Sentiment to the Heart

Avery Detective Agency #1

by Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue

When Kay Walker's grandfather loses a treasure near and dear to his heart, she hires Parker, a detective, to help her locate the person that stole it. Kay and Parker are complete opposites, and though they don't get along, the two decide to stick together to complete the case. But when they go on the search for the thief and end up facing a gruesome number of perils, will the two end up finding that they have more in common than they thought?

151 pages, ebook

First published March 5, 2018

About the author

Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue is a Midwest-based author known for her captivating lesbian romance novels, compelling mysteries, and heart-pounding thrillers. With a talent for weaving emotion, suspense, and authenticity into every story, Nicole has built a loyal readership drawn to her richly developed characters and relatable themes. Her work reflects a deep understanding of human connection, identity, and resilience, often exploring the complexities of relationships in high-stakes settings.

Nicole holds a Master’s degree in Business Management with a focus on marketing, a background that not only informs her strategic approach to publishing but also brings a thoughtful precision to her storytelling. She began writing at a young age, inspired by a book she found in her local library written by a fellow eight-year-old. That early moment of discovery sparked a lifelong passion that has guided her creative journey ever since.

When she’s not writing, Nicole enjoys cooking new recipes, exploring new places through travel, and spending quality time with her family. Her stories are rooted in experience and imagination, making her voice both grounded and uniquely engaging. Whether penning a slow-burning romance or a thrilling mystery, Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue invites readers into worlds where love and intrigue go hand in hand.

Reviews

[Cath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book one of the Avery Detective Agency series and the main character is Parker, a former police officer, who opened up her own detective agency after leaving the police under a cloud. She used her savings to open her own office and has a secretary called Iris. The last case she worked was a murder at the Walker residence and now the granddaughter Kay and Mr Walker have come to her office to seek her help. Mr Walker wants her to find a treasure map which will show the location of a buried treasure he and his late wife buried on a deserted island, just off the coast. Parker is hired to recover the map and find the person who stole it. Parker has her own personal reasons for taking the case, but Kay doesn’t like her much for some reason.

Kay and Parker arrange to go to the island the next day, using her old partner Donnie to take them on his fishing boat, to the island, but nothing goes right, from the moment they approach the boat to the end of the story. There are lots of twists in this tale and many surprises thrown up along the way. The real reason behind Parker leaving the police force and what happened is all explained as part of the story. A cousin pops up accusing Kay of stealing from her grandfather and is not to be trusted, so there are lots of red herrings and people with a finger in the pie! Parker and kay may have started out as complete opposites, but they say that opposites attract and first impressions can always be changed.

A cozy little mystery with a bit of romance thrown in. Lots of skulduggery and some unwanted and long held secrets finally revealed! The story is fairly short, but full of enough background to the characters and twists to the tale, to make for a decent read. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listed to the audible performance of this story. This was a very short mystery story where a lot of the writing was in short, not-too-descriptive sentences. I actually slowed the listening speed down to see if it sounded more natural at a slower speed. This would be good choice for someone who doesn't like a lot of embellishment. For example, instead of describing what the character was feeling, the author would just say something like "it made her sad that this happened". The two main characters happened to both be female, though there was only a brief reference to a kiss or two (PG rated on an intensity scale).

The performer did make the characters have different voices which I appreciated.

#AudiobookObsession

[Hope Freed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book 1 of a series but I’m not sure I feel particularly inclined to read more (although it appears I already have book 3!) The two MC’s in this are reasonably appealing - starting off as adversaries but gradually building trust before one throws that trust out the window and sets off into danger on her own. There were a number of plot holes that had me scratching my head thinking ‘Why did she do that!’ several times eg. What kind of PI makes no enquiries whatsoever as to the nature of the ‘treasure’ being sought? It was reasonably engaging I guess and not overlong; it just wasn’t that good a mystery either…

[Estella · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Kay Walker's grandfather loses a treasure near and dear to his heart, she hires Parker, a detective, to help her locate the person who stole it. Kay and Parker are complete opposites, and though they don't get along, the two decide to stick together to complete the case. But when they go on the search for the thief and end up facing a gruesome number of perils, will the two end up finding that they have more in common than they thought?

This is a F/F story. This book has romance and mystery. It is well written and has well developed characters. This book is very relatable. I enjoyed it.

[Jennifer Shepard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I read from this author and let me tell you that I loved it! Such a good book with great characters that keeps you obsessed with every page since the first one. The ending of this book.. come on! I just didn´t expect it! Can´t wait to read other books from this great writer! Amazing job! a must-read! A fantastic book that has it all! I happily endorse this story to any and all who are looking for a mystery enjoyable read and a completely different experience than anyone could imagine on their own. ¡Great book!

[Trisha c · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stolen treasure map, murder, private island. Throw in some fun characters. you have a great entertaining listen. all are out to find the stolen treasure map, and the adventure and mystery begins! It's a short story that would keep you interested. The narration by Kris Szczesny is a great listen. She brings excitement and fun to the story, giving each character their own voice. 🎧Audiobookobessionreview🎧

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

The start of a detective series. A short story with murder, mystery, a treasure map and a private island. Start with a contentious relationship in Kay and Parker and their quest to find the stolen map, add a bit of romance, shenanigans and finally questions answered and you have a pretty good plot. A quick afternoon read.

I rec'd a copy through Booksprout and this is an un-biased, voluntary review.

[Kristina Lovel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet novel. There was some predictable situations, and the twists and turns weren't really shocking to me. I would love to see more character development. I think the book could have been better. I really like when you can see the characters falling in love, rather than it just happens. In this book, I see it just happening.

[NanaShauna Joesten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic mystery that really grabs you from the start. I love the world building of this mystery read. And how the Author has brought out the Characters. The Narrator has done a great job. Theres never a dull moment in this must read. I definitely recommend.
Shauna Joesten

[Margaret L. Hedman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much to say.

Not much to say. Book really needs to be reformatted for an e reader. There are words in bold print in the middle of paragraphs. The authors name appears in bold print in the middle of several pages.

[Stephanie Augustine · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3.5 stars**

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novellas can be too short and underdeveloped, but Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue nails it with this short mystery. A cross between a cozy and a romantic suspense, it has great characters, a hint of humor and a mystery to solve! Kay is trying to find something her grandfather has hidden and hires Kay's agency to help her. These two butt heads, have witty banter and find they have feelings for each other. But will they solve the case? It's hard to determine who to trust, but it is a fun ride! Enjoy this story narrated by Kris Szczesny.

[whataslacker · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn’t get into this story. I feel like the characters were all flat and the dialogue forced. Perhaps after having so many issues with this author’s other stories I just couldn’t bring myself to get invested. Like the other books this ine needs some editing but I tried not to highlight them all and skip over them. Perhaps that played into my no being able to give this book a better rating.

[A.G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kris Szczesny did a good job of distinguishing between the several different characters in the story.

This is a novella so there isn’t a lot of detail. I enjoyed the story and had fun trying to figure out the mystery as it unfolded.

#AudiobookObsessionReviewer

[DMA · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute story with 2 good main characters and a straight forward mystery, but I found the writting style rather simplistic which I wasnt so keen on.