Nolly Penderson: The tall, blond, fiftyish widowed Nebraska native has been living and conducting business as a literary agent in Arlington, Virginia following the death of her husband. With one solved mystery (The Agent: Murder By Accident) under her belt, Nolly is primed and ready for action.
Kevin Wilson: downsized, temporarily homeless (The Agent: Murder By Accident) the computer expert has become an integral player for the Arlington PD. Kevin lives on the third floor in Brakehurst Building.
Hooks' Enterprises may not be all that it seems at first glance. When young Mike Heath, a Hooks' employee, just up and disappears while hurrying to bring medicine to his ailing tot Nolly Penderson is again caught up in the intrigue. Nolly finds herself in a possible 'heap of trouble' when she tries to learn something about Hooks and somehow manages to break into the covert files managed by Rudy Hooks' right hand man Freddie Heber. Kevin uses his skill on the computer to stop Freddie before the sinister operative can trace the breach to Nolly and The Brakehurst District. LT Doug Patterson is mighty glad Kevin and his computer prowess are available to the Arlington PD and not to the criminals who are behind Heath's disappearance.
Excerpt
Rudy continued staring at Heber with a mixture of irritation and worry etched upon his mug.
Freddie raised his eyes from the screen. "Signal stopped."
"What does that mean?"
"Means now I've got to do some work to see if I can find out whether or not this is just a kid hacking into the program," Heber said in a measured tone. "Or if it is a real hit against us by somebody who does know what they are looking for."
Professional Reviews
lots of surprising twists
The Agent: Murder By Design
by mj hollinghsead
The Review
If you're looking for a breath taking plot, fresh ideas, intriguing characters, wicked humor and lots of surprising twists, then look no further.
The Agent: Murder by Design by m j hollingshead has it all.
distinctively reflective prose
The Agent: Murder by Design
by:m j hollingshead
Highly recommended
The Review
Michael Heath, a devoted husband and father of an infant, calls the pharmacist across the street to request medicine for his colicky baby. Their family is fortunate to live in a quiet neighborhood where everyone still
knows one another, and pharmacists can be called in the middle of the night.
Unfortunately, Michael takes his safety for granted. On his way back, on a street where traffic is nonexistent at that time, Michael carelessly rushed
across the street from between two cars headlong into a white van. He crawls
off the street into some bushes, where he dies.
The story doesn't lie with the death of an innocent, however. The truth lies in the contents on the van that stopped when the driver realized he'd hit something. Specifically, the truth lies with a beaten and bound man who escaped, was captured, and thrust back into the back of the van.
The owner of the van also owns Hooks Industries, the company building the mall in town.
Indeed, the administrative assistant at Hooks Industries would be shocked to learn that the European backers passing through her office with heavy brief cases and closed door conferences carry large stacks of money.
When Nolly Penerson hears the news account of the missing young man retold
by vicious rumormongers masquerading as news reporters, she packs a casserole and visits the widow.
Nolly is certain that there's more to the story than reporters or police will uncover, so she begins her own investigation. Ruling out the wild speculation of the news media, Nolly approaches the investigation with a generous amount of common sense. Doesn't take her long to learn that Hooks Industries employed Michael. Previous experience leads her to believe there's more to the story, especially when more bodies turns up.
mj hollingshead’s distinctively reflective prose once again reveals a strong, feminine style that is strikingly different from most suspense/murder styles.
With a meandering flow that revels in melodic detail and embraces the
idiosyncrasies and the motivations of her characters, hollingshead allows
the reader to luxuriate in her language, as opposed to the typical hard
hitting, straight flow characteristic of the genre.
The result is a fascinatingly intricate creation that reaches beyond the superficial "whodunit" to embrace
the "who" and "why".
Note to author: Do you have a recipe for chocolate zucchini fudge cake? Yum.
reviewed by: Cindy Penn
Senior Editor, WordWeaving http://wordweaving.com
Amazon Top 50 Reviewer
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Reviews for "The Agent: Murder By Design cozy series"
Excellent excerpt, Molly. Leaves me panting for more. Best of luck with Murder By Design, and all of your work! Absolutely LOVE the cover, too! All the Best, Gracie
This is my sort of book. Completely intriquing. If I had time I know I would love to read it.
You have a real flare for words.
Reviewed by Russ Okamura
11/2/2002
I already SEE a best seller with an intricate DESIGN, creatively STRUCTURED WITHIN!
Reviewed by Pam Potter
4/12/2002
good luck molly with your book, from reading your stories before, the bad guy will get the readers by surprise. did me in your story Cats Paw.
Reviewed by T Cloth
4/11/2002
Sounds to be an exceptional read!
Reviewed by thomas zangerl
3/20/2002
I loved the excerpt of "Murder by Design", I think that you have got a breathtaking way of creating a dense atmosphere.
Reviewed by Babs Halton
2/28/2002
Molly,
Glad you enjoyed my poems. Have read the excerpts of your books and am impressed! Love your style. Am looking forward to reading some of your short stories. Babs Halton
This cozy murder mystery takes place aboard luxury liner, Queen Elizabeth II, as wealthy couple celebrate their silver wedding anniversary with family and friends.
Willa Goodheart, honest and hard-working white collar worker finds herself connected to a police investigation for a serial killer; and she hasn't a clue why - that is, until she begins digging.
