Never Hug a Mugger on Quadra Island
An Islands Investigations International Mystery
by Sandy Frances Duncan and George Szanto
Review: Noel Franklin and Kyra Rachel, partners in the Triple I — Islands Investigations International — have been called by Noel’s old friend and grade school classmate, Jason Cooper, to Quadra Island in Canada’s Pacific Northwest to investigate the brutal beating given to Jason’s eldest son in Never Hug a Mugger on Quadra Island, the third mystery in this series by Sandy Frances Duncan and George Szanto.
Derek Cooper has remained in the hospital in a coma for nearly three weeks. He is said, by all who knew him, to be a decent, honest and respectable young man. But clearly someone thought otherwise. When a few days later Timmy, the Cooper’s youngest son, is assaulted by a man using two golf clubs, Noel and Kyra's investigation becomes more intense. But that does not stop the attacks on the family. While Kyra is driving the Cooper's third son, Shane, to an appointment, her car is hit from behind by a truck and forced off the road into a culvert, injuring Kyra and Shane. Shane, an Olympic skating star, suffers a broken leg in two places, a devastating blow to his career. As Noel and Kyra probe deeper they discover that all is not what it seems on the surface. Timmy may have been involved in dealing drugs, and Shane's wealthy patron — or his handlers — may be involved in his "accident". But to what end? And why was Derek attacked? These are just a few of the questions that must be answered by Noel and Kyra if there are to have a chance to find the aggressor.
The mystery storyline in Never Hug a Mugger on Quadra Island is really quite compelling, capturing the reader's imagination early. Of note also are the dynamics depicted of the Cooper family. Not your typical family, to be sure, yet they share the traits of many families regardless of composition: squabbling, disagreements, but everlasting love and affection. What ties it all together, however, are the delightful sleuthing partners Noel Franklin and Kyra Rachel, who bring their own individual talents and strengths to their investigation yet work seamlessly as a team to solve their cases.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Never Hug a Mugger on Quadra Island.
Acknowledgment: TouchWood Editions provided an ARC of Never Hug a Mugger on Quadra Island for this review.
Review Copyright © 2011 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Selected reviews of other mysteries by this author …
Always Kiss the Corpse on Whidbey Island
TouchWood Editions (Hardcover), October 2010
ISBN-13: 9781926741055; ISBN-10: 1926741056
Location(s) referenced in Never Hug a Mugger on Quadra Island: Vancouver, British Columbia
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Never Hug a Mugger on Quadra Island by Sandy Frances Duncan and George Szanto
Publisher: TouchWood Editions
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-10: 1-926971-48-5
ISBN-13: 978-1-926971-48-3
Publication Date: September 2011
List Price: $26.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): Kyra Rachel and Noel Franklin are sleuthing around Quadra Island in the employ of Noels old high school buddy, Jason Cooper. In a quiet wooded area of the island, Jason, his wife and two younger boys are worried for the oldest son in the family. Derek was discovered badly beaten in the woods by Campbell River and has remained in a deep coma for three weeks. Desperate to find out what happened to his son and why, Jason hires Noel and Kyra.
As the two get to know the sleepy island community, theyre surprised to discover that Derek may have been in on a drug deal — but why? Others in the community describe him as a decent young man with a good head on his shoulders--what could have possibly pushed him to deal in drugs? Kyra and Noel arent even certain the drug deal is connected to the attack, so who would want to hurt this young man and why? Kyra and Noel are determined to find out what circumstances could have drawn this happy family into such dark territory.