Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Hotshot Shamus (The Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries) by Heather Haven. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Hotshot Shamus (The Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries)
by Heather Haven
Hotshot Shamus (The Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
New York City 1943
Wives Of Bath Press, The (April 18, 2023)
Paperback : 324 pages
Persephone (Percy) Cole saves the life of a senator’s granddaughter but had no idea how much her own life was going to change as a result. There’s the unwanted fame, reporters hounding her mercilessly, and past enemies crawling out of the woodwork. Worse yet, our 5’11” lady shamus now has to dress the part of the successful PI! Then an unknown murderer tries to frame Percy for his killing spree, leaving deadly clues pointing to her. Worse yet, these are followed by death threats against her and her family.
But who? And why?
Character Guest Post: Persephone (Percy) Cole’s Mother Speaks Out
My name is Lamentation Leviticus Cole. Everyone calls me Mother. My husband’s name is Habakkuk, after the biblical prophet. I call him Father. The rest of the world calls him Pop. I don’t care for that moniker, myself, but there’s no accounting for taste. For instance, my spaghetti with horseradish and split-pea gravy has met with much criticism, as has my pumpkin-cauliflower pie. But who says these things don’t go together? I like to think of myself as an innovator, a trailblazer, like my eldest daughter, Persephone.
Haven’t I mention her? My Persephone is a private detective. A lady detective. I never heard of such a thing, myself, but there you are. We are in modern times. It’s 1943 and with the war on, there’s a lot of men enlisted. Women are doing more and more of their jobs and sometimes better. Rosie the Riveter and Persephone the PI.
So, when the opportunity came her way, Persephone took it. After all, she’d been working in Father and Gilleathain’s agency, Cole Brothers’ Investigations, as their secretary for seventeen years. She even helped out with some cases from time to time. But I knew no good would come from Gilleathain taking her to target practice and teaching her how to use that German Mauser. Leaving it to her in his will and all. Now with Gilleathain gone, Father does need the help, though. So, Persephone got her private investigator’s license.
Of course, I don’t like it that Persephone carries a gun. It’s dangerous. And it simply isn’t ladylike. I’ve overheard her saying things like she “knocked a little horse-sense into the perp” or “showed him who’s boss” or “hauled his keister off to jail.” Really, sometimes Persephone’s language! I don’t know where she gets it from.
Maybe my daughter is so fearless because she’s bigger than most men at 5’11” in her stocking feet. And she takes boxing lessons. She says on this job she gets to “use her noodle.” Truth be told, she is smarter than most men I know.
Naturally, I would prefer she learned to needlepoint, macramé, or cook like me. I’ve even given her some of my recipes, such as my peanut butter and beet casserole. She’s simply not interested. Oh, well. Children grow up and have their own lives. What can you do?
But underneath it all that she really is a sweet girl. And she’s a good mother to my 8-year-old grandson, too. I guess it’s important that she like her job. Of course, I love being home and cooking for my little family. This evening I am making milk-fish stew. Nothing goes to waste! Even the heads, fins, and scales are included. It has been cooking for hours. Dessert will be my chocolate cake with a sauerkraut-blue cheese sauce. Seeing the family gasp at my little offerings is all the inducement I need to stay in the kitchen for the rest of my days.
So, I will leave other women to take over the men’s jobs, like my Persephone. And she really is a good detective. I have all the clippings to prove it.
About Heather Haven
Back in the Punic Wars, Heather wrote ad copy, comedy acts, and had several plays performed very Off-Broadway. Her novels include the Silicon Valley-based Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries, Manhattan-based Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries, Love Can Be Murder Mysteries, Snow Lake Romantic Suspense, and standalone, Murder under the Big Top, inspired by her mother’s stint as a performer with Ringling Brothers’ Circus. Just to break up the monotony, her short stories are featured in here anthology, Corliss and Other Award-Winning Stories. She and her husband are allowed to live in the foothills of San Jose, California, with their cat, Ellie.
Author Links
Webpage https://heatherhavenstories.com/
Blog https://heatherhavenstories.com/blog/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/heather.haven.5/
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4584715.Heather_Haven
Purchase Link – Amazon
Enter the giveaway
Hotshot Shamus TOUR PARTICIPANTS
June 5 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
June 6 – I Read What You Write – AUTHOR GUEST POST
June 6 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
June 7 – Indie Author Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 8 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
June 8 – The Mystery Section – AUTHOR GUEST POST
June 9 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 9 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT
June 10 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
June 10 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
June 11 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
June 11 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 12 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
Heather Haven says
Thanks for hosting me, Christy! Love your blog site.
Christy Maurer says
You’re welcome! Thank you!