By DONNA LEE ANDERSON
Kitsap Weekly columnist
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting Elena Hartwell, author of the Eddie Shoes Mystery Series.
The first book of the series is “One Dead, Two to Go.” It’s a fun read. Like her character Eddie Shoes (a name the lead character made up because she wanted to be completely separate from her heritage), Elena is tall and has a twinkle in her eye, like she knows something special is happening.
This book starts with Private Investigator Eddie realizing she is getting stiffed for her fee from a client. But before she can really do anything about that, a man from her past (Chance Parker — now a major crimes detective in the Bellingham Police Department, transplanted from Seattle’s finest), appears at her door. When she finally lets him and his partner into her office, she finds out her client is missing and there has been a murder. And the story keeps moving at this quick pace.
When I asked Elena about writing this book, she said it started with the character’s name Eddie Shoes. Elena started wondering what Eddie did for a living, how she did it and a little bit of why. As I’ve heard from other authors, a good story happens when the author likes a character and when they spent time together they enjoy the same sense of humor and purpose, and then the story evolves.
Several characters come into the story to enhance the action. Besides Chance (Eddie’s old flame), we meet Eddie’s mother Chava (Eddie calls her Cha-Cha), some professional gamblers, and some professional gangsters (could they be Mafia?).
Elena Hartwell’s writing career began in the theater writing plays. She also worked as a director, designer, producer, and educator. Productions of her scripts have been performed around the U.S. and abroad. Some of her plays are available through Indie Theater Now and New York Theatre Experience, Inc.
She lives in North Bend, Washington, with her husband; her dogs Polar, Jackson and Luna; and her horse Second Chance, a 12-year-old Arabian rescued from a kill pen.
An excerpt from “One Dead, Two to Go”:
The loud pounding shouldn’t have come as a surprise. After all, the police weren’t used to people slamming doors in their faces, and that’s who I’d just locked out of my office.
“Eddie? What the ___? Open the door.” Chance Parker’s voice hadn’t changed. It was still low but carried a weight to it like every word he spoke mattered.
And later in the book:
“That’s no way to greet your Mother,” Chava Ester Schultz said as she filled my office doorway. Stunned, I watched her sweep through the door rolling a rather large piece of luggage, followed by a second, larger piece of luggage, strapped to the first like a dog on a chain. She also carried a handbag big enough to house most of a circus act and a brown paper grocery bag I suspected might contain actual groceries.
“One Dead, Two to Go” was set in Bellingham, but Elena said none of the bad stuff happened at actual places in this city, but all good places described and alluded to were actual places that residents will recognize.
This is an enjoyable book and I, for one, am looking forward to the next books. Watch for “Two Dead are Better Than One,” April 15, 2017; and “Three Dead, You’re Out,” April 15, 2018, and perhaps a fourth in this series.
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When I was growing up, I loved to take a book to the lake and just read. Of course, there were some occasional dips in the water, but mostly I just devoured whatever book I was reading.
I never thought of putting a title to this wonderful relaxing time, but it was really a Time for Summer Reads.
I read romance, biographies, mysteries and any other book that caught my fancy in the library. I still like my summer reads, so I picked out a couple of places for you to consider looking for them.
Eagle Harbor Books on Bainbridge Island is a fun place to visit on any day and their July schedule is really full. Go to their web site, www.eagleharborbooks.com/events for a look at their calendar. I already picked out a couple that I don’t want to miss:
— “Summer Reads” with Katie Mehan and David Glenn from Random House, 7-8:30 p.m. July 21.
— Fans eager for the new script book “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” can enjoy a special Ministry of Magic Breakfast when they stop by the store on July 31.
This book is based on an original new story from J.K. Rowling, and this new volume is the script for the play premiering in London the same day at 10 a.m.
Preview: “It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.”
Liberty Bay Books in Poulsbo and in Bremerton is another favorite. Go to www.libertybaybooks.com/events for the full calendar.
They offer a weekly story time each Thursday morning at 10:30. In addition, the Books and Brew Book Club meets at 6:30 p.m. July 11; the Day Time Book Club meets at 10 a.m. July 12.
This store in beautiful downtown Poulsbo and beautiful downtown Bremerton, is a very friendly place to browse, talk to other readers and find that perfect book for your vacation. Don’t forget to look in the children’s book section, even if you don’t have a child to buy for.
The Book Stop in downtown Poulsbo has 15,000 rare and used books in stock; and the Kingston Bookery, formerly Mr. B’s Bookery, on Highway 104 in Kingston.
Aren’t we lucky to have these bookstores nearby? If you go to local gift shops, you’ll find books to read too, many from local authors.
Happy summer reading.
— Donna Lee Anderson is a former longtime columnist for the Kingston Community News. She teaches writing and is the author of two adult fiction novels. Contact her at welltoldtales@aol.com.
