The Heretics Hymnal by Ken Dalton | $10 Giveaway, Review, Excerpt
Genre: Mystery
A book blog tour from Goddess Fish Promotions.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Marianne & Judy at Goddess Fish for providing me with the information for this tour.
Book Details
The Heretics Hymnal by Ken Dalton
Series: A Pinky and Bear Mystery
Published by DIFFERENT DRUMMER Press on 08/12/2021
Genres: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / International Crime & Mystery
Format: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 346
Source: Goddess Fish Promotions, Received from the author or publisher for review.A cryptic phone call from a police detective in Germany caused Pinky to contact Bear and Flo so they could keep his client from being extradited to Germany for murder. His client was accused of strangling a used book store owner to get a first edition of Martin Luther's Achtliederbuch-a book published in 1524-a book all experts agree no longer exists.
As Pinky burns through a couple more legal secretaries, he directs Bear and Flo, "Go to Nuremberg and find someone, anyone, who had the motive, means, and opportunity to murder the book store owner."
To which Bear replies, "Boss, let me get this straight. We fly to Germany to find a patsy, and then we frame him so the German cops think that the patsy, not your client, murdered the dead dude. Right?"
Bear's apt observation kicks off the mystery that takes Pinky, Bear, and Flo from the peaceful California town of Pacific Grove to Nuremberg, Germany-the city where Hitler told his Nazi party followers that his Third Reich would last a thousand years.
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Excerpt from The Heretics Hymnal
“I thank you for your cooperation. Herr Delmont, are you familiar with a man named Konrad Kaufmann?”
A curious chill worked down my spine. Kaufmann? A few years ago, I represented a client named Helmut Kaufmann who I had extracted from a trumped-up murder charge. Could it be possible that the Nuremberg murder victim and Helmut were related?
“Detective, I can inform you that I have never known, nor met, nor communicated in any way with a man named Konrad Kaufmann. Is he an integral part of your investigation?”
“Konrad Kaufmann was the murder victim!”
I said, “This has all been very interesting, but as I stated, I do not know the man and I am a few minutes away from an important meeting with a client.
“Herr Delmont, before you go I do have a few more questions that I hope you will be kind enough to answer. My concern is not only the murder of Konrad Kaufmann, but das motiv einer tat.”
“Detective, as I am not up to speed with your native tongue, would you please translate that for me?”
“I apologize. Das motiv einer tat means the motive for the deed.”
“I see. So you are talking about the motivation for the murder that you are investigating. What have you discovered so far?”
“My investigation has led me to believe that the murder victim possessed a book by Martin Luther that is considered extremely valuable.”
“Just how valuable?”
The detective paused. “If the book could be authenticated, perhaps many, many millions of Euros. I am positive that the book is the motiv einer tat!”
My interest perked up. “So you feel the shop owner was murdered for the Martin Luther book?”
“You are correct. However, Herr Delmont, I have not been totally honest with you.”
By this point in our conversation, I felt we were finally getting to the reason the man had called me. “There’s more?”
“Herr Delmont, we have discovered some evidence that leads us to believe that the murder of Konrad Kaufmann was committed by his nephew, Helmut Kaufmann, a man who lives in Carson City.
Finally, I understood the reason for the German Detective’s phone call.
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Purchase Links for The Heretics Hymnal
The Book Depository Waterstones
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My thoughts on The Heretics Hymnal
The Heretics Hymnal is a wild ride of a mystery.
There are several books in the Pinky and Bear mystery series. I’ve not read the earlier books but had no trouble following along with this tale.
With the predominantly black and white cover (and author picture) along with the dialogue, this story played in my head like a black & white whodunnit film noir from the past.
The author threw it all at the reader with witty dialogue, international crime, an unforgettable cast, a manuscript written in 1524 by Martin Luther(…maybe?), and so much more.
The multiple points of view were a positive for me, as they helped me keep the characters straight. Flo captured my heart right off the bat, with her unique take on everything from baseball to vacuuming. The others picked up the story and ran with it in their chapters.
While the story is a humorous mystery, you can tell Mr. Dalton put in a lot a research to make the settings as realistic as possible. The authors note at the end of the book includes a glimpse into that research.
Mystery fans should enjoy this one. It falls somewhere between a humorous cozy mystery and a political thriller.
I read this book through the Amazon Kindle Unlimited program. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
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I love my Amazon Kindle Unlimited Subscription. So many books, so little time!
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About Ken Dalton
Ken Dalton was born in 1938 at Hollywood Hospital. He grew up in Los Angeles with his parents, his older sister, and younger brother.
In a turn of bad luck, the dreaded Polio virus attacked Ken at the age of five.
By the age of sixteen, after eleven years of operations, therapy, and braces to mitigate the effects of Polio, Ken’s luck changed when he met the girl of his dreams. A few years later they married, produced three wonderful children, and settled into a happy life in Southern California.
In 1966, Ken and his family moved to the wine country of Northern California where they bought a home.
Ten years later, Ken, designed, built, and operated a small winery that produced award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
Then, in a moment of madness, Ken began writing. His first article was published in Golf Illustrated. Many more golf articles followed in national and regional magazines including Golf Magazine and Fairways and Greens. Eventually, Ken felt the urge to write his first novel.
Now, after the publication of The Bloody Birthright, The Big Show Stopper, Death is a Cabernet, The Tartan Shroud, Brother, can you spare a dime?, The Unsavory Critic, Casper Potts and the Ladies’ Casserole Club, and his non-fiction, Polio and Me, he recently published his latest mystery, The Heretics Hymnal.
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Purchase The Heretics Hymnal online from a local book store.
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Easy Amazon Links
The Heretics Hymnal: A Pink...Shop on Amazon Kindle 
The Heretics Hymnal: Pinky ...Shop on Amazon Paperback
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Giveaway!
Ken Dalton will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Visit more stops on this Goddess Fish tour for extra chances to win!
Full Tour Schedule:
February 17: The Faerie Review
February 17: Kit ‘N Kabookle
February 24: Gina Rae Mitchell
March 3: Lamon Reviews
March 10: Fabulous and Brunette
If you would like to review books for Goddess Fish Promotions, please click the link below:
Goddess Fish Virtual Book Tour Host
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I love the cover!
Dear Danielle,
Thank you. I think you will enjoy the story.
Ken
Thanks for stopping by, Danielle. Glad to have you.
The book sounds very intriguing. The cover is fantastic!
Dear Piroska,
Thank you your comments. I’ll be sure to tell my son, he’s designed all nine of my book covers. If you want to see more, go to Amazon, type in my name, Ken Dalton, and enjoy.
Thanks,
Ken
Sounds like a good read. I love the cover.
Sherry1969,
My son, a professional graphic artist , created the covers to all of my nine books. I’ll pass on your comment to him and if you like The heretics Hymnal, be sure to read the other Pinky and Bear mysteries.
Ken
Thank you for your spot-on review. If you, or any of your readers have any questions, please feel free to email me at ken@kendalton.com.
Ken
I liked the excerpt.
Thanks for stopping by, Rita! Always great to see you here.
Thanks for hosting!