RIPTIDE

Nothing below the surface is what it seems.

Currents

For Those Who Are Lost

With the Nazi invasion of Guernsey immanent, residents scramble to get their children off the island and to the safety of mainland...

8 views0 comments

How to Train Your Husband

Little Lessons Every New Bride Needs to Learn My husband often jokes with friends that he wants to return as one of our dogs when he...

2 views0 comments

Five Books to Pull from the TBR file For Your Vacation

Summer is the perfect time to delve into your To Be Read pile, and I have five superb books to share with you from mine. From a royally...

18 views0 comments

Well-Dressed Husbands

Let’s be honest. There is nothing sexier than a husband who has just mowed the lawn. Or cleaned out the garage. Or rearranged the...

17 views0 comments

The Physicists’ Daughter

It’s 1944, and Justine Byrne is thrilled by the opportunity to step away from her mind-numbing war-time assembly line job and use her...

27 views0 comments

The Romance of Packing

Planning what to pack for our upcoming summer trip to England would be easier if I knew all my careful, neat folding wouldn’t end up a...

11 views0 comments

Two Little Girls

One Heart-Wrenching Choice Choose which one dies—a horrific nightmare for any mother of more than one child. In Two Little Girls, the...

26 views0 comments

The Distant Dead

I discovered bestselling author Lesley Thomson’s remarkable Detective’s Daughter series a few years ago by chance. I should have also...

23 views0 comments

The Windsor Knot

As celebrations marking Queen Elizabeth’s platinum anniversary as monarch begin, it’s the perfect time to discover S.J. Bennett’s new...

17 views0 comments

Hattie Rose Has Earned Her Wings

Preparing for our first Christmas together 30 years ago, I asked my husband what kind of topper he’d like for our tree. His response told...

27 views0 comments

Salute to My Neighborhood Heros - Dallas Fire Station 17

I was delighted when asked to write a small profile of Lakewood's neighborhood fire station. In part, of course, because it's my...

17 views0 comments

First Impressions

After A Gloomy 2020, Refreshing Our Home’s Entry Is A Step In The Right Direction To Welcome Back Guests Our neighborhood, considered the...

16 views0 comments

Riptide Galveston

Celebrating My Love Affair With Galveston Island . . . The United States Coast Guard Station With Guardsman Joseph Ayotte, CS1 While in...

20 views0 comments

Riptide Galveston

Celebrating My Love Affair With Galveston Island. . . Waterman's Restaurant - Dinner, Cocktails And A Killer View Waterman's Restaurant...

29 views0 comments

Riptide Galveston

Celebrating My Love Affair With Galveston Island . . . Christmas on The Strand - Where It's Always Christmas I began collecting Christmas...

12 views0 comments

Riptide Galveston

Celebrating My Love Affair With Galveston Island . . . Star Drug Store – The First Drug Store in Texas A brass plaque marks the height of...

18 views0 comments

Riptide Galveston

Celebrating My Love Affair With Galveston Island . . . The Stewart’s Mansion - Home to Pirates and Philanthropists - With Shirley Roane,...

48 views1 comment

Summer Chills

As summer temperatures heat up, it’s the perfect time to kick back with chilling mysteries from some of crime fiction’s best: Julia...

155 views0 comments

The Missing Piece...

The time we spent homebound with our families during the pandemic gave us an unexpected puzzle to solve: a newfound love of jigsaws. And...

17 views0 comments

Where Does the Time Go?

We look at our grandchildren and ask, “Where does the time go?” I think I may have found it. Rose Kennedy, matriarch of the Kennedy...

28 views0 comments

Of Mutts and Men by Spencer Quinn

Since the Chet and Bernie mysteries are told in Chet’s point of view, my mom’s letting me, Miss Lizzie, take over the keyboard for this...

19 views0 comments

The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton

There’s something unusual about Vira. The young golden retriever, rescued from a near-death experience, isn’t your average lucky dog. The...

18 views0 comments

When Should Outdoor Decorations Come Down?

Every neighborhood has one of those, the neighbor who leaves their outdoor Christmas holiday decorations up until after Valentine’s...

10 views0 comments

Q&A: Roberta Isleib/Lucy Burdette

Have months of isolation and the prospect of hibernation season left you longing for a winter escape that includes suntan lotion, frosty...

46 views0 comments

Silent Bite by David Rosenfelt

All semi-retired defense attorney Andy Carpenter wants is the holiday family cruise he’s on to be over–that and to stay retired. While he...

18 views0 comments

Q&A: Lisa Black

Any mystery fan has to love an author who announces, “Murder is my day job.” In the case of New York Times bestselling author Lisa Black,...

9 views0 comments

Q&A: Jenny Milchman

The Second Mother is the newest offering from Jenny Milchman, USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers. With her first...

19 views0 comments

Q&A: Rhys Bowen

When newlywed Lady Georgiana Rannoch finds herself at loose ends, that can only mean trouble for the star of author Rhys Bowen’s Royal...

6 views0 comments

Q&A: Craig Johnson

There’s great nostalgia associated with the lawmen of the Old West. Today, whether they’re riding into town on horseback or, say,...

21 views0 comments

Firewatching by Russ Thomas

Firewatching had three things to recommend it before I’d reached page one. First: it’s a murder mystery set in a bucolic English village,...

14 views0 comments

Fair Warning by Michael Connelly

Being a career journalist, I’m usually leery of novels about reporters. I’ve picked up too many written by someone who’s never been on...

11 views0 comments

Q&A: S.C. Perkins

When the 900-page family saga, Roots, was published in 1976 by Alex Haley, a nationwide fascination with discovering one’s ancestors...

5 views0 comments

Muzzled By David Rosenfelt

I hit the jackpot when I picked up David Rosenfelt’s new book Muzzled. The fast-paced page turner has all the ingredients for a perfect...

17 views0 comments

Q&A: Karen Dionne

We think of nature as beautiful, life affirming, and inspiring. However, Karen Dionne, author of the No. 1 international bestseller, The...

11 views0 comments

Q&A: Peter James

When the Charterhouse school poetry prize was won in 1967 by teenager named Peter James, the real winner was the reading public. Today,...

6 views0 comments

Author Q&A: Liv Constantine

One of the scariest lines ever seen on a book jacket comes courtesy of Liv Constantine’s The Wife Stalker: It says, “All She Wants is the...

11 views0 comments

The Librarian Did It

Librarians have a lot to answer for. It’s because of them I embarked on a life of crime. Growing up in a tiny, rural South Texas farming...

22 views0 comments

Q&A: Steven James

How does a former children’s entertainer and professional storyteller become a bestselling author of adult suspense? Being a “natural...

13 views0 comments

Summer Staycation Reads

Great stories from Catriona McPherson, Charles Finch, Jess Montgomery and Anne Perry Although we’re all trying to stay at home as much as...

14 views0 comments

Q&A: Allison Brennan

A chat with thriller author Allison Brennan obliterates writers’ excuses about not having time to exercise their craft. The New York...

93 views0 comments

Life’s a Shell Game

We live in a world that strives for perfection. The fashion, business and technology, cosmetics, lifestyles and, of course, sports...

10 views0 comments

The Gift of Kindness

We spend our lives accumulating. This collecting is an essential part of our memory-building process. There are items from school...

19 views0 comments

Tell Me No Lies

As soon as I finished Ask Me No Questions by New York Times bestselling author Shelley Noble, I was left begging for more of her sassy...

8 views0 comments

Q&A: Helen Fields

If you love to read scary serial killer characters and terrific detective fiction, Helen Fields’ chilling Perfect series is reason to...

10 views0 comments

The Bucket Woman

I’m a huge fan of the 1990s British sitcom “Keeping Up Appearances,” starring Patricia Routledge as consummate social climber Hyacinth...

15 views0 comments

Q&A: Lesley Thomson

Fans of Lesley Thomson’s The Detective’s Daughter series have another reason to celebrate. Thomson’s new novel, Death of a Mermaid, her...

10 views0 comments

Q&A: Taking the Mystery Out of Writing

Number one New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George is sharing with readers her insight into novel crafting in Mastering the...

23 views0 comments

Q&A: Characters Matter

Deborah Crombie’s New York Times bestselling series featuring Scotland Yard’s Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James continues to delight. Her...

32 views1 comment

Tale of the Catchy Phrase

April is a lovely and distinctive month in the Dallas. Lawns are shedding their winter doldrums and treating everyone to the beauty of...

25 views0 comments

Many Rivers to Cross

A young boy is found dead, his body discarded in a large rolling trash can behind an elderly widow’s home in a housing estate. With no...

11 views0 comments

In My Dallas Kitchen

Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

There’s something intrinsically southern about biscuits baked in a cast-iron skillet. Whether served with jam and scrambled eggs at...

11 views0 comments

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

Weekend family movie nights are even more fun when pizza is involved—homemade pizza. This recipe is easy and perfect for when you have...

9 views0 comments

Rodeo Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal cookies are childhood favorites. These treats have a little bit of everything for the child in all of us: oatmeal, raisins,...

18 views0 comments

Lemon Sponge Cake

A Tribute For Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee Celebration Sponge cake is a lovely alternative to the sweetness of frosted cakes and...

15 views0 comments

Oatmeal Brulée

Our Childhood Staple Grows Up — Oatmeal is one of those simple, wonderful foods we never outgrow. It’s one of the first solid foods most...

14 views0 comments

Apple Pancake

I'm a huge fan of egg bread recipes. I found this recipe on social media, and I don’t know its origins. However, it’s delicious. It’s...

16 views0 comments

Homestyle Chili

Chili has long been a Texas staple, from chuckwagons on the prairie to tailgate parties at the stadium or arena. It’s an easy dish to...

15 views0 comments

Homestyle Chicken Tetrazzini

Chilly weather always makes me crave chicken tetrazzini. It’s a hearty, flavorful chicken pasta dish that has been around seemingly...

28 views0 comments

Boozy Buttermint White Hot Chocolate

PHOTO: Carolyn Tillery A pretty cup of hot chocolate in front of the fireplace is the perfect remedy for all the frigid weather we’ve had...

14 views0 comments

Highclere Castle Christmas Cocktail

With many forgoing large parties for more intimate gatherings, this holiday may be the rebirth of the cocktail party. According to a 1917...

16 views0 comments

Cornbread

Cornbread is one of the few foods documented as served at the first Thanksgiving dinner. Of course, the essential ingredient in the...

6 views0 comments

Fresh Apple Cake

Fall brings with it so many traditions. It’s the time of school carnivals, pumpkin patches, Friday night football, and, of course,...

27 views0 comments

Licensed to Chill

When hearing “shaken not stirred,” one immediately envisions MI6’s super spy 007, James Bond. Always suave as he orders his signature...

15 views0 comments

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

I’m a huge fan of vanilla buttercream, so much so, it’s become a family joke. A few years ago, our daughter-in-law sent me a refrigerator...

7 views0 comments

Lemon Meringue Pie

Whether pies, tarts, cakes or cookies, citrus treats–tart or sweet–conjure relaxing spring and summertime images of picnics and porch...

15 views0 comments

Apple Pecan Fritters

Although apple pie is a delicious July 4th dessert that most of us grew up enjoying as part of our holiday celebrations, this year, I...

10 views0 comments

Lafitte’s Best

America's Independence Saved by a Cunning Pirate ... A decorated American general and a Louisiana French pirate seem unlikely partners in...

17 views0 comments

Devil's Food Cake

Creating a Wickedly Good Dessert How some versions of deep chocolate cake picked up the ominous moniker of “Devil’s Food” isn’t clear....

3 views0 comments

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Probably no vintage dessert speaks to a bygone era more than the pineapple upside cake. Growing up in South Texas, the sweet, moist...

7 views0 comments

Chocolate Almond Bundt Cake

Bundt cakes became popular in this country in the 1950s, and it’s reported that one in three American homes where folks bake has at least...

8 views0 comments

Banana Pudding Pie

I recently saw banana cream pie referred to as a retro dessert. Thankfully, there are some things that never go out of style, like this...

16 views1 comment

Amaretto Cream Brule

Cream Brule is a dessert that always impresses. The best part of this recipe, given to me by our daughter-in-law, isn’t the crispy sugar...

9 views0 comments

Basic Yorkshire Pudding

I love egg breads, and this is one of my favorites. Yorkshire pudding is a great alternative to expected dinner breads with rib roast,...

13 views0 comments

Hoppin’ John

Every New Year’s we engage in the tradition of eating black-eyed peas and cabbage for luck and prosperity in the coming year. We all know...

19 views0 comments

Tenderloins with Cognac-Cream Sauce

We love to grill out on our deck but, let’s face it, some Texas evenings are simply too hot to make standing in front of a barbecue much...

7 views0 comments

Cherry Cream Puffs

Cream puffs are one of those dishes I call workhorses–my kitchen staples. They’re a versatile treat that enable you to create any number...

23 views0 comments

Not-So-Plain Vanilla Cupcake Desserts

Looking for a quick, simple, and cool dessert that gives you many options at a moment’s notice? Simple vanilla cupcakes are one of my...

10 views0 comments

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Alfredo Sauce

This sauce is one of my favorites, and a nice take on traditional Alfredo sauce. Although here I’ve used prepared red bell peppers,...

15 views1 comment

Rio Enchilada Sauce

Living in Texas, Mexican food–technically “TexMex” after we put our Tejas spin on it–is a staple in our family’s diet. Enchiladas are...

29 views0 comments

Rosemary Havarti Bread

Havarti is one of my favorite cheeses, delicious in recipes or sliced to snack on. I was delighted when I found this recipe. It’s easy,...

24 views0 comments

Pear Upside Down Cake

This recipe is sure to impress your family and friends. However, don't be fooled - it's actually very easy. And delicious. 1 ½ cup...

39 views0 comments

The Sweetest Myth

As urban legends go, this one must be the sweetest. Years ago, storied Dallas upscale retailer Neiman Marcus earned itself a place among...

33 views1 comment

Spicy-Sweet Pecans

With three large pecan trees in our yard, this recipe is one of my favorites. It’s the perfect thank you treat, as a hostess gift and, of...

12 views0 comments

Farmhouse Buttermilk Biscuits

These biscuits are a breakfast favorite in our home. I also like to cut them larger and use them like a bun when making fried chicken...

30 views0 comments

Apple Almond Turnovers

There's something irresistible about the combination of cinnamon and apples. This simple recipe is an easy solution when the cravings...

10 views0 comments

Carolyn Tillery

Lover of Mysteries, Writing, Cooking, and Dogs

I’ve been passionate about reading mysteries and writing since I held my first Nancy Drew novel. I became a reporter while I was in college and my entire career has involved journalism. My home is filled with books and dog toys, and there’s almost always something coming out of the oven.

Learn More

“Do not open your heart to evil… If you do–evil will come…”

– Agatha Christie