Thursday, November 14, 2024

Booty in the Backseat- Book Review

 

Book Review

I really enjoy Cozy Mysteries and Karen Whalen writes some that are a lot of fun.  The latest in her "Tow Truck Mystery" series is Booty in the Backseat.  Karen has another winner in this book with the delightful Delaney and her friends.

Book Summary

Booty in the Backseat is the 6th in Karen Whalen's "Tow Truck Mystery" Series. It again features Delaney the "high-heeled tow truck driver" and her cast of fun-loving friends.

As in the other books, Delaney stumbles across something during her working hours and ends up getting involved in trying to solve the mystery.  In this book, while towing a car away from a no parking zone, Delaney comes across a bag of money in the back seat of the car.  In addition, when looking in the bag she finds a severed hand.  Where did the hand come from?  Why is there a large amount of money left in the car?  Was someone murdered?  These are just some of the questions Delaney feels obligated to answer. After all it was a car she was towing that contained the evidence.

In her quest to find answers she finds herself meeting with gang members, spying on possible suspects and not being entirely upfront with her "boyfriend" the sheriff.  

I know you will enjoy this cozy mystery.  It is available on Amazon at the following link.  Booty in the Backseat

Author Interview

Karen Whalen very graciously agreed to do an author's interview with me.  Here are my questions and her answers.

1.     Tell us a bit about your background.

I worked as a paralegal for 30 years, but always had a love of writing. I wrote for paralegal magazines for a long time, including a regular column for The National Paralegal Reporter magazine.

 

2.     What made you decide to write novels and why did you choose the mystery genre?

Writing a novel has been one of my goals for as long as I can remember. I love to read cozy mysteries. Joanne Fluke and M.C. Beaton are two of my favorites. An idea came to me to center a mystery around a dinner club, so I got up at five each morning and wrote for two hours before leaving for work. I wrote on weekends. Evenings have never been a high-energy time for me, so I didn’t write at night. I wrote Everything Bundt the Truth in about six months. That was my first published novel and it came out in 2016.

 

3.     I love the way you make your characters come to life and Delaney in particular is delightful.  What is your secret?

I’m glad you like Delaney. I like her, too. The law firm where I worked represented tow truck companies. These car haulers are an under-appreciated, crazy breed, with interesting stories to tell and characters bigger than life. People I will never forget. That all of the tow truck drivers I met were men made me wonder…women in the industry would need to be tough to compete in a man’s world. But what if a woman owned her own towing business? What if the woman was young and inexperienced? What if she wore high heels to set herself apart from the all-male car haulers in town?  Oooh, sounds fun, amiright? Delaney is a female version of those characters, but she comes up with her own stories.

 

4.     Do you know the outcome of your book when you start writing or do you create the story as you go?

A little bit of both. I do love plotting, and I come up with thirty scenes as recommended by the books on the craft. But in between those scenes, I let the pantser in me take over—that means writing by the seat of your pants.

 

5.     What would you like your readers to come away with from Booty in the Backseat?

The tow truck business dropped into Delaney’s lap (and dead bodies have a way of turning up, too) and she encounters many oppositions, from learning the business to customers who prefer a male tow truck driver. But she makes a proactive decision to master the process, overcome the prejudice, and become the best high-heeled tow truck driver around. The tow truck business may have been a twist of fate, but she’s in charge of her own path now.


More Reviews of Karen Whalen Books

Here are some other reviews I have done of Karen Whalen books.  The first three are the tow truck series and the fourth is a separate book by the author.






Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


7 comments:

  1. Oh what fun. I love Cozy Mysteries as a nice relaxing way of enjoying a good mystery without the deep suspense in the darker thriller type of mystery. Karen Whalen's Delaney sounds like a delightful character. Looking forward to reading the entire series. Thanks for your interesting book review and author review, Mary Beth.

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  2. I have yet to start this series, but every time you review one of the books, I know I would enjoy reading it. I can see how a tow truck driver would encounter some odd things in vehicles they are called out to tow away. That would make the stories more believable for me. I enjoyed reading more about the author too. Fascinating to "get to know" them and find out a little about how they come up with the stories. Whalen clearly cares enough about real people to pay attention to them when they talk.

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  3. I’m with Sylvestermouse! I haven’t started this series yet, but only because I prefer listening to audiobooks and this series isn’t yet available in audio format. But her Dinner Club Murder Mystery series is, so I’m hopeful her Tow Truck Mystery series will be, too. I loved your interview with the author.

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  4. Sounds like a fun mystery series - fantastic that you interviewed the author as well - always interesting to read about the background info into writing their books

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  5. Thank you for this spotlight! I appreciate all the comments.

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  6. Love your interview with the author which was very interesting. This book sounds like a fun cozy mystery that I would enjoy. Thank you for your review and recommendation.

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  7. Oh this sounds like so much fun that I can hardly wait to start this series. I just need more time in my life! Nice interview too!

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