Eyes on the Road
The Tow Truck Murder Mysteries
by
Karen C. Whalen
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Colorado
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: February 20, 2023
Paperback
Page count: 310 pages
ISBN-10: 1509246592 / ISBN-13: 978-1509246595
Digital ASIN: B0BQGRDVRT
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ABOUT EYES ON THE ROAD:
Many businesses in Spruce Ridge, Colorado hire temporary international workers during the hectic ski season. One temp, Jaana Ivanov from Estonia, is found dead in her car at the bottom of a cliff, but the car crash was not an accident. Jaana didn't just take her eyes off the road. She was murdered. Delaney Morran often feels vulnerable herself as the lone female tow truck driver in town, so when the victim's sister asks Delaney to help find the killer, Delaney eyes everyone with suspicion. Delaney may not be the best at towing vehicles, but she's pretty good at digging up clues.
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READ AN EXCERPT:
Popping
the gear into reverse, I cast a glance in my rearview mirror, then my side
mirror, then back at the rear mirror. A slight tremor went through the truck. A
man was bouncing on the front bumper of the Explorer! His head swayed and
dipped as he jumped up and down, causing the vehicle to bob with him. His full
head of black hair and his long-sleeve tee-shirt with a sporting company’s
swoosh symbol see-sawed in the mirror.
I
jerked the truck into park and leapt out. “Get off there!”
He
didn’t move, so I stomped in my glittery peep-toes to the back of my truck.
When I was a few feet away, he hopped off and bolted toward the other side. I
raced around to catch up, but he was as tall and thin as a lodgepole pine, and
with his long legs, he was faster than me. He dashed around the front of my
truck, keeping the truck in between us as we circled each other.
I
shouted, adrenaline kicking in, “I’m going to leave. You need to get out of the
way because I’m going to pull out.”
He
laughed, dove inside the driver’s door I’d left open, and reappeared in a flash
dangling my key in his hand.
I
let out a hair-raising shriek, “Stop him!”
Maarja
only gave me a wide-eyed look from the passenger window.
I
rushed at him. “Gimme that!”
He
held my key chain with the cute stiletto charm above my head. I made the
mistake of jumping several times for the key, but he was over six feet tall.
I’m five-two, so you get the picture. This was not working, and I looked
ridiculous.
REVIEW:
5 stars!
Delaney Morran returns to investigate a puzzling
vehicular accident covering up a murder!
Eyes on the Road is the third delightful entry in
author Karen C. Whalen’s excellent cozy mystery series, the Tow Truck Murder
Mysteries, set in the fun ski resort town of Spruce Ridge, Colorado. With
its mix of amateur murder investigation, hijacked tow trucks, and the alarming
disappearance of several young female seasonal workers, the story hooked me
from the start and never let me go.
I like this main character, Delaney Morran, so much. She’s
steadily growing her traditionally male-operated business and unique brand
since picking up the reins of her father’s towing service after his death. She’s
surrounded by good friends and family, who pitch in when needed with both her
business operations and murder investigations. However, ‘Cousin’ Axel is proving
to be her real ‘ride or die’ partner in crime. Though I like Tanner, I’m ready
to see what the sheriff has to offer.
The plot has Delaney and the sister of the murder victim
running back and forth all over town, questioning any and all who may be able
to shed some light on the dead woman’s final days. The pace really picks up
when they discover Jaana may not be the only victim of foul play; several young
foreign women who came to the area as seasonal workers have disappeared. The
story had me confounded as to what was going on, as there was much
prevarication and misdirection on the part of witnesses. Some of this turns out
to truly be confused witnesses or ones who have partaken too much and too often
of adult substances rather than out and out lying, though. Consequently, there
were several red herrings to dismiss, and I didn’t see the resolution coming at
all. Yes, to looking forward to the next in the series!
I recommend EYES ON THE ROAD to cozy mystery readers who
enjoy strong female amateur sleuths, comedic situations, a little romance and
angst between the characters, or Colorado settings.
ABOUT KAREN C. WHALEN:
Karen C. Whalen is the author of two mystery series for The Wild Rose Press: the Dinner Club Mysteries featuring Jane Marsh, an empty nester who hosts a gourmet dinner club, and the Tow Truck Mysteries starring Delaney Morran, a super feminine shoe-a-holic who drives a tow truck. Both are cozy mysteries about strong friendships and family ties set in Colorado. The first book in the Dinner Club series tied for First Place in the Suspense Novel category of the 2017 IDA Contest sponsored by Oklahoma Romance Writers of America. Whalen worked for many years as a paralegal at a law firm in Denver, Colorado and was a columnist and regular contributor to The National Paralegal Reporter magazine. Whalen loves to host dinner parties, entertain friends, ride bicycles, hike in the mountains, walk on the beach, and read cozy murder mysteries.
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