The Winner of Poaching Daisies is...

...Granny Enchanted!  Thanks so much everyone for visiting my blog and putting your name in the pot to win.

I don't have my grandson Jens nearby to draw the name, so I had my brother do it. He declined to have his picture taken.

I need your mailing address, Granny, to send the book to you. Happy reading!

Poaching Daisies by Carole Thayne Warburton - A Review and TWO Contests

I read and enjoyed Carole Thayne Warburton's novel Sun Tunnels and Secrets, and so when the opportunity came to review her new book, Poaching Daisies, I volunteered to be part of the blog tour. I'm giving away a copy of the book, and Ms. Warburton is having a contest connected with the blog tour, giving away a gift certificate from her pottery shop.  I have some of her pottery, and can vouch for the quality. More about both contests at the end of this posting.

Poaching Daisies (love that title!) begins literally with a bang, as pint-sized Penny Thorton gets a shot through her yellow jacket and winds up on top of a freshly killed bear carcass. As a park ranger, when she reports the incident, people don't believe her. It doesn't help that all traces have disappeared or that her aunt, with whom Penny lives, is the local 'colorful character,' a tunnel-visioned freelance environmental activist dedicated to stopping encroachment of the oxeye daisy into Yellowstone National Park.

Ms. Warburton's books remind me of ensemble theatre, a group of strongly drawn characters working through their own story arcs. I saw that when I read Sun Tunnels and Secrets, and it's present in Poaching Daisies, too, though with a smaller ensemble. Yellowstone Park itself  takes on the status of a character as we see its many facets and feel its influence throughout the book.

Ms. Warburton does a great job of keeping all these arcs arc-ing and intertwines them--tangles them is more like it--until the reader isn't sure who should trust whom. There's lots of mayhem, lots of cliffhangers, lots of places to hold your breath and grip the book tightly. I was up way past my bedtime last night so I could find out how it all turned out.

If you like a good mystery--not hardboiled, but not cozy either--you'll like Poaching Daisies.

Now, about the contests:

LIZ'S CONTEST: To win a copy of Poaching Daisies, simply make sure you're a follower of this blog. If you are, just leave a comment that you want your name in the pot to win. If you're not yet a follower, click on the 'join this blog' button and become a follower and then leave a comment. As you'll see by reading below, if your comment  includes what you liked about the review and why you're excited to read the book, you are entered into the pottery contest, too. Dang but we're efficient! But, remember, you have to be a follower of my blog to win the book from me. I'LL DO THE DRAWING ON FRIDAY, MARCH 29.

CAROLE THAYNE WARBURTON'S POTTERY CONTEST:

To celebrate the release of PoachingDaisies, the talented Carole Thayne Warburton isgiving away a $50 gift certificate to her ETSY shop--ParadisePottery. Her pottery is beautiful, so this is a giveaway you don't want to miss. Want to win?  Follow the easy instructions below.

How to Enter

1. Leave a comment telling us what youliked about the review and why you are excited toread PoachingDaisies. For each review you comment on, you'll receivea separate entry. Don't forget to include your email address. 

March 24: Janet Jensen
March 25: Julie CoulterBellon
March 26: Liz Adair
March 27: BradenBell
March 28: ShirleyBalhmann
March 29:Stephanie Worlton

2.  Tweeting about the review, or posting to your blog orFacebook will earn you additional entries. Just leave us a link in thecomments section to your post.

The Pottery Contest ends April 3, 2013.