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Death Pulls the Strings
In this magical mix-up of fairy tales and murder, Little Red Riding Hood solves the mystery at the heart of Pinocchio . . .
What does it mean to be truly “alive?”
Red is looking forward to accompanying her boyfriend to a conference in the big city, Brass. Too bad her best friend and magical companion, William, isn’t on board! In fact, William’s been acting strange, and it’s only when he hears of a murder in Brass that he decides to tag along.
Along with their friend Officer Thorn, Red and William have been asked to consult as impartial investigators in the death of a city gnome. The problem? It wasn’t only a gnome who an enchanted broom was found destroyed as well. To make matters worse, the crime was reported by a young “puppet” who wasn’t taken seriously at first. With each new twist and clue, Red finds herself more tangled up in strings of deceit, magic, and politics. The entire city of Brass is wondering if puppets and magical creatures can act freely–and in the midst of it all, William is preoccupied with a shadowy stranger . . .
With each new mystery, Red is willing to learn something new. But this time, what she learns just may be the most elusive quality of what it takes to be a real friend!
What does it mean to be truly “alive?”
Red is looking forward to accompanying her boyfriend to a conference in the big city, Brass. Too bad her best friend and magical companion, William, isn’t on board! In fact, William’s been acting strange, and it’s only when he hears of a murder in Brass that he decides to tag along.
Along with their friend Officer Thorn, Red and William have been asked to consult as impartial investigators in the death of a city gnome. The problem? It wasn’t only a gnome who an enchanted broom was found destroyed as well. To make matters worse, the crime was reported by a young “puppet” who wasn’t taken seriously at first. With each new twist and clue, Red finds herself more tangled up in strings of deceit, magic, and politics. The entire city of Brass is wondering if puppets and magical creatures can act freely–and in the midst of it all, William is preoccupied with a shadowy stranger . . .
With each new mystery, Red is willing to learn something new. But this time, what she learns just may be the most elusive quality of what it takes to be a real friend!
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 8, 2023
9 people want to read
About the author
Elle Hartford
35 books301 followersElle has written in several genres but is currently working on a cozy mystery series with an alchemical twist. As a historian and museum educator, she firmly believes in the value of stories -- and fantasy in particular -- as a mirror for complicated realities. Though she grew up on the beaches of the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in New Jersey with a grumpy tortoise, a three-legged cat, and a very supportive partner. Find her blog and other stories at ellehartford.com.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 9, 2024
Death Pulls the Strings by Elle Handford is set in a fairytale world with sorcerers, gnomes, familiars, humans, and more. The main character, Red, and her boyfriend are set for a short vacation/conference out of town. At the last minute, they are accompanied by her familiar, William, a dog in appearance, and a local police officer because there has been a strange death in the town they are visiting.
This is a really cute and heartwarming story. I enjoyed the setting and particularly the interesting characters who genuinely seem to care about each other and their places in the world. The mystery was well thought out and offered some twists and red herrings.
This title is 6th in the series. Although this could be read as a stand alone, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had a better understanding of the situations and relationships that had come prior, but that is really my own fault.
I’m now interested in r
eading others in the series which is always a good sign for how much I have enjoyed a book.
Thank you to the author and LT Early Reviewers for the early reader copy.
This is a really cute and heartwarming story. I enjoyed the setting and particularly the interesting characters who genuinely seem to care about each other and their places in the world. The mystery was well thought out and offered some twists and red herrings.
This title is 6th in the series. Although this could be read as a stand alone, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had a better understanding of the situations and relationships that had come prior, but that is really my own fault.
I’m now interested in r
eading others in the series which is always a good sign for how much I have enjoyed a book.
Thank you to the author and LT Early Reviewers for the early reader copy.
November 23, 2023
Red & Luca are going to Brass so that Luca can go to a conference & Red can buy some things she needs from her old place of learning. William just does not want to go. Then Officer Thorn arrives & says they have to “come along to help the police in Brass”. They go by balloon & Thorn tells them that they have to work undercover, as there is a big debate going in town about non-people, e.g familiars, being done away with. When they get there they find that a gnome & a broom, his familiar, have been murdered. So many wheels within wheels, it gets very exciting, or at least I thought so. Loved the whole story & several things get themselves sorted out by the time they return to Bellville.
December 9, 2023
Red the alchemist and her boyfriend Luca have gone to Brass so Luca can attend a conference , Red needs to pick up a few things. William is acting rather strangely and it’s only when there’s a murder announcement that he tags along with the pair of them. Then the trio along with officer Thorn investigate the death of a gnome. There’s been friction and heated debates about non human magicals . There’s fairy tale mixups , secrets and mystery and puppets. A brilliant cosy to pull on the laughter strings . Great entertaining, narrative.
I read an advance copy of this book and my review is voluntary
I read an advance copy of this book and my review is voluntary
December 9, 2023
Whether you're a cozey mystery murder reader or just enjoy a good well written mystery you're going to love this cozey mystery murder series and this mystery in particular because not only are the charming, vibrant and colorful characters going to draw you in from the very beginning but they're going to entice you further with the intrigue of a past betrayal an intriguing disappearance but also a bit of romance in the air with a plot taking you down a twisted road keeping you turning page after page until you've reached its unexpected and climatic conclusion. Acquire " Death Pulls the Strings " for hours of intriguing and enjoyable entertainment .Kat
November 27, 2023
If you like mysteries, fairy tales and magic then you'll love this. Red was planning a nice trip to the big city with her boyfriend Luca but they get dragged into a murder mystery with a twist by their friend, Officer Thorn. Good story, some twists and turns and dodgy characters as well as finding things out about themselves. Looking forward to reading more.
December 29, 2023
Another fantastic addition to the series! As usual, the character interactions were wonderful, and the story had a few plot twists. However, what I especially loved was that we got to know more about William and about familiars in general.
December 1, 2023
A very interesting and captivating paranormal mystery. I enjoyed getting to know the very engaging characters in this tail. Red, the thoughtful alchemist, Luca is her boyfriend and William her adopted familiar. They accompany Officer Thorne to a larger city to help solve a murder. It was a thought provoking story with a lot of twists and turns to make you wonder what might happen next.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews