Pride and Puncture

Head Rock Harbor Mystery, Book 3

By: Chase Connor

Narrated by: Nick Trengove

Pride has come to Head Rock Harbor, and along with it, tons of tourists. Under the guidance and leadership of the town’s favorite bookstore owner, Jackson Harper, everyone is getting ready. The first ever Pride weekend will be full of events, food, and, of course, a parade. Even though he has plenty on his plate, Jackson is (begrudgingly) happy to spearhead the historic event for his hometown. If all the older folks in town weren’t fussing about the influx of out-of-towners, everything would be perfect.

As if being overwhelmed by tourists isn’t enough, some people in town are grumbling about the new couple who bought Ona Evans’ old place to renovate. To make matters worse, they’ve also purchased The Downtown Theater to renovate, rebranding it “Harbor Stage.” Jackson can’t find time to worry too much over everyone’s opinions about progress since he is also making some changes to Head Rock Harbor Books. He also owes a certain forensic tech a date and has a high-strung, arrogant gay author coming to speak at his bookstore during Pride weekend. Rattlesnatches is making everything difficult with his new obsession of knocking books off shelves in the store.

Right as things are ramping up for Pride, a body is found under an umbrella on the sandbar by The Dock restaurant. Deeply unsettled by the circumstances of the killing and the appearance of the body, Jackson isn’t so sure that going forward with Pride is the best course of action. But the mayor and police chief won’t hear anything about cancelling the event. However, when it becomes clear that the killer has one more victim in mind, Jackson becomes concerned for his safety.

Is there anyone in Head Rock Harbor he can truly trust?

©2025 Chase COnnor (P)2025 Chase Connor

Thoroughly Enjoying This Series!

I'm thoroughly enjoying this series! Was thrilled to see that a third volume was out. The narration was excellent, and the author is really building up a world with fun characters and interesting plot twists. Looking forward to another book in the series!

All about me (or is it, I)

The first book in the series was fresh and different from most "about gay me" current fiction. In the beginning book, the "all about me" aspect of the bookstore owner/detective helped set the story. It was a pleasant change from the gay fiction theme which was usially about gay sex. The second book in the series was even more about the main character. It revealed him to be a prudish gay man seeing everything around him in a narrow self-centered way. It may have been tolerable if the main character was 15 or 16. Though by the end of the 2nd book, his character became more narrow and shallow, I used a free credit to get the 3rd book. I did not get through the entire book because every paragraph was so filled with 'me' and 'I' that the rest of the story was incidental to his describing, in detail what he ate for breakfast or how everything was really about him and how he saw it. As a psychologist, the story became a tiring reveal of narcissistic pathology.