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Friday, April 21, 2017


Two Heads Are Deader Than One
by Elena Hartwell

…the author does a great job of weaving details and people together making a ‘Who Dun It’ that mystery lovers will want to read!
~The Journey Back
Eddie’s witty no-nonsense personality and Hartwell’s well-paced writing style make the chapters fly by. This book is a buy.
~Readeropolis

Two Heads are Deader Than One (Eddie Shoes Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Camel Press (April 15, 2017)
Paperback: 286 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1603813136
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?

elenahartwellheadshotbAbout 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.
Purchase Links:
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Review.jpg

I really liked the character Eddie Shoes. It's a catchy name and she is one tough person. Her job as a private dectective is interesting and she never knows who her next client may be. It's funny how your past can sometimes come back to haunt you. Eddie is about to find her past meeting her present when an old friend shows up . Is Eddie surprised to see her old high school friend?  Dakota was not someone I would hang out with. She seemed shady and quite frankly had it in for Eddie.

Some highlights for me were Eddie's mom and her sidekick Franklin. Her mom is one tough as nails woman. She tends to want to "help" Eddie in her investigations. That is not always a good idea but she means well. The other thing I loved was Eddie's dog. Franklin is an enormous dog that could Ryan be mistaken for a pony. He is a great companion for Eddie and I loved the genuine affection Eddie has for him. When you treat your pet with respect you are ok in my book.

Now let's get to the meat of the story. Dakota shows up to hire Eddie to help her out of a jam. How strange would it be for someone from your high school days to  just show up out of the blue? It's not like they kept in touch so Eddie finds it suspicious. Dakota is a complex character that loves to make Eddie feel guilty about things that happened long along. I learned to hate Dakota because she was just a mean person who blamed Eddie for having a better childhood than she did. I thought the author did a great job of developing Dakota and me not liking her is just the brilliant writing of an author. If you hate a character because of their actions, then the author has done a great job .

When a body is discovered across from Eddie's office, the police have some tough questions to ask Eddie. Why did the dead body have Eddie's business card on them? Why has Dakota disappeared after Eddie put up bail for her? I loved the intense story and appreciated the author bringing up mental health. The story does have a few characters that deal with mental health problems and the author explained it with directness and realism. Dakota has had a hard life and as you read the story you will find some unsettling things that happened to her. I enjoyed the story and I especially liked how the author took us back a few years to understand Dakota's anger towards Eddie. It is story that finds characters dealing  with abuse, death and finding the truth. Will Dakota and Eddie be able to let the past go? What connection does the body found near Eddie's office have in common with Dakota? Don't miss this intense story that grabs your attention from the very beginning .

I received a copy of this book from The Great Escapes Book Tour. The review is my own opinion.

Tour Participants
April 14 – My Journey Back and My Reading Journeys – REVIEW, GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY
April 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY
April 16 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT
April 17 – Readeropolis – REVIEW
April 18 – Dee-Scoveries – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY
April 19 – Books Direct – GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY
April 20 – Omnimystery News – INTERVIEW  
April 21- Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW
April 22 – Lori’s Reading Corner – GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY
April 23 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW
April 24 – FUONLYKNEW – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY
April 25 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 26 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY
April 27 – Community Bookstop –  REVIEW, GIVEAWAY
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