Lone Star Book Blog Tour: Deadly Keepsakes by Anita Dickason (review & giveaway)

“A real rags to riches kind of story, mixed with murder, a missing treasure, and Texas-sized skullduggery.”

Deadly Keepsakes by Anita Dickason is book one in the Tori Winters Mystery series, and it is an absolutely turbulent beginning. Tori Winters is a nurse, specifically with hospice patients, in Springfield, Missouri, but she finds herself in quite the pickle when she lands in someone’s crosshairs after testifying in a murder trial. With a timely, albeit mysterious, notification of an inheritance, Tori hightails it out of town and heads to the small town of Granbury, Texas, disguising her trail by declaring Colorado as her final destination until the police can figure out who wants her dead. Granbury is the perfect spot to find some much-needed peace and tranquility, far away from killers and constant danger. Or so she thought.

Tori’s inheritance opens the door to new beginnings, new friends, a newfound family legacy, and an enormous mansion that holds many mysteries and requires a deep cleaning and major renovation. This inheritance also opens up a hazardous coffer of treasures, secrets, small-town hijinks, and mystifying “accidents.”

Deadly Keepsakes is an exceptionally well-written mystery with a strong female protagonist who is not afraid to stand her ground in Texas when necessary, which is apparently quite often. Pressured from many sides to sell her mansion and the valuable property on which it stands, Tori digs in her heels and hires the best cleaning crew ever to help her get the mansion in ship shape. Mia and her housecleaning team are the best at their jobs and the best at giving Tori a Texas-sized welcome to Granbury. The friendship that blossoms, especially between Mia and Tori, provide Tori with some much-needed camaraderie and a safe circle of trusted allies who have her back.

The overall mystery in Deadly Keepsakes truly makes the story, so no spoilers allowed. David Tucker, who was the original heir to Tori’s grandmother Elly’s estate, throws Tori for a loop when she feels an immediate attraction, but is David angry that Elly changed her will so recently and left everything to Tori? If something happens to Tori within 90 days of inheriting, David stands to gain everything. When Tori hears strange sounds at night, and when other odd and even frightening things start to happen, the mystery expands and becomes downright deadly. Tori’s guard is now way up, and trust has become a scarce commodity. Is David a friend or a foe? Will changing the locks and hiring a private investigator keep her safe? Did her past troubles in Springfield find her in Granbury?

Anita Dickason nails this new series right out of the gate. The pacing of Deadly Keepsakes evidently runs on rocket fuel, propelling the reader through the story at top speed, especially when Tori starts digging into her grandmother’s death and financial affairs and discovering that some things just don’t add up. Someone obviously wants Tori out of the way and out of the mansion, but will murder be the answer if she continues to refuse to sell? Unravelling all the answers right along with the characters is exhilarating, but this story is more than only non-stop action and deadly games. True-blue friendships, lots of coffee, and a fabulous mansion with an incredible wine cellar, hidden rooms, secret tunnels, and poker chips with a message round everything out and make Deadly Keepsakes a top-notch, must-read suspense.

You know you have just read a Texas-sized winner when reaching the last page sends you crashing back into reality, wanting just a little bit more. Good news! More is on the way since this is just the beginning of a remarkable mystery series. Can’t wait for Tori’s next caper.

Enter the giveaway below on or before July 29, 2022, for a chance to win some fabulous prizes.

I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.

Award-winning author Anita Dickason is a twenty-two-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. She served as a patrol officer, undercover narcotics detective, advanced accident investigator, SWAT tactical officer, and the team’s first female sniper.

Anita’s extensive law enforcement experience and knowledge provide the inspiration for her plots, and characters. She writes about what she knows, cops and crime.

Her works have received multiple awards from Book Viral Millennium Book Awards, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, Literary Titan Book Awards, Independent Author Network Book Awards, and Speak Up Talk Radio Firebird Award.