Blog Tour for Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Disappearing Diva

Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Disappearing Diva (Marty Hudson Mysteries)
by Gemma Halliday & Kelly Rey

 

About the Book

Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Disappearing Diva
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Gemma Halliday Publishing (August 14, 2018)
Print Length: 316 pages
ASIN: B07DP3NBH7

From #1 Kindle & New York Times bestselling author Gemma Halliday and USA Today bestselling author Kelly Rey comes a story about Sherlock Holmes, two savvy female detectives, and one chance to catch a killer and the hot Dr. Watson at the same time…

If there’s one thing Martha “Marty” Hudson can’t say no to, it’s her best friend Irene Adler. So when Irene’s little white lie about a fake detective named Sherlock Holmes turns into a real case from an actual paying client, Marty is all in. But their simple missing person case takes a deadly turn when the missing “person” ends up being a missing corpse.

Rebecca Lowery was an opera singer in life and, according to her sister, who hires the famous detective to find her, a diva with capital D. When her body goes missing after a supposedly accidental fall, Marty & Irene can think of several people who might want the diva to disappear permanently—especially if her missing body is actually hiding evidence of her murder. Is it the boyfriend with a temper and a shady record, the jealous understudy who’s now stealing the show, the creepy undertaker with possible ties to the underworld, or the estranged sister herself who now inherits everything?

Marty and Irene aim to find out, even while trying to keep cool around the hot ME, Dr. Watson, and dodging questions from the Irregulars blogger, Wiggins, about the mysterious man behind the name Sherlock Holmes. Will the ladies be able to pull this one off? Or are they in over their heads…and possibly about to take their own final bows?

 

Purchase Links

Amazon B & N iBooks Kobo Smashwords

 

 

Since The High Heel Mysteries, I haven’t read a cozy mystery by Gemma Halliday herself (but I have read several from Gemma Halliday Publishing). What a great one to come back to this author through!  It was also a great introduction to co-author Kelly Rey.

Sherlock Holmes and the Disappearing Diva is Book 2 in the Marty Hudson Mystery series. This definitely works as a stand-alone, though. I did not read the first one and never felt I was missing any vital info. Perhaps I will read Book 1 just to find out what really got Irene and Marty to create the fictitious Sherlock Holmes Detective Agency that is taking on very real cases!

There are some fun characters in this series. The protagonist, Marty is really likable. She’s funny, self-deprecating, loyal to her friends and determined. Her quirk is attending classes and courses at Stanford, where she works in a campus bookstore café. The range of classes is interesting and provides a valid rationale for her having quite a few random bits of knowledge, including how to pick a lock.

Best friend Irene is sassy, bold and clever. She’s also an incredibly wealthy venture capitalist from who Marty refuses to accept any money to assist with the broken down home her great-aunt left her.  Irene happily leads Marty on some wild rides.

Marty’s neighbours are on the older side and the ladies are preoccupied with starting a relationship with Mr. Bitterman despite his disgusting cooking concoctions… fish eye casserole!??? Ugh! Apparently his ‘good’ hair and substantial pension make him a very eligible, even if ancient, bachelor.  These folks lend some excellent comic relief to the story.

The mystery itself is very well-plotted. There are well-sketched suspects with valid motives and substantial opportunity. Useful clues and red herrings abound. I enjoyed trying to sift through it all. I had my suspicions about the real culprit but couldn’t figure out the motive.

Some things I liked:

• The fact that the agency is called Sherlock Holmes Detective Agency.
• The love polygon with Mr. Bitterman at the centre. Just how many old ladies have the hots for this octogenarian?
• The romance is on a slow burn and there is some decent chemistry between Marty and the Medical Examiner, Dr. Watson.
• The fact that the M.E. is named Watson.
• The friendship between Marty and Irene.
• The San Francisco setting.

Something I did not like:

• I wonder how long the ruse of Sherlock can play out. This is only Book 2 but already Marty is pretty frustrated with keeping up the pretence of being a real licensed detective. I hope Marty’s frustration over this issue is not a recurring theme in subsequent instalments.

 

Overall I enjoyed this mystery and look forward to reading more in the series. I want to know just what case Sherlock Holmes will take on next!

Disclaimer:  I received an eARC of this book to review through Great Escapes Book Tours.  All opinions expressed are my own.

 

I give this book 4.5/ 5 espresso shots.

​

About the Author

Gemma Halliday is the New York Times, USA Today & #1 Kindle bestselling author of the High Heels Mysteries, the Hollywood Headlines Mysteries, the Jamie Bond Mysteries, the Tahoe Tessie Mysteries, the Marty Hudson Mysteries, and several other works. Gemma’s books have received numerous awards, including a Golden Heart, two National Reader’s Choice awards, a RONE award, and three RITA nominations. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her boyfriend, Jackson Stein, who writes vampire thrillers, and their four children, who are adorably distracting on a daily basis.

Author Links

Website http://www.gemmahalliday.com/

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/gemmahallidayauthor

 

 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

August 15 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST

August 15 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

August 16 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

August 16 – The Book Diva’s Reads – GUEST POST

August 17 – Nadaness In Motion – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

August 17 – T’s Stuff – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

August 17 – Rosepoint Publishing – SPOTLIGHT

August 18 – Readeropolis – CHARACTER INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY

August 18 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 19 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

August 19 – Cozy Up With Kathy – GUEST POST

August 20 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – REVIEW

August 20 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

August 21 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

August 21 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

August 22 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 22 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY

August 23 – The Cozy Pages – REVIEW

August 23 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 24 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY

August 24 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

 

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?

Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!