Deceived (A Kelly Pruett Mystery) by Mary Keliikoa
About Deceived:
Deceived (A Kelly Pruett Mystery)
3rd in Series
Setting - Oregon
Camel Press (May 10, 2022)
Paperback: 218 pages
ISBN-10: 1603818650
ISBN-13: 978-1603818650
Digital ASIN: B09Q7SG18K
In the third thrilling book in the Kelly Pruett mystery series--Her world was falling into place. Then women started dropping off the map.
PI Kelly Pruett finally feels like she’s coming into her own. With her personal life well on track, a gig uncovering what drove a client’s granddaughter underground could be good for business. But after her undercover operation at the homeless shelter reveals rampant drug dealing, she’s suddenly kicked off the case… just as another girl goes missing.
Vowing to expose the truth even if it means pro-bono work, Kelly is taken aback when her half-sister helps her hunt down answers in a tent city brimming with distrust. When her investigation doesn’t move quickly enough to save a second woman from a vicious murder, Kelly doubles her efforts unwilling to accept defeat.
My Review:
This is my first experience with both the Kelly Pruett mysteries and author Mary Keliikoa. I dove into Deceived headfirst and I was not disappointed. The author does a fabulous job of catching the reader up to happenings in previous books. The information is not 100% but enough that someone new, such as myself, gets a taste of the past which helps make sense of the present. It's also vague enough that those of us who haven't read the first two first will want to start this series from the beginning.
Deceived is a heart-pounding, eye-opening mystery about the behind-the-scenes life of a women's shelter. The author does a great job providing a setting that isn't all wine and roses. Life on the streets is harsh and unkind. Women who end up in the shelter should feel safe and secure but that's not what's happening at Loving Grace Women's Shelter. When the founder's granddaughter mysteriously disappears, he hires PI Kelly Pruett to dig into what's been going on at the shelter. As soon as she reports back her findings, she's unceremoniously fired.
I was captivated by Deceived. The book pulled me in and kept me engaged. I could not put the book down, and read it in one afternoon. The setting is described perfectly and I was able to visualize every scene. Kelly's personal life provides the reader realism and a way to connect with her. She's human with real problems, wonderful family, and work ethic everyone should strive to have. Her cop boyfriend, ex-mother-in-law, and half-sister Hannah provide her with love and support; although, Kyle did disappoint me at one point during the book. The author did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life on the page. The plot was solid and perfectly paced.
I was provided a copy of this book to read but the thoughts and opinions are my own.
My Rating:
About Mary Keliikoa:
Mary Keliikoa is the Shamus finalist and Lefty, Agatha and Anthony nominated author of the PI Kelly Pruett mystery series, and the Misty Pines mystery series featuring former Portland homicide detective turned small-town sheriff. Her short stories have appeared in Woman's World and in the anthology Peace, Love and Crime.
A Pacific NW native, she spent years working around lawyers and admits to being that person who gets excited when called for jury duty. When not in Washington, you can find Mary on the beach in Hawaii. But even under the palm trees and blazing sun, she’s plotting her next murder—novel that is.
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