Murder on the Hill

Harley Hill Mysteries #1

by Kennedy Chase

Look out London, there’s a new investigator in town! Harley Hill is a twenty-five year old woman in need of a new identity. Until now she’s been know as many things: Thief, Bandit, The girl dressed like a ninja…

When she’s offered an investigative position at the Silvers Finders Agency, she decides it’s time to go straight. But when a jewelry store break-in she’s investigating turns into a murder case, Harley will need all her skills to find the killer and avoid the attentions of a Russian crime boss.

With the help of her new friends, and some from her underworld past, Harley faces a race against the clock. She’ll need to uncover the secret behind the artifact left at the jewelry store if she’s to catch the murderer. If she fails, it won’t just be the job she loses — but her life.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Ebooks, Cozy, Chick Lit, Amazon

250 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 2014

About the author

Kennedy Chase was born in New York in 1969 but moved to London when she was a teenager. She now lives in Notting Hill with her grey cat, Monty, and half a dozen Corgis and Pugs. (3 of each).

Kennedy is a writer of women sleuth mystery novels. She loves to bake in her spare time, and specialises in chocolate cake. On the weekends, Kennedy likes to retreat to the country for long walks with her dogs, all the while dreaming up new plots for her characters.

Join Kennedy's Mystery Parlour today for exclusive content, new book releases, and special offers: http://eepurl.com/6ckpj

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was great.

Fun, quick and easy, everything it set out to be.

Harley, Codi and Alex were all interesting characters with really distinctive personalities, and the backdrop of London was detailed brilliantly. It felt real - being a Londoner it was nice that I could see in my head some of the locations, and accurate imagine the others.

A mix of crazy additional characters, and I found myself smiling quite a lot at the language and the situations.

Special place in my heart for the sarcastic and trouble magnet that is Harley Hill, the author wrote her really really well (or maybe I'm bias because there were a lot of similarities between us?)

The end sort of spiralled out of control almost to the point of contrived but it gave the series a good leg up to continue on so I guess I can't complain too much.

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was convinced to try reading it again. Sorry to disappoint you, Jane, I still feel the same. lol!

While the premise intrigued me, the cozy mystery itself did nothing for me. The characters and plot progression were okay, nothing too memorable. It could use a good editor, too.

My Rating: 2 stars

[Yara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes you just need a little fluff and what better than a cozy mystery to entertain you for a few hours.

The Harley Hill mystery follows the exploits of a modern-day London sleuth with some serious street smarts.

It is a Novella but even so the author managed to fledge out the main characters. Especially Harley, the others still need a little bit more depth but they are still relatable.

The mystery itself was descent, which is all you want out of a cozy mystery.

[Andrea Rodrigues · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book through Amazon's KU membership. I found the characters underdeveloped and the plot was unrealistic ("good" cop who gives stolen black diamonds to his friends). The book picked up pace towards the end in terms of action, but I thought the way the mystery was solved was very rushed and out of the blue. The book also had some unnecessary plot points like the S&M thing, weird romance between Harley and Silver's ex, and the goings-on at the aged home. The editor missed many typos in the book. I was planning on reading the next book in the series, but I think I'll give it a miss.

[Lacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star rating: 3 Stars

Trying to make a clean break from her criminal past, Harley Hill starts working for a PI as a way to make money and possibly skip town. With a Russian mob boss after her for stolen diamonds, Harley thinks that making a quick buck as a PI will help her skip town faster. Instead she gets thrown into a murder mystery she never signed up for and a boss who makes her think sticking around might be a better option. With a deadline baring down on her and a murder to solve, Harley needs to make use of every tool in her arsenal (including some of the not so legal ones) to get herself out of the hot water.

Harley is a really likable heroine with a cast of fantastic characters surrounding her, but I found the plot to be a bit implausible. When a mob boss is chasing you around you should be scared out of your wits instead of 'forgetting' about him until he sends you a 'message'. Another problem I had with this novel was that every time one of her prospective love interests entered the scene she'd immediately droll on about how sexy he was. It started to get irritating after a while. I also didn't like the fact that one of her love interests is her boss's ex-husband. Cordelia is a fantastic character and one of the main reasons Harley decides to stay in London, so why make things more complicated (and awkward) by making her ex-husband a love interest? I'll most likely read the next novel because I got it for free on my Kindle, but I probably won't be reading it anytime soon.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is going to be a fun series. I like that the main character has a sordid past and can use it to solve the murders.

[Sarah Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ha. What did I just read? I was looking for romantic suspense in Kindle Unlimited and found this. Um, it very barely met could be called either of those genres. This book was so strange. I liked it well enough to keep reading, but I found it to be quite odd. There were characters and elements that were well constructed and interesting, but other parts that were baffling or off-putting. I guess it felt like one big jumbled mess of thoughts - but REALLY why on earth would Harley be attracted to Alex? I just couldn't get that. Especially when she has someone like Cole in her life. Also, no one could eat that much cake. And her getting injured every single chapter and being totes fine? Pretty ridiculous. I think someone would have noticed/cared if you got tossed into a trunk, driven across town, beat up a little, and taken back - moreso than "I thought it was taking you a while to get something out of the car"! Oy vey. I guess some of it was so absurd that it was entertaining and I did want to see where it was all headed. The LARPing thing was pretty redonkulous. I don't even know. All in all, I looked into more books in this series, but the romance is a main draw for me and it looks like that's not going anywhere, so I'm not interested.

[Deepak Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is sweet little book about Harley and Cordi and how they end up solving a mystery :)

Harley is a street smart girl who has ad some bad things with a don Ivanov.
she used to steal artifacts and some hacking and now is on a run and trying to get a new identity.
Cole helps Harley and introduces her to Cordi.
Both females hit of together and try to solve Murder of Mr Bellman.
There are lots of side plots, where Ivanov is after cordi for some money.
A small LARP a old are home and lovely climax.

The story is nice and language is simple and smooth. Its a fast read and moves along nicely.
The mystery is not too complicated and i was able to guess the culprits pretty early.
Most of the book was devoted to Not solving the Murder but on other plots.

I give this book a 3/5
DeVil D

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book as a Kindle freebie and really wasn't expecting much. However, overall I found the story cute and fun. The mystery was good, but it could've been better. I didn't like the edgier scenes in the story, while I appreciated that there was nothing too graphic, there was mention of a dominatrix and there was a scene with her slapping/whipping someone., so because of them I'd only recommend this book to adults. I did like how the story had Cordi saying that she was going to watch Midsomer Murders, I know it something little but I really like that show and love seeing it mentioned in a book. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries, you'd probably enjoy this book.

3.5 stars

[Anne Michaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an entertaining story I read it in one sitting!! You can't help but want to be Harley's friend: she funny, witty, she loves cake and she's not all sparkles - there's a dark side to her. The mystery is fun and you can't help but embark in the adventure with the two girls (it made me want to be part of the team, too).

I laughed out loud more than once, and cannot wait for the sequel to come out. Kennedy Chase is a name to watch, mark my words.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually liked this book. It was an interesting take on someone turning their life around. Harley has an interesting background, and though she works hard to turn her life around. The other characters that surround her are eclectic and interesting. That adds a lot of depth to the story and made me want to find out about everyone even more. Of course, there is the mandatory hot men that surround the main character throughout the book.

There was only one thing that bothered me through out the book and that was the ancient Japanese doll. Chase used doru (ドール) as the term for the doll. Now I'm sure that most people didn't mind this word, however, it really annoyed me as someone who can understand Japanese. Doru is the English word for Doll pronounced in Japanese and would have only started being used after WWII. I pretended it was a daruma (達磨) the entire time to save my sanity.

The story line was interesting and slightly different from what I normal read. However, the different perspective of a thief for hire was an interesting why of looking at the take down of the criminal crime bosses.

Overall I enjoyed the book. However, the one thing that I mentioned above ruined the immersion of the book for me.

[Joan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The plot was ok. Otherwise, this was a waste of time. It's another self published work by an author who would never be published any other way. The grammar is terrible (Actual sentence: Despite poor Mr. Bellman’s death, I felt like we were making progress and determined we’d see the accountant in the next morning.) and the story is full of inconsistencies. For example, on page 19 she's eating cheesecake. On the next page it's apple pie and in the next sentence it's cake. Then there is the issue of all the Americanisms in a book that is supposedly set in London. They don't have apple pie in England. I know. I lived there for six years. Pies in England are meat filled pastries. The closest thing to an American style pie is a tart and it is nothing like an apple pie. Her terms for the police characters and hierarchy are American, not British. For someone who claims to live in London the author is remarkably unaware of British culture. Don't bother.

[Alana Bloom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an amusing, fluffy cozy mystery. I enjoyed the characters, though they lacked the depth I prefer. Still, there were moments that made me laugh out loud and Harley was fun to follow. I was a little disappointed with the convenient wrap ups at the end. There was at least one arc that could have spanned at least one more book, and one of the character reveals made me upset because there was no warm up to that moment. The book could use a little bit of editing for typos but I still plan to read the next in the series.

If you don’t care for the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich then you probably won’t care for Harley and her street urchin nonsense but it’s a fun change of pace from the more serious books out there.

[DEBORAH I MORRIS · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this lite mystery. It is based in London. That helps to make it interesting to me. (Harley not her real name.) Has been many things and practically lives on the streets. She grew up in foster homes or orphanages until it was evident that she could take better care of herself. Now being asked to identify a doll left a a jewelry shop break in ,Harley works with a miss Cardi and they become fast friends. By the both of the girls have a strange addiction to coffee and lots of cake especially chocolate cake! Did I mention Cardi"s policemen boyfriend or her aunt who bakes the best cakes and pastries in town. Also Harley has a friend who has been helping her for ten or so years and he is really a hunk. This is the first in a series of books I'm like a pig in mud.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Super characters with multiple storylines that will keep you occupied well into the night. The four main characters are absolutely perfect in their roles and in their ability to carry out these roles. I still have a hard time picturing our young rogue warrior but you just know she is stunningly beautiful. I would have rather the killer had a little more time spent on her earlier in the book because I had to go back to identify her. Cannot wait to read the follow-ups.

[Argum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this after reading the second in the series so it was nice to see how it started. I enjoyed the second so signed up for the author's club and got this book free for joining. I was right that the second gave enough info to make sense and that the first wasn't ruined by reading out of order. Harley is in debt to the mob and gets a job working at a finding agency to figure out the story with a strange breakin where nothing was taken but something was left. Her new boss is entertaining and they do make a nice cast of characters. Kind of higgedly piggedly mystery but fun little story

[Deborah L. Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Harley and Cordi

Very good first book in series. I like the characters of Harley and her employer/new BFF Cordi. The plot has so many threads and moves along quickly. My only real criticism is that some of the important minor characters aren't developed enough. But in the first book of a series, you're more interested in developing the major characters, so I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.

[Kathleen K. Goodbaudy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of fun and twists eturns.

The characters were believable and seemed true to life. Just when you think you've got it figured out a new angle comes up. It leaves you guessing to the end. One warning don't start reading late at night.You will want to stay up all night reading. And don't forget it's from the UK so you are going to notice some different spellings and expressions. Once you get past that it's a great read.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most cozy mysteries I’ve read have just been meh and Murder on the Hill is no exception. It was fine. Not very exciting and with characters I didn’t care that much about. Figuring out the culprit was a bit out of left field and written kind of boring. The “shocking” twist about one character was kind of… whatever. I just didn’t really care. While it’s not a complete waste of time, if you want to read a cozy mystery and have another option, pick the other one.

[Lori Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the characters in this book. The reason it got only three stars is because the proofing on this book was horrible. There were times were left out, put in the wrong place, spelled wrong or mixed matched. I am reading the third one and I am hoping it is better. When I pay for a book I expect it to be edited.

[Paulette C. Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun cozy murder mystery .

Quirky rag tag group of characters . Great read . Twist and turns and some surprises at the end . I really enjoyed reading this book and have bought the rest of the set . I can't wait to see what is in store for these characters . I don't think I'll be disappointed .

[Patti Fischetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun mystery!

Harley Hill is funny! She had me laughing and intrigued at the same time. I like cozy mysteries because the plots are not so hard core but still keep you on your toes. For a first book I couldn't put it down until the end. I loved it and I've decided to read both.Dr books in the series.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than I expected. I thought it would be a simple cozy mystery, but the plot was a little more complex than that. However, too many times, significant characters turned out not to be who you thought they were. I felt this was playing tricks on the reader. The characters were interesting enough though and had interesting back stories. I would read more of the series.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

If your like me and love a great cozy with great characters that you will love and a story you can't put down than Kennedy Chases books are for you getting the next one now

[Awallens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and funny

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book or not. It must’ve been a freebie at one time and I thought it on a whim. Glad I did. A fun start to a series, and some sceens made me laugh out loud.

[Maryruth Drescher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great find th I s mystery.

Loved loved it. Love the characters , everyone. I especially like Harley. She is so real. The mystery was super and not easy to solve. I thought I knew, but what fun.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute cozy mystery. It kept me amused throughout. Harley and Cordilla were great characters. I listened to this book on audible and I think it is better this way. I got a better feel for the characters.

[Bonnie Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

From bad to Good

This is my first book by this author but it won't be my last. She had me from the beginning to the end. I didn't figure out the killer till the end. Besides murder and mayhem she had family and love. This was a very good read

[Susan Puckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read... wasn't sure at first but I liked the development of the Harley Hill character.

[Bobbi W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book

Liked the characters and their storyline. The boonies at a good pace and I wanted to read more in the series.