Three Strikes,You're Dead by Elena Hartwell-Great Escapes Tours

About the book 

Private investigator Eddie Shoes heads to a resort outside Leavenworth, Washington, for a mother-daughter getaway weekend. Eddie’s mother Chava wants to celebrate her new job at a casino by footing the bill for the two of them, and who is Eddie to say no?

On the first morning, Eddie goes on an easy solo hike, and a few hours later, stumbles upon a makeshift campsite and a gravely injured man. A forest fire breaks out and she struggles to save him before the flames overcome them both. Before succumbing to his injuries, the man hands her a valuable rosary. He tells her his daughter is missing and begs for her help. Is Eddie now working for a dead man?

Barely escaping the fire, Eddie wakes in the hospital to find both her parents have arrived on the scene. Will Eddie’s card-counting mother and mob-connected father help or hinder the investigation? The police search in vain for a body. How will Eddie find the missing girl with only Eddie’s memory of the man’s face and a photo of his daughter to go on?

And others are saying

This series has quickly become one of my favorites. I love that Eddie is an unconventional character.
~Brooke Blogs

What I enjoy so much about this series is the characters. Eddie is a tough cookie but also vulnerable. Her mother, Chava, is a hoot. Another tough cookie but a bit on the zany side.
~FUONLYKNEW

This is definitely a story you can’t put down and will lead readers to an unexpected ending.
~Texas Book-aholic

Right from the beginning, we see the relationship between Eddie and Chava (a.k.a. “Mom,” a word Eddie is gradually learning to use) developing and maturing as they find themselves more able to enjoy each other without trying to change each other. But lest the relationships be all the book is about, we also dive quickly into a hair-raising bit of adventure and a murder.
~The Ninja Librarian

The author has given us a wonderful PI by the name of Eddie Shoes, and from the get-go we get non-stop action, and you have to wonder if she going to make beyond a few chapters.
~Maureen’s Musings

Interview with the author

Hello Elena.  Welcome to the blog!  I am glad to have the

Chance to chat today!

 Thank you so much for having me!

Before we get into the new book let’s have a little fun with

some quick fun questions.

As I am writing these I’m thinking about lunch.  Mine is a BLT.

What’s your favorite sandwich?

 This is really hard. I love sandwiches. Who doesn't love food you can eat with your hands? I think I'd have to say a Turkey Club is my go-to - but I usually request it with only two pieces of bread. That makes it "healthy" right?

So let’s talk about chocolate!  Dark or Milk Chocolate?  With nuts?

Dark. Yes to nuts, though I have to say, my absolute favorite chocolate candy is fudge, for which I am a purist, no nuts, no fancy flavors, just chocolate.

Let’s pretend (maybe we don’t have to) it’s been a long day of writing

and your settling in for some peace and quiet.  Your pour yourself _______.

I'm married to a wine collector, so usually this would be "... whatever is open on the counter." We drink a lot of reds (I love a good Zin!) but when I do drink white, it's usually a Sauvignon Blanc (big fan of Oyster Bay) or a Riesling (shout out to our local Chateau Ste. Michelle).

I  am glad your back touring with Great Escapes again.  What is your favorite

part of the tour?

So much to enjoy on a Great Escapes tour. I love the chance to interact with bloggers, so answering questions is a lot of fun. I enjoy guest posts as well, especially character posts. I love writing from my characters' point of view outside a novel.

If you could go anywhere in the world to write your next Eddie Shoes

mystery where would you go?   How long do you think you would stay?

You have hit on one of the great dilemmas of my life. I LOVE to travel, but I hate being away from my animals. If I could have a total dream escape, it would be to a sprawling ranch in Wyoming, so I could bring both my horses and my dog along with me. I would probably stay about a month. I could get a lot of writing done and have time to hang out with my favorite boys. (Plus hubby, I'd bring him along too).

Let’s get into the book!  How does it feel to have #3 published? 

Totally surreal! It feels like just yesterday I was launching book one and wondering if I could actually finish book two. But surreal in a wonderful, joyful way.

Of all 3 of the books in the series which one was the hardest to write?

Definitely book three. I never realized how hard it would be to support the current books and write the next one. With book one, there was no pressure, as I didn't have a book deal until after it was written. Then, I had a lot of time to write book two, mostly before book one was actually on the market. But with the launch of book two, I was already into promotion for both those books while writing book three.  I'm not very good at promotion and marketing, so learning how to do that aspect of being an author was challenging. Lots of different hats to wear and everything happens at once.

I love the location.  How did you choose the location? 

I knew I wanted to send Eddie and her mother on vacation for book three. I didn't want to always have to keep them in Bellingham, I wanted a little flexibility. The Leavenworth area is so beautiful, and the "Bavarian Village" is such a fun, touristy spot, it felt like a great fit. I like that it's both close to Bellingham, in terms of driving there, but also has a remoteness to the landscape. It gave me a lot of options to play with.

If you could choose any of your characters to spend the day with

Who would you choose?  What would you do?

Definitely Franklin. We'd go to the dog park with my dog Polar so those two could play together and end up later in a big pile on my bed to watch BBC mysteries.

So can you give us a little peek and fill us in on how things are

Going with Eddie and Chance?  Are things heating up in the romance?

I LOVE that people are engaged in the dynamic between these two. It's a challenge, because the unresolved nature of it is part of the intrigue, but simultaneously, at some point, they have to make a decision. Let's just say ... I don't think readers will be disappointed.

And one last one.  Can you give us a sneek peek of book 4?

Excellent question! I can tell you, it does take place back in Bellingham and a nearby community, and we may see some development in the relationship between Eddie and Chance.

Thanks for taking the time to chat! 

Anytime! I love chatting with you.

And I thought

There are some series.  There are some plots.  And then there

are some characters that just 'get and ' pull you into their lives and 

and stories and won't let you go. 

Eddie and of course her quirky mama 'Chava did do that to me.

Just riding along with them on a new adventure that intends to be a nice weekend retreat and turns into a mystery to solve is a twisty road and keeps you on the edge of your seat. 

When Eddie finds herself involved in a couple of murders  and then daddy comes  in to help out and keep his girls safe 

The story is fast paced and will keep you turning the pages and trying to catch the curve balls thrown out to keep you off track to figuring it all out until the end. 

A perfect cozy mystery!

Although Three Strikes, You're Dead is book 3 in the Eddie 

Shoes series you won't be left in the dark or playing catch up 

to what is going on!  

Pick up any of the series and enjoy a few hours of mystery solving. 

This is one of my favorites series.  Check it out. 

I received a complimentary copy. 

This review will appear on retail sites and good reads

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