Below the Belt

Holly Hands #3

by Mia Gold

Holly Hands. 29. Single mom. Disgraced, former boxing pro. Repo woman.

Holly wonders if it’s a joke when she’s assigned her new job: to repo a helicopter.

She can’t fly. She doesn’t even like heights.

Yet where there’s a will, there’s a way. Holly can handle anything—as long as another dead body doesn’t come with it.

Unfortunately for her, it does.

Luckily, Holly has Lucky by her side—a neglected pit bull she found on the wrong side of a job, who refuses to leave her side—and who, like her, has nowhere to go but up. Together, maybe they can crawl their way out of the urban hell of their bad slice of Baltimore, where coming home at night is even more dangerous than going to work. Maybe Holly can manage to get her young daughter the medical treatment she desperately needs, and manage to get her out of her dangerous public school and into the private school of her dreams. Just maybe, she can fall in love with that private school Dad from the other side of town and start a whole new life.

Or maybe not.

Life has never been easy for Holly. And if the past few days are any indication, it’s about to get a whole lot worse.


BELOW THE BELT (A HOLLY HANDS COZY MYSTERY) is book #3 in a riveting new cozy mystery series, a page-turning thriller that grabs you from page one and does not let go. Get ready to find yourself reading all night, bleary-eyed, and falling madly in love with a new character who will fight her way into your heart.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Audiobook

215 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2021

About the author

Debut author Mia Gold is author of the HOLLY HANDS COZY MYSTERY series, comprising three books (and counting), and of the RUBY STEELE COZY MYSTERY series, comprising three books (and counting).

Mia would love to hear from you, so please visit www.miagoldauthor.com to receive free ebooks, hear the latest news, and stay in touch.

Reviews

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly Hands is doing whatever she can to get by and take care of her family. Her current job is collecting things that people haven’t made their payments on – a “repo” woman. Normally (if Holly can claim she has a “normal”), it might be the usual old routine item. But you never know with the jobs for String Bean Brenner -- the small-time crook she repo-ed luxury possessions for on the side. So Holly wonders if it’s a joke when she’s assigned her new job: to repo a helicopter. She can’t fly. She doesn’t even like heights.

With a couple hours before she had to get her daughter, Olivia, at school, she got a phone call from String Bean’s bodyguard, Sharon. He said Arnold Romano was “here”. That was the bookie who had stolen her money, earned by throwing a fight to get the funds for her daughter’s surgery, and he ran off with it, also costing her the boxing career she loved. She had been trying to track him down for some time now. Sharon said to come to a closed restaurant, then Sharon called to her from an alley to come around back and pointed to the dumpster where Arnold Romano’s body was decomposing. He asked Holly to identify him as the bookie she had been looking for. But this man was not the one she had dealt with, and she had only found a slip of paper with “Arnold” on it in the empty building and assumed Arnold Romano was the bookie who cheated her. Evidently he wasn’t. And now she had a helicopter to repossess… somehow.

This was an enjoyable cozy mystery. I liked the characters we get to know, along with the fast-paced plot and a mystery to tackle that keeps the reader avidly following along trying to figure it all out! Grab your copy and find out how the murder will impact her. She is also dealing with her vicious ex-husband, Boyd. Everything will begin to collide, so be ready for lots of exciting action! Oh, and that helicopter will also figure into this one!

[Amie McGill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and easy read! These are what I like to call fluff books; they aren’t especially deep but they are fun and the characters are interesting and likable. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Below the Belt by Mia Gold
Another knock out by Ms. Gold! With every book in this series I get pulled further into Holly's chaotic life and I'm looking forward to reading and going along for the ride. Holly keeps me entertained and wondering what kind of trouble will next come our way! I was lucky enough to get an ARC and leave my opinion freely.

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting episode in Holly's life of repo work. One might say a tangle with the mob and repo work stirred together. Add in an ex who is freshly out of jail and wanting his daughter for terrible reasons, and you have Holly's life in a nutshell. The only good surrounding her includes her family, Olivia's new friend's father, Jordon, and Frank the dog.

Fighting is in Holly's blood and gets her through many tough moments and helps her against great odds. Although she is banned from fighting, it's certainly not out of her life! Having a chance to shave some time off her boxing ban, Holly agrees to do some ads for a gym as PSA for the boxing commission. This is a hilarious part buried amongst the criminal activities in the book.

Great characters and a surprisingly good relationship with the straightest shooter in the book mix with improbable outcomes to a conclusion that will have you holding your breath as you race to read the final words.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspended fighter Holly "Hands" is back in action. She is daring, resilient and tenacious. Hard at work at repo, still unlicensed, but no fancy cars this time. While discovering another dead body or two, her ex out on parole, and a little romance she flies into a daring rescue.

I love Holly's madcap adventures. There is nonstop action amidst gritty realism; calmly facing souless mobsters but terrified by a live camera rolling. She is tenacious and resilient when she fights, but sensitive to her daughter's needs.

Her contrasts are so vivid whether her family gym or a seedy mob front; the clunker she drives and the posh cars at her daughter's school; her apartment and the glitzy section of Baltimore. This was a great read!

I received a free advance review copy, and I choose to leave a review

[Pamela Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series continues to get better with each book and "Below the Belt" is a knockout winner with a great cast of interesting characters and a story that is fast-paced, action-packed and kept me glued to the book from start to finish. I really like Holly, former boxing pro, single mom and now a repo woman in the Baltimore area who seems like a magnet for dead bodies. If you enjoy a smartly written, must-solve, twisty mystery, you will love the Holly Hands Mysteries by gifted author Mia Gold. I received an advance reader copy of this book from Book Sirens and am voluntarily leaving my review.

[Alice Hazelbaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is #3 in the Holly Hands mystery series. Holly really has her hands full this time. She’s hoping to get her ban on boxing reduced by doing some ads for Alpha’s boxing. She’s also doing high-end repos from people not making the payments on their expensive “toys”. All to try and pay for her daughter Olivia’s private school and needed surgery! On top of all that, she has to be on the lookout for her ex-husband’s attempts to kidnap Olivia! This story is riveting and the action doesn’t let up until the end! I received an advance copy from the author and submit my review voluntarily.

[Jen Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoying this series. I find each book gets stronger. I like the authors voice, writing style, descriptiveness and this character of Holly Hands that she's created. It's quite a dark and violent world Holly has fallen into. The more she digs her and her daughter Olivia out of the "poor hole" she ends up digging herself into a much deeper hole full of organized crime, mobs, and now her ex husband is back in this book #3.
( Would recommend this series.)

[Sherry Vaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a rush. This book left me breathless. Holly is forced to face her own mortality when she meets a mob boss. She also faces the possibility of losing her child. But she faces all her challenges with head high and hope in her heart. Holly Aldren is a girl you can root for.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series

Holly, she got it done. It wasn't easy. Her daughter was in jeopardy. But, it was to protect her, and in the end, she did. Holly has been on a ferris wheel of close calls, dead bodies, and bad business. She did it all for her daughter. Read the 3 book series, it's a good one.

[Sharon Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly, Steven and Jordan and the mob

Holly Hands was intriguing, and Mia made the series so interesting that I had to read each one. When children are involved, you never know what a momma bear will do to protect her own!

[Phyllis Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

4 stars for Below the Belt (Holly Hands Book 3). Holly is in over her head. Banned from boxing, her ex trying to get to their daughter, her daughters high medical bills and now the mob is after her. What else can go wrong?

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #3. Helicopter Repo. Evolution of Holly's Relationships with her daughter, family, ex, and possible partner. Mob involvement. Old career opportunities pop up.

Quick enjoyable read. Good brain candy.

[Kathy Swanson]

It definitely is not a Stephanie Plum book. It is Ok, kind of lacking humour. I have bought all of the Stephanie plum books, I suffered through buying the three books for Mia Gold. I have no idea why both these book are compared

[Crystal Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thirsty for more

Holly makes a name for herself, and shows exactly what she would do for her kid. Hoping there will be more to her story with this Rock, Hard Place Triangle, and to see how Jordan reacts.

[Jerome Lazarus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read!

Good read. I liked it and it held my interest. I will read the next book when it comes out.

[Winifred M Fickett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too unrealistic.. Steven would not send 1 person into mob territory unless he wanted her to die. And making her commit before she knew r
The facts. Not good

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mia please change "taught" to "taut"

[Lorna Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another action packed, adrenaline fueled, high octane read by Mia Gold. Wow! What a story. Totally loved this series, I really hope there is more to come.

[Claire Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. Holly Hands is a warrior