Mazurka (A Gus LeGarde Mystery) [Paperback]

Aaron Paul Lazar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2009

Join Gus LeGarde in this European rollercoaster ride where he unearths a scandalous family secret linked to a nineteenth century composer. When brother-in-law Siegfried is framed for a neo-Nazi's murder, they're plunged into a sizzling cat-and-mouse game where the stakes are lethal.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Lazar delivers a masterful display of heartfelt emotions, need, and compassion. That he wraps this present in a thrilling, mysterious package for us just makes it all the more enjoyable. --Thomas Fortenberry, Literary Critic

About the Author

After writing in the early morning hours, Aaron Lazar works as an electrophotographic engineer in Rochester, New York. Additional passions include vegetable, fruit, and flower gardening; preparing large family feasts; photographing his family, gardens, and the breathtakingly beautiful Genesee Valley; cross-country skiing across the rolling hills; playing a distinctly amateur level of piano, and spending "time" with the French Impressionists whenever possible. Mr. Lazar resides in Upstate New York with his wife, three daughters, two grandsons, mother-in-law, dog, and four cats. Although he adored raising his three delightful daughters, Aaron finds grandfathering his "two little buddies" to be one of the finest experiences of his life.

Product Details

• Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Timeless Books; First edition (September 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606191608
• ISBN-13: 978-1606191606
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,075,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Aaron Paul Lazar wasn't always a mystery writer. It wasn't until eight members of his family and friends died within five years that the urge to write became overwhelming. "When my father died, I lost it. I needed an outlet, and writing provided the kind of solace I couldn't find elsewhere."

Lazar created the Gus LeGarde mystery series, with the founding novel, DOUBLE FORTÉ (2004), a chilling winter mystery set in the Genesee Valley of upstate New York. Like Lazar's father, protagonist Gus LeGarde is a classical music professor. Gus, a grandfather, gardener, chef, and nature lover, plays Chopin etudes to feed his soul and thinks of himself as a "Renaissance man caught in the 21st century."

The creation of the series lent Lazar the comfort he sought, yet in the process, a new passion was unleashed. Obsessed with his parallel universe, he now lives, breathes, and dreams about his characters, and has written ten LeGarde mysteries in eight years. (UPSTAGED - 2005; TREMOLO: CRY OF THE LOON - 2007 Twilight Times Books; MAZURKA - 2009 Twilight Times Books, FIRESONG - 2011, with more to come.) The author is currently working on his sixteenth novel.

One day while rototilling his gardens, Lazar unearthed a green cat's eye marble, which prompted the new paranormal mystery series featuring Sam Moore, retired country doctor and passionate gardener. The green marble, a powerful talisman, connects all three of the books in the series, whisking Sam back in time to uncover his brother's dreadful fate fifty years earlier. (HEALEY'S CAVE, 2010; TERROR COMES KNOCKING, 2011; FOR KEEPS, 2012) Lazar intends to continue both series.

Lazar's books feature breathless chase scenes, nasty villains, and taut suspense, but are also intensely human stories, replete with kids, dogs, horses, food, romance, and humor. The author calls them, "country mysteries," although reviewers have dubbed them "literary mysteries."

"It seems as though every image ever impressed upon my brain finds its way into my work. Whether it's the light dancing through stained-glass windows in a Parisian chapel, curly slate-green lichen covering a boulder at the edge of a pond in Maine, or hoarfrost dangling from a cherry tree branch in mid-winter, these images burrow into my memory cells. In time they bubble back, persistently itching, until they are poured out on the page."

In 2009, Kodak gave him up for grabs, and during the year off before he landed in his coveted new job with KB America, he had time to explore and reconnect with his environment. Little did he know that several trips to the Adirondack Mountains would reawaken his passion for that part of the country. Two new books were written in that timeframe, starting yet another mystery series, Tall Pines Mysteries. The first two books in the series are due out in the late 2011 early 2012 timeframe. Watch for FOR THE BIRDS and ESSENTIALLY YOURS, coming soon.

The author lives on a ridge overlooking the Genesee Valley in upstate New York with his wife, mother-in-law, two dogs, and cat. He finds grandfathering one of the most precious and important times of life, and spends as much time as possible with Julian, Gordon, Aiden, and Isabella.

Lazar maintains several websites and blogs, was the Gather Saturday Writing Essential host for three years, writes his monthly "Seedlings" columns for the Voice in the Dark literary journal and the Future Mystery Anthology Magazine. He has been published in Absolute Write as well as The Great Mystery and Suspense Magazine. See excerpts and reviews here:

www.legardemysteries.com
www.mooremysteries.com
www.murderby4.blogspot.com
www.aplazar.gather.com
www.aaronlazar.blogspot.com

Contact him at [e-mail].


LEGARDE MYSTERIES
DOUBLE FORTE' (2004)
UPSTAGED (2005)
TREMOLO: CRY OF THE LOON (2007)
MAZURKA (2009)
FIRESONG (2011)

MOORE MYSTERIES
HEALEY'S CAVE (2010)
TERROR COMES KNOCKING (2011)
FOR KEEPS (2012)

TALL PINES MYSTERIES
FOR THE BIRDS (2011)
ESSENTIALLY YOURS (2012)


Preditors & Editors Readers Choice Award - 2nd place 2011* Winner of Carolyn Howard Johnsons' 9th Annual Noble (Not Nobel!) Prize for Literature 2011 * Finalist Allbooks Editors Choice Awards 2011 * Preditors&Editors Top 10 Finalist * Yolanda Renee's Top Ten Books 2008 * MYSHELF Top Ten Reads 2008 * Writers' Digest Top 101 Website Award 2009 & 2010

www.legardemysteries.com
www.mooremysteries.com
www.murderby4.blogspot.com
www.aaronlazar.blogspot.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad book., June 1, 2011

By 

G. Jones "Through One Man's Eyes" (South Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mazurka (Kindle Edition)

I first read Lazar's Cry of the Loon for free, so I thought I'd buy one to read. It's an interesting story, but most of all I enjoy Lazar's word pictures; he'a great descriptive writer. Though, sometimes the reader (and I fear Lazar, as well) get lost in the descriptive prose. The plot of this book was interesting, and had a couple of decent plot twists, and a satisfactory (if not somewhat drawn out) ending. I'll likely read another.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Music, mystery and Paris, March 16, 2011

By 

S. Deeth "Sheila Deeth" (OR, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mazurka (A Gus LeGarde Mystery) (Paperback)

I'd heard of Aaron Lazar's Gus LeGarde mysteries, but hadn't read any yet, so I had slightly mixed feelings when I got the chance to read the fourth in the series before trying the others. On the one hand, Mazurka starts in Paris, the location of some especially fond memories for me, so that was certainly an attraction. But on the other hand I was nervous that I might feel I was playing catch-up, chasing after characters that other readers already knew and loved.

I needn't have worried. Gus, Camille and Siegfried rapidly became real to me, as did the scenes they inhabited. Soon I was smelling and hearing Paris all around me as I sank into the story...

And tasting it!

The author's ability to evoke the flavor of a city, and a meal, is truly amazing. I frequently felt like I was sitting at the next table in a street-café. I could feel the texture as a French loaf was torn apart, and taste the crumbs on my tongue. I could see the flowers and hear the birds. And in a heartbeat, I was part of the confusion and fear all around as events transformed LeGarde's beautiful haven to a terror zone.

The author's wide-ranging skills are equally apparent in love scenes, in evocative passages filled with memories, and in death-defying action. His protagonists are at once believable and just plain nice, leaving the reader pleased to have met them and eager to spend more time in their company. And the enemy in Mazurka is one that has indeed been on the rise, in Europe and beyond. Lazar's handling of local history and the global nature of evil was very nicely done.

Then of course, there's that delightful thread of music through the tale, as befits the book's title, and a fascinating depiction of the world of long ago.

This was truly an enjoyable book, and an excellent introduction to a series that I'll hope to read more of. Many thanks for the invitation and the opportunity Mr. Lazar.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mazurka, June 23, 2010

By 

Anne K. Edwards "AKE" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mazurka (A Gus LeGarde Mystery) (Paperback)

A treat in store for the reader! Gus LeGarde returns in an adventure that will have you biting your nails as you read.

A honeymoon trip begins with their plane caught in a horrific storm. Was this a preview of things to come? How could Seigfried end up in a hospital, the victim of a street attack? How do Gus and Camille end up lost under the streets of Paris? Is someone after them? Who?

This tale combines loads of action, romance, description that takes you there, and suspense. Danger seems to dog the trio from the minute they step off the plane. As innocent tourists how did they draw down the wrath of a group of discontented demonstrators?

You'll love all the characters in this tale, so well are they drawn. The villains are the kind you'll love to hate as they are so completely opposite the world Gus and family normally inhabit. This is a tale that gives the reader food for thought. The menace feels real.

I'm happy to recommend this tale by talented author Aaron Paul Lazar as one that will keep you reading and leave you satisfied that it was time well spent. The complex plot is a skillful combination of subplots driven by the motives and actions of well-drawn characters. You'll be looking for other books by this imaginative author and enjoy every one of them. Enjoy. I certainly did.