Hiding Gladys

by Lee Mims

Overview

Discovering a granite deposit of epic proportions is geologist Cleo Cooper's dream come true. Not only will she be famous for discovering the easternmost deposit in the United States, she'll also be rich. And so will Gladys Walton, the owner of the rural North Carolina property that sits atop the bounty of valuable rock.

When Gladys goes missing and a murder victim turns up in the well, Cleo works extra hard to keep her test drilling above board and on schedule. But a near-fatal accident convinces Cleo that someone is dead set on killing her, too. With support from a hot fellow geologist, Cleo races against the clock before another body is found and her dreams of fame and fortune are crushed.

Praise:

"Readers will want to see more of this spunky geologist with a streak of independence and a passion for her profession."—Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

"[A] solid debut."—Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738734231
Publisher:	Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Publication date:	01/08/2013
Series:	Cleo Cooper Series , #1
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	5.38(w) x 7.82(h) x 0.66(d)

About the Author

Debut author Lee Mims holds a master's and bachelor's degree in geology from the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, and once worked as a field geologist. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. Currently a popular wildlife artist, Hiding Gladys is her debut novel. She lives in Raleigh, N.C. Visit the author online at LeeMims.com.

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Editorial Reviews

Mims’s solid debut introduces geologist Cleo Cooper, whose find of a huge, previously undiscovered granite deposit in coastal North Carolina can make her rich—if she and her drilling crew survive the exploration. A signed contract with the landowner, Gladys Walton, may not be enough for Gladys’s greedy son and daughter, who will do anything to get their hands on their mother’s property. If Cleo can safeguard Gladys from Gladys’s grasping family and a less than honest mining company, Cleo’s crew can complete the drilling for core samples and finalize the contract. Life is complicated by the presence of Cleo’s ex-husband, Bud, and Nash Finley, a persistent suitor. Both Cleo and Gladys must fight for their lives against a killer who’s determined to win. Despite a long, slow finish, readers will want to get to know Cleo better in future installments. Agent: Kimberly Cameron, Kimberly Cameron & Associates. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"Readers will want to see more of this spunky geologist with a streak of independence and a passion for her profession."—Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

"[A] solid debut."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

A plucky geologist and her deerhound almost lose their lives in North Carolina. Cleo Cooper has everything in place to secure the $4 million bank loan needed to cover the mining of a granite deposit on her elderly friend Gladys' land. Gladys has agreed to lease the acreage to her, and she's lined up a site crew to collect data, core samples and so forth. But then, bad luck strikes. A rattler takes over her car's back seat. A rifle shot fells Tulip, her trusty deerhound. Cleo falls into a well and lands on a wrapped and roped dead body. Wait, there's more. Not only does Gladys disappear, but her loathsome adult children, Robert Earle and Shirley, insist that she's given them a power of attorney leaving them in possession of the rights to all that valuable granite. When core samples are stolen and a bridge collapses, delaying any site work, Cleo whiles away her time by bedding handsome former geologist Nash Finley and ignoring her ex-husband Bud's attempts to seduce her. The local sheriff identifies the dead body. Cleo's banker tells her of another group's plans for quarrying the granite at her site. Robert Earle succumbs to fatal stabbing by yucca plant. Shirley elopes with a scoundrel. Cleo will be confined in a root cellar and finally followed on a harrowing boat excursion before most everything turns out okay. Mims, a former field geologist who clearly knows mining protocol, equipment and land resources, seasons Cleo's debut with too many Perils-of-Pauline impediments and too much romantic folderol.

Kirkus Reviews