Old Habits Die Hard
Meddling and murder can both be deadly sins
When retired nun and teacher Sister Bernadette returns with her fellow residents to The Abbey: Senior Living, she is the first to discover the body sprawled in the hallway of the converted school where she once taught English and now lives. Instead of freezing with horror, Sister Bernie has questions. Lots of them. Why does Toni Travi, the bedazzled and bejeweled resident from apartment 218, have so much chest hair? Did anyone at The Abbey know Toni was a man? Was Toni’s death related to allegations that she cheated at cards? Where’s the murder weapon? Who had motive? And did someone kill Toni, or the man hiding beneath the Revlon foundation and blonde wig?
Detective AJ Lewis is in charge of the investigation though Sister Bernie acts as if he is still her student. With unholy stubbornness, she dogs his every step, eavesdrops, sneaks beyond the police tape and offers unsolicited conjecture and clues. He wants to keep her safe, but she’s determined to lend a helping hand—it’s her habit, after all!
More info →Home Is Where the Body Is
The coastal Oregon town of Rainbow Falls might be sleepy, but it’s definitely not innocent…
When graphic designer and true crime fan Annie Abbott agrees to house sit her parents’ home for a year, she’s convinced that even though the small town has ten coffee shops, nothing exciting will happen. But that’s before a seemingly feral cat gives birth in her garage, prompting a call to the very handsome, very single town vet. It’s a dream meet-cute, but just as their romance blooms, Annie discovers the bloody body of her grumpy neighbor. And despite the fact that she passes out at the sight of blood, the police suspect her.
To clear her name, Annie will need to put her years of watching police procedurals and reading mysteries to good use. She’ll also need to rely on her new friends who have welcomed her to Rainbow Falls, but is one of them the killer?
More info →Player Elimination
She loves to play games, but not when it comes to murder.
Wren Winters is a businesswoman on a mission, juggling an alumni event for a rising game designer while keeping her late husband’s retail store alive. With RSVPs pouring in and her cranky landlord threatening to bulldoze her shop for high-rise apartments, Wren’s plate is full—but she’s no stranger to overcoming challenges. From economic slumps to vandalism and vicious online rumors, Wren has always found a way to persevere.
But nothing could prepare her for what she finds one fateful morning: her landlord murdered, her store turned into a crime scene, her only employee under suspicion (and hiding something), and a missing piece from an unreleased game.
Now, with her store’s future hanging by a thread and the stakes higher than ever, Wren must channel her puzzle-solving skills like never before. Can she and her friends follow the clues, clear her employee’s name, and crack the case before it’s game over?
More info →Panic in the Panhandle
This is no ordinary wild animal removal call…
In the sleepy panhandle of Florida, Benjamin “Elmo” Simpson has carved out a comfortable niche as the go-to wild animal removal specialist. Life is sweet until a peculiar service request takes him to a local condo and an unexpected scene. Retired lawyer Fran Cohen is missing and in his apartment is a well-fed alligator that appears to have enjoyed a nice breakfast with…or rather, of…Fran.
All evidence points toward murder, and local alligator farmer, Waldo “Rambo” Quigley has the motive and the means. When Rambo pleads for help to clear his name, old debts and a history of friendship leave Elmo no choice but to investigate. With his girlfriend, Nicola, by his side, and Rambo’s freedom on the line, Elmo’s on the hunt for the real killer, but don’t panic…Elmo’s got a plan…sort of. Maybe.
Reptilian clues lead to unexpected allies, and the call of danger is addictive. Can Elmo uncover the identity of Fran’s killer before becoming the next victim, removed from the scene like an unwanted pest?
“Paradise Springs has got it going on! This book has Tiger King-meets-The Glades all over, and mystery lovers are in for a wild ride.” Sarah E. Burr, author of The Book Blogger Mysteries.
More info →A Bittersweet Murder
Everyone knows everyone in small town Airlie Falls, so where could the killer be hiding?
For one brief hour on a sunny Texas morning, amateur baker Rosie Hart glimpses the life she’s always dreamed about—thanks to a surprise inheritance from the late Miss Alice. But her benefactor is barely cold in the ground when Rosie is accused of her murder.
As the only stranger in the tight-knit Airlie Falls community, and the only person with an obvious motive, all eyes turn to Rosie. Especially when more bodies begin to pile up and mysterious letters from the grave start circulating faster than Rosie can pull a tray of cherry nut clusters out of the oven.
When Rosie begins to suspect the murders have links to a sixty-year-old suspicious death on the very property she’s just inherited, town locals become uneasy. But how can Rosie prove the two are related—and prove her innocence—before the killer strikes again?
More info →Scents And A Suspect
When Nikki Knight returns to her childhood stomping grounds in Frog Hollow Georgia, she realizes life has become nuttier than the pecan muffins at her late grandmother’s haunted B&B. But the only ghost in the Moonlight Mansion is the previous lady of the house, still roaming the halls in her afterlife.
Not ten steps into town, Nikki finds herself with a furry new companion. An abandoned royal dachshund who just might carry the secret to his past owner’s untimely demise. But when Nikki is seen snooping around at one too many crime scenes, the local officer becomes suspicious and begins popping up where she least expects him.
Now, she needs to find out what happened ASAP and protect Prince Dasher Dangerdog Bean from falling into the wrong—and deadly—hands.
Can Nikki and her royal dachshund solve the case? Or will they end up roaming the Moonlight Mansion with her grandmother?
More info →Mixing Up Murder
Murder wasn’t supposed to be on the menu at the Little Dog Diner, but that’s exactly what we got served anyway.
Hi, I’m Dani Mackenzie and I’m the unfortunate soul who owns said diner. Looks like business is going to be slow for a little while as the whole town scrambles to find whodunnit.
At first I just needed something to keep me busy while on my forced vacation, but now as the clues stack up, I’m caught in the middle of this crazy mixed-up murder. And I’ll do anything to get to the bottom of what really happened and why it happened in my kitchen.
Too bad the only known witness to the crime is the victim’s terrier, Pip, and no one believes she bludgeoned her owner to death. But if not her… then who? And, perhaps more importantly, who’s next?
More info →Claws of Justice
I’m Sunny Shaw, and regardless of what my name might suggest, my world has become rather dim as of late.
With a bankrupt business to save, homeless kittens that need rescuing, and a new business partner distracting me with every glance, there seems to be a disaster waiting at every turn.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, a murder literally lands on my doorstep—or at least the corpse does. Now I’m struggling to figure out which problem to solve first!
My business partner seems to want to share more than our lease, but I have to take that step very slowly. Of course, I can’t in good conscience leave the kittens to wander the streets. Then again no business means no money.
Decisions. Decisions.
More info →