Gone in a Flash

September 23, 2013
Cooper’s delightfully quirky 11th E.J. Pugh mystery (after 2012’s Dead Weight) finds E.J., a successful romance novelist and unlicensed PI in Black Cat Ridge, Tex., in the throes of an internal struggle between a rededication to her marriage and a passion for crime solving. Despite her best intentions, E.J. is soon involved in another case. After a routine trip to drop off her son at college in Austin, a mysterious satchel turns up in the pickup truck of E.J.’s husband. When two shadowy men begin staking out her house and kidnap her 16-year-old daughter, who now has the satchel, E.J. has no choice but to join the authorities in pursuit of these crooks. Meanwhile, E.J.’s pious yet sharp-tongued mother-in-law is forced to embark on a bit of detective work of her own when a member of her church’s congregation disappears from a Washington, D.C., hotel. Witty dialogue helps keep the pages turning. Agent: Vicky Bijur, Vicky Bijur Literary Agency.

May 27, 2013
The plot of Cooper’s enjoyable 12th mystery featuring smalltown Oklahoma sheriff Milt Kovak splits neatly in two. Milt—along with his wife, their preteen son, and the son’s buddy—is on a cruise ship returning from Puerto Rico. The discovery of the strangled corpse of a passenger in a lifeboat leads to a rushed investigation before the ship docks and the culprit has a chance to escape. Meanwhile, back in Prophesy County, acting sheriff Emmett Hopkins worries that a vicious wife murderer, just released from prison, will take revenge on the victim’s family. But then someone shoots the SOB between the eyes. Each case becomes complicated, and Emmett has a lot of suspects to keep track of while supervising the quirky members of the sheriff’s department. Aboard ship, Milt is beset by an exasperating swarm of kids who keep butting in, but who also keep finding valuable clues. Cooper has Milt’s friendly drawl down pat, and she clearly understands family and the dynamics of a small office. Agent: Vicky Bijur, Vicky Bijur Literary Agency.

October 15, 2013
A trip to deliver their son to college pits a Texas family against several dangerous criminals. Romance writer E.J. Pugh almost ruined her marriage by her inability to resist solving crimes (Dead Weight, 2012, etc.). Now, E.J. and Willis are back together with their son, Graham, who's starting college, and their three same-age girls: their natural daughter, Megan, their adopted daughter, Bess, and their foster child, Alicia. They return home from their college trip to find a leather satchel with no identification someone threw in the back of their truck. Alicia, who loves the satchel, claims it as a book bag. Unfortunately, two nefarious characters being paid to reclaim the bag are willing to go to any extremes to get it. The Pughs' police officer neighbor Luna spoils their first attempt when she finds them sneaking up on the empty house. The hapless crooks' every attempt to steal the satchel is foiled until they kidnap Alicia. Graham, who's in love with Alicia, returns from college to take part in the search. In the meantime, Willis' disapproving mom is on a church trip to Washington, D.C., where her help in investigating the mysterious disappearance of her roommate persuades her that she has a talent for sleuthing, too. Now that his family is involved, Willis encourages E.J. in her sleuthing propensities. But the best luck falls to the children, especially once Alicia gains the sympathy of one of the crooks. A rollicking mystery with plenty of red herrings and amusing characters who could have been friends of Stephanie Plum.

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