Praise for the Maya and Sandra Mysteries:
 
“The two leads, both strong women whose skills complement one another, make a good team. Sandra’s quest for independence and legitimacy as a PI, Maya’s and Sandra’s desires to resolve their marital situations, family relationships between parents and teens, and the realities of a political life effectively frame this engaging cozy.” —Booklist on Murder at the Bake Sale
 
“Crime abounds in a mystery with a ripped-from-the-headlines political angle and a surprising turn in the personal lives of both sleuths. With a diverse cast of characters, including Sandra’s gay son, and the unusual political/school angles, the sequel to Murder at the PTA sets itself apart from most cozies.” —Library Journal on Murder at the Bake Sale
 
“A most believable pair tackle a mystery ripped from the headlines.” —Kirkus Reviews on Murder at the Bake Sale
 
“The backstories and lives of both women are well drawn, and Hollis has created two three dimensional and compelling characters. They have the kind of odd couple contrast that’s always an appealing element in a mystery. I loved the clever way Hollis told her story, keeping things brisk and clear, with a surprisingly twisty denouement. This is a new series to keep an eye on.” —Mystery Scene on Murder at the PTA
 
“As the two become a team, spicy Maya and sturdy Sandra discover a mutual respect that surprises them both and should delight fans of Maine stalwart Hollis. Cozy goes hard-boiled.” —Kirkus Reviews on Murder at the PTA

2024-04-05
An unpleasant teacher gets what’s coming to her when her Maine school district hosts a spelling bee.

The South Portland Middle School Spelling Bee is everything you hated about school. There’s unending memorization of information useless to anyone with a computer. There’s competition. The parents are frantic. The students are at each other’s throats. It gets so bad that Lucia and Eugenio Fanelli hire a pair of private eyes, Maya Kendrick and Sandra Wallage, to find out who left a note saying Drop out or die in their son Rocco’s locker. Maya and Sandra have their own baggage. Maya’s husband, the former police chief, is just finishing a stint in prison for corruption, and Sandra’s husband, the current U.S. senator from Maine, is in the process of divorcing her. But a case is a case. Unfortunately, this case quickly turns personal. Ellie Duncan, the volunteer coordinator of the spelling bee, is also the geography teacher at South Portland High School who decided without any evidence that Sandra’s son, Ryan, plagiarized his final paper and plans to flunk him, barring him from graduation. Ellie announces that the last thing she needs is “two gung-ho detectives running around upsetting the parents and scaring the kids and spoiling everything.” Ironically, it isn’t Maya and Sandra who spoil the competition; it’s whoever kills the noxious Ellie and stuffs her body in a storage closet. There are plenty of suspects, and before the two sleuths find the real killer, they’ll unearth enough dirty laundry to fill the gym bags of every South Portland student and then some.

For all those readers—and only those readers—who loved the drama that is middle school.