The Mystery Section: Murder at Serengeti Plains by Pat Duggan

Murder at Serengeti Plains is the third mystery novel in the series, featuring amateur sleuths Hazel Davies and Anna Kohl. The earlier novels are Murder at Eagles Nest and Could They Be Twins?

The book is set in a new residential subdivision, Serengeti Plains, built by the renowned local builder, Zebra Homes. It is located in the peaceful, historic town of Centerville, Ohio. However, peace is shattered when the new residents are awakened one morning by the sound of police sirens. The procession of police cars, come to rest in their own neighborhood. A body has been discovered! Was it an accident or was it murder?

Hazel Davies and Anna Kohl have recently moved into this new subdivision. They have previously helped the police to solve murders in both Florida and Ohio, but they did not expect to find one on their own doorstep. When the police begin to look at their friend as the perpetrator, they find themselves drawn into yet another murder investigation.

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Excerpt

Detective Grant and Officer Kilgore found Noah and Luke in the next street which was a ‘hive’ of activity, with multiple homes in various stage of construction. Both were trying to focus on the job in hand, while clearly concerned about what was happening in the cul-de-sac. They had figured someone would come and talk to them when they were ready. Grant introduced himself and Officer Kilgore, then made a note of their names for his records.

Noah spoke up first and said, “I know you have been over at site 564. When I looked there seemed to be a body, but I am still hoping I was wrong. Surely, it cannot be true. I am hoping it was just a hoax, you know a dummy or something. Tell us what has actually happened?”

Detective Grant replied, “I am sorry to tell you, it is not a hoax. We found a body, buried in the gravel basement this morning. Louis Taylor discovered the hidden body when he and his crew were pouring the concrete for the basement floor. We are fortunate that it was discovered before they started pouring in the corner where it was hidden.”

Both Noah and Luke were clearly shocked by the news. Finally, Luke asked, “Do you know who it is? I mean is it a man or a woman? And what were they doing on a building site?”

Grant cleared his throat and answered, “Well, it is a man, probably in his late forties. Unfortunately, there was no identification on the body, so we are still working on an I.D. In fact, I am hoping you will be able to help me out on that matter. I have just received a photograph from the coroner’s office. I am afraid it is a little difficult to look at, but I would appreciate your help if you could just take a look.”

Guest Post

Which Character is Your Favorite and Why?

My favorite character is Noah. Hazel and Anna never did know his last name as he introduced himself only as Noah. He, along with Luke were the construction managers on the Zebra Homes building site. There job required infinite patience and considerable organizational skills. Between them, they were responsible for scheduling the variety of contractors on each new home site during construction. They had to ensure that everything was done in the appropriate order but with the minimum delay. Each home’s construction was subject to a tight schedule and nobody could afford to leave a property untouched for any period of time. All of this organization was in the hands of Noah and Luke. Obviously dealing with multiple contractors and each of their employees had the potential for arguments and complaints. Once again it was up to Noah and Luke to maintain calm and keep things moving.

In addition, these guys had to deal with daily inspections not only from various authorities but also from the new homeowners. Noah had a good relationship with Hazel and Anna while their home was under construction, and this continued after they moved into their new home. Although he had a busy workload, he always made time for Hazel as she invariably had questions about the finer points of house building when they met during their daily walk around the building site.

In his daily work life, Noah treated everyone with respect and was a strong, confident man. However, when Detective Grant basically accused him of murder, he was scared and visibly shaken. He knew the limits of his own capabilities and had no problem in seeking help from someone with skills outside his field of expertise. Noah quickly sought help from Hazel and Anna and placed himself in their hands.

About the Author

Originally from Manchester, England, Pat Duggan moved to the U.S. in 1985. After a career in finance, which included running her own book-keeping and tax business, in the Cincinnati area, Pat and her partner retired and moved to Oregon. Years later, they embarked on a five-year journey, traveling across the country in a motorhome.

Writing was a whole new direction for Pat, which began with two non-fiction books – The Power Within and Finding God in an RV. Then she branched into writing fiction as she turned to her love for solving murder mysteries and the challenge to figure out ‘whodunit!’

Sadly, their traveling days are over, but settling down has brought its own reward as it inspired this latest novel.

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