The Case of the Missing Peke

Huntingdon Hart Investigates: The Casebook of an Occasional Detective #1

by Kate Darroch

Hunt is enjoying a quiet drink in the Bird in Nest, when two mysterious figures from his past turn up out of the blue - both wanting the same thing - for Hunt to locate the Duchess of Blantyre's Pekingese puppy. On the case, Hunt meets with surprises - and a most unusual woman!

Genres: Cozy, Mystery

30 pages, ebook

Published March 14, 2023

About the author

Kate Darroch is a multi-award winning Clean author whose debut novel "Death in Paris" reached Amazon's Top Ten in Kindle Store (#7). Kate writes Cozies, Second Chance love stories, Heists, Comedies, Historical fiction, and Thrillers.

Try a basket of Gifted books from
https://books.KateDarroch.com

Puzzles and Cozy Fun at
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Kate's Blog
https://katedarroch.substack.com/


I love reading fun cozy mysteries about quirky characters as well as more thoughtful books - and visiting a travelogue of exciting faraway places - every place mentioned in any of my stories is somewhere I've lived, or visited often and know well.

I write the kind of books I like to read. If you've seen the books I've reviewed here, then you'll know that's a pretty eclectic collection!!

Like Màiri I love eating pizza and ice-cream and drinking cappuccino with friends - or even drinking cappuccino alone at Barnes and Noble (my accompanying friends are between the pages of the books I'm reading there)

You can learn more about me and my books at: https://books.KateDarroch.com

The Màiri Maguire Murder Mysteries - Travel Cozies

Màiri's Home for the Holidays - Halloween, Christmas, Easter and Summer novellas and short stories set in Merrylea, Glasgow

Huntingdon Hart - Hunt's a cross between a spoof 007 and a tongue-in-cheek Mycroft Holmes.

Sweets By The Sea - Lily's cafe in exquisite Welcombe Bay where Love makes all things possible.

Reviews

[Alice Hazelbaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This detective is a bit different!

This was a slightly confusing and I guess a prequel to the series Huntington Hart Investigates. I think the confusion is mostly due to the style it is written in, not my kind of cozy.

[Dinasbookworld · Rating 1 out of 5]

Verwirrend und hochgestochen. Zwei Wörter die das Buch am besten beschreiben. Die Verwirrung kommt vor allem vom Erzählstil, der sehr seltsam war. Ich hatte das Gefühl, dass die Geschichte komisch erzählt wurde. Auch das ganze Buch über wurde so hochgestochen geredet, dass ich vieles nicht verstanden habe und das obwohl ich meine, dass mein Englisch nicht gerade schlecht ist. Der Fall der behandelt wurde, wurde innerhalb 2-3 Seiten aufgeklärt und das aus dem nichts. Das fand ich wirklich schade. Mich konnte das Buch leider nicht überzeugen.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huntingdon Hart is arrogant, self-absorbed, opinionated and funny. Kate Darroch must have had a lot of fun creating this caricature of James Bond.

[Amy Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little bit crazy

The man who is narrating the story is insufrable, but his point of view is entertaining. It was short and cute.

[Kristine L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Move over, Sherlock. (Or maybe we should say “Mycroft”? You’ll get that if you read the book.) There’s a new kid in town. Name’s Hart. Huntingdon Hart. He’s a “devilishly charming” billionaire and sometimes sleuth on the trail of a missing dog. A “mini pedigree Pekingese puppy” named “Montfort Simmelcrop Harrell the third,” to be exact.

Anyway, “Hunt” is on the hunt for the little ankle-biter when he finds a racehorse named Sunshine Cove. Without giving too much away, let’s just say the mystery is soon solved and Hunt is on the hunt for the reward. Or is it a moola mirage?

This is a fun and frolicking story set in modern day Upper Shrewsbury, England. Kimber: No idea where that is. Can I eat it? “King and country and all that,” what?

The Conan Doyle-esque Case of the Missing Peke is Book 1 in the Huntingdon Hart Investigates series. We like the animals best. The duchess? Not so much.

[Ami · Rating 5 out of 5]

TCotMP is a fast, fun read with a surprising twist of an ending. The protagonist, Huntington (Hunt) Hart, is a bit full of himself but quite entertaining. He definitely uses his powers of observation to solve this case. I highly recommend it and the talented author Kate Darroch’s excellent series Mairi Maquire Cozy Murder Mysteries. Enjoy!

Read via Kindle Unlimited

[Sarah Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go ahead... take a peek!!!

I'm delighted that this delightful story found its way into my Kindle. Although I had to look up a few words since I'm a Yank (gee-gee!), this detective tale captivated my attention from the get-go with humor, the confident Hart, and the Peke. Please don't hesitate to nab this delightful detective book.

[Juliette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right up my alley

I absolutely LOVED this first novella in the Huntington Hart series. Hunt's outspoken, amusing personality, his British nationality, and his physical description make him my ideal man! Not only is Hunt intriguing, the plot is clever and the novella is well-written. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.

[Julia David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, short mystery. Huntingdon Hart is quite the character. He is rich, very clever and he is able to find just about anything. When a couple of old friends find him in the pub, they ask him to find a puppy. As he looks into the case, he finds that his friends did not tell him everything.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short mystery set in the British humor style of writing. An ex British agent is tricked into looking for a missing teacup Yorkie for a baroness. It's cute and short.

[stephanie huntington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun quick read, looking forward to reading more

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short, and I didn't even have time to decide if I liked the inflated egomaniacal Hunt.

[Kestrelmorn Geiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character is fun. The story, short and sweet. It makes you want to learn more about all the rest of the characters introduced. It was an enjoyable quick read!

[GrnEyed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute quick read

Adorable story. I enjoyed the witty conversation and the hunt for the precious peke, Monty. The end left Me giggling.

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Case of the Missing Peke is the 1st short story in the Huntingdon Hart Investigates series. It follows detective Hunt, as he investigates the disappearance of a small pup (the Peke). This story was really confusing. The first chapter seems like a ramble of a conversation that Hunt is having with himself. When characters are thrown in haphazardly, it’s hard to say who is who. He also seemed to figure out the disappearance of the pup without any thought into it at all. I feel like it doesn’t get very interesting until the last few paragraphs, which would lead you into the rest of the series. Unfortunately this was not the cozy for me.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Case of the Missing Peke: Huntingdon Hart Investigates: Casefiles of an Occasional Detective (Huntingdon Hart Investigates: The Casebook of an Occasional Detective 1) , my sixth enjoyable short (30-page) read from author Kate Darroch that I finished in less than half-an-hour. “I received a free Kindle copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I look forward to reading more from this author. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018.

[J Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute series starter.

For an ex-agent, Huntingdon Hart doesn’t seem to be doing a very good job of being anonymous. When a tiny Pekinese owned by a Duchess goes missing two old acquaintances pop up to enlist his help finding it. He’d rather be sipping G&T but it is curious that the two are so eager to find it.

This was a short, enjoyable cozy that ended too soon. I received a free copy of this book but my review is voluntary and honest.

[Kara Marks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first short story in this series—it’s tightly woven and brief, but quite clever. The style in which it’s written is rather upper-crust, which fits the main character well. The mystery is brief and easily solved, but probably only easily solved by someone so skilled as the Sherlock Holmes-like main character. There weren’t many red herrings or time to try to solve anything myself, but I enjoyed the ride. I definitely found this interesting and recommend it.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful cozy mystery short story! Main character Hunt is so much fun, and reminds me a bit of Sherlock Holmes. In this story, he's asked (by two different people) to find a missing puppy. I enjoyed following Hunt as he tries to track down the elusive dog. His inner musings, as well as his conversations with others, were interesting and delightful. I'd definitely read more in this series!

[Texas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Darroch writes clean stories with likeable characters that aren't stuck on themselves. Good humor, interesting and easy flowing story lines that are relaxing, not taxing.

Thanksgiving in Welcombe Bay - Interesting story lines with likeable characters that made for a quick read. Source: The author, ARC. 4*

All Souls Night in Glasgow - A quickly read short story with interesting story lines and interesting characters. There is a glossary included for those confused by UK/Scottish vocabulary. Source: My library. 4*

Death in Paris - A quick, relaxing read with interesting story lines and the same characters as in All Souls, set in the 70s. Source: My library. 4*

Huntington Hart Series:
Hunt's First Three Cases Book Set -
A simplistic tongue-in-cheek series that is quickly read, a few pages each, with each story just flowing into the next. You will need the next book to follow up on the set up. No brainers, more focused on humor and a younger man's quest for the affections of an older woman. I am not sure if Hunt has a previous book/series from the bits that sometimes accompany a new character. Source: The author, ARC. 4*

The Case of the Missing Peke,#1 - 4*
The Case of the Manic Magpie,#2 - 3*
The Case of the Clever Cat, #3 - 4*
Huntington Hart Series end.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is different to Kate's other books but it is a really enjoyable story. Hunt seems so laid back but solves the case long before anyone else who was looking for the peke. I cant wait for next one in this series. All Kate's series are different and you never know what to expect

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short story very much. It takes a talented author to get all of a story in less than 50 pages, and this author does it. The main character is full of himself, interesting, and almost as good as he believes himself to be. I definitely recommend this short story.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Case of the Missing Peke is a delightful introduction to Huntingdon Hart and his comical mind. He has an interesting take on most everything! Clean and quick The Case of the Missing Peke was fun to disappear into. The humor I got from Huntingdon was just what I needed.

[Cari Robinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m not saying this was a bad short story. It might be great for others! But it was just not for me. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style, the plot was boring, the characters didn’t stand out. I’m sure as a short story goes, it’s probably about average. But it just wasn’t for me.

[Pamela Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quick read is such a great start to the Huntington Hart Investigates series with fun British flair and Hunt is a hoot and quite entertaining. If you enjoy short well-crafted cozies, don't miss The Case of the Missing Peke. I can't wait to read more about Hunt and his amusing adventures.

[Maree Croxon Mapperson · Rating 4 out of 5]

easy job

The job of finding the dog was not hard once you knew the truth. Fast moving good short story. Good read

[Linda "Lilybug's Library" · Rating 1 out of 5]

It seemed very silly and I didn't care for the writing style. I will try another one by this author, maybe it was just that particular story, but it wasn't for me.

[Karen L. Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute short story with an interesting hero. I hope there are more to come. I was given this book free for my honest opinion.

[Alex Kramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to DNF this, there was something about the writing style and stuff that just bothered me too much to be able to continue reading it.

[Bookdragon (JT) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like the writing style or the mc if this was a longer book it would have been a dnf.