On the Run & Stranded by Lorena McCourtney

On the Run is book three and Stranded is book 4 of McCourtney’s Ivy Malone Mysteries. To date, there are 4 books in their series. I have read them all and loved them all. I am hoping the series hasn’t ended. It was difficult to tell from book 4 and there were definitely some loose ends still flapping in the wind.

On the Run finds Ivy tooling around in an old dilapidated RV with her cat, Koop. Still running from the Braxtons (who are still determined to silence Ivy for good), she finds herself in the small town of Dulcy, Oklahoma. While there, Ivy picks up a new friend and traveling companion, Abilene, who has her own reason for being on the run, and to know surprise she stumbles across 2 dead bodies. Once again, Ivy’s sleuthing skills come in handy as she and Abilene poked around in the Northcutt’s lives and find a large motive for murder.

In Stranded, Abilene is still traveling with Ivy and as the title indicates, they get stranded… in Hello, Colorado. Ivy and Abilene find a bit of peace there and find that they fit in with the locals. With the RV out of commission and no money for repairs, they hunker down for a bit and find jobs and a place to stay…. a home with a sordid past… a very recent sordid past… a murder and their landlady is the prime suspect. Ivy is determined Kelly had nothing to do with her uncle’s murder and sets off to find out who did.

Both books are wonderful… so much fun to read. Ivy is a hoot and the characters she meets along the road are rich and colorful… not flat cardboard cut outs. This is must read series for mystery lovers, but you definitely need to start with book 1 and read them in order! Warning: you will be hooked!