Dr. Randy Overbeck’s Haunted Shores Mystery Series, ghost mysteries with a meaningful twist, hooked me from the first words! Enjoy his amazing blog tour stop today, and leave a comment for a chance to win one of the great…
#GIVEAWAYS!
“So-o-o atmospheric. Cape May, with its history and Victorian mansions, has no end of ghostly stories. And the Haunted Bride is a doozy.”—V. Williams, Rosepoint Publishing
In deciding on the locations for the novels in my Haunted Shores Mysteries series, I’ve put as much effort into selecting the perfect setting as I do crafting the puzzling whodunit or creating credible characters. I do a good deal of research to seek out lesser known gems of romantic, resort locations readers will find memorable. No place like Myrtle Beach or Malibu or Ft. Lauderdale will do. (This research is a tough job, but somebody has to do it.) I want readers, when they read each entry, to say, “I didn’t know about this place. What an intriguing little town. I think I’ll put this on my ‘to visit’ list.”
That’s exactly how I felt when I “discovered” Cape May. (I’d never been to this charming town and stumbled upon Cape May when I attended a family wedding up the shore a few years ago.) After some extensive research, I decided it was the exactly the right locale to set the second entry in my series.
What made Cape May so perfect and memorable for my ghost story/mystery? I’ll share just five reasons and I think you’ll get it.
- Cape May is the nation’s oldest seaport resort. Vacationers and tourists have been flocking to Cape May since the early 1800’s. Back then, big city dwellers from Philadelphia and New York would head to this shore town in the summer to escape the heat and foul air. Today, visitors come from all over the northeast US and Canada to enjoy the sun and sights of this remarkable little town.
- Cape May has one of the premier beaches in the U.S. With thirty miles of beautiful white sand beaches, Cape May is ranked as one of the top ten beaches in the country by the Travel Channel. Since “the shore” part of my series is critical to my narratives, this beach makes for some delightful scenes in the novel.
- Cape May has a rich history which helps to shape the unique destination it is today. A large fire in 1879 destroyed almost the entire town requiring the rebuilding of most of the homes and businesses. They were rebuilt in the latest style at the time, which we now call Victorian. The rest, as they say, is history.
- Cape May has one of the largest collections of Victorian architecture in the country (second only to San Francisco). Over 600 mansions and Bed and Breakfasts, each painted and detailed in the unique Victorian style, made the perfect romantic backdrop for Darrell and Erin’s reconciliation—not to mention the perfect atmosphere for an old time ghost story. Speaking of which—
- Cape May is famous as the most haunted seaport on the East coast. It’s hard to walk down any street in Cape May and not run into a house, hotel or store where a ghost encounter has been documented, some sightings going back centuries. Craig McManus, famed Cape May ghost hunter, has documented over fifty different spirits in his series, The Ghosts of Cape May. I even decided to include a few of these documented ghosts in my ghost story/mystery about the Haunted Bride, a young woman murdered on her wedding night.
Check out the newest installment in my series, CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY, for both an exploration of the incredible resort town and a peek at its wonderfully eerie history.
Incredible sale on the entire Haunted Shores Mysteries series!
BLOOD ON THE CHESAPEAKE-$.99, CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY–$1.99, SCARLET AT CRYSTAL RIVER (pre-publication price)—$2.99.
Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author and speaker. As an educator, he served children for more than three decades in a range of roles captured in his novels, from teacher and coach to principal and superintendent. His thriller, Leave No Child Behind (2012) and his recent mysteries, the Amazon and B & N No. 1 Best Seller, Blood on the Chesapeake and Crimson at Cape May have earned five star reviews and garnered national awards including “Thriller of the Year–ReadersFavorite.com, “Gold Award”—Literary Titan, “Mystery of the Year”—ReadersView.com and “Crowned Heart of Excellence”—InD’Tale Magazine. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Sleuthfest, Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop. When he’s not writing or researching his next exciting novel or sharing his presentation “Things Still Go Bump in the Night,” he’s spending time with his incredible family of wife, three children (and their spouses) and seven wonderful grandchildren.
BLURB—CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY
No matter how far you run, you can never really escape a haunted past.
Darrell Henshaw—teacher, coach, and paranormal sensitive—learned this lesson the hard way. With his job gone and few options, he heads for Cape May to coach a summer football camp. The resort town, with gorgeous beaches, rich history and famous Victorian mansions, might just be the getaway he needs. Only, no one told him Cape May is the most haunted seaport on the East Coast. One resident ghost, the Haunted Bride, stalks Darrell, begging for his help.
He can’t refuse. Joining forces with Cassie, a street-wise teen and another sensitive, he investigates the bride’s death and discovers her murder is connected to a far greater horror. But can Darrell and Cassie expose those behind the crimes before they end up being the killer’s next victims?
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY
“With both elements of mystery and suspense, readers across genres will find this second book about Darrell Henshaw intriguing…I highly recommend it.” ★★★★★—Literary Titan
“It’s a ghost/mystery story filled with suspense and action. The plot is so engrossing it had me hooked from the very first page.” ★★★★★—Nana’s Reviews, Greece
“An exciting paranormal mystery I couldn’t put down… A great read. Highly recommend!” ★★★★★—N.N. Light’s BookHeaven
“Rollicking good…Darrell is a wonderful protagonist, an ordinary man put into extraordinary situations and rising to the challenge..” ★★★★★ —Over My Dead Body magazine
“I loved everything about this book. As a ghost story combined with a mystery, a romance, a social injustice and stunning historical details, Crimson at Cape May has something for everyone.” ★★★★★—ReaderViews
“Masterly spooky adventure…an accomplished work of haunting mystery fiction that fans of the genre won’t want to miss out on. Highly Recommend.” ★★★★★—ReadersFavorite.com
BOOK TRAILER—CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY
Connect with Randy Overbeck
Twitter: @OverbeckRandy
FB: Author Randy Overbeck
PURCHASE LINKS—CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY
SOCIAL MEDIA
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