PI Kelly Pruett is determined to carry on at her late father’s detective agency in Portland when she gets hired by a grieving mother with ties to her father. Georgette Hanson wants Kelly to look into the recent death of her daughter Brooke who was struck dead by a MAX commuter train. Georgette is convinced that Brooke's death was not just a drunken accident. Kelly soon finds that Brooke was not simply the chief accountant for an international law firm. Instead, Brooke lead a steamy double life as a dominatrix. Her luxurious penthouse suite was a far cry from the run-down apartment she claimed as her home. Kelly is determined to find what really happened to Brooke that rainy night but someone wants to stop her investigation. Meanwhile, Kelly also has to deal with her pushy ex-husband Jeff, deaf daughter Mitz and meddling mother-in-law Arlene.

This is a great debut PI novel and I look forward to reading more PI cases with Kelly.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Camel Press with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Keliikoa .released this fantastic mystery earlier this year. It’s the first in a new mystery series featuring a female PI. I’m thrilled to be doing this tour with @katerockbooktours!

I was sucked in, literally, as soon I started this one. Kelly, the main character, is learning how to run her dad’s PI business alone, after his recent passing. She has other problems in her personal life, including raising her daughter & dealing with her ex. She is thrown into a mystery surrounding the death of the daughter of a client(who just happens to be a mysterious, important person to her dad).

So many twists and turns come out in this one causing you to not know what’s going to happen next. I am always happy when a mystery keeps me guessing along the way & has such a “what?!” ending. Keliikoa is so good at writing this genre & this won’t be the last I read of this new, to me, author!! I am excited to read more of her Kelly Pruett series!

📚 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 / 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝗪 ⁣📚⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Title: #Derailed⁣⁣⁣
Author: @mary.keliikoa.author⁣⁣⁣
Publisher: #EpicenterPress⁣⁣⁣
Pub Date: 5/12/20⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣
Type: #Ebook⁣⁣⁣
On Tour: @katerockbooktours⁣⁣
Genre: #CrimeFiction #Mystery #Thriller⁣⁣⁣
Must Read Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
𝘚𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴:⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
𝘗𝘐 𝘒𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘗𝘳𝘶𝘦𝘵𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺, 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘧 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺. 𝘚𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯.⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘒𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘻𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴. 𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘮'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦.⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
My Thoughts:⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
I love a good, thrilling detective series, so when I read the description for this book, I knew I'd be in for a wild ride and it didn't not disappoint! PI Kelly Pruitt is a force to be reckoned with and definitely a strong female character that I wish was a real person! One of the best things about this novel was the fact that there was only one POV - it really helped with character development and setting the series in a strong direction. What I especially loved about this were the sheer number of suspects in play (including her own mother!) that made the plot dark, twisty and difficult to figure out until the end. I am really excited to see where this series heads!

This was a well-paced mystery centered around Kelly, a detective following in her father’s footsteps in the family business. She takes on a client (a request by her father (now deceased)), whose daughter was killed by a train. Was it suicide, or something more sinister? I enjoyed the family dynamics in this book and the many twists kept it interesting. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book has everything I look for in a cozy mystery. Strong characters, great dialogue, fantastic pacing and plot twists that kept me fully invested through to the end.

The protagonist—a tough on the outside private investigator named Kelly Pruett—is relatable and mult-layered. There is also a strong cast of secondary characters that add depth and drama to the story. In DERAILED, Mary Keliikoa gets off to a fantastic and exciting start in the series. I’m looking forward to book 2 and reading what comes next for Kelly Pruett.

Thank you to Epicenter Press for the advance reading copy.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I could not put this down - read it in one sitting.

Kelly is an divorced mother who inherited her father's private investigation firm.

She's had a hell of a year - her husband's infidelity with her best frien, split custody of her 8 year old deaf daughter, a judgemental former mother-in-law. And her inexperience as a PI might just get her killed.
There are plenty of suspects, lots of plot twists and turns to keep you guessing who killed the dominayrix.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series!

This book took a few chapters to reel me in, but once it did, I was completely hooked! Driven, stubborn, and brave, Kelly was a very likeable and relatable character, and I liked the window not only into her professional life, but also her personal struggles. Passionate about her job, Kelly is also a mother, and reading about her internal struggle to balance both was something to which I could relate.

In addition to just like Kelly's character, I loved the suspense of this book. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat, and I often found my heart beating faster during some of the tenser portions of this novel. Every single suspect in this book had something to hide, and just when I thought I had things figured out, another twist was thrown in. As a journalist who also did a lot of crime reporting, it was also interesting to see things through the lens of a private investigator, as well as the police.

This wasn't just a suspenseful mystery/thriller, though. I appreciated the romantic plotline that was weaved throughout the book, and I felt like its slow-burn development was perfect. I also liked reading about Kelly's relationships with her daughter, ex-husband, and mother-in-law.

With well-developed characters, a strong plot, and lots of twists, this was a wonderful debut, and I'm excited to see where this series goes next!

There is nothing better than falling in love with a book, knowing it's the first in a series, and looking forward to the next as soon as you close the cover on the first.

I love secrets, especially secrets between family members. Derailed has lots of secrets, lots of hints, lots of "Whoa, I did not see THAT happening!" It definitely is my kind of book, and I was thrilled when a friend recommended it to me.

Character development is great; the female protagonist is strong, and there's a dog!

Lots of twists and turns. And a dog! Did I mention the dog?

Wow! This is a fantastic debut series! Keliikoa's writing talent shines strong with this first installment to her Kelly Pruett Mystery series. From start to finish, I was on a roller coaster ride, following Kelly through the twists and turns of her first solo PI mystery.The plot line and the amazing characters that Keliikoa chiseled were fantastic! I stayed up late into the night, turning page after page, needing to know what was happening, who did what and  was Pruett going to solve the case.

If you love a good mystery novel, filled with incredible who dun it's, edge of your seat unexpected turns, mind blowing twists, then grab this new book up now. Keliikoa will keep you guessing with each page turn, and by the end of the book, you'll be ready to solve another mystery with this awesome female PI! Well done, and hats off to the author! I'm a forever fan!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Author/Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*

I sat down and finished Derailed in one sitting! Kelly Pruett is a PI, well technically she a is PI, but has never really had a case before. When she gets a $3000 retainer and asked to find out if a girls death on the train track was an accident, she realizes she has to solve this one. This was a good whodunit mystery! There were lots of players, a few twists you won’t see coming and it moves at a fast pace! Kelly is a good mom and has a some stuff in her past that keeps her going. Her only problem is, that poor girl can’t see anything coming. And I mean literally, because she just gets pummeled in this book. Hopefully in book two she is getting a personal trainer and taking defense classes, she needs them!

Kelly Pruett's first case as a PI after inheriting her father's business is one doozy of a mystery!
The mother of a recently deceased woman comes calling on Kelly to investigate her daughter's passing. Was it an accident? A suicide? Or murder?
Kelly isn't sure she's capable of taking on the case until she reads a letter from her father that states if this particular woman comes asking for help, Kelly must help her no questions asked. Full of surprises, twist and turns this story keeps you on your toes as Kelly uncovers more clues and a few red herrings along the way.
Along with this challenging case, Kelly is also juggling her home life as she's the single mother of a deaf daughter and an ex-husband who isn't happy with the danger Kelly's job has created. And then there's the ex-mother-in-law who's also Kelly's next door neighbor (awkward!) And a cop who's got Kelly's heart all a flutter.
I found this story well written with the main characters well fleshed out. As the first in a series, this one is an excellent starting point and I look forward to going along for the ride as Kelly tries to solve future cases. I highly recommend this very intriguing mystery.

Mary Keliikoa, has moved from a 'wannabe' author to the creator of the Kelly Pruett series. Derailed is book 1 in the promising series. Set in Portland OR., the book opens on a drizzly October evening. Kelly, still in deep mourning for her father, sits in her office. Located as she wryly tells us, in the 'armpit' of Portland.

She is interrupted by a stranger asking for her father. The woman needs someone to investigate her daughter's death. Kelly needs the job. Her father has left a message telling her to help this person. She has the training, and the same determination to succeed as her Dad. Practically, she needs the income to help gain independence from her ex and his mother in law. Somehow neither of them got the memo that Kelly divorced them and she is capable of parenting Mitz, her daughter.

Kelly soon finds that the stories told by witnesses and the stories told by the police do not match.
Further into the investigation, she finds that the victim's secrets include a hidden life. When she discovers the body of the main witness to the first death, her determination is intensified. Now is the time to reach out to Kyle Jaeger, the friendly police officer who might become part of her support system.

Kelly may be a neophyte murder investigator, but she is not an amateur detective. Keliikoa has given her the tenacity, intelligence, and compassion necessary for a successful investigator. The twists of the plot are well handled and surprising to this veteran mystery reader.
As someone who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, I found the descriptions of Portland to be true to life. The lead characters are quirky enough to be welcomed in other books in this series. I was especially drawn to the daughter, who is a profoundly deaf child. All in all there is a great deal to like about Kelly and her new adventures.

Recommended for suspense, or those who enjoy procedural mysteries.

Full disclosure: I received this copy from netgalley and Epicenter Press in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you for this opportunity.

Wow, just wow. Fans of Janet Evanovich novels will love Derailed. A novice female investigator, a sexy cop, a criminal to locate, this book has all the makings of a Stephanie Plum novel! The story was fast pasted and full of twist and turns. The author has a way with making you fall in love with the main character and although she has little skill you’ll find yourself cheering her on. I read the book in one sitting!
Kelly Pruett has inherited her fathers P.I. business and although she has no formal training, she’s learned a lot from her dad growing up. So far Kelly has only done a few stakeouts,process serving and court document searches. When a new client knocks at her door she’s not sure she’s ready to help solve a murder, but she finds Georgette Hansen’s name in her fathers files with a note to help her if she ever needs it. As a single mother Kelly really needs the money to support herself and her daughter, so she decides to use what little her father taught her along with her own natural instincts to see what she can find out.
What she’ll come across is a whole lot of resistance from everyone who has come in contact with the victim. Kelly wants answers and she won’t leave any stone unturned even if her own life is put in jeopardy. Is this the life her father wanted for her? Is this the life she wants for herself? This case will give her the answers to these questions.

In this first vook of the Kelly Pruett Mystery series, we meet Kelly who has taken over her father's PI agency after his death last year. Kelly grew up tagging along as her father solved cases but hasn't solved a suspected murder case on her own, until now. Broke's death has been determined as an accident by the police, however her mother is sure that there was foul play. Kelly takes the case and soon finds herself uncovering more and more reasons why Brooke's mother is right to suspect this was no accident. Kelly's complicated family situation - sharing custody of her deaf daughter with her ex-husband while living next door to her mother in law is also interfering with her investigation as they're all resistant to her investigating on her own.

I enjoyed the strong female lead character that Kelly is as well as the mystery of trying to figure out what exactly happened to Brooke before the body count gets too high.

Amazing novel! The author captures my complete attention. Amazing story from start to finish! A must read!

Derailed by Mary Keliikoa is a very good mystery novel I read in the recent times. The author succeeded in capturing my complete attention to the book from the start till the end. 

Kelly Pruett is a private investigator who inherited the PI business from her father. When Georgette comes knocking on Kelly's door requesting her to investigate the death of her daughter Brooke, Kelly immediately accepts the case in order to honor her father's last wish. 

Brooke is said to be hit by the local train and the case is closed by the police. Kelly starts her investigation from scratch basing on Georgette's suspicions. Apart from the PI life, Kelly is grieving her father's death, coping from the divorce and taking care of her deaf daughter. 

Many surprising truths uncover during the investigation. Brooke happens to be an entirely different person from what her parents assumed her to be. The story is about the path Kelly takes in spite of all odds and how she solves the mystery. Kelly never gives up though she is threatened and attacked by the killer.

I must applaud the author for building such a strong and intense female protagonist. Kelly is the HERO of this novel. I like Kelly's determination, courage and intelligence. This book is a wonderful read for any mystery lovers. 

I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.

Have been waiting to read this since the deal was announced. Thank you for the ARC! I love the complexity of the MC and can't wait to read more books by this author.

Book 1 of the Kelly Pruett mystery series did not disappoint! This was such a satisfying read with so many twists and turns, especially towards the end! Kelly has taken over her father’s PI firm after his death and is pulled into a situation she wasn’t quite prepared for-murder, lies, a possible budding romance, and lots of interesting family dynamics. What more could you ask for? I enjoyed getting to know Kelly’s character, but was a little put off by her controlling ex husband. I hope she eventually starts to stand up to him for herself and her daughter 💞 I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

Thanks to #Netgalley I received an ARC of this book. I found out quickly that I loved it. I do love a mystery but this one had twists all through the book. From the beginning to the end just when I thought I knew what was happening, another surprise popped up.

Kelly Pruett is a P.I. following in her father's footsteps. When she gets a case that her late father instructed her to take, she gets totally involved. And finds out it was more than just investigating whether the client's daughter was killed by accident or really was murdered.

Her involvement is also affecting the relationship with her ex-husband and deaf daughter. Another thing Kelly has to balance in her life. This book was just released on May 12, 2020 and it is definitely worth putting on your TBR list.

ᏰᎾᎾᏦ ᎿᎾᏬᏒ.

յմနϯ ɾεʆεαနεδ 12ᴛʜ May.2020

ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴄᴀɴɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇ ᴀ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴍʏsᴛᴇʀʏ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ʙᴀғғʟɪɴɢ sᴜsᴘᴇɴsᴇ ᴛɪʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ.

𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑠𝑜 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑧𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑏𝑦 @𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑘𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑎 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ @𝑠𝑢𝑧𝑦𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠


🎭🎭 #qotd Why do we like to read a "Mystery Novel" ❓

#aotd Mystery novels are fun because the entire premise of the book is intellectually engage the reader to try to "get the answer" to the problem the author created.

🗡️🗡️ There are 5 basic elements that keep a mystery story, running smoothly & allow the clues to the solution of the mystery to be revealed in a logical way that the reader can follow, namely;
📖 Characters, setting, plot, problem and the solution.

🚉 This book, #derailed scores ☑️ perfectly 💯 on all these points.

Although a debut novel by Author Mary Keliikoa, it ceases to look like one.

Beautifully penned down in 38 chapters, 236 pages her writing style keeps the reader involved and inquisitive.

It is suspenseful, a page-turner with a good pace and with ample red herrings to make the reader baffled, looking for more clues to reach the solution.

#blurb

A dying wish. A secret world.
Can this grieving investigator stay on the right track?

PI Kelly Pruett is determined to make it on her own. And juggling clients at her late father's detective agency, a controlling ex, and caring for a deaf daughter was never going to be easy. So she takes it as a good sign when a letter left by her dad ties into an unsolved case of a young woman struck by a train.

Hunting down the one person who can prove the mysterious death was not just a drunken accident, Kelly discovers this witness is in no condition to talk. And the closer she gets to the truth the longer her list of sleazy suspects with murderous motives grows. 

On a crash course with a killer, she must piece together the puzzle of what really happened to the victim that rainy night, before her own fate is sealed and she loses everything near and dear, including her life.

Thankyou for the ARC in lieu of an honest review.

Published by @epicenterpress it is available for INR 424/- @amazonkindle

#noorthebookwormreviews #murdermystery #mysterybooks