Cozy Mysteries

Don't you just love cozy mysteries that feature secret compartments and hidden rooms?  I do. Mystery writers have used the plot devise of hidden rooms for years and the writers of the Nancy Drew Mysteries certainly took advantage of the excitement of secret drawers from the very beginning, starting with the first book of the series, "The Secret of the Old Clock" written in 1930.

I have been of fan of the teenage sleuth since I was about 11-years-old and received my first Nancy Drew under the Christmas tree.  No wonder I went on to write traditional mysteries with my husband. I had forgotten about my love affair with Nancy until a dear friend passed away and I was in her library looking at her book collection. Lo and behold, her book shelf had six of the very first books of the series.  I reread them as an adult and fell in love all over again.

Since I read my "chum's" Nancy Drew books, I've gone on to write 6 mysteries starring Nancy Keene, a teenage sleuth loosely based on Nancy Drew.  The latest book in my series is "The Stolen Masterpiece."  

I hope you'll like this story about a teenage sleuth, very much like Nancy Drew, who visits her newly-found Dutch relatives and discovers that their house has a secret room that contains valuable artwork, including a Vermeer masterpiece worth millions. Someone has stolen it, and it’s up to Nancy and her chums to find out who.

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A New Nancy Keene Mystery

My new Nancy Keene Mystery, portrays five loves of mine: Nancy Drew Mysteries, Holland, Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, genealogy, and a loving, indulgent father.

Join my precocious teenage sleuth, Nancy Keene, on another of her international adventures. This book finds her in Amsterdam visiting her newly-found Dutch relatives who have recently discovered a secret room in their house that contains valuable artwork, including a Vermeer masterpiece worth millions. Someone has stolen it, and it’s up to Nancy and her team to find out who. If you enjoy travelogues, this book includes descriptions of some of my favorite sights I've visited in Holland.

Here is a Four Star Review on Goodreads:  

The Stolen Masterpiece is book #5 of the Nancy Keene mystery series, a parody of Nancy Drew It was by far my favorite story and most like Nancy Drew. 

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Readers Are Loving "The Stolen Mask: A Nancy Keene Mystery"

Here's what reviewers are saying about this book: 

 "I loved it! This is a very clever parody of Nancy Drew set in the current times. Nancy Keene, her father Drew Keene, and her friend Beth travel to London where they not only meet Daniel Craig (James Bond) but also solve his mystery...I love Nancy Drew and I love England. The two together is a winner."

"Great story line for readers who loved Nancy Drew as a young person. It moves quickly and is a fun light read!"

This eBook costs only $1.99 and is available at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Google Play Books, Smashwords and Kobo Books

Great Review for a book inspired by Nancy Drew!

I was so pleased last night to discover that a reader had left a nice review on Amazon about my book, "The Stolen Mask: A Nancy Keene Mystery".  Here's what she said:

"Great story line for readers who loved Nancy Drew as a young person. It moves quickly and is a fun light read!"

Here's what it's about:

What would happen if Nancy Drew met James Bond? Find out in this humorous, PG-Rated tale written for nostalgic women baby-boomers who grew up loving Nancy Drew mysteries. Nancy Keene, the teenage sleuth in this mystery, goes to London and stays in the same hotel as Daniel Craig (AKA James Bond) when his BAFTA award is stolen from his room. When she is not on a Jane Austen pilgrimage or visiting Buckingham Palace, she channels Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, and Rumpole of the Bailey to help her solve the mystery of the stolen mask. Only $1.99.  

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Nancy Drew and James Bond

When I was growing up, more than anything else, I wanted a Nancy Drew book for Christmas.  The books from my childhood that I remember most are my Nancy Drew's and my cool older brother's James Bond novels.  So, when I grew up and started writing my own books, I thought, "What would happen if Nancy met James Bond?  What would happen if she went to London on vacation, and Daniel Craig was staying in the same hotel as she was?  What if his acting award was stolen out of his room and she helped him find out who took it?"

I answer these questions in a The Stolen Mask, a humorous, PG-Rated tale written for nostalgic baby-boomers who grew up loving Nancy Drew Mysteries. The teenage sleuth in my story is Nancy Keene and when she isn't on a Jane Austen pilgrimage or visiting Buckingham Palace, she channels Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, and Rumpole of the Bailey to help her solve the mystery of the stolen mask.

The Stolen Mask: A Nancy Keene Mystery

by Louise Hathaway

Only $1.99

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Lake Wobegon

What would Nancy Drew be like if she made a pilgrimage to Lake Wobegon?  I can imagine her, map in hand, trying to figure out which towns inspired Garrison Keillor when he created his fictional town of Lake Wobegon where "all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average."  My teenage sleuth, Nancy Keene, listens to A Prairie Home Companion with her father every Saturday night.  She talks him into taking a vacation to Minnesota.  He'd like to make a pilgrimage to the home town of Bob Dylan while there, but she has other plans when a "bachelor farmer" (last seen at the Chatterbox Cafe) goes missing and they becomes part of the search team.

My husband and I went on just such a pilgrimage to discover the towns that inspired Garrison's Lake Wobegon and pictures from our trip are included in this eBook.  Only $1.99.  Available at Amazon, iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Kobo Books, Smashwords, and Scribd.

The Missing Bachelor Farmer: A Nancy Keene Mystery

by Louise Hathaway

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Hurricane Katrina

It's hard to believe that it's been ten years since Hurricane Katrina.  I love New Orleans and feel so sorry for those who lost their lives and homes as a result of the flooding.  I know there's still a lot more work to be done.  I think these lyrics by Steve Earle sum up how I feel:

This city won't ever die

Just as long as our heart be strong

Like a second line stepping high

Raising hell as we roll along

Gentilly to Vieux Carre

Lower 9, Central City, Uptown

Singing Jockamo fee nane

This city won't ever drown.

I'm an indie writer and I've written two books about this great city.  The first is "The Ghost in the Plantation: A Nancy Keene Mystery."

  Do you like Nancy Drew? Do you like New Orleans? If so, you will enjoy this humorous and PG-rated story about a teenage sleuth that especially targets women baby boomers who grew up reading and loving the Nancy Drew series. Nancy Keene, the teenage sleuth in this story, goes on vacation with her father and friends to the French Quarter. What starts out as a sight-seeing trip changes into a murder/mystery when a docent at Oak Alley Plantation is murdered while they are there. Part travelogue, part ghost story, this book mixes voodoo, ghosts, and bayous into a spicy gumbo of a whodunit. 

Available for $2.99 at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Kobo, Smashwords

and Oyster and Scribd
Also available in Paperback at Amazon

"Honeymoon in New Orleans" is a travelogue about New Orleans

Come along with my fictional characters Don and Isabella as they discover the wonders of New Orleans on their honeymoon. Learn about their favorite romantic spots, places to visit, spend the night, and dine at. It includes helpful websites to consider before planning your next vacation.

Available for only $1.99 at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Kobo, Smashwords and Oyster.

Books About Great Fathers

Happy Father's Day to all of the great Dads out there.  I was very lucky: I had a wonderful father and like to include him in my stories; especially the "Nancy Keene" stories that I wrote as an homage to the wonderful Nancy Drew Mysteries I grew up reading.  Mr. Drew was every girl's ideal Dad: definitely not a "helicopter parent", he gave Nancy all sorts of freedom.  All she had to do all day was drive her "roadster" around and solve mysteries with no pestering Mom telling her to clean up her room.  How lucky could a girl be?!

In the first Nancy Keene Mystery I wrote, "The Buried Treasure on Route 66", her Dad is having trouble accepting the fact that his precious Nancy has just turned 18, has a boyfriend, and is going away to college.  How will he handle the empty nest?  And what lessons will he learn when he joins Nancy and her boyfriend on a road trip?  This book is rated PG.

My Nancy and her Dad are big fans of "A Prairie Home Companion" and she talks him into going on a pilgrimage with her in search of the towns that inspired Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon.  Her Dad wants to go on a Bob Dylan pilgrimage while they are in Minnesota, but Nancy has other plans when a bachelor farmer goes missing.  This book is called, "The Missing Bachelor Farmer."  This book is rated G.

I love New Orleans, so I have Nancy going there on vacation with her Dad and her friends. When a docent at Oak Alley Plantation is found dead, Nancy will not rest until she figures out whodunit. They have to leave New Orleans before the murder is solved, but Nancy twists her over-indulgent Dad around her little finger and he allows her to return to the Crescent City to stay with her fun and funky Aunt Audrey in "The Ghost in the Plantation".  This book is rated PG.

My most recent Nancy Keene Mystery is about Nancy, her Dad, and her girlfriend going to London. Nancy has her first serious crush at 16 when she sees that Daniel Craig is staying at the same hotel as they are.  She's a big fan of James Bond and even goes to Harrods to try a find an outfit like one of the Bond Girls to impress him.  When someone steals his BAFTA award out of his hotel room, Nancy is hot on the trail trying to figure out who stole it and why.  This book is called "The Stolen Mask".  This book is rated PG.

All of these books are available at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Kobo, and Smashwords.  If you subscribe to Scribd, it's free.

James Bond

Can you find James Bond on the cover of this eBook?  This is a funny story about a teenage sleuth who goes to London with her father and is delighted when she discovers that Daniel Craig (AKA James Bond) is staying at their hotel.  I was inspired to write this book by my love of Nancy Drew books and my love of London.  On vacation in London a few years back, James Bond actually was staying at the same hotel where my husband and I had a room.  At that time, the actor who played Bond was Pierce Brosnan.  Just like Nancy Keene in my story of The Stolen Mask, I was settling into our upper bedroom when I looked out the window and saw Agent 007 drinking champagne in the hotel's garden. I was as star-struck as any teenage school girl would be.

In this story, Nancy opens the door of her hotel room to retrieve the morning paper and is shocked when Daniel Craig opens the door next to hers to do the same thing.  He is only wearing a towel around his waist, and when he sees Nancy in her flannel nightgown, he self-consciously looks down at his towel to make sure nothing's showing.  When he catches her looking in the same place, he winks at her and goes back inside his room.  Nancy feels her first stirrings of passion and is pleased when she has an opportunity to come to his aid after someone steals his BAFTA award out of his room.

I am a total Anglophile and love all things British--its literature, its music, its history, its art. I love writing about places I've traveled to, so in this story I have Nancy sighting-seeing at some of my favorite destinations in and around London.  She goes on a Jane Austen pilgrimage, visits Buckingham Palace, shops at Harrods, and goes to the Sherlock Holmes museum.  Nancy is very precocious and has read a lot, so when she tries to solve the case of the stolen mask, she channels Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, and Rumpole of the Bailey.

This book is one of my favorite ones I've written and I hope my readers will like it, too.  So, come with Nancy Keene on a trip to London where she meets James Bond and even gets to walk the red carpet with him at the Oscars.  A bit of a stretch?  Of course, but a girl can dream, can't she?

The Stolen Mask: A Nancy Keene Mystery

By Louise Hathaway

Only $1.99

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Nancy Drew meets James Bond

What would happen if Nancy Drew met James Bond? Find out in this humorous, PG-Rated tale written for nostalgic women baby-boomers who grew up loving Nancy Drew mysteries. Nancy Keene, the teenage sleuth in this mystery, goes to London and stays in the same hotel as Daniel Craig (AKA James Bond) when his BAFTA award is stolen from his room. When Nancy is not on a Jane Austen pilgrimage or visiting Buckingham Palace, she channels Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, and Rumpole of the Bailey to help her solve the mystery of the stolen mask.

The Stolen Mask: A Nancy Keene Mystery

By Louise Hathaway

eBook available at $1.99 

Purchase at Amazon

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Do You Believe in Ghosts?

Do you like Nancy Drew?  Do you like New Orleans? This humorous, PG-rated mystery about a teenager sleuth who's very similar to Nancy Drew is written especially for women baby boomers who grew up reading and loving the Nancy Drew series. Nancy Keene, the teenage sleuth in our story, goes on vacation with her father and friends to New Orleans.  What starts out as a sight-seeing trip, changes into a murder mystery when a docent at Oak Alley Plantation in murdered while they are there.  Part travelogue, part ghost story, this book mixes voodoo, ghosts, and bayous into a spicy gumbo of a whodunit. 

eBook available at all of your favorite online bookstores for only $2.99

Available in paperback at Amazon and Barnes and Noble

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Father/Daughter Relationships

Now that Mother's Day is over, it's time to think about your Dads.  I wrote this book after I inherited some Nancy Drew books and reread them as an adult. I was really touched by the close relationship between our favorite teenage sleuth and her Dad; a relationship made even stronger by the death of Nancy's mother.  So I created my own teenage sleuth, Nancy Keene, and wrote this PG-Rated humorous story about her relationship with her Dad, who has been worrying about her ever since started dating and talking about moving away to college.  He doesn't want to let her go and she worries about what he'll be like when she's gone.  How will he handle letting her go?  Find out as Nancy, her father, and boyfriend take a trip on Route 66, visiting several of its landmarks along the way, in search of a missing will.  Not only is “The Buried Treasure on Route 66” a tip of the hat to the Nancy Drew books, it’s also a romance novel about both young love and rekindled old love.

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Who is your audience? Pay Attention, You Writers Out There

A book publisher gave me one of the best pieces of advice I ever was asked, "Who is your audience?" My husband and I had just written a book about a teenager sleuth, modeled after Nancy Drew, but geared towards women babyboomers, not teenagers.  We almost got a book deal based upon a misunderstanding of how we were marketing it.  Our book, "The Ghost in the Plantation," is about a precocious 16 year old who gets involved in trying to track down the murder of a docent at Oak Alley Plantation.  The PG-rated scenes and jokes would never go over well with teenagers.  The opening scene of our book has Nancy and her girlfriends talking about, not Justin Beiber or One Direction, but about Don Draper from Mad Men and Vampire Bill from True Blood--men who women might find attractive, not my teenage nieces.

Our teenage sleuth has a very permissive aunt and father who both give her a lot of freedom as she goes about her search for the killer.  They are the opposite of "helicopter parents" and she gets in all sorts of dangerous situations. My husband and I have our Nancy running through Bourbon Street while being chased by a guy in a hoodie, and dodging into a gay bar, only to be rescued and brought home by The Lady Chablis from "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." Our humor is PG-rated--this is not your Grandmother's Nancy Drew.  We have Nancy trying to bond with her aunt by mixing up Hurricanes and serving them to her and her girlfriend.  Construction workers admire how well Nancy looks in her shorts and ask her aunt, "Who's the little cupcake?" "The Ghost in the Plantation" is a gumbo of a whodunit, not for the fathers of teenage daughters nor for teenage girls.  It's for the ladies--gentlemen, step aside.  We wrote this book with a deep love of the city of New Orleans and all of the wonderful experiences we've had there. I'm grateful to that publisher for teaching me a very valuable marketing lesson:  who is your audience?  Never forget to make that foremost in your mind when marketing your books--you writers out there.  The last thing we want is for our readers to be disappointed after they've bought our book, hoping for something entirely different.

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Humorous PG rated Nancy Drew

Do people still read "Nancy Drew" mysteries? I inherited 6 books from the series and started reading them again after 40 years. I was struck by their innocence and how they've always made me smile. I loved the relationship between Nancy and her father. I loved the words "Chum" and "Roadster". In the first books of the series, the author uses the word "Machine" instead of "Car". Is that what cars were called in the early 1930s when the books were written? They are in Nancy Drew's world.

I got the idea to write my own version of a Nancy Drew mystery after reading my inherited books, and came up with the idea: "What if Nancy lives in 2013? She could use the internet to help her solve crimes. She could have all the latest gadgets at her disposal such as iPads, iPhone, Kindles, etc. What if her blue roadster is now a blue Hybrid? What if she spent the night with Ned while her father was out of town?!! Jeepers!  

This cozy mystery is not your mother's Nancy Drew Mystery: it is more like a sweet parody written by a fan (me) of the Original Text Nancy Drew Mysteries that were written in the 1930s. My story occurs in 2013:

The Buried Treasure on Route 66:

A Nancy Keene Mystery 

Only 99 cents at Amazon and at Barnes and Noble, Apple, Google Play, Smashwords, and Kobo.

eBook link at Amazon:

https://amzn.to/3CMFvAW

Paperback link at Amazon:

https://amzn.to/3edD5kI