Mystery Monday: All We Buried, by Elena Taylor

 

Title: All We Buried
Author: Elena Taylor
Publication Info: Crooked Lane Books, 2020. 304 pages
Source: ARC via NetGalley

Publisher's Blurb:
Deep in the woods surrounding the Cascade mountain range, a canvas-wrapped body floats in a lake, right in Elizabeth "Bet" Rivers's jurisdiction. Bet has been sitting as interim sheriff of Collier after her father's--the previous sheriff's--death six months ago. Everyone knows everyone in a town like Collier. She has made it her duty to protect the people she's come to see as family. And she intends to hold her title in the upcoming election, but she's never worked a murder investigation on her own before and her opponent and deputy, Dale Kovac, isn't going down without a fight.

Upon unwrapping the corpse, Bet discovers the woman is from out of town. Without an identification, the case grows that much more puzzling. Determined to prove herself worthy, however, Bet must confront the warped history of Collier. The more she learns, the more she realizes she doesn't know the townspeople of Collier as well as she thought, and nothing can prepare her for what she is about to discover.
 

My Review:

I've been greatly enjoying the Eddie Shoes series written by Elena Taylor under the name Elena Hartwell (see reviews here, here, and here), so I couldn't resist the chance for another mystery series set in Washington state and written by someone I already knew could put together a good story. The gorgeous cover didn't hurt, either :)

Elena Taylor didn't disappoint. A little more of a police procedural and less of a lark than the Eddie Shoes stories, All We Buried is a great addition to what I think of as "small town sheriff" books: Craig Johnson, Steven F. Havill, etc. I particularly appreciated that it's the story of a young, female sheriff, one who has the usual store of personal issues to work through but as a young woman, not an aging male. Maybe she's more like Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon, but without the dark twist and the baggage, which honestly makes her more appealing to me.

The mystery is well put together, and while I dallied a bit over the opening chapters, that was because I wasn't really in the mood for murder, not because they weren't good. I let the character seep into my mind, and then I reached the tipping point... and lost a few hours of sleep. I did at one point guess the right killer, but I was ready to believe in any of several others, and the twists and turns of the story were satisfying. I'll be watching for more from Sheriff Bet Rivers.

A plus for me: the story is set in a part of the Cascade Mountains I have hiked and can easily visualize. The town is fictional, but the towns and roads that surround it are not, and I recognized them all. 

My Recommendation:
A great semi-cozy mystery (I think it has more cozy elements than procedural, but it's not quite so fluffy and light as most cozies) for social distancing. Come to think of it, maybe murder mysteries are what's needed right now: read enough about normal-seeming people who've just killed someone and you'll WANT to avoid your neighbors!

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I don't usually add this sort of stuff to my standard reviews, but since this is the last day of Ms. Taylor's blog tour (which I missed signing up for, probably because I was off hiking), and because it was an ARC given with the intention of getting advance reviews which I failed to do, I'm adding author bio and purchase links.

About the Author

CREDIT MARK PERLSTEIN

Elena Taylor spent several years working in theater as a playwright, director, designer, and educator before turning her storytelling skills to fiction. Her first series, the Eddie Shoes Mysteries, written under the name Elena Hartwell, introduced a quirky mother/daughter crime-fighting duo. With All We Buried, Elena returns to her dramatic roots and brings readers a much more serious and atmospheric novel. Located in her beloved Washington State, Elena uses her connection to the environment to produce a forbidding story of small-town secrets and things that won’t stay buried. 

Elena is also a senior editor with Allegory Editing, a developmental editing house, where she works one-on-one with writers to shape and polish manuscripts, short stories, and plays. If you’d like to work with Elena, visit www.allegoryediting.com.When she’s not writing or coaching writing, her favorite place to be is at the farm with her horses, Jasper and Radar, or at her home, on the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River in North Bend, Washington, with her husband, their dog, Polar, and their cats, Coal Train and Cocoa. 

Elena holds a B.A. from the University of San Diego, a M.Ed. from the University of Washington, Tacoma, and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

Author Links
Website:  https://www.elenataylorauthor.com/  
Blog: https://www.elenataylorauthor.com/blog  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElenaTaylorAuthor/  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Elena_TaylorAut Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19494739.Elena_Taylor  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elenataylorauthor

Purchase Links:
Amazon:   Barnes& Noble  Books-A-Million  IndieBound

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FTC Disclosure: I got a digital ARC of All We Buried from Netgalley, and received nothing further from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  

Cozy Review & Interview: Three Strikes, You're Dead

Title: Three Strikes, You're Dead (Eddie Shoes #3)
Author: Elena Hartwell
Publisher: Camel Press (April 1, 2018)  Paperback: 288 pages
Source: Great Escapes tours ARC
ISBN-13: 978-1603817271
Digital 13: 9781603817288


Publisher's Blurb:
Private investigator Eddie Shoes heads to a resort outside Leavenworth, Washington, for a mother-daughter getaway weekend. Eddie’s mother Chava wants to celebrate her new job at a casino by footing the bill for the two of them, and who is Eddie to say no?

On the first morning, Eddie goes on an easy solo hike, and a few hours later, stumbles upon a makeshift campsite and a gravely injured man. A forest fire breaks out and she struggles to save him before the flames overcome them both. Before succumbing to his injuries, the man hands her a valuable rosary. He tells her his daughter is missing and begs for her help. Is Eddie now working for a dead man?

Barely escaping the fire, Eddie wakes in the hospital to find both her parents have arrived on the scene. Will Eddie’s card-counting mother and mob-connected father help or hinder the investigation? The police search in vain for a body. How will Eddie find the missing girl with only Eddie’s memory of the man’s face and a photo of his daughter to go on?

My Review: 
This third volume of the Eddie Shoes mystery series more than lives up to the standard set by the first two (One Dead, Two to Go and Two Heads Are Deader Than One). Right from the beginning we see the relationship between Eddie and Chava (a.k.a. “Mom,” a word Eddie is gradually learning to use) developing and maturing as they find themselves more able to enjoy each other without trying to change each other. But lest the relationships be all the book is about, we also dive quickly into a hair-raising bit of adventure and a murder.

The change of setting (from Bellingham to a resort on the other side of the Cascades, by chance very near the area where we backpacked last summer!) made me think that we’d not be making much progress on the issues with either Eddie’s father, Eduardo, or her former lover Chance, but I should have known better. Eduardo shows up when Eddie gets herself into trouble, and the trio (Eddie, Chava, and Eduardo) make a great team, one I hope we will get to see more of. Each has his or her own strengths, and the tensions among the three are deftly written and believably managed.

On a side note, I appreciated that Eddie didn’t do a complete idiot when she went off to go for a hike. She clearly demonstrated she’s a novice, but she took food and water, and even a little extra clothing, and tried to let someone know where she was going. More importantly, she is aware of her mistakes as one thing leads to another and she finds herself lost in the woods. Frankly, I think any of us might have had similar troubles if fleeing from a fast-moving fire. Kudos to Ms. Hartwell for not having her be totally stupid and getting away with it. (Just a personal issue here, since I really hate it when stories have people doing either totally stupid things in the woods, or totally unrealistic ones--yes! Our hero hiked 47 miles in 3 hours to rescue the puppy!).

The main focus of the book is the complex relations between Eddie, Chava, and Eduardo, but the romantic at heart will be glad to hear that Chance is not forgotten. I, for one, eagerly await Book 4 to find out more about how all the connections work out, as Eddie is learning to open herself up and let other people matter to her at last.

And what about the mystery itself? That definitely took me places I didn't expect to go. I don't want to give anything away, so no specifics, but let's just say that I had it all figured out and was totally wrong. Clues are dropped in the right amounts and right places, and the careful reader *may* avoid going wrong where I did.

My Recommendation:
This is a series for any fans of the cozy-but-not-too-cozy mystery. You won't find recipes and heavy romance here, just some fascinating characters with a lot to work on, all the while they are solving a nasty sort of murder and taking a hard look at some realities of our society. I recommend it to anyone who likes Nevada Barr and Dana Stabenow (especially the earlier works of those writers), or Rhys Bowen's "Royal Spyness" series.


About the Author:
After twenty years in the theater, Elena Hartwell turned her dramatic skills to fiction. Her first novel, One Dead, Two to Go introduces Eddie Shoes, private eye. Called “the most fun detective since Richard Castle stumbled into the 12th precinct,” by author Peter Clines, I’DTale Magazine stated, “this quirky combination of a mother-daughter reunion turned crime-fighting duo will captivate readers.”

In addition to her work as a novelist, Elena teaches playwriting at Bellevue College and tours the country to lead writing workshops.
When she’s not writing or teaching, her favorite place to be is at the farm with her horses, Jasper and Radar, or at her home, on the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River in North Bend, Washington, with her husband, their dog, Polar, and their trio of cats, Jackson, Coal Train, and Luna, aka, “the other cat upstairs.” Elena holds a B.A. from the University of San Diego, a M.Ed. from the University of Washington, Tacoma, and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

Website – http://www.elenahartwell.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ElenaHartwellAuthor/
Twitter –  https://twitter.com/Elena_Hartwell
Blog – http://www.arcofawriter.com
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3975429.Elena_Hartwell,
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/emhartwell/
Purchase Links
Amazon  B&N


And now,  a real treat--author Elena Hartwell dropped by for an interview.

NL: When did you start writing? Did you always know you wanted to be a writer, or did you stumble into it later in life?

EH: I have always been a writer. What I stumbled on later in life was to be a novelist. I started out writing stories as a kid, as far back as I can remember, but in college I got interested in theater and spent twenty years working as a playwright, director, designer, technician, and educator. All along, however, I knew I wanted to write a novel. I wrote my first manuscript back in 2007. It had promise, but it also had a lot of problems. I went on to write a few more manuscripts, until my fourth, the first of the Eddie Shoes series, landed a book deal with my current press. I learned a lot on those practice manuscripts and a lot more writing three books for a series. I'm still stumbling around, but I'm definitely doing what I want.

NL:  Bellingham is pretty close to where I set my own mysteries. What made you choose that town?

I wanted to locate the series in a Western Washington town, but I didn't want to use Seattle. Though I've lived in and around Seattle for over twenty years, it felt "iconic" to me. People believe they "know" Seattle through music or film or television, I wanted a community with more mystique. Bellingham is a fabulous place to set a mystery series. It's on the water, close to the border, has great architecture and a youthful feel with Western Washington University on the hill above downtown. It only has about one murder a year, however, so before I turned it into the Cabot Cove of the Pacific Northwest, I sent Eddie and her mother, Chava, on vacation for book three. I now live in North Bend, the little town off I-90 where Twin Peaks was filmed. My town might just show up in future novels.

NL: Great reasons for choosing the town! I had no idea the murder rate was so low there. For the next question, we'll move on to technique:  do you draft your books longhand or compose at the keyboard?

I write the first draft on the computer. Then I start rewriting. Once I have a solid first draft, I print it out and do notes and edits in longhand on the printout. I see many different things on a hard copy than I do on a computer screen. If I have a longer scene to write or add, I write it out on the back of the pages, and type it in when I go back to the computer. 

NL: That's a lot like my process. I wonder if the younger generation is more comfortable doing the whole thing on screen. Do you use a detailed outline before you start writing, or... ?

I like to say I'm an "organic" writer. I do not outline, but I have thought a lot about characters, events, even specific scenes, before I start to write. I write what I've already imagined, and let that process bring me to what happens next. I often write the beginning, then the end, then the middle. Once in awhile I outline after I've written a first draft, as a way to see where I might have holes in my plot or scenes in the wrong order.

NL: That just goes to prove my feeling that everyone has a process that works for them! I can see where getting the beginning and end nailed down could make it easier to write the middle, though.

In your opinion, what is the best thing about being a writer?

Doing interviews :-). Besides that, I love having a creative life, where I'm constantly surprised by what happens on the page. I also love working from home and getting to hang out with my animals all day. And my husband, my animals and my husband.

NL: Don't forget wearing sweats to work :) 
Writing mysteries can lead to looking up all sorts of odd things. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had to research for one of your books?

This is such a great question. I look up a lot of basic murder mystery stuff - blood spatter patterns, poisons that don't leave traces, types of handguns. I've also looked up random things, like interior colors on a specific car, make and model. I recently researched if any FBI agents had gotten arrested for breaking the law, that was interesting, if not exactly weird. I will tell you, my favorite type of research is to interview experts. One of the coolest experiences I had with that was doing research on firefighting. I got to ride in a firetruck on a call - helmet, headset, the whole deal. Total, childhood dream. Plus, I got to hang out with cute fire fighters.  

NL: Well, that's a good advertisement for research! And my final question... If there’s a spider in the corner of the room, do you a) panic, b) have to drop everything until it is removed, or c) hope it’s planning on eating the more annoying bugs that get in? 

I'm going to go with d) I quickly get a cup, which I gently place over the spider. Then I slide a piece of paper under that and carry the spider outside before my dog, cat, or husband can come and kill it.

By the way, I love your blog - I looked through many of your backpacking photos. I backpacked and camped in a lot of those places, especially when I was younger. Makes me want to get back to Evolution Valley.

Thanks for having me!

Elena

Thanks for coming by, Elena, and for your kind words about the blog! I suspected you had some experience hiking and backpacking, by the way you treated Eddie's little adventure in the woods. Hope you get to head out and do some more! (And I love North Bend, too. My Seattle roots are showing!).

Check out some of the other stops on the tour and see what other bloggers are saying about the book!

TOUR PARTICIPANTS
April 1 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY
April 1 – Island Confidential – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 2 – Babs Book Bistro – CHARACTER GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY
April 3 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 3 – Mysteries with Character – GUEST POST
April 4 – Books Direct – GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY
April 5 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – INTERVIEW
April 6 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
April 6 – Ruff Drafts – GUEST POST
April 7 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 8 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
April 9 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
April 10 – FUONLYKNEW – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY
April 11 – The Ninja Librarian – REVIEW, INTERVIEW
April 12 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW
April 12 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
April 13 – Maureen’s Musings – REVIEW
April 14 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW, INTERVIEW
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!

FTC Disclosure: I received an ARC of Three Strikes, You're Dead through Great Escapes Free Book Tours, and received nothing further from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."   

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©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2018 

Mystery review: Two Heads are Deader than One

 

 
Title: Two Heads Are Deader Than One
Author: Elena Hartwell
Publisher: Camel Press, 2017. 274 pages (Kindle)
Source:  purchased

Publisher's Summary:
Private Investigator Eddie Shoes is enjoying a rare period of calm. She’s less lonely now that Chava, her card-counting mom from Vegas, is sharing her home. She also has a new companion, Franklin, a giant dog of curious ancestry. Hoping for a lucrative new case, Eddie instead finds herself taking on a less promising client: her best friend from her childhood in Spokane. Dakota has turned up in Bellingham in jail, where she is being held on a weapons charge. Eddie reluctantly agrees not only to lend her friend money for bail but to also investigate who is stalking her. Soon after Dakota is freed, she disappears again, leaving Eddie to answer to the local cops, including her ex-boyfriend Chance Parker. Has Dakota been kidnapped? If not, why did she jump bail? What are Eddie’s business cards doing on the bodies of two murder victims? The key to these mysteries lies in Dakota and Eddie’s shared history, which ended when Eddie left home after high school. As a person of interest in both murder cases, Eddie is forced to go in search of the truth, digging into the past and facing her own demons. Book 2 in the Eddie Shoes Mystery series.  
 

My Review: 
When I read and reviewed the first book in this series, One Dead, Two to Go, I resolved to read the rest of the series. Of course, it slipped my mind until the tour sign-ups for the 3rd book came around. So I went out and bought this one in order to keep reading them in sequence. I'm not entirely sure that matters (each book so far could stand on its own), but I do like to see the relationships develop, and that gets all messed up if you skip around.

I have no regrets for the modest sum I spent buying the ebook! Ms Hartwell is living up to her promise, and so is Eddie Shoes. What's more, Eddie's mom seems to be growing up nicely, something that was a bit delayed in her case, and the interactions between Eddie and Chava are a delight, to say nothing of the furry giant, Franklin.

I did have my moments of wondering if I was going to like this as well as the first book, mostly because it was clear that Eddie was being played, and I hate it when that happens (to me. And so by extension I squirm a bit when it happens to characters in a book). But of course Eddie's no dummy, and neither is Chava, so the story works out well, and takes us places I never expected. The mystery is just complex enough to keep you guessing, with the resolution both surprising and believable. There's a serious note about mental illness, as well, and it never hurts to get a little real insight in a pleasant read.

My Recommendation:
This is a series worth following, and has the added advantage of taking place in Bellingham, WA--not a place where I see many mysteries set, and just across the water from my own Pismawallops Island (yes, that gives me a sense of kinship with Eddie and with Ms Hartwell!). There is humor, excitement, and limited gore/violence. The cozy balance of puzzle, people, and death is excellent, with that little whiff of romance that adds color but doesn't overwhelm the mystery.

FTC Disclosure: I purchased Two Heads are Deader Than One, and received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."