Mary Keliikoa | Denied

About Denied

• Publisher: Camel Press (May 11, 2021)
• Paperback: 226 pages

A high-risk pregnancy. A dangerous secret. When her case turns deadly, can this investigator avoid racking up a fatal debt?

PI Kelly Pruett’s search to locate a former classmate’s missing father ends in what appears to be a tragic accident. But putting the pieces together that led to that fateful night will require Kelly to play a high risk game of chance with a killer willing to gamble everything to win.

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About Mary Keliikoa

Mary Keliikoa is the author of the Lefty and Agatha award nominated PI Kelly Pruett mystery series and the upcoming Misty Pines mystery series featuring Sheriff Jax Turner slated for release in September 2022. Her short stories have appeared in Woman’s World and in the anthology Peace, Love and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by Music of the ‘60s. A Pacific NW native, she spent a part of her life working around lawyers. Combining her love of legal and books, she creates a twisting mystery where justice prevails.

When not in Washington, you can find Mary on the beach in Hawaii where she and her husband recharge. But even under the palm trees and blazing sun, she’s plotting her next murder—novel that is.

Find out more about Mary on her website, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for allowing me to participate!

Review

Denied is the sequel to Derailed, both parts of the Kelly Pruett mystery series. I binged them both back to back, and I am loving Kelly’s story! Denied can definitely be read as a stand-alone if preferred.

Kelly is a great protagonist. She’s ambitious, stubborn, and will never let a case go unsolved–even if that puts herself at risk. She struggles to balance home and work life, and make sure that work doesn’t take precedence over her daughter Mitz.

I have to say, though, Floyd steals the show every time! Especially on this cover…so cute!

Denied is just as twisty as Derailed, taking the reader on a crazy journey for such a small book! I love that there is no fat in these stories: the plot is straight and to the point, and there’s no time spent wading through backstory. In longer books, the backstory can really bog the story down and make me lose interest, but that definitely isn’t the case with Keliikoa’s books. Every scene is interesting and relevant to the fast-paced plot.

If you love a fast-paced mystery with a strong female MC, this one is for you! I’m looking forward to more books in the Kelly Pruitt series.