Prepped to Kill

Ricky Steele Mysteries #1

by M. Lee Prescott

Ricky Steele, a fifty-eight year old odd jobber, plays a practical joke on her former boarding school, a joke that plunges her headlong into kidnapping and murder. While she pretends to be an ace private investigator, the niece of Massachusetts’ governor goes missing and a murderer terrorizes the campus. Ricky enlists the aid of her former roommates and together, the three create mayhem during Whitley School’s reunion weekend, bungling along in search of the truth. Join Ricky on her first caper and see how this humorous rollicking mystery series got its start.

Genres: Mystery, Amazon, Fiction, Ebooks, Mystery Thriller

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 16, 2011

About the author

“You only live once – but if you work it right, once is enough.”
– Joe E. Lewis


Hello, friends and generous readers!

Welcome to my Goodreads page! I write romances, mysteries, suspense, and women’s fiction. Grab one of my books and see what you think. Are you a fan of humorous, first-person mysteries? Readers have lots of fun with Ricky Steele (Prepped to Kill, Gadfly, Jigsaw, Lost in Spindle City, and Poof!). How about small-town cozy mysteries? Join Roger and Bess (A Friend of Silence, In the Name of Silence, and The Silence of Memory) in the village of Old Harbor where murders occur almost as much as in Cabot Cove. (Roger and Bess Mysteries).

Did someone say romance? Aside from stand-alone romances like Widow’s Island and Hestor’s Way, I write two popular romance series -- Morgan’s Run (twelve books and counting) and Morgan’s Fire (seven titles with more on the way!). Morgan’s Run books are set in the beautiful U.S. southwest and are peopled with gorgeous cowboys and strong, contemporary women. The spin-off series, Morgan’s Fire moved some of the gang east to the New England coastal village of Horseshoe Crab Cove where the romance sizzles and amazing couples find their way to happily ever after.

I also have a YA title, Song of the Spirit, an award-winning historical romance that explores the kidnapping, torture, and enculturation of indigenous children in so-called “Indian schools.” That book features one of my favorite characters, Wind Flower, a strong resilient teenager who protects her younger sister and holds onto her values and culture, despite the daily cruelties of life at Rose Academy.

I am now retired from teaching, but my scholarly work continues. I am currently writing about my recent research-- the impact of mindfulness on readers and writers. I live on a beautiful river and when not writing, I love to spend time with family and friends, practice yoga, swim, walk, canoe, and teach mindfulness to people of all ages. Life is full!

Come on over and visit -- http://www.mleeprescott.com-- to explore and signup for my newsletter. I love to hear from readers and always respond so be in touch anytime! Follow me on BookBub https://bit.ly/3AImHzS

Reviews

[Terri · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 15%, between one chapter and the next.

I liked the main character. I was going along with the very improbable plot. But there's a complete transition failure no credible editor would've let stand, going from mid-tour to ...the MC's office? What? Where are we? When?

One sentence would've fixed this.

[Rica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, but desperately needs an edit

If you're bothered by books that are riddled with errors, give this one a miss. Virtually every page contains multiple bloopers--faulty punctuation, missing words, incorrectly used words ("au" for "eau"; "wane" for "wan"), inconsistent style choices ("goodbye," "good-bye," and "good bye" all make an appearance, as do "houseparent"/"house parent" and "school girl"/"schoolgirl" --sometimes in the same paragraph), flat-out misspellings ("chourizo" and "IPhones"), and other language problems abound. Nor am I the first reviewer to point out this problem. If Prescott paid to have this book professionally edited or proofread, she either didn't get her money's worth or stetted hundreds of legitimate corrections (which to me seems like buying a dog and then doing your own barking). If she skipped hiring an objective, competent third party to polish her story, I hope she'll reconsider that decision for subsequent books. It's truly sad to see a good novel marred by so many silly mistakes.

That said, if you can overlook such issues, there's much to recommend this tale: a hugely likable main character, an intriguing mystery, solid pacing, and plenty of red herrings. Prescott deftly evokes the swanky prep-school setting. I did deduct a star for the stereotypical supporting characters. But had "Prepped to Kill" been properly edited, I'd have given it a solid 4 stars.

[Sandra Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Ricky

It is unusual to find a 58 yo woman who can bluff her way into becoming a PI, but Ricky manages it well.

[Angela Favour · Rating 5 out of 5]

A witty, fast-paced mystery with heart and humor

Ricky Steele is my new favorite amateur sleuth! At fifty-eight, she’s sharp-tongued, resourceful, and delightfully imperfect, exactly the kind of heroine I want to root for. What starts as a harmless practical joke at her old boarding school quickly spirals into kidnapping, murder, and absolute mayhem during reunion weekend.

M. Lee Prescott strikes the perfect balance between laugh-out-loud moments and edge-of-your-seat suspense. The banter between Ricky and her former roommates is hilarious, and the setting, a prestigious New England boarding school, adds an atmospheric charm to the twists and turns.

If you love humorous mysteries with a touch of danger, unforgettable friendships, and a heroine who refuses to back down, Prepped to Kill is a fantastic start to what promises to be a rollicking series. Highly recommended for fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum or lighthearted cozy mysteries with a dash of bite.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had fun with this. I think M. Lee Prescott did a great job creating fun characters. Of course any woman my age would love an older female playing a Private Detective and I do mean “playing”. This must be an author with a true sense of humor. I like people that can laugh at themselves and Ricky Steele could sure do that. She was quirky and full of fun.

I must say that an alumna going back to a prep school to fill in for someone and lurk around at the same time is somewhat unique. An interesting plot and as I said the author created characters defined well enough that I could see the settings, almost as if on a stage or in a school for that matter.

This is Book 1 of a series titled “Ricky Steele Mysteries”. M. Lee Prescott has several series published. If they are all as good as this one, you need to check them out.

[Angelique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think Stephanie Plum. In about 30 years.

Ricky is a really fun character. I really enjoy when someone can laugh at themselves and have fun doing it. And this book really gave that feeling.

On top of that we have a quick, fast paced really intriguing mystery that keeps you glued to the pages from chapter 1 straight through the end.

It’s been a while since I have read a more clean, more mature book and I was seriously not disappointed. PLUS we get to take a trip down memory lane with Ricky when she has to go undercover (because when is undercover not entertaining) in her old private girls school. Now doesn’t that sound like a recipe for disaster.

Looking for your next good laugh? Grab this one you won’t be disappointed

Not had enough yet? No worries – there are plenty more where this one came from. Check out the other books in the series on Goodreads here.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-paced murder mystery in a prestigious private school setting. The main character, finding herself in familiar but uncomfortable surroundings, does a great job of digging up info. Total surprise at the end, just how I like it.

[Corrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ricky Steele not only enjoyed her chums during Reunion Weekend but also worked secretly as a private investigator in a school for girls. Given the short period of time, she manages to find the pieces to complete what she came for.

Short but engaging as some secrets unfold.

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, clean mystery

This was an enjoyable read, with good character development and a plot that keeps you guessing until the end. I’m looking forward to reading the next Ricky Steele mystery.

[Bekah Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent read

I was confused by all the names and characters at first but once I got into the mystery I was hooked and wanted to know "who dun it" . I liked the book and the characters. If there is another book in the series I plan in reading it.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining who-done-it cozy. When Ricky returns to her high school 40 yr reunion, she gets pulled into an investigation on recent burglaries and a suicide or two at the exclusive private school. Old flames are involved as well as old friendships.

[Patricia Gulley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting enough to want to read the next one.

[Charleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way to go double Wow!

The story was great all way from beginning to end.You had me hooked and the ending I was blown away.Thanks for sharing it with me, keep them coming.

[vicki carnicle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prepped to kill

Interesting reading from the beginning the characters were great and the plots kept changing till the end of the book

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unusual and good

I am so glad to read a mystery in which the pseudo- PI is a mature woman and not young or Miss Marple. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

[Mollie]

Did not finish this book. I tried but just couldn’t get into it al all. Deleted it from my library.

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pretty good story about a gal going to her 40th reunion and having to help solve some crimes, including murder at the prep school.

[Bec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery story.
Ricky is a great character
Recommend to all

[Rizello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Woman becomes a private investigator to solve a crime during her high school reunion.

Editing and grammar issues, but story was interesting.

[Darin Hocking · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent enough read, but I never felt fully engaged and there was not much actual crime solving going on.

[Dagmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read.
Kept my attention.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Prepped to Kill" comes pretty close to being a cozy mystery and really forces the reader to push the envelope of suspending reality.

Ricky Steele is a fifty-something maker of stained glass, part-time house renovator, and estranged daughter of a wealthy and influential man. She attended a ritzy girls' prep school where she was miserable, although she is honest enough to admit in retrospect that she probably brought some of that misery on herself. The action begins when Muriel, the icky director emeritus (she sounds like Jabba the Hut to me), contacts Ricky and asks her to investigate a missing student and a suicide at the now-coed school but to keep it under wraps. If you are quick, you will see that I did not include "detective" in Ricky's job description. She is not a detective; she submitted that little tidbit to the alumni newsletter as a joke, but the editor of the newsletter took it for gospel. Ricky decides she can use the money and that she can carry on this deception, so she re-enters the prep school world for her class reunion, then for a week as a substitute houseparent to cover her true purpose.

The characters are rather stereotypical, but, because Ricky is a fairly sympathetic character, I could accept the smarmy schoolmaster (nephew of Muriel) who keeps hitting on Ricky, the favorite old professor, the prep school friends who don't seem to have grown beyond their teenage years, and students who are obviously hiding the missing student's whereabouts.

It wasn't my cup of tea, but if you like something lighter than the classic detective story writers but just can't get into the foodie or cat mystery series, this might be the one for you.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an easy read, fun and it kept me guessing until the end. I would have given it more stars but there were some grammatical errors that ruin the flow for me. I'm not sure why these things happen with the advent of spell and grammar check.

With that aside, I got a feel of a YA background from the author which seemed to carry well with the majority of the setting for this story. Not one of my favorite genres, but it didn't distract from the story line. At 58 years old though, can't we be past the angst and insecurities of our teen years? I'm certainly not where I thought I would be at this point in my life, compared to my dreams and aspirations, but reunions don't cause me anxiety nor do I find myself comparing my life to those of my classmates. That was my takeaway, other than a stumbled upon and interesting new career path for Ricky. I found that to be humorous and that she was somewhat good at it with her first "job".

I will give the second story a chance, hoping there is a stronger theme for her internal thoughts and of course better editing.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the read

Great fast read. I enjoyed the characters and the intrigue very. Had no idea who the villain was. Ricky was a great gal and I enjoyed her interactions with the girls. Thank you for a good book

[Zoe Jussel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather juvenile mystery but fun nevertheless.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story however there were a lot of typos.

[Yvonne Mccormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

If one likes mystery it's a must to read.keeps one guessing.
Would probabley read book two. If it's not to much money.