It had to be mud. Mud—gooey, sticky, oozing mud. Mud squished in the soles of my cute pink kicks that had turned the color of chocolate. Come to think of it, I could go for a pound or two of dark chocolate about now. Instead I huffed and puffed my way up the hill past the haunted old Army hospital and toward the creepy little old lady’s house.
I had no one other than myself to blame. It was entirely my idea to sign-up for my first mud run, aptly named Mud, Sweat and Beers. This is Portland, Oregon after all. You can’t go more than a block without bumping into a pub or artisan coffee shop. Or, worse a team of hipsters. Portland had become a mecca for twenty-somethings, like myself, who were drawn to the city’s laidback vibe, abundant outdoor adventure opportunities, craft beer, and coffee. Unlike me, many of Portland’s newest transplants weren’t interested in building their careers. They were much more focused on hitting the slopes or heading to the coast to catch some killer waves.
I was a serious journalist with a bona fide job writing for Northwest Extreme, one of the country’s leading outdoor magazines. Sure, maybe I wasn’t the most athletic member of our small team, and maybe I wore a tad too much pink, but every time I saw my byline with the words: Meg Reed, reporter, on the magazine’s glossy pages I had to smile. I was living the dream.
Of course at the moment all I could dream about was a double mocha with extra whipping cream. I had to pick up the pace and beat my training mates back to the showers. Let’s just say that I might have taken a bit of a shortcut. It wasn’t cheating. I had been tagging along on the grueling pre-dawn training runs for the past week as an observant journalist, not for the actual workouts. My trainer, Billy the Tank, didn’t see it that way. He pushed me as hard—if not harder—than everyone else. I could almost hear his booming voice and blaring whistle in my head as I hurdled over a waist-high fence and made a beeline for the grassy hill that led to the barracks.
Mud runs had been touted as “fun runs” but in my humble opinion there was nothing fun about slogging through thick, smelly mud, running in wet shoes, and trying to clamber up and over a variety of excruciating obstacles. Where was the fun in that? I’d call my training sessions nothing short of punishment. People actually paid to be tortured like this, I thought as I slid down the wet grass slope.
Fort Vancouver’s historic barracks were in sight. I was almost out of the woods. If all went according to plan I could drown the slimy mud coating every inch of my body in a scalding hot shower and hit the nearest coffee shop before any of my teammates realized I was missing. However not much in my world ends up according to plan. Mud was about to be the least of my worries. I was soon to be in thick of a murder investigation.
First Degree Mudder is the fourth book in the Pacific Northwest mystery series, published by Kensington, November 2016.
When a mud marathon champion bites the dust, Meg Reed has to go the distance to make sure a killer comes clean . . .
Back home in Portland, Oregon, Meg is ready to take her career as an outdoor writer for Extreme magazine to the next level. Lesser journalists sling mud—Meg plans to run through it. To train hard for Mud, Sweat & Beers, an extreme 5K mud run, she’s signed on with the Mind Over Mudder team, run by ten-time mud marathon champ—and former drill sergeant—Billy the Tank. But when Meg finds her tenacious trainer dead in the locker room, she has a sinking feeling someone may have been pushed too far. Digging through the hidden secrets at Mind Over Mudder is a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it. Meg will have to tread carefully, though—or she may soon be running for her life . . .
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About the author
Kate Dyer-Seeley writes the Pacific Northwest Mystery Series for Kensington Publishing, featuring a young journalist, Meg Reed, who bills herself as an intrepid adventurer in order to land a gig writing for Northwest Extreme. Only Meg’s idea of sport is climbing onto the couch without spilling her latte.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and son, where you can find her hitting the trail, at an artisan coffee shop, or at her favorite pub. Better yet—at all three. Connect with Kate at katedyerseeley.com, on Twitter and on Facebook.
All comments are welcomed.
Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win a print copy of First Degree Mudder. US entries only, please. The giveaway ends December 2, 2016 at 11:59 AM EST. Good luck everyone!
This sounds great. I love the beginning line about mud. Lol!
Jody, what’s not to love about mud? Ha!
You had me with mentioned chocolate 😃 sounfs like a awesome book to read ! Thank you not a chance to win 😃
Lynne, Meg is a HUGE chocolate fan! Not unlike me 😉
This is a new author to me. Thanks for offering this giveaway!
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Linda, Dru’s blog is the best for connecting authors and readers!
Hello Dru, I have read the whole Pacific Nortwest series, the description of the lands in these books have me wanting to visit this beautiful area. Have a great day, Maureen
Maureen, that makes my day! So glad you’ve been enjoying Meg’s adventures. And, YES you have to come visit!
Love the title. Training for a marathon and looking for a killer is quite a plot scenario.
Dianne, I signed up for a mud run to research this book. It was a fun, muddy mess!
I’ve seen this book featured in several blogs. Looks good!
I hope you’ll give it a try!
Tough Mudders are or can be brutal…not for me either! But reading about them is fine.
Gram, I’m with you! Cozy up on the couch and sympathize with those poor runners out in the mud 😉
Love to read this delightful cozy. Thanks.
Yay, you’ll have to let me know what you think, Elaina.
What a unique setting for a mystery. I’ve seen some of these runs and know they are brutal and take real endurance. Thanks for including this book on your blog.
Yes, they are so brutal! People actually pay to scale walls and crawl through the mud.
Can’t say that mud running has any appeal to me. Heck, no running is appealing!
Elizabeth, then you’ll love Meg! You can kick back on the couch with a latte and hunk of chocolate.
This sounds like a great series to try. Thanks for a chance to win a copy.
I love getting to write about the PNW and such a young character. I hope you enjoy it!
I absolutely love this series and would love to win this book. Thank you so much for the chance to do so Dru.
Aw, shucks, Brian! So happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed the series. I have the best time writing Meg. Sometimes as I’m writing I think, “Why are you doing that?” and then I think yeah, of course she would do that 😉
First Degree Mudder sounds great. Thank you for introducing me to another “new-to-me” author and series, Dru Ann.
Peggy, three cheers to Dru Ann for connecting books and readers!
Sounds like a great read.
🙂
So I guess that reading this book could be a dirty job? Okay, toss my name into the magic hat Dru. I’ll take a run at it. LOL
LOL! Well played. Yes, a very dirty job, and I’m super impressed that you’re going to take a run at it 😉 I think you need a new job–punny titles!
Sounds great. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
Good luck, Mary!
I agree with the protagonist mud was not meant to be run through. She sounds like an interesting character.
Exactly! Meg is a bit like Bridget Jones in the wild!
An interesting venue to say the least…. I would love to read it.
So true, it’s not the typical cozy venue, but I hope you’ll give it a try.
Sounds like a fun read.
<3
I can’t wait to devour this series! I absolutely love her writing and the worlds she creates for us to escape into. Being an Oregonian may add to that a little but I’m not totally admitting that though. 😉
Amanda, you are too kind. And I’m pretty sure you might be slightly biased about our gorgeous part of the world 😉 Thanks for always cheering on my work! XO!
First Degree Mudder sounds like a great book. It was fun hearing about Meg’s training and I would enjoy reading more about Portland and the Mud, Sweat and Beers run. They have something like that here in Colorado called the Tough Mudders — and from Meg’s description, you have to be pretty tough. Thanks so much for the giveaway!
Thanks, Celia! I can’t imagine doing a Tough Mudder in Colorado. Think of the elevation! That adds an entirely new challenge. Happy reading!
Love this series & everything this author writes. Kate Dyer-Seeley is the reason I joined Fb & met all my friends & favorite authors in the Cozy Mystery World. I loved the first book in this series & emailed my comments to her & she replied & told me where to find her & her books. The rest has been paradise! LOL
Doward, this is the best. The absolute best. I always say that books bring us together and you’re proving that’s true. XO!
I’ve been looking forward to this release for quite some time. I have no doubt it will be as good as the others in the series! Thanks Dru Ann and Kate! I will make sure I review when I finish it!
Thanks, Bec! I would so appreciate you sharing your thoughts after you finish it. All my best!
Mud and sweat are plenty icky, but add all that exertion and it sounds like a dirty deal, but it would be great to read about it from a nice, clean and dry chair. Looking forward to reading this book!
Nancy, that sounds like a good plan. A comfy couch and a hot mug of something sweet. Happy reading!
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and miss it so much. Being able to visit there in these charming mysteries is just wonderful.
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Hopefully reading the series will feel like home. I’m sure you’ll recognize many locations!
I love this series and look forward to seeing how Meg & her cute pink sneakers survives the mudder.
Thanks, Grace! Of course she has to wear her cute pink kicks. Who cares about a little mud when you have pink gear?
A mud run, a dirty job. Thanks for the chance Dru Ann and Kate.
“First Degree Mudder” sounds like a great read. I would enjoy reading about the Pacific Northwest.
Love the series. Hopefully, I will win First Degree Mudder (love the title). Thanks for the chance.
Would love to see how things turn out for Meg. Sooner. Rather than later. Thanks for the chance to do so.
I would love to read a mystery taking place in the Northwest, a favorite place of mine to travel. This is a new series to me, and I’d read “First Degree Mudder”.
Sounds like a perfect read. Thanks for the chance!