[Blog Tour Review] One Dead, Two to Go (Eddie Shoes Mystery #1) by Elena Hartwell

Summary: 

Private Investigator Edwina “Eddie Shoes” Schultz’s most recent job has her parked outside a seedy Bellingham hotel, photographing her quarry as he kisses his mistress goodbye. This is the last anyone will see of the woman … alive. Her body is later found dumped in an abandoned building. Eddie’s client, Kendra Hallings, disappears soon after. Eddie hates to be stiffed for her fee, but she has to wonder if Kendra could be in trouble too. Or is she the killer?

Eddie usually balks at matters requiring a gun, but before she knows it, she is knee-deep in dangerous company, spurred on by her card-counting adrenaline-junkie mother who has shown up on her doorstep fresh from the shenanigans that got her kicked out of Vegas. Chava is only sixteen years older than Eddie and sadly lacking in parenting skills. Her unique areas of expertise, however, prove to be helpful in ways Eddie can’t deny, making it hard to stop Chava from tagging along.

Also investigating the homicide is Detective Chance Parker, new to Bellingham’s Major Crimes unit but no stranger to Eddie. Their history as a couple back in Seattle is one more kink in a chain of complications, making Eddie’s case more frustrating and perilous with each tick of the clock.

Book 1 in the Eddie Shoes Mystery series.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 240 pages (Paperback)

Source: Review Copy

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: Eddie Shoes Mysteries

Available Formats: Print/E-book

Publication Date: April 4th 2016 by Camel Press

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One Dead, Two To Go was a surprise for me. Yes it's a cozy mystery and yes it was still light but it didn't feel too light if you know what I mean. Sometimes I think book in the genre want to be so light that they can often lack substance. This one though was a star. I loved that this was a bit more of a thrill ride than I expected and thought it was very refreshing.

Eddie is a great character, she's spunky, charming and hilarious and she's pretty bad-ass and I'd say she has the patience of a saint. Especially when it comes to her mother, Chava who is only 16 years older, but acts as though she's still a teenager. The two of them worked well together despite it all and I though they were hilarious together. 

I'm a sucker for a female P.I. series so this one was just what I needed. There was a strong plot and the mystery really did end in a different way than I was expecting and I love when that happens. One Dead, Two To Go gave me the whole package. The characters were wonderful, and the plot was well thought out, fast paced and had lots of twists and was hilarious to read all while staying a cozy mystery. I actually finished it in one afternoon it was a snowy day perfect for reading a cozy and I have to say it was well worth the read. 

This is the first in the Eddie Shoes mystery series and I can't wait to see what happens in book two. I'd recommend it to all fans of the genre who want something with a little more substance than the genre provides sometimes. I can see this appealing to fans of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series and this is one I'd recommend to basically anyone. 

Rating: 

Author Bio:

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.

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