Monday, November 4, 2019

Divorce is Murder

Romantic Suspense/Mystery
This post is part of a virtual book 
tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Elka Ray will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

See below to sign up for the GIVEAWAY.




As teens, they bullied her. Twenty years on, she's not scared of them. Except she should be...

After returning to her quiet hometown to care for her ailing mom, divorce lawyer Toby Wong is hired by Josh Barton, a guy who broke her heart as a teen at summer camp. Now a wealthy entrepreneur, Josh wants to divorce Tonya, the mean girl who tormented Toby all those years ago. When Tonya is found murdered, Josh is the prime suspect.

Together with her fortune-teller mom and her pregnant best friend, Toby sets out to clear Josh, whom she still has a guilty crush on. As she delves deeper into Tonya's murder, Toby keeps running into catty ex-campers she'd rather forget. Are her old insecurities making her paranoid? Only too late does she realize she's in danger.


The first entry in an addictive new series, Divorce is Murder introduces fans of mystery and romance to an irresistibly smart and sarcastic new heroine - Chinese Canadian divorce lawyer Toby Wong.

My Review...
This was fun. It’s got some of the “elements” of a cozy but with more substance. Do not get me wrong. I like cozies as much as anyone. I’m just trying to give you an idea of what this book is like. It does have your young female moving back home and there is an ok looking cop. I think he gets better and better looking as Toby spends some time with him. But in this story Toby is a lawyer and trying to get clients again after moving back to town. Who shows up in the first few pages??? Her long ago heart throb except she sort of never got the chance to tell him he was that. Not only does Josh show up in her office but he needs a divorce from the very snob that was as mean as possible to Toby back then. I mean she, Tonya, was a witch. I wanted to call her what it says in the excerpt but, well...

You can already see I enjoyed this book; it’s storyline and its characters. Elka Ray made her characters fun; some fun, some mean, at least one very pregnant and Toby’s own mother as eccentric as one you’d want to hide from the neighborhood. You know...herbal remedies, tarot cards, vibes, crystal readings, etc. Ray also made you wonder at times who was the good guy or girl and who might be the bad. The story moved fast because it was an easy read and kept me turning the pages.  

Elka Ray has a few other books published all of which have good reviews. I do hope this isn’t a stand alone and that we get to read another Toby Wong book.

read an excerpt...
Colin peers into the empty parcel, then sticks two fingers inside. He pulls out an envelope-sized slip of paper and lays it onto the table. Although the words are facing the wrong way, I have no trouble reading it. Fashioned from letters cut out of newspaper, the note reads: LEAVE VICTORIA, BITCH.

Tonya had received a similar note with her red-paint-flecked Barbie doll.

A muscle in Colin’s jaw jumps. He looks angry. “Who could have sent this?” he asks. “Do you have any bitter ex-boyfriends? Guys you might have rejected? Anyone who came on too strong?”

I shake my head. I’d rather not tell Colin that it’s been nineteen months since my last date, with a guy I met in a Toronto doctor’s office who spent our entire date describing—in vivid detail—his recent hernia surgery.

“How about social media?” asks Colin. “Are you active on dating sites? Have you gotten any similar sorts of messages. Anyone seem obsessive? This kind of stuff can start online and then escalate.”

Again, I say no. My few attempts at internet dating were so lame I swore never again. The real world is weird enough. “There’s nothing like that.” I survey the bra, wishing the label weren’t sticking out, those double AAs on full display. “But it’s my bra,” I admit. I explain how, just last night, it vanished from my building’s communal laundry room.

Colin’s frown deepens. “Last night? That means whoever sent this was in your building.” He tugs at his collar, clearly agitated. “This isn’t good, Toby."

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Elka Ray writes fast-paced romantic mysteries and scary thrillers - a dichotomy that reveals her belief in Yin and Yang, or the balance of opposites. A great lover of scientific facts, she may be found clutching crystals for good luck; reads highbrow journals and tabloid trash; and refuses to watch romcoms yet moved in with her now-husband on their first date.

Elka is the author of three novels – the romantic mysteries DIVORCE IS MURDER and HANOI JANE – and the noir thriller SAIGON DARK. She also has a collection of short crime and ghost stories set in Southeast Asia – WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW. Elka lives with her family near Hoi An, Vietnam. She is represented by Folio Literary Management. - link to 






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12 comments:

  1. Another great book to discover. Thanks so much for sharing this with us.

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  2. Thanks for the giveaway; I like the excerpt. :)

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  3. Thanks everyone for stopping by. Best of luck on the Giveaway

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  4. Thank you so much for reading & reviewing! The publisher just bought Book 2 - yay! - so Toby and all will be back...

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    1. Sounds great. Best of luck with your series. -kathy

      Our Town Book Reviews.

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  5. Who is your favorite author that is still currently writing?

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  6. This book sounds like a great read.

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