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Amused to Death
Welcome to summer in Spirit Lake, Iowa where the small town is bustling in the tourist season. The amusement is endless, the secrets are plentiful, and the gossip is provocative.Scarlett James is looking for a change that may include a new location, a new job, and hopefully a new man in her life. Bree, Zoey, and Della and the rest of the whimsical residents remind her of just how special this small town can be. Not to mention the Police Chief who keeps crossing her path.Scarlett solved one mystery only to fall into another. Join her and the girls as they uncover buried truths that will shock the whole town.
351 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 7, 2023
About the author
Ashley Albi
34 books29 followersAshley Albi was born in Germany, on a US military base. Upon returning to the States she grew up in a small town in IL. Her love of books and storytelling began at a young age when she would create stories and plays with other children or just for herself. Many summer vacations were spent at the local library browsing for new books and participating in reading challenges.
She attended Illinois State University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She worked many years at a local bank as a teller and then as a Human Resources assistant. It was then that she began to put her stories to paper and attempt to write her first book.
In 2010, with a first draft completed and buried in her desk and many other snippets of stories scrawled in several notebooks she decided to find a change in scenery and begin a new chapter in her life. August 2011 brought a move to Denver, Colorado.
After her first year of grad school she dropped down to a part-time class load in order to work full-time at non-profit in downtown Denver that focused on serving the homeless and at-risk populations. But while the busyness of her life required her to set down her creative pen for a time her mind continued to search for a new story. Late one night as she returned to her apartment on campus, a curious scene from her window sparked a single question that opened a new creative world for her. Thus, the Covenant series was born.
Though it was several years before the first word of the Covenant series was written, Ashley attributes the story to that single moment.
Ashley met her husband in Denver and they married in 2014. Shortly after their wedding he accepted a pastoral position in a rural community in Iowa. It was in this new chapter that she realized her love of storytelling was more than just a casual hobby and began to pursue her writing with a passion. In this time she outlined the Covenant series and wrote the first book, ‘The Conspirator’.
In 2018, Ashley and her husband welcomed their first-born daughter into the world. It is to her that ‘The Conspirator’ is dedicated.
In 2021, their second daughter joined the family. She arrived shortly after Ashley found a love for cozy mysteries. During the late nights and early mornings, when it was just the two of them, Ashley began to craft her own cozy mystery series based around the charming town, where they had once lived, in Iowa. The first book 'Death is Better at the Lake' was published in September 2022.
Ashley and her family continue to travel around the country, seeking new adventures to keep the spark of creativity alive. She is currently working on the Covenant series and Scarlett James cozy mystery series.
She attended Illinois State University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She worked many years at a local bank as a teller and then as a Human Resources assistant. It was then that she began to put her stories to paper and attempt to write her first book.
In 2010, with a first draft completed and buried in her desk and many other snippets of stories scrawled in several notebooks she decided to find a change in scenery and begin a new chapter in her life. August 2011 brought a move to Denver, Colorado.
After her first year of grad school she dropped down to a part-time class load in order to work full-time at non-profit in downtown Denver that focused on serving the homeless and at-risk populations. But while the busyness of her life required her to set down her creative pen for a time her mind continued to search for a new story. Late one night as she returned to her apartment on campus, a curious scene from her window sparked a single question that opened a new creative world for her. Thus, the Covenant series was born.
Though it was several years before the first word of the Covenant series was written, Ashley attributes the story to that single moment.
Ashley met her husband in Denver and they married in 2014. Shortly after their wedding he accepted a pastoral position in a rural community in Iowa. It was in this new chapter that she realized her love of storytelling was more than just a casual hobby and began to pursue her writing with a passion. In this time she outlined the Covenant series and wrote the first book, ‘The Conspirator’.
In 2018, Ashley and her husband welcomed their first-born daughter into the world. It is to her that ‘The Conspirator’ is dedicated.
In 2021, their second daughter joined the family. She arrived shortly after Ashley found a love for cozy mysteries. During the late nights and early mornings, when it was just the two of them, Ashley began to craft her own cozy mystery series based around the charming town, where they had once lived, in Iowa. The first book 'Death is Better at the Lake' was published in September 2022.
Ashley and her family continue to travel around the country, seeking new adventures to keep the spark of creativity alive. She is currently working on the Covenant series and Scarlett James cozy mystery series.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 31, 2023
Scarlett James is once again an amateur detective when she literally falls into a case. She, her friends and her grandma again all take part in bringing about justice and their methods of investigation are anything but normal.
This is book 2 in the Scarlett James cozy mystery series and they need to be read in order because this starts out with a spoiler for the first book. I am really enjoying this series and hope there are more to come! I don’t have much time to read during tax season and even less time to read solely with my eyes (I can still swing some audiobooks now and then while working). But as soon as Ashley Albi sent this to me I started reading and flew through it any chance I got to sit down and read.
This is book 2 in the Scarlett James cozy mystery series and they need to be read in order because this starts out with a spoiler for the first book. I am really enjoying this series and hope there are more to come! I don’t have much time to read during tax season and even less time to read solely with my eyes (I can still swing some audiobooks now and then while working). But as soon as Ashley Albi sent this to me I started reading and flew through it any chance I got to sit down and read.
March 31, 2023
Once again, I am so happy to read a cozy mystery with great characters. The Scarlett James series is one of my favorite cozy mystery book series to read and I cannot wait to read more. In this book, we have Scarlett ready to leave Spirit Lake, wanting to find a new job and a new location to call home. I had so much fun reading and solving the mystery with Scarlett. The author is, as always, talented with her writing and knows how to write a great mystery!
May 6, 2023
The second book in the Scarlett James Cozy Mystery series was just as good as the first. Scarlet once again finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery, so of course, she has to play amateur sleuth.
Gabe, the Chief of Police and Detective Sydney are investigating the suspicious death of a young girl thought to be a runaway. In addition to Scarlet's amateur detective skills, her gal pals must put their sleuthing skills to use. As the plot unfolds, a twist reveals who the murderer is and the motive for committing such a heinous crime. This book kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the very end.
This is definitely a 'can't put down' read. I read most of it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. I recommend reading the first book in the series, Death is Better at the Lake, before reading this one. because there is another mystery in the book that is ongoing.
This was my second read by this author, and I look forward to reading more.
Gabe, the Chief of Police and Detective Sydney are investigating the suspicious death of a young girl thought to be a runaway. In addition to Scarlet's amateur detective skills, her gal pals must put their sleuthing skills to use. As the plot unfolds, a twist reveals who the murderer is and the motive for committing such a heinous crime. This book kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the very end.
This is definitely a 'can't put down' read. I read most of it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. I recommend reading the first book in the series, Death is Better at the Lake, before reading this one. because there is another mystery in the book that is ongoing.
This was my second read by this author, and I look forward to reading more.
March 13, 2023
Truly amazing read!
Just loved this second book in the Scarlett James Cozy Mystery series! I love the atmosphere that Ashley writes that puts me right there with Scarlett. The suspense had me on the edge of my seat the whole time of trying to figure out who had done the murder. 10 out of 10 recommend!!
Just loved this second book in the Scarlett James Cozy Mystery series! I love the atmosphere that Ashley writes that puts me right there with Scarlett. The suspense had me on the edge of my seat the whole time of trying to figure out who had done the murder. 10 out of 10 recommend!!
July 18, 2023
Great new author
Love the characters that have developed in these first two books
Look forward to the next in the series to see what Scarlett and company get up to
Love the characters that have developed in these first two books
Look forward to the next in the series to see what Scarlett and company get up to
November 2, 2023
The book is intriguing. The Spirit Lake in Lowa is harbouring a lot of secrets. It’s a centre of all the mystery. The book is mysterious and suspenseful so Scarlett moves on and she dates another person but the unexpected happens in the Amusement Park. The buried secrets about her parents comes out. There is a revelation of her ex-boyfriend. I loved how her grandmother helped her to unveil the secrets. Yet again a heinous crime has been committed but it is linked to the past. Scar must use her detective skills to get to the bottom of the crime. While Gabe and Detective Sydney are investigating the murder. There are unexpected twists that you won’t see coming. The book keeps us guessing till the end. It’s an unputdownable and gripping mystery.
July 1, 2023
It was indeed cozy! I guessed the murderer at the first mention of his name. I love that!
It would have been a solid 3 stars but this story really needed a proofreader. I stopped counting at 10 errors.
It would have been a solid 3 stars but this story really needed a proofreader. I stopped counting at 10 errors.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews