This week, Susie Black’s Saturday Author Spotlight shines on cozy mystery author Karen C. Whalen.
About the author: Karen C. Whalen is the award-winning author of the Tow Truck Mysteries starring Delaney Morran, a super feminine shoe-a-holic who drives a tow truck. Karen writes cozy mysteries about strong friendships and family ties set in Colorado. Whalen worked for many years as a paralegal at a law firm in Denver, Colorado, and was a columnist and regular contributor to The National Paralegal Reporter magazine. Whalen loves to host dinner parties, entertain friends, ride bicycles, hike in the mountains, walk on the beach, and read cozy murder mysteries.
The third in the Tow Truck series, Eyes on the Road, was a second-place winner of the 2023 Firebird Book Awards in the Cozy Mystery category. Here is a blurb to whet your appetite:
Many businesses in Spruce Ridge, Colorado, hire temporary international workers during the hectic ski season. One temp, Jaana Ivanov from Estonia, was found dead in her car at the bottom of a cliff, but the car crash was not an accident. Jaana didn’t just take her eyes off the road. She was murdered. Delaney Morran often feels vulnerable herself as the lone female tow truck driver in town, so when the victim’s sister asks Delaney to help find the killer, Delaney eyes everyone with suspicion. Delaney may not be the best at towing vehicles, but she’s pretty good at digging up clues.
Here is what readers have to say about Eyes on the Road:
Rosemary: “Delaney won’t give up. I like her determination. I enjoy seeing the characters from previous books. I especially like Axle and the ‘Old Man’. Eyes on the Road is filled with so many twists and turns that I wasn’t sure who committed the murder.”
Amazon Customer: “I have been a fan of Whalen’s books since her first series, the Dinner Club Murder Mysteries, and I am enjoying this series even more. The Tow Truck Mysteries hit the right note for me---Intriguing story set in a small Colorado mountain ski town with interesting characters, the perfect touch of flirting and romance, and the smell of roasting coffee beans
in a cozy coffee shop frequented by crooks, cops, and colorful locals. Even my daughter, who lives in a small Colorado mountain ski town, is enjoying this series. I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of this delightful series.”
Rhonda: “The author’s character development, plot, and setting are well executed. I also enjoy the fresh take on the protagonist’s profession as a tow truck driver. I would love to see a TV show based on this series.”
JL: “I admit it. I’m hooked on this series, hooked as tightly as a car being hauled away on protagonist Delaney Morran’s tow truck. In this volume, the secondary threads—the threat to Delaney and the romance take equal importance with the murder. Romance rides a really rocky road in this installment, as does the path to a greater self-confidence for Delaney. I was surprised at the ending, although clues had been sprinkled throughout. Now, I can’t wait to see where Delany’s high heels take her next. Whalen’s attention to craft and clever plotting kept my attention glued to the page and earned this book another five-star rating.”
Honolulu Belle: “I enjoyed the author’s writing style; it was breezy, easy to follow, and laced together with humorous yet insightful observations and inner musings. There was more than one mystery to solve, and I wasn’t anywhere close in my personal attempts at sleuthing.”
Karen Siddall: “With its mix of amateur murder investigation, hijacked tow trucks, and the alarming disappearance of several young female seasonal workers, the story hooked me from the start and never let me go. I like the main character, Delaney Morran, so much. The story had me confounded, as there was much prevarication and misdirection by the witnesses. Some of this turns out to truly be confused witnesses or ones who have partaken too much and too often of adult substances rather than out-and-out lying, though. There were several red herrings to dismiss, and I didn’t see the resolution coming at all. I’m looking forward to the next in the series! I recommend EYES ON THE ROAD to cozy mystery readers who enjoy strong female amateur sleuths, comedic situations, a little romance and angst between the characters, or Colorado settings.”
https://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Road-Truck-Murder-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0BQGRDVRT/ref=sr_1_2?
This is a terrific read, as is the entire series- a cozy mystery set in the West. Unique, heart-warming characters and great murder mysteries. Karen Whalen has the knack of each book better than the one before - and she wrote LOTS of them! Check out her website, or on Amazon or your favorite online retailer.