A dead body. A hoard of forged banknotes. A gangster out for blood.
Welcome to one of the January 13th stops on the blog tour for Blood on the Tyne: Red Snow by Colin Garrow with Rachel’s Random Resources (schedule linked.) Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, and more great exclusive content!
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About the Book
Blood on the Tyne: Red Snow
The Rosie Robson Murder Mysteries Book Three
by Colin Garrow
Published 8 July 2022
Genre: Historical Mystery
Page Count: 221
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A dead body. A hoard of forged banknotes. A gangster out for blood.
Newcastle, December 1955. Returning home after a weekend away, singer and amateur sleuth Rosie Robson discovers a man lying on a baggage trolley with his throat cut. After the police get involved, an attack on Rosie and her boss prompts Inspector Vic Walton to find a safe house for the pair. But the bad guys seem to be one step ahead of them and Rosie is forced to track down a possible witness to the murder in a bid to learn the truth. Can the canny crooner solve the mystery before a Newcastle gang boss catches up with her?
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Exclusive Excerpt
At guitarist Ricky’s house, Rosie is concerned that mob boss Billy Dawson’s men might be following her. Borrowing a neighbour’s van in the hope they can avoid the villainous crew, Ricky and Rosie set off to drive through the snow back to Frankie’s place:
The green Ford delivery van stood right outside the house and from what I could see, must have been the only car for miles. Ricky unlocked it and ushered me inside. The engine started first time, but he had to get out and clear the windscreen before we could get going.
It wasn’t until we’d turned the corner onto the main road at the top and I saw there were no other vehicles to be seen, that the tension finally began to ease away. The snow made progress difficult and several times the van slewed across the road. Luckily, the lack of traffic meant we were unlikely to hit anyone.
But my sense of relief didn’t last.
As we passed The Fountain at the corner of Rye Hill, Ricky gave me a nudge.
‘We’ve got company.’
Leaning forwards, I peered into the nearside mirror and caught sight of a black saloon coming up behind us. Even though the driver hadn’t switched his headlights on, I couldn’t make out his face but there were at least two other people in the car. If they were part of Billy Dawson’s mob, I felt sure they’d be armed with more than hats and scarves. I gripped the edge of my seat and looked at Ricky.
As if reading my thoughts, he muttered, ‘Probably a coincidence.’ He glanced in his mirror again. ‘There definitely wasn’t anyone following us when we left Mr Phillipson’s house.’
‘What’ll we do if it is them?’
‘I’ll tell ye in a minute.’
The van accelerated down Westmorland Road, sliding around as we hit Neville Street. Across to our right lay the train station, but with only the parking area under the main archway, there’d be nowhere to hide, and we’d still be in full view from the street. Even worse—it’d leave us nowhere to go but back out onto the main road. I turned to look out my window just as Ricky hit the brakes. Twisting the steering wheel, he did a double-declutch as the back of the van skidded sideways. We slid for another few yards then came to a stop, leaving us at right angles to the road, the front of the van pointing towards a sharp left-hand turn that would take us along Bewick Street. Peering through my window, I saw that the black saloon hadn’t slowed down. In less than three seconds, it would collide with us side-on.
My hand flew to my mouth. ‘Oh, shit…’
About the Author
True-born Geordie Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland and has worked in a plethora of professions including taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor. He has also occasionally masqueraded as a pirate. Colin’s published books include the Watson Letters series, the Terry Bell Mysteries and the Rosie Robson Murder Mysteries. His short stories have appeared in several literary mags, including: SN Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, The Grind, A3 Review, Inkapture and Scribble Magazine. These days he lives in a humble cottage in Northeast Scotland.
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