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Mare's Nest
From the author of the Malone Mystery series comes a smart, sassy, sexy new P.I., T. J. O'Sullivan. Hailing originally from New Zealand, T. J. has the accent and attitude to go with it. When Los Angeles P.I. T. J. O'Sullivan is sent to Honolulu by her boss to track down a client's missing daughter, it seems like a simple missing person case. O'Sullivan is excited by the prospect of mixing a little business with some pleasure on the beaches of Waikiki. But the case turns out to be anything but routine. In fact, it becomes a regular mare's nest of extortion, betrayal, and murder.
- GenresMysteryMystery Thriller
172 pages, Paperback
Published April 9, 2018
162 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Larry Darter
66 books32 followersLarry Darter is an author and retired police officer who enjoys writing crime fiction, mysteries, and thrillers. He was born in Oklahoma and lived in Dallas, Texas for more than a dozen years.
He is a veteran of the United States Navy and also served for more than ten years as an infantry officer in the United States Army Reserve, leaving military service at the rank of captain.
Larry holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Larry’s first book, an Old West novel, The Highbenders, was published in 2011. He subsequently wrote and published several non-fiction books on diverse topics ranging from popular culture to personal finance. He is currently working on a crime fiction series set in Los Angeles, California.
Beyond writing, Larry’s other passions include spending time with his partner Suzanne, reading, watching baseball, running, and travel.
He is a veteran of the United States Navy and also served for more than ten years as an infantry officer in the United States Army Reserve, leaving military service at the rank of captain.
Larry holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Larry’s first book, an Old West novel, The Highbenders, was published in 2011. He subsequently wrote and published several non-fiction books on diverse topics ranging from popular culture to personal finance. He is currently working on a crime fiction series set in Los Angeles, California.
Beyond writing, Larry’s other passions include spending time with his partner Suzanne, reading, watching baseball, running, and travel.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 22, 2018
T.J O'Sullivan is an LA private investigator hired for a missing person case in Hawaii. As soon as she arrives things take a dramatic turn and suddenly she finds herself in a race to get a kidnapping victim back, as well as the ransom, all while fending off the lecherous advances of her client.
Darter has an easy writing style that suits the fast paced nature of thrillers. This was a short book compared to others, and the first three quarters of the book flew past in no time at all. The author has a good grasp of action sequences, and although the characters were a little cliched, they were well written and T.J in particular is a good mix of physically and mentally tough.
The author has given T.J a New Zealand background, and as a New Zealander myself it was fun to see the colloquialisms mixed throughout the book. However there were instances where it jarred and didn't fit with my image of the character.
There was a lull in the book in patches where the author seemed to be setting things up for future books rather than focusing on the story at hand, which was a little distracting, but overall I enjoyed the read.
Darter has an easy writing style that suits the fast paced nature of thrillers. This was a short book compared to others, and the first three quarters of the book flew past in no time at all. The author has a good grasp of action sequences, and although the characters were a little cliched, they were well written and T.J in particular is a good mix of physically and mentally tough.
The author has given T.J a New Zealand background, and as a New Zealander myself it was fun to see the colloquialisms mixed throughout the book. However there were instances where it jarred and didn't fit with my image of the character.
There was a lull in the book in patches where the author seemed to be setting things up for future books rather than focusing on the story at hand, which was a little distracting, but overall I enjoyed the read.
May 10, 2018
Hold on tight! Larry Darter’s new series starring private investigator T.J. O’Sullivan is a fast-paced and exciting ride with plenty of twists and turns along the way! T.J. is smart, tough, cheeky, highly skilled, and very self-confident. She’s definitely a gal to be reckoned with.
We first met T.J. when she helped Los Angeles PI Ben Malone on a case in Cold Comfort. Now Malone has sent her off on her own to Hawaii to try to find the missing daughter of a wealthy client. Immediately T.J. finds that the case is far more complicated than first described. Mare’s Nest is an idiom that refers to a deliberate hoax and that’s exactly what T.J. stumbles upon. Danger abounds, especially when T.J. discovers that she’s been set up to take the fall for murder.
I liked T.J. as a character a lot and I do hope author Darter will continue to bring us more T.J. Sullivan suspense thrillers. I especially liked the friendship she develops with a pilot named Jackie (every woman needs a real friend!) as well as a more romantic relationship with a police detective.
One issue that must be addressed: how much detail do we need to know about a protagonist in a suspense-thriller? We don’t want so much that the momentum is slowed down. But we don’t want so little information about the protagonist that the reader is left frustrated rather than intrigued. I would have been happy to have learned more about T.J.: why she ended up in L.A. instead of her native New Zealand, where she learned all those skills, and most of all, not just what she does, but also what she thinks and feels about the life she lives. Maybe future installments of the T.J. O’Sullivan series will fill in her picture.
We first met T.J. when she helped Los Angeles PI Ben Malone on a case in Cold Comfort. Now Malone has sent her off on her own to Hawaii to try to find the missing daughter of a wealthy client. Immediately T.J. finds that the case is far more complicated than first described. Mare’s Nest is an idiom that refers to a deliberate hoax and that’s exactly what T.J. stumbles upon. Danger abounds, especially when T.J. discovers that she’s been set up to take the fall for murder.
I liked T.J. as a character a lot and I do hope author Darter will continue to bring us more T.J. Sullivan suspense thrillers. I especially liked the friendship she develops with a pilot named Jackie (every woman needs a real friend!) as well as a more romantic relationship with a police detective.
One issue that must be addressed: how much detail do we need to know about a protagonist in a suspense-thriller? We don’t want so much that the momentum is slowed down. But we don’t want so little information about the protagonist that the reader is left frustrated rather than intrigued. I would have been happy to have learned more about T.J.: why she ended up in L.A. instead of her native New Zealand, where she learned all those skills, and most of all, not just what she does, but also what she thinks and feels about the life she lives. Maybe future installments of the T.J. O’Sullivan series will fill in her picture.
October 27, 2024
Decent story
Quite a good story this one. I really enjoyed the writing easy writing that enables the story to flow. Some interesting characters.
Quite a good story this one. I really enjoyed the writing easy writing that enables the story to flow. Some interesting characters.
December 13, 2018
Mare's Nest - a review by Rosemary Kenny
A mare's nest is a hopeless mix-up or hoax - sometimes caused deliberately to lead another into a dead end, where they will become frustrated and confused...and this is the state of affairs in Honolulu, when private eye TJ O'Sullivan is sent there to investigate the whereabouts of a client's supposedly missing daughter.
The mare's nest TJ finds herself in is a deadly one - her rich client's been murdered and she's in the frame for it!
Who's the malign mastermind whose machinations have run TJ into a cul-de-sac with seemingly no way out? Can she prove her innocence?
Did TJ get too close to the truth for somebody's liking - and is this frame-up meant to frighten her off the case?
Where is the missing girl and what part in her disappearance do the client's other children play? How can TJ discover and expose the real killers before she's arrested - or worse?
Larry Darter displays his usual imaginatory skill and Mare's Nest is a thriller you'll remember for a long time to come...grab your copy today!
A mare's nest is a hopeless mix-up or hoax - sometimes caused deliberately to lead another into a dead end, where they will become frustrated and confused...and this is the state of affairs in Honolulu, when private eye TJ O'Sullivan is sent there to investigate the whereabouts of a client's supposedly missing daughter.
The mare's nest TJ finds herself in is a deadly one - her rich client's been murdered and she's in the frame for it!
Who's the malign mastermind whose machinations have run TJ into a cul-de-sac with seemingly no way out? Can she prove her innocence?
Did TJ get too close to the truth for somebody's liking - and is this frame-up meant to frighten her off the case?
Where is the missing girl and what part in her disappearance do the client's other children play? How can TJ discover and expose the real killers before she's arrested - or worse?
Larry Darter displays his usual imaginatory skill and Mare's Nest is a thriller you'll remember for a long time to come...grab your copy today!
September 25, 2018
I can honestly say that I enjoyed this book considering it is the first book in a running series. To me first books in series books are basically ho hum but his book was an excellent read. The characters were developed but of course there will be a lot more to them. The story actually made sense and didn't jump around as some first books do. It was an even flow. I don't usually give 5 star ratings to books but this one did deserve it. If you're looking for a easy fast paced book pick this up and read. I am looking forward to read more on T.J. and her adventures.
December 31, 2019
2.5 stars. Mare's Nest was just an okay read for me. The dialog was a bit awkward in my opinion. And there were a lot of spots in the book where it lacked the spark that could have made it better. The plot was interesting. I think it was just that the story telling lacked feeling. We were told rather than showed.
I also wasn't a huge fan of the ending. I felt like T.J. justified her actions too many times.
It was just an okay read for me, definitely not one that I couldn't put down, however, I did finish it so it wasn't horrible. I will not be reading any more of this series though.
I also wasn't a huge fan of the ending. I felt like T.J. justified her actions too many times.
It was just an okay read for me, definitely not one that I couldn't put down, however, I did finish it so it wasn't horrible. I will not be reading any more of this series though.
January 31, 2020
Good read
Great characters and a decent premise made for a fun resd. Anybody who enjoys cop and PI stories will want to keep turning the pages. Some of the details were a bit unbelievable and predictable, but I was still interested.
Great characters and a decent premise made for a fun resd. Anybody who enjoys cop and PI stories will want to keep turning the pages. Some of the details were a bit unbelievable and predictable, but I was still interested.
Read
August 30, 2025Very good read. Entertained from beginning to end.
If you like detective novels you will enjoy this one. The characters are real along with story line. Like I said its a good read from end to end.
If you like detective novels you will enjoy this one. The characters are real along with story line. Like I said its a good read from end to end.
Read
September 27, 2019Need a better editor
The story was good. But, it was difficult for me to get past all the spelling and punctuation errors. Sorry.
The story was good. But, it was difficult for me to get past all the spelling and punctuation errors. Sorry.
February 24, 2020
Yessssss
What a fun , fast moving and keep you guessing read ! Can't wait to read the next one ! I love all the characters thanks Larry darter!
What a fun , fast moving and keep you guessing read ! Can't wait to read the next one ! I love all the characters thanks Larry darter!
June 20, 2023
Not exciting
The last few chapters should have been done in one epilogue. Didn't captivate. A lot of fluff. I skipped about 30%.
The last few chapters should have been done in one epilogue. Didn't captivate. A lot of fluff. I skipped about 30%.
April 1, 2026
Story had great continuity
Story moved at an easy pace but always had action or suspense involved. I'll follow this author as he writes from knowledge.
Story moved at an easy pace but always had action or suspense involved. I'll follow this author as he writes from knowledge.
April 16, 2026
PI
Quite enjoyed the read,thank you for your service keeping us all safe!and now entertaining us with wonderful stories.Keep on writing☺
Quite enjoyed the read,thank you for your service keeping us all safe!and now entertaining us with wonderful stories.Keep on writing☺
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews