born in the very pub Olivia and Steven had dinner at in 1934. She is especially eager to help since she was indirectly involved with Isabel's life in 2014 being not quite what it was (... would have been... was supposed to be???) before Olivia and Steven met. 

I know. I'm confused, too.  This is one of those "you really have to read the first one" situations.

Oh, heck. 

There will be a lot of those. Just read that one and then read this one and then, I'm fairly certain, I'll be telling you to read the next one.  And don't be surprised if Olivia annoys you a bit. It's still a worthwhile read and Steven, thankfully, makes up for it.

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two
of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two
from anywhere in the book currently being read.

I will likely not be posting the third book here. It fell way flat for me ... and the book that I now have lined up for Friday's post? Oh man ... kleenex and ugly crying and all of the good stuff.

Doorway to Murder by Carol Pouliot (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

Title: Doorway to Murder

Author: Carol Pouliot

Publication: 24 September 2019, Level Best Books (originally 28 October 2016, Bridle Path)

Format: Kindle eBook via NetGalley

Amazon Description: 

In a small New York town, secrets lurk and betrayal is just around the corner. The morning after the worst blizzard of 1934, Detective Steven Blackwell takes on a highly charged murder case. The investigation starts badly: one clue, lots of lies and alibis. To make things worse, Steven is seeing visions of a woman in his house. One night, she speaks. Her name is Olivia Watson and she lives in 2014. She believes time has folded over in the house they share. As their relationship deepens, Steven’s investigation intensifies. Soon he can no longer trust anyone in his own time. Can Olivia help crack the case—and catch a killer?

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

All I was doing was looking for books for my A to Z challenge. 

I was missing, amongst others, an author whose last name begins with P.

Hopped on NetGalley. Saw the cool cover. Hit the button to get the book. Saw that there was another one being released soon. Hit the button for that one, too. Hopped onto Amazon, got the one in the middle because ... you know ... if I'm going to commit to the first and the third I might as well get the second.  

Because of magic.

I finally finished Cat Among the Pigeons, started plotting out the quotes for this post (yes ... before reading any of it), and then the magic happened. This was, of course, to be expected because it's a time travel mystery and all that ... but that's not what I'm talking about. This was a different kind of book magic.

The book took me home. 

Well, it took me back to several homes.

You see, I'm a Valley Girl.

The Mohawk Valley.

The Main Street of my elementary school days. Little Falls, Herkimer County, NY.
Photo from Mohawk Valley Today

****Now we take a brief pause for a New York State geography lesson.****

This is the county by county map of New York State.

I was conceived in Otsego County. Born in St Lawrence. In my almost 46 years on this earth I have lived in Rockland, Jefferson, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida (a few times), Schenectady, Albany and now Onondaga. My grandparents were in Oneida and Ulster. I spent many weekends visiting friends and boyfriends and whatnot in Rensselaer. Oh, and my freshman year of college was done in Clinton. We don't talk about that much.

This is the Mohawk River. 

It goes pretty much from the edge of Rensselaer County to Oneida County with the surrounding area (variable depending on who you talk to) referred to as The Mohawk Valley. Most of my life has been spent on or within a short drive of the river and valley.

The book emojis on the map were the magic that "took me home" as both were mentioned during the search for the 56% blurb. Syracuse is my home now. Saratoga is 45 minutes north of Albany -- home for 5 1/2 amazing years finishing my degree and working at The College of Saint Rose. The heart in the middle is my beloved Little Falls, pictured above at the beginning of all of this. I was only there from kindergarten to fifth grade, but it will always be home. The Mohawk River ends at the Delta Dam -- which was basically spitting distance from where my momma grew up and generations upon generations before her. 

It's part of who I am to the very depths of my soul.

I will always and forever be a Valley Girl.

So. 

Geography/autobiography lesson over. For now. I make no promises.

Onto the book.

I grabbed my quotes, made my little teaser collage deal, and started to read. 

We've already established over the years that I love history and mystery and time travel. Throw them all together and we have a winner, folks. It wasn't a guarantee, of course. It could have been poorly written ... but, thankfully, it wasn't. Even without the personal ties to the location, this was a great book. 

Einstein believed that time can fold over itself -- which is pretty much what happens with Detective Steven Blackwell in 1934 and professional researcher Olivia Watson at the same address in the same fictional Mohawk Valley town of Knightsbridge eighty years later. Somehow they end up being able to see each other, hear each other, touch each other, and ease the loneliness each was feeling in their own timeline. 

Oh, and solve a bank robbery-slash-murder that took place in Steven's timeline. 

Not only did the mysteries of the robbery and murder keep me guessing, but also the whole wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff. How long would time fold over for them? Who else would be able to see or hear them? Then there's the whole time paradox issue. Will they do something that would negate Olivia's very existence? 

Doc Brown would definitely be having a stern word or two for them already!

I still have a lot of questions to be answered but, thankfully, at least two more books to be read. 

As always, Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice & Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.