Killer Cocktail and Other Short Stories

by Steve Higgs

When you catch your husband in bed with your BFF, you clean out his bank accounts and jump on the first available cruise ship.

That's right, isn't it?

Patricia Fisher's unconventional response kick starts the adventure of a lifetime as she throws off the shroud of her unfulfilling marriage and discovers the woman she ought to be hiding beneath.

Invited to a party as a guest of a friend, Patricia realizes her mistake when she discovers all the other guests are 30 years her junior. But when the obnoxious online celebrity birthday girl drops dead in the middle of the event, Amateur sleuth Patricia has to swing into action.

Enjoy this and three more short stories from the many series of Steve Higgs in one place for the first time ever. Get a taste for his suspense-filled, yet hilarious writing as you taste all his characters in one title.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

138 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Let's start this off with an invitation to get some FREE books. No, you didn't read that wrong, we are talking about multiple free books. I love giving away free books because once people delve into the fast-paced mystery thrills I write, they go on to buy lots more.

All I need from you is an email address to send them to. Here's the link you need - https://mailchi.mp/fd47a6eb4ae5/patri...

When I wrote my first novel, Paranormal Nonsense, I was a Captain in the British Army. I would love to pretend that I had one of those careers that has to be redacted and in general denied by the government and that I have had to change my name and continually move about because I am still on the watch list in several countries. In truth though, I started out as a mechanic. Not like Jason Statham, sneaking about as a contract killer, more like one of those greasy gits that charge you a fortune and keep your car for a week when all you went in for was a squeaky door hinge.

At school, I was mostly disinterested in every subject except creative writing, for which, at age ten, I won my first award. However, calling it my first award suggests that there have been more, which there have not. Accolades may come but, in the meantime, I am having a ball writing mystery stories and crime thrillers and will claim to have more than a hundred books forming an unruly queue in my head as they clamor to get out.

Now retired from the military, I live in the south-east corner of England with a pair of lazy sausage dogs. Surrounded by rolling hills, brooding castles, and vineyards, I doubt I will ever leave, the beer is just too good.

Links:
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Steve-Higgs/...
Website: https://stevehiggsbooks.wordpress.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/stevehiggsau...

Reviews

[Sabine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short but entertaining read.

[Catherine Pratt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book but it seems like something g was missing and can't quite put my finger on it. I guess it's because this is the first Mystery that I had actually read. It's a fun read and it's fast paced in my opinion . I will have to give mysteries another try. I did like this book.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Killer Cocktail - a review by Rosemary Kenny

Patricia Fisher is a Jessica Fletcher-like character in Killer Cocktail, a cozy mystery novellette by Steve Higgs; wherever she goes,she's drawn into murder-mystery situations and seems to be able to find clues and identify the villain of the piece, better than the inept (and usually loath to admit they need help), local constabulary. 
This particular story takes place at a selfie-obsessed,YouTube vlogger sensation's,'celebrity z-lister' party, at which the star'herself becomes the victim of a poisoner, after rows with a would-be copycat vlogger and her PA/pal, shortly before her shocking and very public death. 
Was she the intended victim? What was found in her 'ex's' jacket pocket?
Why is the ice-cube important? Patty (and sidekick Barbie) are on the case! 
Get in on the action and get your copy today - you'll love Steve Higgs' Killer Cocktail for sure - it's a doozy of a mystery, you'll love to enjoy to the last 'drop'!

[Evelyn Grabas · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't a bad read. Of course, I found nothing humorous about it and wonder at the writer's definition of humorous. I also wondered about Patty's ability to discern the fact that Melanie was, in fact, the intended victim. It made for a good scenario, but a little far-fetched in her picking up the solution out of thin air.
Don't know if I will continue with this series as I like a little more meat in the circumstances that lead to a conclusion, rather than the solution coming from the ruminations of someone's mind without anything conclusive to substantiate the premise.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patricia Fisher is a middle-aged British woman on a cruise with her butler. When the boat docks and her much younger friend Barbie, an employee of the cruise line, invites her to a friend's birthday party, Patricia and butler come along. What they don't expect is for the party guests to be twenty-something celebutantes and internet influencers, or for the birthday girl to drop dead in the middle of her party.

A really good mystery. It was fun to see how Pattie works out the whodunnit with plain logic. I loved it!

[Jean Pilch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Killer Oops Cocktail

Just got around to reading this super short story. Loved it. Great characters. Storyline revolved around up to date selfie-crazed mania among the Hollywood Youtube/Instagram guru set. Patricia was appointed the voice of reason after the tragedy at the party. She and her friends Barbie & Jermaine, her butler aboard the Aurelia, solved the murder and were steps above the snarky, inept police.

And now onto Book 9, The Maltese Parrot, I can hardly wait,

[David Caldwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first story I have read in the series. I did not feel lost but it was obvious I did not have all of the backstory. The story was fairly short and had the problem of a lot of TV mysteries. Everything was a path that was easy for the amateur detective with no false leads or dead ends. A few red herrings would have made the story more compelling. But the story was fun and definitely worth checking out.

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and this is my honest review.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read and quick. Our onboard ship detective goes to a party with Barbie, The exercise guru onboard, and find themselves in the middle of a murder. Someone has murdered the hostess but was she the target? Hmmm. Maybe not. No matter, it is just a fun read with lots of twists and turns. You’ll get a kick out of it and it is only a couple of hours to finish. Enjoy and then continue with the next books in this delightful series.

[Wendy H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read, light but satisfying. The main characters were believable, the mystery trotted along and the plot developed briskly. Th wonky thing I found was the way one of the min characters used her looks to get information from people. This was perhaps a bit of a cliche but it did not detract from my enjoyment of the book as a whole

[Sedon Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very nice short mystery

This is a nice short mystery story for you to read while you wait for your doctor's appointment. The story is interesting, it engages your mind and gets you interested in learning more about the characters and their dynamics. I recommend this story. It's good, simple and well written. I enjoyed it, so will you.

[Avalon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patricia Fisher is on a cruise ship and accompanies a friend to a party when they dock. All the guests are much younger however so she thinks she'll just have to sit and wait it out until the birthday girl ends up dead after being slipped a poisonous cocktail. Patty has to race to find the killer and clear her friend's name. Fun short read thats a teaser for the Patricia Fisher series

[Marie Metzger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

I liked the fact that the characters were laid out nicely but I didn’t like that it seemed to jump from one person to another but not really toying them together tell the end. It

[Doty Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

read books in order. Great story, when the hostest with the mostest, is killed at her own party
and her assistant is arrested!??? it is Patricia, her butler and trainer stepping up to find who reallt done it-again to the rescue. nice twist turns, uncovering betrayal, and hidden motives.

[Cecile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy the Patricia Fisher mysteries! This one is 2.5 in the 1st series. My son bought the first box set, books 1-10, and this one is a side trip. Read books 1 & 2 first, now back to the rest of this series.

[Annie Feist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it

Good read. Happy that there was a conclusion. I would do more reviews of they did not have to be so long.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute mindless entertainment

[Mai · Rating 3 out of 5]

3+. Cute little short, decent mystery. Made me interested enough t I'll probably check out at least the first book of the series.

[Chris Blackton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series has potential if the author/editor/somebody would just please proof read it. I am a grammar gremlin and an inordinate amount of typos distracts me from the story.

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs Fisher goes to a Hollywood party. The party has lots of drama including a murder. Mrs Fisher and Barbie dig deep into social media to work out who the real murderer is.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action packed adventure. I loved this book.

[Graham Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun read that would play out perfectly on a TV mystery show!

[Sherry McWilliams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the story and the characters. A short read that is entertaining and interesting. The beginning of a great cozy mystery series.

[Donne · Rating 4 out of 5]

good, easy to read series when you are tired and just need a little fun.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little novella that adds to this series.

[L Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, but I’m not going to any parties with those three.

[Mary Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Preview short stories

These short stories give you a glimpse of the types of books Steve writes. Some are funny, some scary some just strange.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who killed Kristina and why??? What??? No kidding!!! Who would have ever guessed!!! I enjoyed the story and recommend the book.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Aurelia is docked in Los Angeles and Barbie takes Patty and Jermaine to a party given by a childhood friend who is now an "influencer".