Psychological Suspense SALE + Cozy Mystery Out NOW (yay)

Apologies, folks. Last newsletter I forgot to mention that I've discounted my psychological suspense, After the Ferry: A Gripping Psychological Novel. 

The paperback is on sale for $14.95 and the eBook is down to just 99c.

Grab your discount copy at a link, below, or continue reading for some reviews. It's a slow-burner, this book, but the best thing I've ever written and I do hope you enjoy the read.

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REVIEWS @ AMAZON

"Larmer's plot is a clever one...The characters the reader gets to know during the course of this psychological thriller are finely honed and credible, and Amelia's contrasting lives and personalities are brilliantly rendered and made plausible." -- Jack Magnus, Readers Favorite

"Well written, intriguing, captivating mystery/thriller about what-if that was creative, original, and interesting. All tied together quite cleverly in the end." -- Riley, Booksprout

"A great read. Had me drawn in from the beginning. I found it suspenseful and very well written. I highly recommend reading this book." -- Heather177, Booksprout

"An intriguing mystery that explores life, or death, as the case may be. It is a unique story and I do recommend it." -- HeatherW, Booksprout  

And Then There Were 9: Agatha Christie Book Club

It's alive! My fourth Agatha Christie Book Club—And Then There Were 9—is now available as an eBook and paperback at all good online bookstores. 

Grab your copy, make yourself a coffee, and settle in for the next nail-biting chapter. 

Inspired by the recent bushfires Australia just endured, this time the group are stuck at an isolated lodge with a fire roaring up the ridge and a killer on the loose… 

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REVIEWS @ AMAZON

"The plot is skillfully written with lots of red herrings making it a delightful read. It's a wonderful mystery book and one that is impossible to put down once you have started reading it no matter how many times you promise yourself you'll take a break at the end of the chapter. Superb." -- SharonR, Booksprout

"I always consider it a good sign when you read the fourth in a series and immediately upon finishing set out to buy the first one. … Like books by Christie the path through to the solution is as interesting as the solution itself. It is nice to read a book set in Australia." -- Sandra Ballasch, Booksprout

"And Then There Were 9 was engaging from the start. A fresh premise and well plotted mystery made reading this book in one sitting easy. There was plenty of misdirection to keep me questioning who the murderer was and I really wasn't sure until almost the end." -- Anne Glass Kasaba, Booksprout

Are YOU This Week's Winner? + How the Book Club Came To Be

AS YOU KNOW to celebrate the launch of my latest cozy mystery, I've been selecting a subscriber each week to win an earlier book in the series (or any of my eBooks if you've read them all). And this week I'll get straight to it. Drum roll please…

THE WINNER IS:

Elaine Hall

Woohoo! Congratulations Elaine. I'll be in touch with you shortly to claim your prize.

Everyone else, you can download the Agatha Christie Book Club series here, or pre-order the new instalment at the links below. Until then, here's a preview…

AND THEN THERE WERE 9

REMOTE LYLE'S LODGE: Deep in isolated rainforest, the Agatha Christie Book Club gathers to meet four new members, each one hiding a secret from the group…

ONE IS AN IMPOSTER.
ONE HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE.
ONE IS HUNTING FOR SOMETHING.
AND ONE WANTS REVENGE.

With membership now at nine, the club settles in to discuss Christie’s best-selling mystery—the one about the madman bumping off his isolated guests.

VERY SOON, LIFE BEGINS TO IMITATE THE BOOK.

First one person is murdered, then another, and then a mighty bushfire ignites in the forest below, cutting them off with their own "madman" on the loose. Employing the wisdom of Poirot and a trusty bushfire survival plan, they must unravel each new member's secret to unmask the real killer and survive the book club from hell.

But this time not all of them will get out alive.

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How & Why I Started this Series

(an excerpt from Book 3)

"IT WILL COME AS no surprise to hear that I have been an Agatha Christie fan since I can remember (no, really), and yet I feel the need to mention it as I am often asked how I came up with the idea of the Agatha Christie Book Club series. Did a marketing dynamo whisper it in my ear? Am I just riding on Dame Agatha’s tails? Who do I think I am?

So let me answer the question once and for all.

Yes, I adore Agatha Christie, but it goes deeper and farther than that—all the way, in fact, to a secluded island in remotest Papua New Guinea. 

I was holidaying with my family. I was not yet ten. There was no television, no radio, nothing to tempt a bored tweenie at night but a termite-infested bookshelf bursting with pulp fiction and Agatha Christie novels.

I scooped one out. I dusted it off. I opened the pages… You know the rest.

It was that first book—Evil Under the Sun, as it turns out—that planted the seed that eventually grew into a love of mysteries and a flourishing writing career.

This series is my homage to the greatest mystery writer of them all.

Each and every book is in honour of Ms Christie, and yet I’m not trying to write an Agatha Christie novel—I wouldn’t dare. Nor am I trying to recreate her extraordinary characters in my own. Instead, I’m simply extending the joy to a new group of fans, my book club friends, and exploring what happens when you take a bunch of amateur sleuths, plonk a complex puzzle in their laps, and let the words of Miss Marple and Monsieur Poirot guide them home.

I hope you enjoy these modern adventures as much as I have enjoyed writing them, and I hope they renew your love for all things Agatha Christie. "

Happy reading, everyone.

xo Christina

Pre-order My New Cozy + Another eBook winner, below

At last! Here's a sneak-peek at my new Agatha Christie Book Club mystery, which is now available as a PRE-ORDER at Amazon. (Hurrah.)

To lock in your copy, just click HERE. And don't hesitate to get in touch and let me know your thoughts on the new cover (above).

ABOUT THE BOOK

And Then There Were 9

(The Agatha Christie Book Club 4)

By C.A. LARMER

REMOTE LYLE'S LODGE: Deep in isolated rainforest, the Agatha Christie Book Club gather to meet four new members, each one hiding a secret from the group…

ONE IS AN IMPOSTER. 
ONE HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE.
ONE IS HUNTING FOR SOMETHING.
AND ONE WANTS REVENGE.

Now with nine members and blissfully unaware, ACBC Mark 2 settle in to discuss Christie’s best-selling mystery—the one about the madman bumping off his isolated guests. 

Very soon, life begins to imitate art…

First one person is murdered, then another, and then they find themselves cut off by a giant bushfire that's roaring up the mountain towards them.

With their own "madman" on the loose and the flames getting closer, they must employ the wisdom of Poirot, to unravel each new member's secret and unmask the killer.

But this time not all of them will get out alive.

Once there were nine… Soon there will be six. But which six will survive the Book Club from hell?

ARE YOU THIS WEEK'S WINNER?

AS YOU KNOW… I've been celebrating the upcoming release of my latest Agatha Christie Book Club adventure and am handing out an eBook prize every single week until it hits the stands.

TO WIN: Just keep reading these newsletters! I'll pick a subscriber randomly from the list and announce the name each week until it's published. If that's you, I'll contact you directly to find out which book you'd like.

*Don't panic if you've already read ALL THREE in the series. You're my favourite kind of subscriber and will get a chance to choose from any of my other cozy mysteries (see here).

THIS WEEK'S WINNER IS...

Jane Starcher

Congratulations Jane! I will be in touch with you shortly to discuss your eBook prize.

Everyone else, please don't despair, there's at least one more free eBook to be given out. Check the next newsletter to see if your name comes up. And catch up on the Book Club's back story via the links, below.

xo Christina 

@AMAZON online

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Walking For Friendship or For Readers? Can You Do Both? + Weekly eBook Winner (see below)

Photo: Bruno Cervera // Unsplash

During a recent Zoom class (yes, I've joined the dark side), one of my students asked what inspires and motivates me. She's trying to finish her first book and knew I'd just finished my 16th.

"How do you do it?" she wanted to know. "Where do you find daily inspiration?"

"Walking!" I told her, without hesitation.

I have always been an avid walker but, since getting our frisky Blue Heeler, Kasper, three years ago, it's become a mandatory daily event. Some time between one and three every single afternoon, Kaspie appears at my desk, leash (shoe, sock…) in his mouth, eyes piercing, ears high. And he won't take no for an answer.

"Come on, woman," that look says. "It's time for walkies."

And off we set, for a fast-paced, 40-minute adventure, but it's always my mind that gets the best work-out.

Walking is the perfect way for me to gather fresh ideas, dialogue, plot points and character development. Without fail, I come back from these walks re-energised and inspired. It works every single time.

Until lately, that is.

You see, thanks to COVID-19, the world has changed and people have been stuck in their small neighbourhoods, and suddenly I have found a lovely, well-meaning neighbour who wants to walk with me. And at first I was delighted. It's such a fun way to catch up— chatting, gossiping, venting about the hubby and kids.

But it's been atrocious for my writing.

In the past, I returned from a walk so inspired, I barely had time to remove Kasper's leash before flying to the keyboard to tap away like a lunatic, getting all these exciting ideas down.

Since my friend started joining me, we inevitably stop for a (socially distanced) cup of tea, and so the chatter continues, and before I know it, another hour has passed and no writing has been done, let alone fresh ideas gleaned. By the time she leaves and I sit at my desk... nothing.

It's been great for my friendship—really, I adore this neighbour and enjoy our talks!—but lousy for my readers.

So, what to do? Do I put her off next time she calls? Do I take two walks a day—one for myself, one for my books? I'm yet to work that out, folks, but it's not such a bad quandry to have. I could be all alone with no friends, no readers, no ideas. I have to find a happy medium, I'm just not sure what it is, yet.

Perhaps I'll work out the solution on my next walk…

"Kasper! Walkies?"

Until then, happy reading (and walking) everyone!

xo Christina

IT'S OFFICIAL! I have just finished the 4th adventure for my Agatha Christie Book Club! And to celebrate, I'm giving YOU a chance to win a prize. 

Every. Single. Week. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Titled And Then There Were Nine: The Agatha Christie Book Club 4, in this installment the Book Club have expanded, inviting four fabulous new members to join the fold. 

To get to know each other better and discuss the latest book (Christie's And Then There Were None), they head off to an isolated rainforest lodge.

That is their first mistake!

Before you know it, two people are murdered, there's a fire roaring up the mountain and a killer still on the loose.

Is there a stranger lurking in the forest or is the killer one of them?

THIS WEEK'S WINNER…

If you liked the sound of that, you'll be happy to hear the manuscript is now with my editor (hey Annie!) and will be launched very soon. Until then, I'm giving one devoted subscriber a FREE ecopy of one of the previous Agatha Christie Book Club adventures—whichever one they choose.*

TO WIN: Just keep reading these newsletters! I'll pick a subscriber randomly from the list and announce the name each week. If that's you, I will then contact you directly to find out which book you'd like.

*Don't panic if you've already read ALL THREE in the series. You're my favourite kind of subscriber and will get a chance to choose from any of my other cozy mysteries (see here).

THIS WEEK'S WINNER IS...

R.Dawn.Brown

Congratulations R.Dawn.Brown! I will be in touch with you soon.

Everyone else, keep watching for more weekly giveaways. Or catch up on the story via the links, below.

xo Christina 

@AMAZON online

Apple iBooks

B+N nook

kobo