Death by Association
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4.1 • 125 Ratings
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Publisher Description
From an award-winning author, this cozy mystery will "keep you guessing until the end." (Goodreads reviewer)
In Death by Association, DIY Diva Laurel McMillan learns that the high walls and guarded gates of Hawkeye Haven can't protect her community. When Laurel takes her pampered chocolate Labrador retriever, Bear, for an early morning walk, she finds her friend, security guard Bessie, bleeding and unconscious at her guardhouse post. If the attack on Bessie isn't enough to set the residents' nerves on edge, the murder of Victor Eberhart, the unpopular president of the powerful homeowners' association, certainly does the trick. Despite teaching DIY classes and writing project instructions for her latest book, DIY for Dog Lovers, Laurel manages to squeeze in time for some DIY detective work. But as she gets closer to the truth, Victor's killer would like nothing better than for the DIY Diva to take a dive.
Includes recipes for dog treats and project instructions for a reversible, two-tone, fringed dog scarf and a no-sew foam bed for pampered pooches.
The DIY Diva Mystery Series includes
Death by Association (Book 1)
Death by Design (Book 2)
Death by Proxy (Book 3)
Author Paula Darnell is the winner of two book awards in 2020: second for Death by Association in the at-large communications contest for a novel, more than 40,000 words, from the National Federation of Press Women and second place for a published fiction book in the Public Safety Writers Association Writing Competition, awarded July 12, 2020, for her historical mystery, The Six-Week Solution.
Customer Reviews
HOA’s- You’ve got to loathe them.
I can actually see this happening in a HOA a friend of mine belonged to. I loved the dogs.
Different - in a good way
The main character (Laurel, the DiY Diva) is very believable and appealing. Her crafting profession is portrayed with just the right amount of detail.
The author has a talent for limning the personalities of all the characters, so that they don’t blur into one another and cause the reader to mix them up. And there is a fairly large cast of characters.
Hardly ever do I find a book without errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. This one is remarkably free of such. One quibble: the expression is “derring-do” not daring-do.
But wonder of wonders, “champing” is used correctly. Thank you for a literate and enjoyable offering!
From a former professional proofreader
The Teacher-Turned-Sleuth
Laurel, the DIY Diva (jewelry, fashions, dog stuff), grew her hobby into a business - writing books and teaching how to do-it-yourself. A mugging and a murder occur in her guarded-gate community, destroying the residents’ peaceful existence. To feel safe again, she begins to investigate to uncover the guilty party or parties. Interesting characters abound and many have big secrets! Laurel ultimately solves the cases but not without great risk to herself! Family, friendship, compassion, love and ethics conquer rudeness, greed and evil. This is the first in a series and I’m anxious to read the second entry.