D.E. Haggerty

‘Love in The Time Of Murder – The Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives, Book 3’: Cozy but meaningful mystery novel

REVIEW

I have to admit it. I’m a fan of D.E. Haggerty’s work. Her books always help me to cheer up even if my mood is very bad. That happened when I read ‘Jack gets his man’, it happened again while reading ‘Love in The Time Of Murder – The Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives, Book 3’. I had a bad cold, coughing and sneezing, but ‘Love in The Time Of Murder’ was like a cup of hot chocolate to me. Despite the fact it’s a part of a book series, it can read as a standalone. However if you love cozy mysteries, I strongly recommend that you read the first two books of the series.

This book has everything: mystery, humor, friendship, love. D.E. Haggerty’s writing style is delightful and I love her sense of humor: “if picking out losers was an Olympic sport, I’d have a closet full of gold medals”, “He shakes the Kindle. ‘Why are you obsessed with true-crime novels, Mrs Clark? I snort. ‘I also read shifter romance novels, but I’m pretty sure I’m not a werewolf’”.

But ‘Love in The Time Of Murder’ is not all love and roses. It also touches a very tough and serious problem, that of domestic violence. That’s what makes it a hidden literary gem.

***

Book title: Love in the Time of Murder

Series: The Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives, Book 3

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Author: D.E. Haggerty

Genre: Cozy Mystery (with a bit of humor and some romance)

Published: October 5, 2015

Word count: 51,430

 

Synopsis:

In Love in the Time of Murder, the Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives face their toughest case yet. Delilah, or Dee as she wishes everyone would just call her already, is the granddaughter of one of the knitting detectives and her life is in a bit of a shambles. She finally manages to pry herself away from her husband’s clutches, move out on her own, and start her own business. But then her estranged husband is murdered and she’s the number one suspect. The Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives aren’t about to let one of their own get sent to the slammer and jump at the chance to search for the true killer. As if Dee doesn’t have enough problems, the knitting detectives decide that Delilah being a widow is the perfect opportunity to find her a new man and decide to put their matchmaking skills to use. Will Dee end up in prison for a murder she didn’t commit or will she be taking another walk down the aisle?

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Buy links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Murder-Gray-Haired-Knitting-Detectives-ebook/dp/B014IP8VRQ/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26173149-love-in-the-time-of-murder

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/572437

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-in-the-time-of-murder-de-haggerty/1122589717?ean=2940152118407

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/love-in-the-time-of-murder

 

“Shoot! I’m going to fry for Brock’s murder.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Damien speaks for the first time. “They don’t use the electric chair in Oklahoma. It’s lethal injection.”

 

Author bio:

I was born and raised in Wisconsin, but think I’m a European (and have the EU passport to prove it!). After spending my senior year of high school in Germany, I developed a bad case of wanderlust that is yet to be cured. My flying Dutch husband and I have lived in Ohio, Virginia, the Netherlands, Germany and now Istanbul. We still haven’t decided if we want to settle down somewhere – let alone where. I’m leaning towards somewhere I can learn to surf even though the hubby thinks that’s a less than sound way to decide where to live. Although I’ve been a military policewoman, a commercial lawyer, and a B&B owner, I think with writing I may have finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up. That’s assuming I ever grow up, of course. Between playing tennis, running much slower than I would like, trying to adopt every stray dog within a 5-mile radius, traveling to exotic new locales, singing off tune, drinking entirely too many adult beverages, addictively watching new movies and reading books like they are going out of style, I write articles for a local expat magazine and various websites, review other indie authors’ books, write a blog about whatever comes to mind and am working on my seventh book.

Author links:

Website: http://www.dehaggerty.com

Blog: http://www.dehaggerty.com/mymusings

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dehaggerty

Twitter: https://twitter.com/denaehaggerty

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DEHaggerty/posts

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/denahaggerty/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7210211.D_E_Haggerty

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/D.E.-Haggerty/e/B00ECQBURU

Email: dena@dehaggerty.com

 

Review: ‘Jack Gets His Man’ by D.E. Haggerty

REVIEW

I love amateur sleuth mysteries, especially the cozy ones. This is probably my most favourite literary genre of which ‘Jack Gets His Man’ by D.E. Haggerty is the finest example.

I hadn’t read anything from D.E. Haggerty before but since I first saw ‘Jack Gets His Man’ original comic-inspired cover, I said myself “This is a book I have to read”. And so I did. And I loved it!

What is not to love in this book? Jack, the best friend every woman would love to have? Izzy and Noel, that super cool couple? Those adorable ladies from the knitting club “who fancied themselves private investigators (…) seriously considering getting licensed”? Or Jack’s man? (No, I’m not going to reveal who that is).

To me ‘Jack Gets His Man’ is the perfect read for a Friday evening, when you want to get rid of the work’s stress and chill out.

I was amazed by D.E. Haggerty’s humorous, witty writing style and her ability to weave an interesting, fast paced storyline with hilarious Chapter titles like “My boobs are sore”.

The police car scene was one of my favourites moment in the book as was Chapter Fucking’s-right-32.

“Jack” and “His Man” got easily my five stars and convinced me to read the rest of D.E. Haggerty’s books.

Book title: Jack Gets His Man

Series: The Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives, Book 2

Standalone

Author: D.E. Haggerty

Genre: Romantic Comedy (M/M)

Published: July 1, 2015

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Synopsis:

Jack’s life is awesome. His store is making money hand over fist and his best friend has found love. So what if he’s feeling a bit restless and put out about his upcoming birthday and his ex is being a pain in his fabulous behind? That’s nothing he can’t handle. But then his smoking hot new bookkeeper discovers things at the store aren’t actually as they seem. Someone is playing fast and loose with the finances. Jack’s bestie and his gal pals, the gray-haired knitting detectives, jump at the chance to solve Jack’s problems. When they aren’t re-enacting scenes from spy thrillers, they’re setting Jack up on dates and generally insinuating themselves into his love life. They’re determined to find love for Jack as well as his missing money. Will Jack catch a thief or find love? Either way Jack’s going to get his man.

Purchase links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Gets-His-Man-Gray-Haired-ebook/dp/B00YBZITC6

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25552260-jack-gets-his-man

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/551332

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1122163358?ean=2940151977913

 

Teasers:

Jack groaned and hid his face in his hands. This is what his life was reduced to? Getting set up on blind dates by eighty-year-old grandmas? He was pretty sure this was the definition of pathetic.

***

“I don’t know whether I love them or want to strangle them. When their attention is on someone else, I want to worship at their conniving little feet. But when they sink their claws into me, I want to scream like a little girl and go hide.”

***

“Underwear,” Betty repeated. “Why do you need cross-dressing underwear?”

Jack’s face pinked slightly. “Well, you know, to tuck certain assets away.”

The ladies giggled and glanced at his package, which was obviously not tucked away. Clearing his throat and resisting temptation to cover his family jewels with his hands, Jack continued. “And on this side, we have the big and beautiful section for women.”

***

Jack, Izzy, and the ladies met up at Izzy’s house the following night. The women were tittering in excitement. They had obviously coordinated their going-on-recon outfits. Their matching ensembles consisted of black, stretchy pants, black blouses, and black orthopedic shoes. They even had matching black scarves to hide their silver locks. Jack wondered if he should be escorting them to a casual funeral instead of going on this so-called recon mission.

***

“Hands in the air. Drop to your knees” was shouted at them. Blinded by a flashlight, it was impossible to identify the speaker.

Martha huffed. “There is no way I’m going to my knees, young man,” she yelled at the light.

“Me either. I’ll never be able to get up again,” Ally agreed and put her hands on her hips in protest.

Jack shook his head but quickly dropped to his knees. Only he would get caught while snooping with two grandmas who refused to listen to the police. He hung his head and pretended he was somewhere else, anywhere else.

Author bio:

I was born and raised in Wisconsin, but think I’m a European. After spending my senior year of high school in Germany, I developed a bad case of wanderlust that is yet to be cured. My flying Dutch husband and I have lived in Ohio, Virginia, the Netherlands, Germany and now Istanbul. We still haven’t decided if we want to settle down somewhere – let alone where. I’m leaning towards somewhere I can learn to surf even though the hubby thinks that’s a less than sound way to decide where to live. Although I’ve been a military policewoman, a commercial lawyer, and a B&B owner, I think with writing I may have finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up. That’s assuming I ever grow up, of course. Between playing tennis, running much slower than I would like, trying to adopt every stray dog within a 5-mile radius, traveling to exotic new locales, singing off tune, drinking entirely too many adult beverages, addictively watching new movies and reading books like they are going out of style, I write articles for a local expat magazine and various websites, review other indie authors’ books, write a blog about whatever comes to mind and am working on my sixth book.

 

Author links:

Website: http://www.dehaggerty.com

Blog: http://www.dehaggerty.com/mymusings

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dehaggerty

Twitter: https://twitter.com/denaehaggerty

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DEHaggerty/posts

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/denahaggerty/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7210211.D_E_Haggerty

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/D.E.-Haggerty/e/B00ECQBURU

Email: dena@dehaggerty.com

D.E. Haggerty and her new book ‘Jack gets his man: Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives’

INTERVIEW

Author D.E. Haggerty celebrates the release of her new book Jack Gets His Man and today I have the pleasure to have a little chat with her about books, surfing and Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives!

But first things first, THE BOOK:

Book title: Jack Gets His Man

Series: The Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives, Book 2

Standalone

Author: D.E. Haggerty

Genre: Romantic Comedy (M/M)

Published: July 1, 2015

Buy links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Gets-His-Man-Gray-Haired-ebook/dp/B00YBZITC6

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25552260-jack-gets-his-man

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/551332

Cover2a2

Synopsis:

Jack’s life is awesome. His store is making money hand over fist and his best friend has found love. So what if he’s feeling a bit restless and put out about his upcoming birthday and his ex is being a pain in his fabulous behind? That’s nothing he can’t handle. But then his smoking hot new bookkeeper discovers things at the store aren’t actually as they seem. Someone is playing fast and loose with the finances. Jack’s bestie and his gal pals, the gray-haired knitting detectives, jump at the chance to solve Jack’s problems. When they aren’t re-enacting scenes from spy thrillers, they’re setting Jack up on dates and generally insinuating themselves into his love life. They’re determined to find love for Jack as well as his missing money. Will Jack catch a thief or find love? Either way Jack’s going to get his man.

  • First of all, congrats on your new book. It sounds amazing, I can’t wait to read it. However I would like to know more about you. So who exactly is D.E. Haggerty?

“I was born and raised in Wisconsin, but think I’m a European. After spending my senior year of high school in Germany, I developed a bad case of wanderlust that is yet to be cured. My flying Dutch husband and I have lived in Virginia, Ohio, Wisconsin, the Netherlands, Germany and now Istanbul. We still haven’t decided if we want to settle down somewhere – let alone where. I’m leaning towards somewhere I can learn to surf even though the hubby thinks that’s a less than sound way to decide where to live. Although I’ve been a military policewoman, a commercial lawyer, and a B&B owner, I think with writing I may have finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up. That’s assuming I ever grow up, of course. Between playing tennis, running much slower than I would like, trying to adopt every stray dog within a 5-mile radius, traveling to exotic new locales, singing off tune, drinking entirely too many adult beverages, addictively watching new movies and reading books like they are going out of style, I write articles for a local expat magazine and various websites, review other indie authors’ books, write a blog about whatever comes to mind and am working on my sixth book.”

  • How did you decide to pursue a writing career?

“I tried everything else out and writing was the only thing left? But seriously, I’ve always been writing stories, poems, songs, etc. I wrote my first book on a school bus when I was in 6th grade. I’ve converted my Bed & Breakfast into a group rental and so now I have the time to write.”

  • Was getting published hard?

“I’m self-published so no. A lot of companies try to make self-publishing sound more difficult than it is so that they can make money off of new writers, but it’s just a matter of doing your research. Formatting is boring but it’s not difficult.”

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  • Are your characters based on people you know?

“Everyone assumes that, don’t they? When I started writing, I was definitely ‘borrowing’ characters from real life. The more I write the easier it is to develop characters that are entirely unique (at least I hope so!).”

  • What genre is your book?

“Jack Gets His Man is a romantic comedy (M/M) with a side of mystery. It’s the second book in my Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives series. The series will consist of three books – unless I get caught up in a new character who I thinks deserves his or her own book.”

  • Which of your books is your most favorite?

“That’s like trying to pick a favorite child! Each book is a favorite for a different reason. Jack Gets His Man is a favorite because I overcame my fears of writing the novel from the perspective of a gay man.”

  • Do you have a specific writing routine?

“I’m pretty anal and organized so yeah I have a routine. For each book, I have a diary in which I keep my character descriptions, outline, chapter ideas, and research. I write first thing in the morning for three hours. I try to write a chapter a day when I’m working on a book. I’ve learned to take a month off after a book is finished to concentrate on marketing because otherwise both the writing and marketing suffer if I try to do them at the same time.”

  • What are your current projects?

“I have three books in the works. In the first place, I want to finish the Gray-Haired Knitting Detectives series with the third book. It will be the toughest case the ladies have to solve as one of their own is accused of murder. I’m also working on a spy/romance set in Istanbul during World War II as I’m living in Istanbul at the moment and I’m a total history geek. I also want to write a sequel to Life Discarded in which I explain what happens to a woman after she throws her life away (which is what the heroine did in the Life Discarded).”

  • What’s next for you?

“Besides working on the three books I mentioned, I’m trying hard to give my personal blog more attention and improving my Readsalot blog (a blog to market indie writers). On a personal level, my husband and I are researching where we will be heading after November when his contract in Istanbul expires. I’m pushing Australia as I’m dying to learn to surf before I’m too old (although that ship may have already sailed).”

Author links

Website: http://www.dehaggerty.com

Blog: http://www.dehaggerty.com/mymusings

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dehaggerty

Twitter: https://twitter.com/denaehaggerty

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DEHaggerty/posts

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/denahaggerty/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7210211.D_E_Haggerty

Email: dena@dehaggerty.com