Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for One of You (Tower District Mysteries) by Lorie Lewis Ham! Today we are featuring a review of book two in this mystery series. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews, and more! It’s a great way to add books to your TBR! There is also a Rafflecopter Giveaway for one signed print copy of One of You to someone in the US and a One of You coffee mug because Roxi loves coffee.

One of You (Tower District Mysteries)
Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – The Tower District of Fresno, CA
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mystery Rat’s Books (June 4, 2024)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 278 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8325667381
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D46P6JBJ

 About the Book:

With her life on the California Coast behind her, Roxi Carlucci is beginning to feel at home in the Tower District—the cultural oasis of Fresno, CA—where she now lives with her cousin P.I. Stephen Carlucci, her pet rat Merlin, a Pit Bull named Watson, and a black cat named Dan. She has a new entertainment podcast, works as a part-time P.I., and is helping local bookstore owner Clark Halliwell put on the first-ever Tower Halloween Mysteryfest! The brutal summer heat is gone and has been replaced by the dense tule fog—perfect for Halloween!

She just wishes everyone would stop calling her the “Jessica Fletcher” of the Tower District simply because she found a dead body when she first arrived. But when one of the Mysteryfest authors is found dead, she fears she jinxed herself! The Carlucci’s are hired to find the killer before they strike again. Will Mysteryfest turn into a murder fest? How is the local gossip website back, and what does it know about the death of Roxi’s parents?

My Review:

This was such a great read for so many reasons! First, the mystery itself was well thought out and plotted. I loved following along as Roxi and her PI cousin Stephen investigated the murder, especially as they found themselves uncovering all sorts of information that led to many twists and turns. I had my guesses, but was never sure until the end, which, as someone who reads a lot of mysteries, I love it when I’m stumped! 

That the mystery was set around Halloween added another layer of enjoyment. I enjoyed (despite the murder) the idea of the Mysteryfest and the other activities created to attract folks to the festival. Authors, readers and theater people blend seamlessly together in my mind and it was fun to see that reflected on the page. The foggy weather of the Tower District in the fall made for an excellent setting. I’d most certainly like to visit the area and pop into Clark’s bookstore. I’m not so sure about a lavender latte, though!

I adored the characters. Roxi is so likable – she’s thoughtful and caring and that’s clear by the many different friendships she has with the characters. I appreciated how mental health situations were handled both by Roxi and the author. Representation handled with care is so important. I also enjoyed Roxi’s varied interests from her replica sword, to podcasting, to manga to her many different pets. Until reading this series I did not know rats could be such lovable pets. 

Lots of great details, wonderful characters and a solid mystery make this a fun entry into a unique mystery series!

About the Author:

Lorie Lewis Ham lives in Reedley, California and has been writing ever since she was a child. Her first song and poem were published when she was 13, and she has gone on to publish many articles, short stories, and poems throughout the years, as well as write for a local newspaper, and publish 7 mystery novels. For the past 14 years, Lorie has been the editor-in-chief and publisher of Kings River Life Magazine, and she produces Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast, where you can hear an excerpt of her book One of Us, the first in The Tower District Mysteries. Book 2, One of You, came out in June of 2024. 

Author Links:

~ Website ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ GoodReads ~BookBub ~

Purchase Links:

~ Amazon    ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Kobo ~ Universal Buy Link ~

TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

• July 18 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
• July 18 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
• July 18 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
• July 19 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
• July 19 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT
• July 20 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – AUTHOR GUEST POST
• July 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST
• July 21 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
• July 22 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
• July 22 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
• July 23 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
• July 23 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
• July 24 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHTJuly 25 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

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