Jenny has been reading Finders, Not Keepers by D.E. Haggerty
This is a lighthearted and fun murder mystery. Terri finds a beautiful diamond necklace which turns out to be worth a pretty penny. Things are not as simple as you may think though, there is a story behind the jewel, an unsolved murder!
Terri’s friend Melanie, never one to let anything remotely exciting pass her by, insists Terri try to solve the mystery. This is not something Terri goes into lightheartedly, especially when there is ‘the mob’ involved.
Of course we cannot have a heroine without a hunk of a neighbour on her tail. Ryder has his eye on Terri and little does she know just how much of her he is looking at. I found Ryder to be quite irritating and overbearing, but all with good intentions.
This book is simple to read, easy to follow and had me giggling quite a bit too. The chapters are just the right length too.
A good book with just enough going on to keep you wanting more.
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.
Liz has been reading Finders, Not Keepers by D.E. Haggerty
Book 1 of the Not So Reluctant Detective series
Finders Not Keepers is a cosy mystery, with a romantic thread, humour and suspense. Our heroine, Terri, is a 42-year-old school Librarian with a madcap friend, Melanie and a rather dishy younger neighbour, Ryder. Recovering from the collapse of her marriage to Alan, Terri decides to clear the attic of the last of his belongings. While there she discovers a valuable diamond pendant, so needs to contact the previous house owner. She is astonished to find out that Jessica, who had lived there two years ago, had been murdered, so asks Ryder, a PI, to help her find Jessica’s next of kin.
Terri is a believable character, of substance. She has a successful career but is struggling to afford the mortgage on her much-loved house. The breakup of her marriage has sapped her confidence, but she is a caring woman who spends her weekends helping charities. The fact that Ryder is attracted to her, fills her with amazement and she is cautious about responding to someone who might want to control her, as Alan had. Meanwhile, Terri constantly puts herself into dangerous situations, trying to find the right place for Jessica’s bequest as well as perhaps revealing her murderer.
What I particularly enjoyed in this book is the humour. As a former school librarian myself, I loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, especially, “A cardigan is a librarian’s lab coat.” Melanie’s predilection of calling Ryder, “hot neighbour guy,” is irritating but sums up her character so well. I shall certainly be seeking out more entertaining cosy mysteries by D E Haggerty.
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.
Cathy has been reading Finders, Not Keepers by D.E. Haggerty
Terri is in the process of sorting through the boxes in the attic for something her ex husband wants, annoyed with herself for not forcing him to take his stuff when he moved out. When her friend, Melanie arrives she helps Terri get the boxes downstairs. Later, as Terri is cleaning the now box free attic she makes an astonishing discovery. Hidden in a corner is a necklace. A large pear shaped diamond on a platinum/white gold chain. Terri is understandably utterly astounded.
Terri is determined to find the previous owners of her house and return the diamond. Luckily her super hot next door neighbour Ryder, is a private investigator – the perfect person to ask for advice. Even though it was easy to find the previous owners, a Mr and Mrs Collins, returning the necklace proved trickier as they didn’t want it. It transpired the necklace had belonged to their niece, Jessica.
‘Mr Collins cleared his throat. “Our niece Jessica was only twenty-five when she was killed.”
Terri gasped. “Killed? Oh no! What happened?” She leaned forward, her coffee and pie forgotten.
“That’s what we’d like to know,” Mrs Collins snapped. Her husband reached over and grasped her hand.
“She was murdered three years ago,” he explained.’
Both parties come to the decision Terri should check out local charities to try and find the one that meant most to Jessica, and donate the diamond. Terri’s research, and Melanie’s wanting to solve Jessica’s murder, lead them both into danger and Terri is (very) occasionally glad Ryder is so protective, however he does have some anger issues when it comes to Terri getting herself into trouble. Maybe a touch too much alpha male but he’s genuinely worried for Terri. However it’s soon apparent that Ryder wants much more than a neighbourly kind of relationship with Terri, but is willing to wait and take things at her pace. A definite point in his favour.
Terri and Melanie are total opposites, and it’s usually Melanie doing the instigating with Terri going along with whatever crackpot idea Melanie dreams up. They’re a great foil for each other. I loved the fact that Terri is a librarian and each chapter heading is a librarian related quote. Well written in the third person from Terri’s perspective, there’s a good dynamic between the characters.
An entertaining cosy murder/mystery with an interesting cast of characters.
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.
Karen has been reading Finders, Not Keepers by D.E. Haggerty
My Opinion
This book focuses on Terri, recently divorced. Finding a diamond pendant necklace in her attic, and trying to get it back to its rightful owner gets her in some unanticipated situations.
With “Finders, Not Keepers”, D. E. Haggerty has created an expertly worded and very funny suspense story with a romantic touch. The story comprises a broad variety of believable characters with sufficient depth, hilarious moments, and interesting interactions to solve the case of the diamond pendant necklace. I had a great time reading “Finders, Not Keepers” – it is a very fun read. I was drawn into the story right away, chuckling about the cute yet stubborn protagonist and her complexes, her best friend Melanie – even more determined, and Terri’s rather protective neighbour, Ryder.
This is for you if you like female amateur sleuths, stubborn and determined women, hilarious situations as well as a great combination of cosy suspense, humour, and romance.
A funny and suspenseful book to read again; it is the very promising first in a new series.
Recommended.
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.
Book reviewer and garden enthusiast. Updates from my Hampshire garden. Usually talking about books and plants. People do not forget books or flowers that touch them or excite them—they recommend them.
Everything I know about gardening I've learnt from a combination of my mum, Carol Klein and Monty Don. My garden is a tiny 2x3m yard requiring a lot of TLC...
Rosie Amber 