Title: Finders, Not Keepers
Author: D. E. Haggerty
Genre: Mystery, Romance, Humor
Book Blurb:
What do you do with a diamond no one wants? You can’t keep it. Or can you?
While cleaning her ex-husband’s effects out of the attic, Terri finds an exquisite diamond pendant necklace. She’s determined to return the necklace to its proper owner, but the owner was brutally killed, a murder which remains unsolved, and her heirs want nothing to do with the diamond. Terri embarks upon a journey researching charities to which she can donate the diamond. When her research becomes dangerous, Terri contemplates solving the murder herself. Her best friend, Melanie, jumps feet first into investigating the murder, but her neighbor, Ryder, doesn’t want Terri exposed to any danger. Ryder, to Terri’s surprise, also wants to be more than neighbors with Terri. Luckily, he’s prepared to take any measure necessary to keep her safe because someone is determined to stop her inquiries.
Join Terri on her quest to find a home for the diamond, which may result in the unveiling of a murderer – if she survives long enough.
My Review:
Terri is still reeling after the divorce from her husband. In an effort to scrub him from her heart once and for all, she cleans out the attic. Hidden in the far corner is a beautiful diamond necklace. Feeling too guilty to keep it herself, she discovers the previous owner was brutally murdered. Before you can say Nancy Drew, Terri and her bestie Melanie are on the case. What happened to the poor young woman and why won’t her family accept the necklace? Then there’s her hunky neighbor, Ryder, who happens to be a private detective. Mysterious events have Ryder playing bodyguard because someone doesn’t want Terri to solve the murder. Will they succeed and silence Terri forever or will she uncover the identity of the murderer with the help of her sidekick Melanie and Ryder?
I’m a big fan of Haggerty and her hilarious books. I was so excited to read it just on the basis of the cover alone. Well, that and discovering Terri is a librarian. Hurrah, a heroine who loves books as much as me. The plot was fairly predictable, but Haggerty managed to throw in a few surprises. The characters, while a little familiar, kept me interested in what was going to happen next. There was the mystery sub-plot of uncovering the criminal, which I enjoyed. The librarian quotes at the start of every chapter made me chuckle. The ending was a cliff-hanger, sort of. If I was honest, I didn’t like it but that’s just me.
If you’re looking for a humorous cozy mystery with an amateur female sleuth, a hot neighbor and a hilarious best friend, pick up Finders, Not Keepers today!
Favorite Character/Quote: Melanie. She provides comedic dialogue during the tense moments. She’s Terri’s best friend and basically shakes some sense into Terri when needed.
My Rating: 4 stars
Buy it now:
Author Biography:
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 after 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 I’m currently working on my next book. I hope I’ll always be working on my next book.
Finders, Not Keepers is my thirteenth novel.
Social Media Links:
Website: http://dehaggerty.wordpress.com
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/dehaggerty
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Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/D.E.-Haggerty/e/B00ECQBURU/
Newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/bbmdj9
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/denahaggerty/
Bookbub author page: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/d-e-haggerty
Reviewed by: Mrs. N