The Hounded Hoopster: Doro Banyon Cozy Historical Mysteries-Book 7

by D.S. Lang

With her dream of becoming the college library director about to come true and her marriage to sweetheart Everett Mallow only weeks away, amateur sleuth Doro Banyon looks forward to Thanksgiving with a happy heart. Complications arise when the basketball coach is murdered and a witness is missing. Doro again dons her sleuthing cap, but ill winds blowing across the campus hamper the investigation and threaten her future.

295 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2025

About the author

If you like historical mysteries and intrepid female sleuths in a small town America setting, try my books! My heroines are dedicated to bringing the bad guys and gals to justice, and they have a team of colorful characters who support them in their efforts.

My Arabella Stewart series takes place soon after the Great War. Bella, who served an Army Signal Corps operator, returns to find her hometown and family resort in dire straits. Almost immediately, she is thrust into a murder investigation. Constable Jax Hastings reluctantly accepts her help.

The pair, who were childhood friends, partner in a series of investigations, while also working past barriers put in place during the war.

My Doro Banyon series is also set in an American small town in 1920s, but on a college campus. Doro is a librarian who, along with her best friends, finds herself immersed in a series of mysteries. It has a cozier feel than the Bella series.

Reviews

[Emily Gawlak · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hounded Hoopster is absolutely amazing!

D. S. Lang has a way of giving her characters a sense of vulnerability, making you feel as though you are there with them. Throughout The Hounded Hoopster, you follow Doro and Ev through the ups and downs of the depression era. Lang provides incredible character building with Doro, Ev, Angie, and Wade; of course Tee too. I have loved following this series and this addition does not disappoint! I cannot wait for the next book!

I love everything about this book. From the main mystery to an additional mystery to celebrating holidays and promotions to navigating the brokenness that the depression left in its wake. The Hounded Hoopster gives you everything that you desire for the Doro Banyon series.

I highly recommend The Hounded Hoopster, and the entire Doro Banyon series! I promise you’ll love it!

Until next time,
Happy reading! 📖

[Delphia Von Heeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hunted Booster is Book 7 in the Door Banyon Series by D S Lang. I enjoyed this book. After 7 books, the characters become book friends and it feels like reading a letter from a friend.Doro is about to become a college libertarian and marry Everett. Thanksgiving is close and the Great Depression puts a damper over the festivities. When a murder happens around the holiday, Friends and Doro's detective cat, Tee, are busy sleuthing. In my opinion, you don't want to miss this festive story. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a ARC free from the author and this is my voluntary honest review.
Wow! I love how this author writes. Brilliant.
The reader becomes part of the story. You feel like you become part of the story. You feel like you know these wonderful, strong, realistic relatable characters.
The cover is fantastic. It's the first thing that draws you in. Amazing.
What else can I say: it's light, cozy, charming, enjoyable, intreging, a real page turner, easy to read, original, and entertaining.
You really don't want to miss this one. Read it.

[Angelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doro Banyon’s life is a little topsy-turvy right now. While she’s thrilled to finally achieve her dream of heading the college library, it saddens her that Michaw College is laying off faculty and staff members. The Depression is hitting the college hard, and no one is safe. She’s also concerned about her fiancé, campus police officer Ev. He’s been distant with her lately and talks about postponing their wedding. When the head coach of the basketball team is murdered, Doro and Ev put aside their anxieties and work to solve the murder.

Ms. Lang has written an entertaining mystery with lots of twists and turns, but in this book the mystery is secondary. The Great Depression takes center stage here, and she does an excellent job of showing how it affected people in real, personal ways. Jobs are in danger, people are taking pay cuts. There’s even the real possibility that the school may have to shut its doors.

I thought this book was the best of the series so far. I appreciated that Ms. Lang didn’t make light of the financial hardships her characters are facing. She showed the real, human fallout caused by the stock market crash and how long-reaching the effects can be. People are having to make decisions, and not all of them are going to be happy ones.

I received an advance review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving this 5-star review.

[Estelle Bouldin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up because I was in the mood for something light and cozy, and it definitely delivered. This is historical mystery at its most charming. The campus setting in the early 1930s has just enough atmosphere and everyday drama to keep things interesting without weighing down the story. I enjoyed following Doro as she balances job changes, complicated relationships, and a mystery that sneaks up on her in the midst of all that college-town tension.

The characters are what make the book. There’s a nice mix of earnestness and snark here, especially in the interactions between faculty members who are just trying to keep their lives together during hard economic times. It’s the kind of mystery where you feel more like you’re hanging out with the characters and less like you’re solving a grisly crime, which is exactly what I wanted.

It isn’t twisty in a jaw-dropping way, but it kept me turning pages and smiling. Perfect weekend reading with a cup of tea and maybe a cookie or two. If you like cozy mysteries with a historical angle, a touch of romance, and plenty of heart, this one is a winner.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set during the tough times of The Great Depression Doro, Ev, Wade and Aggie are once again caught up in a murder investigation. Emotions and tempers are flaring as the economy struggles and jobs and money are scarce. The victim is not a particularly kind man while that doesn’t justify murder by any means he did tend to alienate folks which leads to a long suspect list. Personally Doro is so pleased on one hand to finally achieve her goal of becoming library director and on the other incredibly worried about her engagement and future with Ev as he’s being distant. There’s nothing else but to plow on and get the job done.
Poor Doro the end is absolutely heart wrenching. Living in uncertain economic times now these emotions and fears are so relatable. I enjoyed the mystery I thought the culprit was cleverly hidden and tough to suss out. Always fun in a mystery when you’re kept guessing I think. Overall great book!!
I received an arc via BookSirens this is my honest review.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy a trip back to Michaw College- even though I know it usually means a dead body or two! This visit felt a little darker right from the start though, because the chemistry between spunky Doro and her fiancé Ev was off. A year after the crash of 1929, the campus was facing layoffs and an extended holiday closure due to economic pressures. Would this perfect couple still have the wedding they had planned? Even working together to solve a campus murder doesn’t provide the closeness Doro craves, and the happy marriage of her best friend, Aggie, only makes that more obvious. This mystery-slash-romance really kept me turning the pages with my heart in my throat. Good thing there were plenty of interesting historical details to absorb and distract! I received an early copy via BookSirens, and was not required to post a review.

[Geraldine Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a charming cozy mystery.
I love the protagonist Doro and her sleuthing crew.
This story had a serious side to it as many characters in the book were affected by the Great Stock Market Crash in 1929 which had happened a year earlier.
The other aspect that shocked me was the attitudes of many men to women who they expected to be at home with children and not in the work place, 'taking men's jobs.
All in all, This was a great read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this as a seventh entry in the Doro Banyon series, it does a great job in creating that cozy murder mystery and was hooked from the first page, it uses the whodunnit concept perfectly. The characters worked well in this setting and thoroughly enjoyed the concept and how they were used. D. S. Lang has a strong writing style and am excited for more from them, I hope there is more in the Doro Banyon series.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Maureen Metcalfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this to read as an ARC reader, and I’m so pleased I was. I haven’t read any of D.S. Lang’s other novels, and hadn’t realised it was part of a series. However, it did not affect the enjoyability or flow of the novel at all. Previous cases were hinted at, and all that’s done is made me want to read all the prior books in the series. The mystery kept going until the end. Although the perpetrator was amongst a few choices, I didn’t totally know until the end. Well written and thoroughly enjoyable.

[Barb Hegreberg]

Doro is one of my favorite amateur sleuths. She is both strong and resilient while also being feminine and practical.

Furthermore, I can relate to the financial insecurities many characters face and the problems that arose due to the state of the nation’s economy during the Depression.

I received this book free from the author, publisher, or other source. My only obligation is to provide a fair and honest review.

[Jane Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I like this series and usually find it calming, reflecting an earlier time. This one was depressing, so much focus on the depression, job losses and other history of that era. Doro spent too much time fretting about Ev and worrying about their wedding. Even the mystery was tied up in the same concerns. Not the upbeat novel I was hoping for.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do so enjoy reading about Doro and her life. Her long awaited dream has come true but the Great Depression takes its toll on many of her friends and colleagues. And then, something gives way and the much unloved sports coach bears the brunt and is murdered. Another great read; works well as a standalone but works better when you start from the very first book

[Brenda]

This is a Cliffhanger. I liked this book very much but it ended with a Cliffhanger. It was very interesting until the end.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sharmani Jayaram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dorothea Banyon was looking forwards to Thanksgiving and her marriage but a murder disturbs all her plans . There is a lot going on than it seemed . An intriguing read. I received this ARC copy via Booksirans and recommend this book to other readers .

[Becky Durstenfeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good mystery. It was well written. It was hard to see the bump in the relationship between Dora and EV.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Karen L. Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doro and Ev have a new mystery to solve when a basketball coach is found murdered in his office. Lots of suspects to sift through. Great mystery with wonderful characters. I received an advanced review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Julie Burnett · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is hard to be a cheerful book in the time that this was set in, but it was good to see the realism.