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An Interview with Spencer Spotlights Lauren Carr's Thorny Rose Mystery A Fine Year for Murder


I have featured a handful of books by author Lauren Carr over the past few years.  I have reviewed a few as well!  This morning, I have the opportunity to put one of her latest mysteries, A Fine Year for Murder, into the spotlight--and share another fun guest post from Lauren as she shares with us what an interview with Spencer, the lovable canine companion from the Thorny Rose Mysteries, just may be like!  Enjoy our "interview" with Spencer--check out the Thorny Rose mysteries featured here today--and enter for a chance to win $100 Amazon Gift Card in the Book Spotlight Tour giveaway at the end of my post!


We received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher--and will be sharing a review of A Fine Year for Murder in a few weeks!
 
An Interview with Spencer of the Thorny Rose Mysteries
Meet Spencer, Jessica Faraday and Murphy Thornton’s canine side-kick!

Thank you so much for joining me today, Spencer! Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you came to live with Jessica and Murphy?

Spencer:  Well, I confess, I was born with a blue spoon in my mouth. Get it? I’m a blue merle Shetland sheepdog.

Are you called a blue merle because of your blue fur and eyes?

Spencer:  Exactly! Anyway, I hate to brag, but not only are my eyes and fur blue, but so is my blood. Yep! That’s right. I’m a blue blood. So, of course, it seems only right that a debutante like Jessica Faraday would adopt me. Well, she isn’t exactly a debutante. Jessica is rich and all that, but I only got to see a small part of high society before the high life got old for her. I wasn’t even a year old when Lieutenant Murphy Thornton came crashing into our lives and Jessica decided to settle down to be a navy officer’s wife and apply to medical school.

Crashing? How did Murphy Thornton crash into your lives? Do you mean like with a car?

Spencer:  No, not with a car. Besides, Murphy drives a motorcycle! We were on our way to Deep Creek Lake for Jessica’s father’s wedding to Archie Monday and stopped at a truck stop on account that nature called. Jessica had locked me in the car. While she was inside, these big brutes tried to kidnap her. But Murphy stopped them. That was when Murphy met Jessica … and me! It was love at first sight for all of us. You can read all about it in Three Days to Forever, the 9th Mac Faraday Mystery.

I’ve noticed that Murphy doesn’t call you Spencer. He calls you Candi. Why is that?

Spencer:  Murphy says I remind him of his first girlfriend. I’m extremely loveable, just like she was. I can’t help myself. I just love everyone and want to kiss them all over their face. So Murphy calls me Candi after her. 

What's a typical day like for you?

Spencer:  Murphy starts his day at 5 o’clock in the morning and that’s okay because then I have him all to myself. We go running on the bike path along the Potomac River. When we get back home, he gives me breakfast. Then, I jump right back into bed and cuddle with Jessica while Murphy does his yoga in the gym or, if it’s a nice day, he does it out by the pool.
After Murphy finishes his yoga, he comes in and wakes Jessica up before he showers and gets dressed in his uniform to report to the Pentagon. 


Can you keep a secret?


What type of secret?

Spencer:  Sometimes, Jessica goes back to bed after Murphy leaves for the Pentagon, but she can’t stay very long because Newman, Murphy’s 45 lb couch potato in a dog suit will wake up and demand breakfast. He likes to eat his breakfast before the stock market’s opening bell. They tell me that he’s a Bassett Hound, but I have my doubts.

What's the biggest trouble you've ever gotten into?


Spencer:  I don’t get into trouble. (pause) Okay, sometimes I just have to cut loose. 


On our last case, Murphy took Jessica to visit the scene of the crime for a cold case they were investigating. You see, Jessica has nightmares and sometimes she’ll hit or kick Murphy while she’s asleep. She actually gave him a black eye while they were on their honeymoon! Can you believe that?


Well, Dallas Walker, an investigative journalist, told them that she was investigating the Pine Bridge Massacre case, where a whole family had been killed. Wouldn’t you know it? Some distant relatives of Jessica’s owned the winery next door to the village where this family had been killed. So they all put two and two together and decided that Jessica may have witnessed the murders.


So, we all went down to Pine Bridge to investigate. The first morning that we were there, Murphy dragged Jessica out of bed and we went to the house where the murders had taken place. We were on our way down an overgrown path in the woods leading up to the abandoned house when Jessica tripped. Murphy dropped my leash when he caught her.


That was when I smelled something different and interesting. So, I followed my nose through the woods and you would not believe what I found!


What?

Spencer:  Well, let’s just say that thanks to me, we got a break in the cold case. But, being a newbie at this detective stuff, I didn’t know that I was supposed to just hand the evidence over. Instead, I decided to take Murphy and Jessica on a merry chase through the woods and we all got a little dirty. But hey, we all had fun! At least, I did.   

I understand that last year you were on a case with Gnarly of the Mac Faraday mysteries. Can you tell us about that?

Spencer:  Oh, Gnarly is my hero. He’s so big and strong! I think I want to come back as a German shepherd in my next life. In Candidate for Murder, Gnarly was running for mayor of Spencer. As soon as they announced he was running, he got ahead in all the polls. So, his dirty rotten opponents decided to dig up his past, which included the murder of his partner when he was serving in the Middle East. Well, we weren’t going to take that sitting down. So Murphy and his team brought Gnarly home to stay with us while they got to the bottom of the case and cleared Gnarly’s name. 

Any idea what your upcoming adventures will entail?

Spencer:  Oh, yes! In Twofer Murder, I go with all of the ladies from the Thorny Rose, Mac Faraday, and Lovers in Crime mysteries to a mystery writers’ conference, while the guys go fishing. In this double your pleasure murder mystery, the guys get hooked up in a murder case that threatens to tear up a small town.

Meanwhile, the ladies and I end up investigating the murder of an up and coming mystery author whose past ends up being her biggest mystery! 

Look for this thrilling two-for-one murder mystery this summer! 

Any final thoughts for your adoring public?

Spencer:  Sure! You can read all about my adventures with Jessica and Murder, and all of my friends in the Thorny Rose mysteries. 

Visit international best-selling mystery author Lauren Carr’s websites and blog at:


 

Meet the Author:
Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns! Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, romance, and humor.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions.

She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with Lauren: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook



Check out Lauren's Latest Book!
 A Fine Year for Murder


Quick Summary of A Find Year for Murder. After months of marital bliss, Jessica Faraday and Murphy Thornton are still discovering and adjusting to their life together. Settled in their new home, everything appears to be perfect … except in the middle of the night when, in darkest shadows of her subconscious, a deep secret from Jessica’s past creeps to the surface to make her strike out at Murphy.

When investigative journalist Dallas Walker tells the couple about her latest case, known as the Pine Bridge Massacre, they realize Jessica may have witnessed the murder of a family living near a winery owned by distant relatives she was visiting and suppressed the memory.

Determined to uncover the truth and find justice for the murder victims, Jessica and Murphy return to the scene of the crime with Dallas Walker, a spunky bull-headed Texan. Can this family reunion bring closure for a community touched by tragedy or will this prickly get-together bring an end to the Thorny Rose couple?

Buy A Fine Year for Murder



In Case You Missed It...



We wanted to share Kill and Run today as well!  It's another Thorny Rose mystery by Lauren Carr that you won't want to miss!  These are stand alone novels--but, this one was the first in this series and we reviewed the book a while back!

Quick Summary of Kill and Run.  Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together only to be killed.

Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer.

The case takes an unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the victims has a connection to his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates. One wintry night, over a dozen years before, her first husband, a Pennsylvania State trooper, had been run down while working a night shift on the turnpike.

In this first installment of the Thorny Rose Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime join newlyweds Lieutenant Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday to sift through a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can the detectives of the Thorny Rose uncover the truth without falling victim to a cunning killer?

Buy the Book:  Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble
Read our Review


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3 Comments

  1. Thank you so much, Angela, for inviting Spencer in for such a fun interview. She is tickled BLUE! Here's wishing each of your followers luck in the giveaway to win the $100 Amazon Gift Card!

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    1. Thanks, Lauren! I love it when you stop by with a guest post! Food, dogs, mysteries...it's always perfect! And...I think I love Spencer.

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