Hix's heroine is appealing enough to warrant a second chance if her author can concoct a better mix of detection and romance.
Ex-cop Willa Pennington investigates the murder of a family friend’s granddaughter’s boyfriend in this debut novel.
Now that her parents are on a long-awaited, well-deserved vacation, Willa expects that riding herd on her computer-nerd brother, Ben, will be her toughest assignment in their absence. But when neighbors David and Susan Horowitz ask the budding private eye to help their granddaughter Violet move out of the house she shares with her abusive boyfriend, she can hardly say no. The Penningtons and the Horowitzes have been close friends for years, and Willa’s dad would have helped out in a shot. But Willa’s good deed turns sour when Violet’s violent beau turns up dead in the empty house. With Joe Reagan deceased and Violet in the wind, Willa feels she has to try to find his killer even though Virginia law specifically forbids PI’s from investigating murders—and she isn’t even a licensed PI. Her job is further complicated by the return of her childhood friend Seth Anderson, the brother of her best friend, Michael, who died in Iraq shortly before she and Seth shared a moment. Once Seth is back on the scene, Hix turns much of her energy to exploring his relationship with Willa, who rejects his attempts to shield her from harm because she’s determined to prove that she’s as capable as any guy. The result is a debut that saddles tough-girl noir with the heart of a cozy.
Hix's heroine is appealing enough to warrant a second chance if her author can concoct a better mix of detection and romance.Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7387-5443-7
Page Count: 264
Publisher: Midnight Ink/Llewellyn
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
This ran in the S.E.P. and resulted in more demands for the story in book form than ever recorded. Well, here it is and it is a honey. Imagine ten people, not knowing each other, not knowing why they were invited on a certain island house-party, not knowing their hosts. Then imagine them dead, one by one, until none remained alive, nor any clue to the murderer. Grand suspense, a unique trick, expertly handled.
Pub Date: Feb. 21, 1939
ISBN: 0062073478
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Dodd, Mead
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1939
SEEN & HEARD
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.
Too much free time leads a New Hampshire bookseller into yet another case of murder.
Now that Tricia Miles has Pixie Poe and Mr. Everett practically running her bookstore, Haven’t Got a Clue, she finds herself at loose ends. Her wealthy sister, Angelica, who in the guise of Nigela Ricita has invested heavily in making Stoneham a bookish tourist attraction, is entering the amateur competition for the Great Booktown Bake-Off. So Tricia, who’s recently taken up baking as a hobby, decides to join her and spends a lot of time looking for the perfect cupcake recipe. A visit to another bookstore leaves Tricia witnessing a nasty argument between owner Joyce Widman and next-door neighbor Vera Olson over the trimming of tree branches that hang over Joyce’s yard—also overheard by new town police officer Cindy Pearson. After Tricia accepts Joyce’s offer of some produce from her garden, they find Vera skewered by a pitchfork, and when Police Chief Grant Baker arrives, Joyce is his obvious suspect. Ever since Tricia moved to Stoneham, the homicide rate has skyrocketed (Poisoned Pages, 2018, etc.), and her history with Baker is fraught. She’s also become suspicious about the activities at Pets-A-Plenty, the animal shelter where Vera was a dedicated volunteer. Tricia’s offered her expertise to the board, but president Toby Kingston has been less than welcoming. With nothing but baking on her calendar, Tricia has plenty of time to investigate both the murder and her vague suspicions about the shelter. Plenty of small-town friendships and rivalries emerge in her quest for the truth.
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0272-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
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