Dinner at Deadman's by C.J. West review and giveaway!

Synopsis:
Lorado Martin has loved junk since his grandparents took him bottle digging in the backwoods of New England when he was a boy. The search for antiques and collectibles led him to a unique hobby: digging through the estates of the newly deceased, arranging the sale of goods for the heirs, and keeping the leftovers for himself.

To make a living he builds and maintains housing for recovering addicts and along the way he’s employed a number of his clients. The men wrestle with the siren call of drugs and teach Lorado about the difficult struggle to stay clean one day at a time.

When these two worlds come together, Lorado learns that not every elderly person dies of natural causes and that some estates are sold to benefit a killer. His latest project hits close to home. A woman he’s known since childhood haunts him from a fresh grave. Her grandson, an affable addict who has fallen off the wagon, stands to inherit a considerable sum whether he deserves it or not.

Book Details
Genre: Mystery
Published by: 22 West Books
Publication Date: November 2012
Number of Pages: 298
My Review:
I LOVED this book. I wish that I could give it more then 5 stars. My hubby and I watch all of these trutv shows "pickers" etc about how people have money in their houses. I never thought about what happens to people's stuff that is left behind! I have also been a fan of estate sales and tag sales forever. I love going to get used books and I loved that all of this was in this book. I can not wait to read more! Besides reading about all that stuff there was a clever mystery with a twists that left me wondering who? The end answered all my questions and I also laughed at the author's humor.
Lorado is a jack of all trades. But he is an estate sale "coordinator" by day. He gets paid to clear out houses and arrange their estates to make the most money for the benefactors. He soon finds out that not everyone died in peace!. Lorado also gives what he can't make money on to his friend Angel that runs a low income store. Lorado sometimes takes on state buildings and sells copper etc. He then uses his skills as a carpenter to rebuild these dilapidated buildings and turn them into group homes, etc.
Lorado soon realizes that he is his own defense in the bad parts of town.
Lorado takes on "Newb" who is the benefactor from his current house estate sale. When Lorado suspects foul play, he turns to Newb and his other employee, both are past drug/alcohol users. Not to mention Findley, an ex convict with a vendetta against Lorado.
The front cover is an actual picture of the author's brother, and some of the pictured finds are actually finds from the author's past. I thought that was awesome. I love when covers have meaning.
I got a copy to review, however all opinions are my own
Please enter below for your chance to win an ebook :)!
Giveaways:  Mr. West has generously offered to host a giveaway of this novel in ebook format.

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Purchase Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dinner-Deadmans-Lorado-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B009TB0844/?tag=22westbooks-20
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dinner-at-deadmans-cj-west/1113636824?ean=9780976778868
Goodreads: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dinner-at-deadmans-cj-west/1113636824?ean=9780976778868

EXCERPT:

Chapter One
February 17th. Nineteen degrees on a Friday night and I was tucked in a dead lady’s bed trying to convince myself the pressure in my gut wasn’t worth risking the cold oak and then the bathroom tiles. Sound miserable? Not for me. I wasn’t thinking about the punk heir or how silly I looked in a pink comforter covered with big red roses. I was a pig, belly deep in mud. No part of me wanted to move because I’d been treasure hunting all day. Everything was sore, especially my right elbow, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
You’re probably laughing. Picturing a fat guy in a pink blanket who fancied himself a pirate. I was no swashbuckler. Unwanted treasure was my specialty. New England might not have had gold or oil, but it was packed with loot.

My ancestors were either cowards or laggards. They landed on the Mayflower and walked inland far enough to get away from the Atlantic storm surge, but not so far they couldn’t run back to the boat if the Indians attacked. I couldn’t run back. I could walk if I lost a few pounds. Okay, probably not.
Every winter New Englanders dreamed of moving to Florida or South Carolina. Adventurous souls picked some island the rest of us had never heard of like Turks and Caicos. Not me. The South Coast was exactly where I belonged. New Bedford was the whaling capital of the world. Every old geezer who croaked had some scrimshaw or an oil lamp or something that had been around a few hundred years.

Author Bio:
C.J. West is the author of seven suspense novels including The End of Marking Time and Sin and Vengeance, which was optioned into development for film by Beantown Productions, LLC (screenplay by Marla Cukor).

Websites & Links:

C.J. blogs at www.cjwestkills.wordpress.com.
You can also find him at www.22wb.com or at www.facebook.com/cjwestfans.