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A Discreet Retrieval Agency Mysteries
by Maia Chance
31-year-old society matron Lola Woodby has survived her loveless marriage with an unholy mixture of highballs, detective novels, and chocolate layer cake, until, her husband dies suddenly, leaving her his fortune...or so Lola thought. As it turns out, all she inherits from Alfie is a big pile of debt. Pretty soon, Lola and her stalwart Swedish cook, Berta, are reduced to hiding out in the secret love nest Alfie kept in New York City. But when rent comes due, Lola and Berta have no choice but to accept an offer made by one of Alfie's girls-on-the-side: in exchange for a handsome sum of money, the girl wants Lola to retrieve a mysterious reel of film for her. It sounds like an easy enough way to earn the rent money.
But Lola and Berta realize they're in way over their heads when, before they can retrieve it, the man currently in possession of the film reel is murdered, and the reel disappears. On a quest to retrieve the reel and solve the murder before the killer comes after them next, Lola and Berta find themselves navigating one wacky situation after another in high style and low company.
Charming, witty, often laugh-out-loud funny, Maia Chance's Come Hell or Highball introduces a sparkling new voice in crime fiction.
"Starred Review. Flawless." - Publishers Weekly
"Chance provides enough saucy characters and silly antics to encourage admirers, just like Lola herself." - Kirkus
"This light and frothy historical by the author of the "Fairy Tale Fatal" series introduces a delightfully sweet protagonist who is nicely paired with the tough-as-nails Berta. Tiny Cedric adds levity as well. Cozy fans who are fond of Alice Duncan, Deborah Woodworth, and Ashley Weaver will want to add Chance's mystery to their to-read pile." - Library Journal
Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets - and has a high old time doing it! So will you." - Ann B. Ross, New York Times bestselling author of Miss Julia's Marvelous Makeover
"Maia Chance's novel is an absolutely delightful read. It's a wonderful period piece with a strong, sassy and smart heroine that will keep the reader turning the pages till the very end. I can't wait to read this author's next one." - Emily Brightwell, New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Jeffries Turns the Tide
"Maia Chance brings the Roaring Twenties to vibrant life in this delightful series debut. Intrepid heroine Lola Woodby will lead you on a thrilling adventure as she tries to solve a murder with the help of her Swedish cook and a very sexy private investigator while dodging bill collectors and well-meaning family members." - Victoria Thompson, national bestselling author of Murder in Murray Hill
"Interfering relatives, difficult friends, and fearsome gangsters make prohibition-era New York the perfect site for a delightful mystery with the tang of speakeasy hooch. " - Kate Parker, author of The Vanishing Thief)
This information about Come Hell or Highball was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Maia Chance was a finalist for the 2004 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award and is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington. She is writing her dissertation on nineteenth-century American literature. She is also the author of the Fairy Tale Fatal mystery series.
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