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Dangerous Habits by Susan Hunter Series: Leah Nash Mysteries #1
Also in this series: Dangerous Places
Published by Himmel River Press on July 4, 2014
Genres: Mystery
Pages: 340
Format: Kindle Book
Source: Amazon
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Reading Challenges: 2018 Cloak and Dagger Reading ChallengeLeah Nash would kill for a good story—but will she die for one?
Reporter Leah Nash returns to her Wisconsin hometown after 10 years away—unfortunately, not in triumph. She says she quit, her ex-boss says she was fired. Either way, she’s out of a job. So, she accepts a temporary position at the weekly paper where she started. At least the slower pace will give her time to work on rehabbing her career. She thinks.
Then a nun from a school for troubled kids dies in a strange accident, leaving behind a cryptic message. Leah’s younger sister died at the same school years earlier, also under mysterious circumstances. Sparked by the nun’s note and her own sense of guilt over her sister’s death, Leah investigates. Soon she’s uncovered a small-town scandal, a murder, and a story that could be her comeback. She’s determined to expose the truth.
The problem is, someone else is equally determined to keep it buried. Leah’s always maintained that she’d kill for a good story. But will she die for one instead?
Fans of mysteries featuring strong female protagonists will enjoy following Leah Nash as she navigates storylines full of twists and turns. The series combines the familiar pleasures of a small-town cozy—a cast of recurring characters, a touch of romance, and total immersion in an imaginary small-town setting—with the sharper dialogue and edgier plot of a mystery thriller.
Also by this author: Dangerous Places
My Thoughts
Dangerous Habits by Susan Hunter is the first book in the Leah Nash mystery series. I wouldn’t call this a cozy mystery book, but a regular mystery. There’s a lot more action, as well as some situations that wouldn’t occur in a cozy mystery.
Dangerous Habits is set in small-town Wisconsin where Leah has returned home to work at the newspaper where she got her start. She lives with her mom. Leah is a great character. She’s intelligent but she tends to run her mouth a bit more than she should…she doesn’t have a filter and her mouth is usually what gets her in trouble. That, and her inability to let something go when she has a niggling idea.
There were so many plot twists in this book, and a few were quite unexpected. I loved the characters the author created and the small town of Himmel, Wisconsin. It’s one I am looking forward to visiting again soon.
The book itself is well-written. The story flows well and there were no glaring issues that stood out to me. Just a great mystery with enjoyable characters.
About Susan Hunter
Susan Hunter is a charter member of Introverts International (which meets the 12th of Never at an undisclosed location). She has worked as a reporter and managing editor, during which time she received a first-place UPI award for investigative reporting and a Michigan Press Association first place award for enterprise/feature reporting.
Susan has also taught composition at the college level, written advertising copy, newsletters, press releases, speeches, web copy, academic papers and memos. Lots and lots of memos. She lives in rural Michigan with her husband Gary, who is a man of action, not words.
During certain times of the day, she can be found wandering the mean streets of small-town Himmel, Wisconsin, dropping off a story lead at the Himmel Times Weekly, or meeting friends for a drink at McClain’s Bar and Grill.
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