A dying wish. A secret world.Can this grieving investigator stay on the right track?PI Kelly Pruett is determined to make it on her own. And juggling clients at her late father’s detective agency, a controlling ex, and caring for a deaf daughter was never going to be easy. So she takes it as a good sign when a letter left by her dad ties into an unsolved case of a young woman struck by a train.… struck by a train.
Hunting down the one person who can prove the mysterious death was not just a drunken accident, Kelly discovers this witness is in no condition to talk. And the closer she gets to the truth the longer her list of sleazy suspects with murderous motives grows.
On a crash course with a killer, she must piece together the puzzle of what really happened to the victim that rainy night, before her own fate is sealed and she loses everything near and dear, including her life
“Winning series and debut launch…Keliikoa offers believable characters, valid motives, a shifting cast of suspects, and an appealing protagonist, who balances her life as a divorced mother of an eight-year-old daughter with her increasingly chaotic career. This is definitely a series to watch.” — Publishers Weekly
“The story is straight from the Kinsey Milhone school of private investigation, yet still manages to create a unique and complex main character.” — Kellye Garrett
“Mary Keliikoa’s debut novel is an important addition to the PI genre – strong with voice, a compelling protagonist in Kelly Pruett, and unforgettable family secrets. DERAILED was hard to put down – and I can’t wait to read the next book in this crackling new series.” –Alex Segura, acclaimed author of Blackout and Miami Midnight
“DERAILED has it all: an engaging heroine, a twisty, twisted crime, and plenty of food for thought about families and their secrets. I loved this debut and can’t wait to read about Kelly Pruett’s next case.” –Kristen Lepionka, Shamus Award-winning author of the Roxane Weary mystery series
“Intelligent, tightly plotted, and satisfying. Kelly Pruett is a new PI on the scene and I’m eager for her next case.” –Dianne Freeman, Agatha and Lefty award winning author of the Countess of Harleigh mysteries
“Mary Keliikoa’s DERAILED is a humdinger of a good read. Sharp, detailed writing, a riveting plot and well-drawn characters make it practically unputdownable. And how exciting to have another tough, smart, female PI to follow. I can’t wait for PI Kelly Pruett’s next case!” –Tracy Clark, author of Borrowed Time
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Private Investigator Kelly Pruett has inherited her father’s detective agency. Although she’s still a rookie, she is determined to make it on her own … something she’s sure her father would approve of. It won’t be easy … she’s taking care of a deaf daughter, an ex-husband with control issues, and now her very first case.
The mother of a young woman who supposedly threw herself in front of a train wants Kelley to look into what really happened to her daughter. The police have it down to an accident, especially if she had been drinking …. or suicide, for the same reason.
There was one witness, but his statement seems a little dodgy to Kelly, but when she finds the witness … someone has silenced him.
The more Kelly investigates, the more she finds the victim was not exactly who or what her family knew. The closer she gets to finding answers, the more suspects she finds, the more motives are revealed .. but someone doesn’t want the truth to come to light…and will do anything to keep in the dark.
This is a cozy mystery with an intriguing female sleuth at the heart of the story. Well written, there are a few surprises along the way, with a possible budding romance thrown in the mix. I really enjoyed how the author blended Kelly’s’ personal life with her professional side.
Many thanks to the author / Epicenter Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Derailed is author Mary Keliikoa’s debut novel. I was fortunate to read a Netgalley copy of this book.
Kelly Pruitt is a strong female protagonist who has taken over her late father’s private detective agency. She’s also a recent divorcée struggling with a deaf daughter, a controlling ex-spouse, an interfering ex-mother-in-law, and a blossoming romance with a sexy cop. Her dog steals the show as he becomes a character himself. Ms. Pruitt is hired by a grieving mother to investigate the death of her daughter, which the police department has declared accidental. As the new PI delves into the victim’s life, she’s plunged into a steamy underworld. Her personal and professional lives begin a collision course that she never anticipates. The red herrings are cleverly planted and the ending a surprise.
Mary Keliikoa, author or “Derailed A Kelly Pruett Mystery” has written a suspenseful and intriguing novel. The genres for this novel are Mystery, Suspense, and Fiction. The timeline for this story is set in the author’s present and goes to the past when it pertains to the events or characters. The author describes her characters as complicated, complex, and flawed.
Kelly Pruett has taken over her deceased father’s detective agency and is trying to manage as a divorced mom of a deaf child. Kelly finds herself constantly trying to balance and moderate her time with her daughter and life as a single Private Investigator. Her ex-husband is both helpful at times and too involved in controlling aspects of her life.
A client comes to the office looking for Kelly’s father. Kelly does find a letter from her Dad asking her to take care of this person if she should ever come to the office. This woman wants Kelly to find the circumstances or witnesses that can account for her daughter’s mysterious death.
The more involved that Kelly becomes, and the closer to getting the information she requires, Kelly finds herself being threatened and attacked. When a witness is murdered, Kelly realizes the danger to her daughter and herself. How is Kelly going to manage to solve this dangerous case? Little does she know, that past secrets will affect her and other people. I would highly recommend this edgy and intense mystery.
P.I. Kelly Pruett inherited her father’s business, R&K Investigations, upon his death. Divorced from her husband, who cheated on her, they are raising their little girl Mitz together. Eight-year old Mitz was born deaf and is the delight of Kelly’s life. A woman who once knew Kelly’s father approaches her to look in to the circumstances surrounding her daughter Brooke’s death. As Kelly proceeds, a man is murdered adding to the risk she is taking. Obviously, someone doesn’t want Kelly asking questions. As events soon spiral out of control, can Kelly find answers that will prove Brooke’s death was not an accident? How will finding the truth affect Kelly’s personal life? A twisted and entertaining mystery as Kelly proves she is tough enough to survive as a P.I. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
This well written debut mystery has a tough female P.I., Kelly Pruett, plenty of action and a strong cast of characters. Kelly has worked for her Dad for many years in his P.I. office, mainly as a process server. When a woman shows up wanting to hire Kelly to look into the death of her daughter, Kelly takes on the case even though she has never done anything like that before. There is a lot of action in this story and plenty of red herrings. I didn’t want to put it down. Can’t wait to see what Kelly takes on in the next book.
The first book in a new mystery series, DERAILED is private eye fiction at its best. Gritty and atmospheric with loads of red herrings and unexpected twists, this is a single-sitting thriller that I was sorry to see the end of. I’m already looking forward to book two.
A new favorite female PI! I’m a huge Sue Grafton fan, so I was thrilled to discover this new series featuring Kelly Pruett, a main character that reminds me of Kinsey Milhone. Kelly has the same charismatic self-deprecating humor but with a fuller and more complicated personal life than Kinsey since she’s divorced, has an ex, a deaf, eight-year-old daughter, a former mother-in-law, and a loyal basset hound sidekick to deal with. The set-up is intriguing. A mysterious woman shows up at Kelly’s office looking for help from Kelly’s PI father, who she learns is recently deceased. The woman’s daughter was killed by a train and although the police have ruled it an accident, the woman suspects foul play. Kelly is a rookie when it comes to investigating but agrees to help when she learns the woman’s name, someone her father had identified as someone she should help, no questions asked. Portland, Oregon is the setting, and it is vividly described to convey its unique vibe. The author does a good job weaving in backstory, about Kelly’s ex, his mother, and her parents. She also has the same deft style when inserting physical descriptions of characters. The pacing was good. There was a host of suspects, and the author did a good job differentiating them. There were lots of twists and turns along the way to keep the reader guessing. The book’s strength is the main character. The author is excellent at showing her main character’s mixed emotions about a lot of things, her divorce, her career, her family, her love life, and herself. Kelly is astute and self-aware, and accepting of her own flaws while aspiring to improve and evolve. I loved her amusing self-talk too. Definitely a character I look forward to revisiting in the next book. Supporting characters are also done well, multi-layered and not totally predictable, like real people. I highly recommend DERAILED if you’re looking for an intriguing mystery with a scrappy, persistent protagonist who’s not only determined to solve the mystery and become a better PI but to become a better version of herself along the way.
After losing her mother at a young age, only child, Kelly Pruett, grew up with her father, Roger, and his private investigation agency. Though he always promised to train her, Kelly did little more than run the office and serve subpoenas. Years later, still working with her father and devastated by her husband’s affair, a newly divorced Kelly returns to her childhood home. Her dreams of training with her dad are dashed when he dies suddenly. Kelly struggles to take care of her home and the eight-year-old deaf daughter she has partial custody of.
Kelly gets her first real investigating job when Georgette Hanson shows up at her office. Unsatisfied with the police findings of accidental death, Georgette is convinced her daughter, Brooke, did not stumble onto train tracks while drunk and get hit by a commuter train. She knows Brooke was murdered and believes the one lone witness was involved.
Hesitant to take a case already closed by police, Kelly does because in the letter her father left her, he asked if “Georgette Hanson” were to ever come to Kelly for help, she would do so without question.
Channeling the father she adored, Kelly moves through the investigation that could borrow its name from the old Franken book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. No one is upfront and honest with her. Even the most sincere hold back and/or distort the truth. Kelly believes Brooke was murdered and she knows who did it, but new folks with motives keep popping up.
It doesn’t help that she gets distracted by Jeff, the overprotective ex who wants to reconcile, his mother, Arlene, who thinks Kelly’s work is too dangerous, and Kyle, her contact in the police department, a sexy young cop she’s daydreaming about more and more. The attempts on her life also don’t make her job easier… and they don’t stop her.
Kelly Pruett is a good character, determined to live life on her own terms. While I respected her, I didn’t care for her much in the beginning because I wasn’t convinced she knew what her terms were. The only genuine feeling I got from her was her devotion to her daughter. Everything else felt forced, especially her intention to keep the investigation agency going. She idolized Roger Pruett and seemed to want to keep the business going as a tribute to him rather than a profession she wanted. The Brooke Hanson case will help her find her way, as well as bring revelations about her father that dim the glowing image she’s held of him.
Derailed is a well-written mystery with sleight-of-hand plot twists that lead to a killer who committed the perfect crime(s)… until Kelly Pruett got involved.
Enjoy!
This is such an impressive debut and packs a powerful punch in such a small package! At just over 220 pages, this is a tightly woven mystery that makes every action and word count from the very beginning. Kelly’s work into determining the truth behind the mysterious death of a young woman starts immediately, and short, intense chapters keep the pace moving and the tension mounting. Readers will fly through this story quickly, but feel like they’ve come away with a new friend in Kelly.
As her first potential murder case as a private investigator, walking through the story from Kelly’s perspective allows the truth the unfold right along with the reader, while also bearing witness to her process. Every twist and turn is shocking for both Kelly and the reader, making the mystery incredibly difficult to pin down until the final reveal. Because I read so many mysteries, cozy mysteries, and thrillers, it wasn’t hard for me to spot one tiny detail that led me to instantly figure out who was responsible for all the crimes, but not why, which was such a surprise to find out. However, there are quite a few red herrings and suspicious characters lurking around to keep readers guessing until the very end.
“Secrets have a way of catching up.”
As the story progresses, there is such a perfect blend of unveiling new pieces of the puzzle to move the mystery forward, while also delivering character backstory without it feeling like an information dump. It is all so seamlessly interwoven with never a dull moment in between. Still reeling from her recent divorce, the untimely death of her father, and balancing life as a working mom, Kelly is a remarkably relatable character that many women will identify with. There are so many conversations to be had surrounding family dynamics as well as their unfortunate dysfunction; however, with the last line, I’m rooting so much for such an unlikely partnership that will hopefully be exactly what each person needs.
Overall, this was a fast paced, engaging, and easy read that will resonate with readers who enjoy their mysteries with a little more edginess. This book really set some high expectations for future installments of the series, which I am now highly anticipating!
I was provided a free copy of the book. This is my honest and thoughtful review.
Private Investigator Kelly Pruett has inherited her father’s detective agency after his death, and she is determined to make it work whilst juggling a controlling ex, and caring for her deaf daughter. A woman, a letter and a promise to her father see’s Kelly delve into a cold case of a young woman struck by a train that brings to light all sorts of family secrets.
This case for Kelly is a tough one to crack and the closer she gets to the truth the more her life becomes in danger, and more she discovers the truth to the victims apparent double life . I had figured that something about the woman and her family was going to have some connection to Kelly’s father and I loved hopw Keliikoa weaved the twists and turns into this story that lead Kelly down the same realisation.
Derailed was a great first book in this series and I honestly can’t wait to read more from this author and this series. If you like a good mystery you will love this new series
5 stars
Kelly and her father have a PI business. It is basically process serving. But, when a woman comes in and asks for help finding her daughter’s killer, Kelly is determined to become a true PI. However, this woman and her dad have ties which Kelly is about to discover.
When I first started reading this story, I did not think I would like it. But, the characters grew on me and the further I read the more I enjoyed it. It reads very much like an old Rockford Files show. (I know! I just dated my self!). Between an unusual death or murder via train…yes you heard me…and a host of sleazy characters, this story takes on a life of its own.
The mystery and the characters just keep getting better and better. This is a quick, no nonsense, good read! Grab your copy today!