Books Direct: "Hide Not Seek" by D. E. Haggerty

REVIEW and GIVEAWAY

Hide Not Seek
(The Not So Reluctant Detectives Book 3)

by D. E. Haggerty

Hide Not Seek, the third and final book in The Not So Reluctant Detectives series by D. E. Haggerty, is ON SALE for only $0.99 for a limited time.

Also available: Finders Not Keepers (read my blog post) and Picture Not Perfect (read my blog post).

Hide Not Seek is currently on tour with Great Escapes Book Tours. The tour stops here today for my review, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.

More books by this author: Murder, Mystery & Dating Mayhem (read my blog post), Jack Gets His Man (read my blog post), Love in the Time of Murder (read my blog post), Never Trust a Skinny Cupcake Baker (read my blog post), Bring Your Own Baker (read my blog post), Self-Serve Murder (read my blog post), Fat Girl Begone! (read my blog post), and Searching for Gertrude (read my blog post).

Description

I know who you really are.

Pru has a secret, which she has no plans to reveal – ever. But after a woman is murdered and all clues point to her, she has no choice but to disclose her true identity. When her revelations help thwart the killer’s plan to frame Pru for the murder, the killer begins stalking her. With each note he sends, he gets closer. The police are stumped. Pru wants to run away. She really, really wants to run, but Ajax has found the woman of his dreams and he’s not letting her go anywhere. He can be patient. In the meantime, he’ll protect her with his life. Pru isn’t feeling very patient, and her friends, Mel and Terri, are definitely not willing to wait until the police uncover who the stalker is. The three friends take matters into their own hands and jump headfirst into the investigation.

Will Pru and her friends uncover her stalker before he turns his violence on Pru?

Excerpt

“What the heck are you wearing?”

In response to Pru’s question, Mel stuck her hip out and struck a pose. “You like?” She strutted off a few paces, and then twirled around before swaggering back as if she were at a fashion show. Only women at a fashion show normally didn’t wear dark blue men’s pants suits. And they certainly never showed off bulky, black oxford shoes.

“Um…” Pru could think of nothing nice to say.

Terri, who was giggling next to her, didn’t have the same problem. “Did you raid Owen’s closet?”

Mel ignored her and reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of glasses.

“When did you start wearing glasses?”

Terri leaned over and whispered to Pru, “she doesn’t.”

“This is my detective look,” Mel explained.

“Because all detectives wear glasses?” Terri turned to Pru. “I have no idea where she gets these ideas.”

Pru shrugged. “Not from books. Detectives in novels never wear glasses.” There may be some modern-day detectives who wore glasses, but Sherlock certainly didn’t although Hercule Poirot did use a pince-nez for reading. “I thought you said they would talk to us because we aren’t detectives. And now you’re dressed up like an extra on Law & Order.”

Terri bumped her shoulder. “Mel will do almost anything to buy a new outfit.”

Mel ignored them and picked a briefcase up for the ground. Another item she’d acquired for her detective ‘look’. “Let’s go.” She didn’t wait for a reply before marching off to the entrance of the Daily Grind, the coffee shop where Kathy Greene had been killed. Pru and Terri stood in the parking lot staring after her.

“Aren’t we going to come up with some kind of plan before parading in there?” Pru asked Terri.

“I’d say Mel is going to wing it, but I’ve learned there’s a method to her madness.” With a shrug, Terri followed Mel.

“Please tell me this method won’t end up with us at the police station again.”

Terri shook her head. “Sorry, can’t do that.”

[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]

Praise for the Book

“The strong friendship of these three ladies (school librarian, guidance counselor, and new English teacher, at a Milwaukee secondary school) uplifts each story, and their strong-willed determination to protect and uphold each other leads the trio into some mighty twisty amateur investigations.” ~ Mallory Heart’s Cozies

“I really enjoyed this story. Learning a bit more about Pru and the mystery the girls investigate was thoroughly entertaining. Plenty of twists to keep me interested.” ~ Mary Nickell

“I enjoyed Pru and Ajax story so much that I didn't want it to end. Also, these girls are so much fun that you want to be their friend and not to mention their alpha boyfriends are awesome. Such a fun series to read!” ~ T from Florida

“I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a quick moving cozy with likeable characters!” ~ Sara Marie Gordon

“I love the humorous writing style and how I feel like I am slowly getting to know the ladies, just like a real life friendship. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. I was not expecting the final twist. I look forward to the next installment of this series and highly recommend Hide Not Seek.” ~ Vicki May

My Review

By Lynda Dickson

Pru is on the run from a previous bad experience with a man, so she’s not about to get involved with another. That is, until she meets Ajax, the cute gym teacher at the school where she teaches English lit. Her past threatens to catch up with her when she starts receiving threatening notes. And, when the police haul Pru in for questioning over a murder, of course her friend Mel announces, “… we need to figure out who actually killed this Kathy Greene woman to clear Pru’s name.” With friends Terri and Mel on the case - along with their boyfriends Ryder and Owen - and Ajax to protect her, will Pru find her stalker before it’s too late?

As Pru is an English lit teacher, each chapter begins with a literary quote, all of which are referenced at the end of the book. The book itself is full of literary references:

“Yep, her life story sounded like a trashy romance novel.”

“She’d rather be forced to read Atlas Shrugged again than go through these events with her friends.”

Unfortunately, there are a few editing errors, especially incorrect word usage (e.g., “conscious” instead of “conscience”). But, as in the previous books in this series, the author more than makes up for them by regaling us with her signature dry wit. And the distinctive personalities of our three leading ladies really shine through. I’m going to miss them now that the series is over.

Warnings: mild sexual references.

Some of My Favorite Lines

“She should have asked him for a hug sooner because his hugs were the best.”

“She pulled her train of thought to a stop.”

“… anytime was a good time to talk about books.”

About the Author

I grew up reading everything I could get my grubby hands on, from my mom’s Harlequin romances to Nancy Drew to Little Women. When I wasn’t flipping pages in a library book, I was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing, or drafting stories which have thankfully been destroyed.

College and a stint in the U.S. Army came along, robbing me of free time to write and read, although on the odd occasion I did manage to sneak a book into my rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear.

After surviving the army experience, I went back to school and got my law degree. I jumped ship and joined the hubby in the Netherlands before the graduation ceremony could even begin. A few years into my legal career, I was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done. I quit my job and sat down to write a manuscript, which I promptly hid in the attic before returning to the law.

But practicing law really wasn’t my thing, so I quit (again!) and went off to Germany to start a B&B. Turns out running a B&B wasn’t my thing either. I polished off that manuscript languishing in the attic before following the husband to Istanbul where I decided to give the whole writer-thing a go.

But ten years was too many to stay away from my adopted home. I packed up again and moved to The Hague where, in between tennis matches and failing to save the world, I’m currently working on my next book. I hope I’ll always be working on my next book.

Hide Not Seek is my fifteenth novel.