# New cover - BRITTLE SHADOWS



## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

I'm delighted to announce that Brittle Shadows, my third Australian murder mystery, is now available on Kindle for the special holiday price of $0.99 (limited time).



PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

When soon-to-be-wed Tanya Clark is confronted with her fiancé's naked corpse hanging from a wardrobe rail in the upmarket Melbourne apartment they share, her life is torn apart. Two months later, distraught and unable to cope, she drowns her sorrows in a lethal cocktail of alcohol and prescription drugs.

On the other side of Australia, a grieving Jemma Dalton struggles to come to terms with the suicide of her only sibling. Despite there being no evidence to the contrary, Jemma refuses to accept Tanya had intended to kill herself. Not her sister. Then the coroner's report reveals that at the time of her death she had been six weeks pregnant. The will, too, raises more questions than it answers. How did a young woman on a personal assistant's wage amass shares worth in excess of $1,000,000?

In a desperate bid to uncover the truth, Jemma puts her own life at risk and starts to probe the shadows of her sister's life. But shadows, like bones, grow brittle with age. The consequences can be deadly.

Happy holidays everyone! 

Cheers
Vicki


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Welcome again, Vicki, and congratulations on your book.

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## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

Reviews just in...



> Ms. Tyley is one heck of a writer. I loved her first 2 books, and I loved this one, too. It is very well-written and well-formatted. The mystery and tension builds throughout the book, keeping readers engaged and captivated. There are so many possible suspects in the murderer of Jemma's sister, who it turns out had many secrets that Jemma didn't know about. This book takes the reader on a suspenseful ride from start to finish. Almost everything in this book is important; there is no fluff or filler. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a great mystery by a talented and terrific author. ~ kindle addict





> Wow! is what I said when I finished reading this immensely satisfying book. Every part of this book was interesting to me, even the descriptions of the restaurants and the food. While I was able to correctly guess "whodunit" with Vicki's first book Thin Blood (which most people weren't able to deduce), with this one I was completely floored at the reveal. It was a very satisfying read! ~ Blaiz


I'd also like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a wondrous Christmas filled with love, laughter and Kindle books.

Vicki xx


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## stacydan (Jul 20, 2009)

Sounds great!  just one-clicked, I loved Sleight Malice and this one sounds really good too!

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!


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## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

stacydan said:


> Sounds great! just one-clicked, I loved Sleight Malice and this one sounds really good too!
> 
> Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!


Hi Stacy!

Thanks for one-clicking.  I know you enjoyed Sleight Malice more than Thin Blood, so I'll be interested to hear your thoughts.

Happy New Year!

Cheers
Vicki


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

I'm pleased to welcome Brittle Shadows as our KB Book of the Day!


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## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

Thanks, Harvey.

BRITTLE SHADOWS is a contemporary murder mystery set in Melbourne, Australia. It's the fifth novel I've written, but only the third published.

Like all my novels Brittle Shadows, is a fast-paced, easy read with red herrings, twists and turns galore. Despite the naked man hanging in the wardrobe in the prologue, there is no explicit sex or gore.

 *PROLOGUE:*

One foot inside the apartment, the smell hit her. Sour, like cat pee. Except they didn't own a cat.

"Sean?" she called, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat. "Sean, honey, are you home?" Louder this time.

Not a sound. Only that putrid smell.

She dumped her heavy satchel on the floor, kicked the door closed, and surveyed the room.

The late afternoon sun streamed through the balcony-facing floor-to-ceiling windows. Long shadows from the life-sized, headless bronze nudes standing sentry sliced the living area. _The Age_ newspaper lay open at the business section in the middle of the narrow glass-topped dining table, Sean's mobile phone next to it. Apart from one of the eight chairs sitting askew from the table, she could have stepped into the pages of _Home Beautiful._

She crossed the carpet toward the short hall that led to the bedrooms and stuck her head into the apartment's galley-style kitchen. Tomatoes, red onions and a cling-wrapped tray of meat - the makings of what looked to be one of her fiancé's specialties, Spanish steak - sat on the stainless steel drainer next to the sink. Further down the bench, she spotted a bottle of red wine together with two wine glasses, one of which was already poured. She sniffed the air and moved on.

Usually wide open, the door to the guest bedroom was half-closed. Hoping Sean hadn't offered a bed to one of his boozy mates, she hesitated for a moment and then gave the door a sharp shove.

The door swung in, releasing a rush of sour air. Pinching her nostrils together, she leaned into the room, ready to beat a hasty retreat if anyone was in there. Her gaze went first to the queen-sized bed. Although the quilt looked rumpled, the bed itself didn't appear to have been slept in.

Breathing out through her mouth, she glanced across the bedroom to where sunlight, filtered through the window's upward angled Venetians, striped the ceiling.

She took another step into the room and turned around. The leather strap of her handbag slid from her shoulder. She didn't try to stop it, couldn't stop it. Unable to move, all she could do was gape at the open wardrobe, her eyes bulging almost as much as the vacant ones staring back at her.

A silent scream blocked her throat. She couldn't breathe in; she couldn't breathe out. Her lungs wanted to burst. The purple, bloated face of the naked man hanging from the wardrobe's steel rail on a belt, his swollen tongue protruding from his mouth, was almost unrecognizable. Almost.

She stumbled backwards, snaring her handbag as she landed in a heap next to the bed. She scrambled in the bottom of her bag, her mobile phone eluding her like wet soap in the bathtub. When she did manage to get hold of it, she struggled to still her shaking hands. Her fingers felt fat and clumsy, the buttons on her phone tinier than she remembered.

"Emergency. What service do you require? Police, Fire, Ambulance?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but a magazine page stuck to her leg now had her attention instead. She peeled it off, dangling the magazine at arm's length as if it were a dirty sock. She had never seen anything quite like it. Naked flesh. Entwined bodies. Explicit sex scenes.

If she had thought things couldn't get any worse, she had thought wrong. She shook her head, unable to come to terms with what she was seeing. Her fiancé, her lover, her partner was dead; dead and surrounded with hard-core homosexual pornography&#8230; 

###​
I hope you'll check it out. Happy reading&#8230;

Cheers
Vicki


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

I love the idea of an Australian mystery, being as it's one place I long to see. Some day.......


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## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

JFHilborne said:


> I love the idea of an Australian mystery, being as it's one place I long to see. Some day.......


Hi Jenny,

This is completely off topic, but if you're interested in Australia, you might enjoy my photoblog: Eucalypt Habitat: Living in rural Australia

Cheers
Vicki


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

Thanks, Vicki. I'll check it out.


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## Jamjar (Nov 22, 2008)

Hi Vicki,
I just clicked on the KB book of the day link and decided to get it because of the Australian background.  I had lived in Australia for 10 years many moons ago.  I also clicked on your link to read your blog and realized that you live in the town where I taught.  What a pleasant surprise.  I look forward to reading Brittle Shadows.

Judy


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## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

Jamjar said:


> Hi Vicki,
> I just clicked on the KB book of the day link and decided to get it because of the Australian background. I had lived in Australia for 10 years many moons ago. I also clicked on your link to read your blog and realized that you live in the town where I taught. What a pleasant surprise. I look forward to reading Brittle Shadows.
> 
> Judy


Hi Judy,

What a small world! How many "moons" ago did you live and teach in Yea? 

Cheers
Vicki


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## Jamjar (Nov 22, 2008)

I taught in Yea from 1972 until 1983. I took my family back in 2002 to show them the area where I use to live and friends in Yea gave us a wonderful visit.  My maiden name was Murray and I taught Phys. Ed.


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## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

I was thrilled beyond words when BigAl chose his review of Brittle Shadows to launch his BigAl's Books and Pals blog.

From his review: _"Tyley is a master at weaving a complex, multilayered plot."_

BigAl reviews books from all genres. Other reviews:

         

Thank you, BigAl! 

Cheers
Vicki


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## G. Henkel (Jan 12, 2010)

Rock on, Vicki! Cool beans.


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## HelenSmith (Mar 17, 2010)

Thanks, Vicki.

Hope all's well with you. I have been thinking about you as Australia has taken a drubbing in recent weeks/months with the flood and then the cylone. 

Big Al's site is great, isn't it? "Tyley is a master..." Yay! I still haven't got to Brittle Shadows but I'm looking forward to it. 

Helen


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## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

Guido Henkel said:


> Rock on, Vicki! Cool beans.


Thanks, Guido. 



HelenSmith said:


> Thanks, Vicki.
> 
> Hope all's well with you. I have been thinking about you as Australia has taken a drubbing in recent weeks/months with the flood and then the cylone.
> 
> ...


All well here. I'm recovering from hip surgery but that's nothing compared to what many Australians are recovering from. A friend asked me what we all did to piss God off so much. I don't think she was joking... 

Cheers
Vicki


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## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

_"Vicki Tyley is the Australian P.D. James - a can't miss read. Her mysteries definitely are in the same class as McBain, Grimes, and James, and like Grimes and James, have that little bit of reserve that distinguishes the English-style mystery from the American-style mystery. And at $2.99 an ebook, the value is greater than that of the better-known but not more capable English-style mystery writers. I highly recommend Tyley's three ebooks to mystery fans." American Editor_

To say that I'm both honoured and humbled to be compared to the P.D. James, let alone the other mystery greats, would be an understatement.

Click here to read the rest of the review: On Books: Murder Down Under

Cheers
Vicki


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## chris.truscott (Dec 3, 2010)

Absolutely loved "Sleight Malice" and "Brittle Shadows." Really, really great books!


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## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

chris.truscott said:


> Absolutely loved "Sleight Malice" and "Brittle Shadows." Really, really great books!


Wow! Thank you, Chris. I'm thrilled you loved them. 

And thank you, too, for your awesome reviews.

Cheers
Vicki


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## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

I'm delighted to be featured as this month's The Frugal eReader's author: http://thefrugalereader.com/2011/06/14/qa-and-giveaway-with-author-vicki-tyley/. To celebrate, 5 Frugal eReaders will win a gifted Kindle copy of Brittle Shadows. PLUS, 3 Frugal eReaders will win an advance reader's copy of my upcoming novel, Bitter Nothings.

I also answer the following (and more) questions:

When did you first know that you wanted to write? What inspired you to start?

_How would you describe the style of your writing?

How would you describe Brittle Shadows to someone who has not read any of your previous novels?

As I have a strong relationship with my sister, I am always intrigued by novels with sister relationships as part of the premise. How did you come up with the premise for Brittle Shadows?

What was your creative process for determining the final title and cover for your novel?

What were the challenges of writing this novel? Your favorite part of writing Brittle Shadows?

Any advice to those who hold the dream of becoming an author?

Are you working on anything new that you'd like to share?_

Cheers
Vicki


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## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

BRITTLE SHADOWS has a new cover. Check it out:



Here's to a great weekend.

Cheers
Vicki


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## Shane Ward (Jan 25, 2013)

That cover looks much better, and more detail....


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## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

Shane Ward said:


> That cover looks much better, and more detail....


Thanks, Shane. I really appreciate the feedback. 

Cheers
Vicki


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