Hi, I’m Cleo Cooper, a cross cultural psychology professor. I live and work in Hilo, Hawaii. My life is so good right now, it’s an embarrassment of riches. Don’t believe me? Well, let me tell you what a typical day is like. I wake up snuggling with my live-in boyfriend, Ben, and my dog stretched out, taking up all the floor space on my side of the bed. I listen. No pitter-patter of rain drops on our tin roof. Yay! Today is a paddle day. Outrigger canoe paddling is always amazing, but even better when it isn’t raining.
I disentangle myself from Ben and maneuver around my sweet dog without stepping on her. She lifts her head to watch me, but then lays it back down as I go to the kitchen. Coffee, I take it seriously. It is one of the seven wonders of the world as far as I’m concerned. And here on the Big Island, we have some of the best coffee beans on the planet. After my first coffee in my favorite mug and a handful of macadamia nuts, I drive five minutes down the hill to Hilo Bay where my crew waits for me. If it is winter, we look for whales while we paddle. If it’s summer we greet the sea turtles as we pass them.
After paddling for an hour, we head back to shore to shower and change for work. Picking up another coffee on the way to the University. And I love my job. Teaching psychology is so much fun. My students love the topics I cover and we get great class discussions. Well, most of the time. And okay it isn’t always fun, like grading papers. I gotta admit I don’t enjoy that. But… thanks to my boyfriend Ben, who is a marine scientist, he lets me hang out on the University research vessel. When he will take it out for his lab today, he said I could tag along and grade papers while we float on the ocean and his students collect samples. Am I lucky or what?
I’ve got the perfect life and I plan to keep it that way. Yes siree, I will appreciate what I have and keep it on track.
What could go wrong?
Cue foreboding soundtrack…
Just about everything!
Evil Alice and the Borzoi, A Cleo Cooper Mystery Book #1
Genre: Traditional
Release: March 2023
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link
Paradise is shaken when the body of a young woman is dragged onto a university research vessel during a class outing in Hilo Bay. Cleo Cooper is shaken when she finds her favorite student is on the hook for the murder. Danger lurks on land and sea as Cleo and her friends are enticed to search for the true killer. In between paddling, swimming, and arguing with her boyfriend, Cleo discovers all is not what it seems on the Big Island of Hawaii. But will she figure out the truth before she becomes the next victim?
Meet the author
DK Coutant graduated from Davidson College with a Psychology degree, and applied her behavioral training at Sea World, training dolphins and whales. Realizing that scrubbing fish buckets might get old, she went back to school and earned a Ph.D. in Psychology. Her academic career began at the University of Southern Maine before DK made the jump to the University of Hawaii at Hilo rising to Department Chair of the Psychology Department. After many happy years in Hawaii, DK made the move out of academics to become a professional geopolitical forecaster for GJP, Inc (goodjudgment.com) and INFER (infer-pub.com). Evil Alice and the Borzoi is her first work of fiction published by The Wild Rose Press.
All comments are welcomed.
Giveaway: DK is giving away Cleo’s favorite mug to one lucky commenter. To enter, please leave a comment below and tell us what’s your favorite place to relax. One entry per person and the giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only. Giveaway ends March 8, 2023. Good luck everyone!
This book sounds so good! My favorite place to relax is my bedroom…I love to read in bed.
Thanks! I’m a read-in-bed person too!
DK Coutant is a new author to me, but I want to thank this blog for the introduction.
I look forward to reading this book. The Borzoi is my favorite dog.
I’m new to a lot of people, this is my first mystery. Thanks for giving me a chance, and a big thanks to Dru for hosting me. Borzoi’s are gorgeous, aren’t they?
This sounds like a great new setting – I’ve never read anything set in Hawaii and I’m really looking forward to it. Congrats on your debut mystery!
Thank you! I lived on the Big Island of Hawaii for 16 years and it is truly a magical place. I hope Evil Alice and the Borzoi does it justice:)
Sounds like a great setting.
I lived in Hilo, HI for 16 years, it IS a great setting:) I hope I do it justice in the book!
My favorite place to relax is in my bedroom.
I love to curl up with my dog and read in bed:)
My favorite place to relax is in my comfy chair by the window in the living room.
You can’t beat a comfy chair by a window, can you:)
This book sounds really good. I love Hawaii and dogs. My favorite place to relax is my very own basement. I have a comfy reading chair and all my books and my dogs.
Sounds lovely, books, dogs, and a comfy chair! I will looking for a set-up like that this afternoon:) Haha!
My favorite place to relax is in the pool— floating in my chair and reading a book!
Aaaa, sound wonderful. Although it would a bit chilly for me to do that today where I am. And I don’t have a pool:) But I’ll live vicariously through the image you described.
Wow, Cousin. You have many talents…Gotta get and read the book.
Haha! Imagine meeting You here:) Thanks for the support!
Great Intro to Cleo!! Looking forward to getting to know her better. My favorite place to relax is my bedroom. I love to read in bed. Now it is time for me to buy your book! Thanks for the chance to win this mug.
Thank you! I love to curl up in bed and read too, especially when it is cold! I hope you enjoy the book! Thanks so much for supporting my debu!
It is when life is sailing along that we are in the most danger, wouldn’t you agree? There’s something about the speed and the euphoria. We just instinctively seem to know they can’t last.
Yes, I agree. The thrill of a stiff breeze in a sail, or skiing down a mountain are invigorating. But we need our quiet moments of relaxation to ground us and keep us going over the edge. Thanks for that insightful comment:)
My favorite place to relax is my recliner, with a cold drink in my cupholder and a good book.
Yay for comfy chairs and recliners. It sounds like you have a great set-up:) Thanks for commenting!
It sounds like a really interesting book. My favorite place to relax is in bed with a good book.
Thanks! You are not alone:) In this informal poll (haha) reading in bed and reading in a comfy chair are pretty much tied. Thanks for commenting.
I love to relax in my recliner with a book and cup of coffee!
Thanks for commenting. I enjoy a cup of coffee with my book reading, too. And with my writing, and my emailing, and walking my dog….. LOL!
**** WINNER ****
Evil Alice mug is Diana Hardt
Congratulations!