I'm pleased to allow Percy Cole to take over Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Percy on the pages of the Persephone Cole Vintage Mystery series. Hotshot Shamus is the fourth book in the series.
A Hotshot Shamus
My name is Percy Cole. I’m a private investigator licensed in the five boroughs of New York City. You can also call me a gumshoe, private eye, sleuth, beagle, dick, flatfoot, shamus, whatever you want. It’s all fine by me. And don’t be confused by my moniker. I’m a woman, not a man. Some people think of it as a disadvantage. That’s their loss. If you hire me and pay me the going rate (fifteen bucks a day plus expenses), I will do what any male PI can do, only better.
Sometimes people are shocked when they find out they’re dealing with a lady detective. But as Mae West says, “Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often.” Sure, once in a while from the back, I’ve been mistaken for a man. I’m nearly six feet tall and if my red hair is tucked up under my fedora and I’m wearing one of the men’s suits Mother altered for me, it can happen. People see what they expect to see. You’d think they’d know better. Women in the workforce are here to stay. Especially me.
These are modern times, 1943, and there’s a war raging overseas. Now’s the time for women to step up, take our place in society, and do the jobs only men did before. As for me and my job, I take boxing lessons in case I have to rough some felon up before I haul him off to jail. It’s happened before and it’ll happen again. I also learned how to fire the German Mauser my uncle left me in his will. But frankly, I mostly use the old noodle to get the job done. In my line of work, you gotta think on your feet.
I remember one of my first cases. This rich guy hired me to locate his run-away daughter before the cops did. You could say she was a bit on the wild side, her being seen schtupping a man in her father’s 5th Avenue jewelry store window after hours. Then the man was found dead, she took off running, and all eyes were on her. Of course, I found her before the cops but when I did she thought I was a man and started screaming and kicking. I grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, told her what’s what, and hid her out until I got to the bottom of who really killed her lover. I still got the shin splints from dealing with her. But it’s all part of the job. Turned out she was a sweet kid. I was tough on her, but she needed it.
Speaking of sweet kids, I should mention Oliver, my eight-year-old son. He is the child who gives my life meaning. I’m a single, working mom, and I’m grateful every day for my family that loves and stands by my kid. Think it’s odd this tough cookie should talk about her family? Let’s face it, it’s a rare woman who doesn’t deal with family matters, no matter how tough we are.
About men: when it comes to the male gender, I have my moments, you bet. There are men who fall for this redheaded broad with my wicked sense of humor. But I’ll stop there. We need to keep this family rated.
I was talking just the other day to my good friend, Sam Spade. He’d just finished up a case with a fat man and a black bird. I said, “Sam, where do they crawl out from?” And then I told him my story of finding a dead woman drown in a vat of chocolate. In Brooklyn, no less. Sam shook his head in wonderment and offered me a shot of whiskey, neat. I took him up on it, but only for a quick one. I had to get home and tuck Oliver in. Working mom and all that.
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Hotshot Shamus (The Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries) by Heather Haven
About Hotshot Shamus
Cozy Mystery 4th in Series
New York City 1943
The Wives Of Bath Press (April 18, 2023)
Paperback: 324 pages
Persephone (Percy) Cole saves the life of a senator’s granddaughter but had no idea how much her own life was going to change as a result. There’s the unwanted fame, reporters hounding her mercilessly, and past enemies crawling out of the woodwork. Worse yet, our 5’11” lady shamus now has to dress the part of the successful PI! Then an unknown murderer tries to frame Percy for his killing spree, leaving deadly clues pointing to her. Worse yet, these are followed by death threats against her and her family.
But who? And why?
About Heather Haven
Back in the Punic Wars, Heather wrote ad copy, comedy acts, and had several plays performed very Off-Broadway. Her novels include the Silicon Valley-based Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries, Manhattan-based Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries, Love Can Be Murder Mysteries, Snow Lake Romantic Suspense, and standalone, Murder under the Big Top, inspired by her mother’s stint as a performer with Ringling Brothers’ Circus. Just to break up the monotony, her short stories are featured in here anthology, Corliss and Other Award-Winning Stories. She and her husband are allowed to live in the foothills of San Jose, California, with their cat, Ellie.
Author Links:
Webpage https://heatherhavenstories.com/
Blog https://heatherhavenstories.com/blog/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/heather.haven.5/
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4584715.Heather_Haven
Purchase Link - Amazon
Thanks for hosting me, Kathy. Much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by!
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