13 ratings | 121 reviews | avg rating:4.85

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Elena Hartwell

Goodreads Author

Born

in Bogota, Colombia

November 21

Website

http://www.elenahartwell.com

Twitter

Elena_TaylorAut

Genre

Mystery, Nonfiction

Influences

Sue Grafton, Tony Hillerman, The Rockford Files

Member Since

December 2015

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Elena Hartwell started out her storytelling career in the theater. She worked for several years as a playwright, director, designer, technician, and educator before becoming a novelist.

Elena has more than twenty years of teaching experience and now works one-on-one with writers as a manuscript consultant and writing coach.

She lives in Spokane, Washington, with her husband and the greatest pets in the world, two cats, three horses, and two dogs. When she’s not writing, teaching writing, or talking about writing, she can be found reading, working with the animals, or driving the tractor around Paradise.

Elena also writers under Elena Taylor.

For more information please visit www.elenahartwell.com ...more

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Combine Editions
Elena Hartwell’s books

Average rating: 4.36 · 444 ratings · 162 reviews · 9 distinct works • Similar authors

	One Dead, Two to Go (The Eddie Shoes Mysteries Book 1) 4.20 avg rating — 191 ratings — published 2016 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Three Strikes, You're Dead (An Eddie Shoes Mystery, #3) 4.55 avg rating — 113 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Two Heads Are Deader Than One (The Eddie Shoes Mysteries Book 2) 4.30 avg rating — 105 ratings — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Foundation of Plot (A Wait, Wait, Don't Query (Yet!) Book) 4.91 avg rating — 23 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Construction of Character (A Wait, Wait, Don't Query (Yet!) Book) 4.80 avg rating — 5 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Plays and Playwrights 2008 by Martin Denton (Goodreads Author), Daniel Talbott, Carolyn Raship (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Digital SAT prep guide 2025-26 it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Das Komplette Biblio Diät Kochbuch: Nährende Rezepte für ein gesundes Leben und inneren Frieden \| Einfache, erschwingliche Familienmahlzeiten, ... und dauerhafte Hoffnung 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The World Awaits: 500 Adventures for Every Traveler’s Bucket List 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Elena Hartwell…

850 posts
Elena Hartwell's Blog

Side Hustle: A Carolina Crossfire Mystery

Side Hustle by Wendy Gee

Author Spotlight + Book & Author Info + An Excerpt!

Don’t miss any new books! Click the link here.

Side Hustle

Charleston’s top investigative TV reporter, Sydney Quinn, lives to expose the city’s darkest secrets. So when a former firefighter takes two paramedics hostage, she talks her way inside, offering to gather intel in exchange for a story that could boost her ca

Series by Elena Hartwell

Eddie Shoes Mysteries (3 books)
by

Elena Hartwell (Goodreads Author)

4.32 avg rating — 409 ratings

Elena is Currently Reading

Elena Hartwell is currently reading

One Dead, Two to Go (The Eddie Shoes Mysteries Book 1)

by Elena Hartwell (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Sep 28, 2023 09:19AM

Elena Hartwell is currently reading

Two Heads Are Deader Than One (The Eddie Shoes Mysteries Book 2)

by Elena Hartwell (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Sep 28, 2023 09:19AM

Elena Hartwell is currently reading

Three Strikes, You're Dead (The Eddie Shoes Mysteries Book 3)

by Elena Hartwell (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Oct 22, 2025 05:31AM

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Elena’s Recent Updates

Elena Hartwell wrote a new blog post Side Hustle: A Carolina Crossfire Mystery Side Hustle by Wendy Gee Author Spotlight + Book & Author Info + An Excerpt! Don’t miss any new books! Click the link here. Side Hustle Charleston’s to Read more of this blog post »
Feb 24, 2026 03:57AM · like
Elena Hartwell rated a book it was amazing Murder in Matrimony (Lady of Letters #4) by Mary Winters (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Another delightful 5-star romp with Lady Amelia Amesbury Mary Winters’ latest release is a terrific addition to her wonderful Lady of Letters Mystery series. While charming and witty and twisty — all the things we’ve loved about the earlier books — th ...more
Oct 22, 2025 08:09AM · like · see review
Elena Hartwell made a comment in the group Goodreads Librarians Group — This book is not mine, please move it (part 20) topic " I did not write this book, can you please remove my bio attached to it: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... ...more "
Oct 15, 2025 12:41PM
Elena Hartwell rated a book it was amazing The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Engaging Characters Bring the Early 1900s to Life The lives of four very different women weave together through tragedy and love in the early 20th century. While the characters are (mostly) fictional, the world that Quinn and Chang built is detailed a ...more
Jun 23, 2024 03:51PM · 1 like · like · see review
Elena Hartwell and 1 other person liked Victoria Peters's review of Two Heads Are Deader Than One (An Eddie Shoes Mystery, #2): "Elena, enjoyed this book as much as the first Eddie Shoes Mystery. Can't wait until the third one is published. A good book to take along when there is a need to escape from the world around you."
Mar 22, 2024 07:50AM · see review
Elena Hartwell and 1 other person liked Rich Zahradnik's review of Two Heads Are Deader Than One (An Eddie Shoes Mystery, #2): "Private investigator Eddie Shoes needs to buy some sneakers. Danger is coming at her that fast in “Two Heads Are Deader Than One,” the excellent new installment in Elena Hartwell’s mystery series. A friend from her high school days shows up out of th" Read more of this review »
Mar 22, 2024 07:50AM · see review
Elena Hartwell and 1 other person liked Mary Keliikoa's review of Two Heads Are Deader Than One (An Eddie Shoes Mystery, #2): "So good! Kept me guessing until the end. Love the dynamics between Eddie and her mom, Chava. The weaving of hope of rekindled romance, friendship and loyalty, and family in its many variations are so well done in this book. Excited for #3 when it arr" Read more of this review »
Mar 22, 2024 07:50AM · see review

More of Elena's books…

Quotes by Elena Hartwell (?)

“Memory is a strange combination of those things we work to remember and the things we can never forget”
― Elena Hartwell, Three Strikes, You're Dead

tags: forgetting, memory, remembering

1 likes

“After acknowledging that, I let other memories come. The way his presence made me feel. Like he was north and my heart was a compass that always found its way home.”
― Elena Hartwell, Three Strikes, You're Dead

tags: feelings, heart, memory

0 likes

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Cozy Mysteries : April 2017	6	124	Apr 03, 2017 10:04AM
The Bookworm Chal...: Mystery, Thriller, or Suspense	31	54	Oct 24, 2018 10:18AM
Crazy Challenge C...: 2017 Clean(er) Slate	89	106	Nov 06, 2018 07:01PM
Cozy Mysteries : Title and Author game, Round 4	16049	655	Jan 05, 2019 04:49AM
Cozy Mysteries : Mystery ABC's, Round 4	14302	807	Jan 05, 2019 05:39AM
Cozy Mysteries : What Cozy Mystery Are You Reading?	3458	1779	Mar 13, 2019 09:57AM
Crazy Challenge C...: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: Cocktails Challenge	175	131	Jun 07, 2019 09:05AM

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Elena’s Quotes

“Don't confront me with my failures, I had not forgotten them.”
― Jackson Browne

tags: these-days

12 likes

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
― Oscar Wilde

tags: attributed-no-source, be-yourself, gilbert-perreira, honesty, inspirational, misattributed-oscar-wilde, quote-investigator

177406 likes

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
― Albert Einstein

tags: attributed-no-source, human-nature, humor, infinity, philosophy, science, stupidity, universe

148508 likes

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
― Mae West

tags: humor, life

119187 likes

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou

89270 likes

More of Elena’s quotes…