The Debt Collectors: A Lucy Vaughn Mystery by Carolyn Fenzl is a Trick or Treat Bonanza pick #cozymystery #halloween #giveaway
Sometimes luck seems like a curse…
Title:
The Debt Collectors: A Lucy Vaughn Mystery
Author:
Carolyn Fenzl
Genre:
Cozy Mystery
Book Blurb:
Sometimes luck seems like a curse…
Lucy Vaughn is a sweepstakes enthusiast who has recently moved from Virginia to Sacramento, California after winning a large sum of money. Her plan is to get a fresh start away from the problems she left behind. At first, things seem to be very lucky for Lucy, who meets handsome neighbor Thorne and continues to win sweepstakes. But that all changes when supernatural forces disrupt her life.
Excerpt:
As promised, the waiter returned quickly with their drinks and then took their dinner orders. Lucy ordered a veggie burger while Thorne asked for the chef’s special shrimp.
“Are you a vegetarian?” Thorne asked surprised.
“I haven’t always been, but I’m trying it out. It’s part of the new California me.”
Thorne laughed. “Well, that’s the most original reason for becoming a vegetarian I’ve ever heard. But if you secretly want a bite of my shrimp, I would look the other way.”
Thorne told Lucy about the great farmers’ markets Sacramento had during the summer months, where she could get lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.
“I don’t cook from fresh ingredients that often,” Lucy admitted. “I find that when I buy fresh fruits and vegetables, a week later I’m throwing out soggy, rancid fruits and vegetables. My refrigerator is a fate worse than death for vegetable kind!”
“Personally, I love to cook so I’m usually well stocked. Maybe as part of the ‘new California you’ you should learn. I could teach you,” he offered.
“Well, I’m not one to turn down free cooking lessons when they’re offered,” Lucy said smiling. She was pleased that private cooking lessons meant seeing more of Thorne. Plus, in her secret “ideal man” list she kept in her head, a man that could cook was in the top five, just after good looking and funny, all of which described Thorne.
However, the number one spot on the list was faithful. After learning the hard way that some men don’t value that trait, it was something any new man would have to prove. She knew Thorne was divorced and wondered why his marriage had broken up. Was he unfaithful? Was his ex-wife? Lucy wanted to ask Thorne about his marriage but thought it was much too soon to ask such personal questions.
Instead, she asked him about his hobbies. “I know you have day and evening work responsibilities,” said Lucy. “Does it leave you any time to have fun?’
“I make time on Wednesday nights. You might laugh at the cliché of a small-town farm boy going bowling, but that’s what I do every week with a group of fellow writers. How about you?”
“Sweepstakes,” Lucy reminded Thorne.
“That’s right! Lucky Lucy. I think that’s what I’m going to call you. It’s your new California nickname. So Lucky Lucy, how did you get interested in entering sweepstakes?”
Lucy talked about how she started sweeping, how she found sweepstakes to enter, the difference between sweepstakes and contests, and how long she spent on this hobby each day.
Thorne took in everything she said, asking questions, and encouraging her to talk more. He was a good listener, another of Lucy’s top five. But he was also open about himself, offering personal anecdotes and describing his friends and family to Lucy.
After Lucy used her gift card to pay for the meal, which Thorne said he felt very honored that she had used on him, the two headed to the movie theater. After a brief discussion on the film choices, they decided, at Lucy’s prodding, to see a thriller.
By the time they got back to their apartment complex, it was nearly midnight. Thorne parked the car and then walked Lucy to her door, where he hugged her and told her he would call soon about those cooking lessons. Then he walked off toward his own apartment.
Lucy closed and locked the door while smiling to herself. It had been a great night. She wished it wasn’t too late to call Jenny, but it would be nearly three in the morning in Virginia. She decided she would e-mail her instead.
Lucy logged on to her computer and opened her email. She had four new messages, two of which were spam, one from her mother asking Lucy about her Thanksgiving plans, and one from Buddy. She should have changed her e-mail address when she moved to California, but she’d had the same one for years. Everyone she knew and every account she’d signed up for was linked to that address, and she couldn’t see changing it just to avoid one person. She almost deleted the message but then curiosity got the best of her and she opened it.
LUCY WHERE ARE YOU? I’ve been trying to call you but you never answer your phone. I know you aren’t working. Your mom told me that. So what is there for you in California? Nothing. What is there for you in Virginia? Me. And this time I mean it. No other girls.
Yeah, right, thought Lucy. And he still hadn’t apologized for the way he treated her when they were together. She suspected it would be a cold day in hell before that happened. But what made her most angry was that he assumed that she had nothing going for her in California. She wished she could prove to him and all the people back home that they were wrong. That in California her life was better than it had ever been. That’s the message she really wanted to send to the gossip mill back home.
Exhausted, Lucy decided to get ready for bed. She walked into the darkened bedroom and felt the wall for the light switch. Just then she saw a shadowy movement out of the corner of her eyes. Startled, she quickly flipped on the light and looked around, but all she saw was her bedroom.
“I really must be tired. I’m seeing things now,” she muttered. She slipped out of her clothes, leaving them to rest on the bedroom floor, and pulled a nightshirt over her head. She shuffled into the bathroom and brushed her teeth, then realized she still had her necklace on, so she took it off and laid it on the nightstand beside her bed. Then pulling back the covers, she slid beneath them ready to dream.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Debt-Collectors-Lucy-Vaughn-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07MHZY9T5/ref=sr_1_1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43619831-the-debt-collectors
If you could dress up as anything or anyone this Halloween, what or who would it be and why?
Inspired by “Lucky Lucy” in The Debt Collectors, a character who loves entering sweepstakes and has recently won a grand prize, I would dress as a lucky prize magnet with symbols of luck and representations of prizes I have won glued onto my clothes.
Explain why your featured book is a treat to read:
What makes The Debt Collectors a treat to read is that it’s a blend of the cozy and the otherworldly. Where this book truly shines is in its paranormal twist. The addition of supernatural elements is a fun way to uncover clues and complicate the investigation. If you’re looking for a cozy mystery that’s a little bit spooky, then you’ve found the perfect escape.
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $100 Amazon gift card:
https://kingsumo.com/g/3eeo2k3/trick-or-treat-book-bonanza-giveaway
Open Internationally.
Runs October 1 – October 31, 2025.
Winner will be drawn on November 3, 2025.
Author Biography:
Carolyn Fenzl is the award-winning cozy mystery author of The Ballad of Buddy and the Lucy Vaughn Mystery Series, including The Debt Collectors and Christmas in Cave Creek. Before she started writing books, Carolyn earned a B.A. in history from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from Vermont Law School. Carolyn lives in Idaho with her husband, cats, and retired guide dog.
Social Media Links:
WEBSITE:
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Carolyn-Fenzl/author/B07MCHJDZL
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8319875.Carolyn_Fenzl
BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/carolyn-fenzl
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/carolynfenzlauthor/