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Accessory to Murder (Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper #3)
By Elaine Viets. 2007
A secret shopper turns amateur sleuth when her best friend’s husband is accused of murder in this mystery by the…
Anthony and Agatha Award–winning author.Josie Marcus has an eye for the finer things in life. Unfortunately, her wallet can’t keep up—as a single mom and mystery shopper, she won’t be moving out of St. Louis’s suburbs anytime soon. Good thing her best friend, Alyce Bohannon, doesn’t mind sharing a taste of the high life in her posh gated community, Wood Winds. But the refined neighborhood turns ugly with gossip when Alyce’s neighbor, the well-heeled scarf designer Halley Hardwicke, is murdered.Talk is cheap . . . until the detectives begin questioning Alyce’s husband, Jake, about the crime. So Josie decides to do a little sleuthing of her own, going undercover to unravel the secrets of the cliquey Wood Winds wives. Hopefully she can clear Jake’s name and uncover the truth before the killer snags another victim.Lieutenant (Dirigent Mercenary Corps Ser. #2)
By Rick Shelley. 1998
The year is 2804 AD. Humanity has colonized the universe. But the authority of the Confederation of Human Worlds is…
spread thin. Where the Army of planet Earth cannot reach, mercenaries must keep the peace--and the Dirigent Mercenary Corps are the best of the best. Kicked out of the prestigious North American Military Academy, Lon Nolan had only a few choices left to him. He chose the hardest one: serving with the Dirigent Mercenary Corps, an elite fighting squad where respect is earned not in the classroom but on the battlefield.Nolan proved himself on the battlefield on Norbank. But now he’s commanding men of his own, and the stakes are higher. He’s going to learn sooner or later that leadership always comes with a cost...The Dirigent Mercenary Corps books are classics of military science fiction. Rick Shelley was himself a veteran of the U.S. Army, and his experience and knowledge shine through on every page.Fixing to Die (Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper #9)
By Elaine Viets. 2013
Mystery shopper Josie Marcus unlocks a DIY murder case when her new house’s “good bones” takes on multiple meanings…Josie’s been…
busy with a personal shopping project—scouring suburban St. Louis for a starter home for her and her newlywed husband, Dr. Ted Scottsmeyer. So she’s thrilled when Ted’s veterinary partner, Dr. Christine Cormac, hooks them up with a beautiful house, which her flaky sister, Rain, inexplicably abandoned months earlier. But before they’ve even picked out the paint, Josie and Ted discover Rain’s body beneath their backyard gazebo and Christine is immediately boxed up for murder.Now, Josie’s new home is a crime scene and Christine is headed for the big house…unless Josie steps in. Good thing she’s handy around a murder investigation, because she’ll need all her sleuthing skills to unpack the clues, flip the case, and nail the real killer.Shop Till You Drop (The Dead-End Job Mysteries #1)
By Elaine Viets. 2003
BIMBOS, BUSTIERS, AND BOTOX! MURDER MOST FASHIONABLE…Author Elaine Viets kicks off this funny and fresh cozy series—about a woman on…
the run from her ex—with a rollicking tale of crime and vanity in the shadow world of wannabe molls. When unlikely sleuth Helen Hawthorne flees St. Louis, she fetches up in Fort Lauderdale, suddenly surrounded by the beautiful and the Botoxed.They all shop at the same place—Juliana’s, the overpriced boutique where Helen works. And they’re all looking for a wealthy wise guy to take to the cleaners.It’s a dead-end job with no perks—but one that pays in cash. A little shady, but it beats leaving a paper trail. Turns out shady’s only the beginning.Juliana’s holds more secrets than a confessional, beginning with theft and drug sales, progressing to ever more ambitious scams, and inevitably, given the escalating level of crime, the murder of a felonious fashionista. The good news is there’s a reward—and Helen needs money. The bad is that she could die before she collects it.Readers will find Helen the perfect cozy protagonist—an ordinary woman squeezed by circumstance, feeling her way as she takes control of her life whatever way she has to do it, innocent yet growing savvier by the second. You root hard for her as she settles into the role of amateur detective because you just can’t help identifying with her and hoping you’d rise to the occasion as well. And you’ll laugh out loud at the sly way author Viets skewers the South Florida culture of vanity and money.Fans of everywoman heroines like those created by Joanna Campbell Slan, Donna Andrews, Joanne Fluke, CeeCee James, Jana DeLeon, and Janet Evanovich will fall in love with this plucky investigator. And they can settle in for a long and beautiful relationship. The best news is the series is fifteen books strong, and counting!Murder with All the Trimmings (Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper #4)
By Elaine Viets. 2008
‘Tis the season for sleuthing when secret shopper Josie Marcus’s ex falls victim to a festive fiend…Josie’s latest mystery shopper…
report won’t help business at Naughty or Nice, Maplewood’s raunchy year-round Christmas store. But she can’t worry about work when her ex-dealer, ex-convict, ex-boyfriend, Nate Weekler, just came home for the holidays, prepared to fight Josie for custody of their daughter. Josie wishes he’d catch the next sleigh out of town, but instead, Nate is poisoned…and suddenly Josie is a person of interest.With Nate’s criminal past, he’d never make Santa’s “Nice” column, but his own list of enemies also includes plenty of “Naughties” who might want him dead. Josie will need her team of little helpers to wrap up this case, before the killer commits another holiday homicide.Clubbed to Death (The Dead-End Job Mysteries #7)
By Elaine Viets. 2008
From Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author Elaine Viets—the thrilling mystery series about one woman trying to make a living... while…
other people are making a killing.The Superior Club is where Fort Lauderdale’s wealthiest—and snobbiest—come to play. But for Helen Hawthorne, it’s all work and no play. As a customer care clerk, it’s her job to cater to the clients’ every little whim and take care of their every little problem.But Helen has a very big problem of her own. After an acrimonious reunion with her ex-husband Rob, she ends up belting the bum in the mouth—which invites suspicion when Rob goes ominously missing. And when a club employee and a philandering member are found beaten to death with a golf club, the police assume Helen was the deadly duffer.With her freedom—and yet another job—on the line, Helen has no choice but to prove that someone else at the high-class club is a low-down killer…Final Sail (The Dead-End Job Mysteries #11)
By Elaine Viets. 2012
From Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author Elaine Viets—the thrilling mystery series about one woman trying to make a living... while…
other people are making a killing.As one half of Coronado Investigations in sunny Fort Lauderdale, Helen Hawthorne is working full time alongside her handsome hubby Phil. And after the surprising number of murders Helen helped solve while earning low pay on off the books jobs, anything else should be smooth sailing, right?Unfortunately, Helen’s unique work history also makes her a natural for undercover work—and in this case that means she’s going right back to scrubbing and cleaning while acting as a “yacht stewardess” to catch some smugglers. And even more annoying is the fact that Phil must stay on shore to figure out if a wealthy man has fallen victim to his gold-digging trophy wife.But after a member of the yacht crew disappears, Helen’s case quickly goes from simple smuggling to maritime murder. And if she doesn’t find out who pitched the man overboard, she might end up lost at sea herself…Just Murdered (The Dead-End Job Mysteries #4)
By Elaine Viets. 2005
From Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author Elaine Viets—the thrilling mystery series about one woman trying to make a living... while…
other people are making a killing.After all she’s endured with her own marriage, divorce, and subsequent flight from alimony, Helen Hawthorne getting a job at Millicent’s Bridal Salon is ironic in the extreme. But the pay is in cash and that’s what matters for Helen to stay incognito.But there’s no amount of cash worth having to deal with the abominable Kiki—a wealthy witch who’s lording it over her daughter’s wedding plans with the aim of making the day all about Kiki, not the bride. She also thinks her money makes her invulnerable…but she’s proven wrong when she’s found smothered to death with her daughter’s wedding dress. And worse, the cops seem to think Helen is responsible.Now, Helen has to keep her identity secret and prove her innocence before the bride and groom read their wedding vows—and the police read Helen her rights…Until Relieved (Lucky 13th #1)
By Rick Shelley. 1994
The first thrilling novel in Rick Shelley’s sci-fi military action trilogy following the exploits of The Lucky 13th—in which a…
simple diversionary tactic may well end in the death of every soldier in the outfit.Three thousand years ago, humanity expanded its presence by settling hundreds of worlds across the galaxy. Yet even as technology allowed them to boldly travel light years, the nature of humanity changed very little. Over time, countless regimes and governments rose and fell in a quest for power. In the end, only two remained—the industrial dictatorship of the Schlinal Hegemony, and the feudal-based Dogel Worlds. The last independent worlds of the Terran Cluster finally united as the Accord of Free Worlds—and fought back against the conquerors as no one had before.So, the war continues…When the Schlinal Hegemony goes on the offensive, the Accord decides to send their forces to several other planets to disperse the Hegemony forces. The planet Porter is where Sgt. Joe Baerclau and his 13th Spaceborne Assault Team are deployed. Unfortunately, what begins as a holding action soon becomes a brutal battle against a relentless foe. And it soon becomes clear that they only have three options left: keep the enemy at bay until backup arrives, hope the enemy decides to quit the fight in frustration, or be buried on Porter…Major (Dirigent Mercenary Corps #4)
By Rick Shelley. 1999
The year is 2804 AD. Humanity has colonized the universe. But the authority of the Confederation of Human Worlds is…
spread thin. Where the Army of planet Earth cannot reach, mercenaries must keep the peace--and the Dirigent Mercenary Corps are the best of the best.Lon Nolan is skyrocketing through the ranks of the DMC, proving time and again that he’s got what it takes to be one of the most elite fighters in the galaxy. But as his family grows, he grows less certain that the mercenary life is for him. With one kid at home and another on the way, he grows more reluctant to march off to battle.But when duty calls, he must answer. In Major, Nolan is off to the mining planet of Bancroft on a routine security mission. Of course, this is the DMC, so it won’t stay routine for long ...The Dirigent Mercenary Corps books are classics of military science fiction. Rick Shelley was himself a veteran of the U.S. Army, and his experience and knowledge shine through on every page.The Fashion Hound Murders (Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper #5)
By Elaine Viets. 2009
Mystery shopper Josie Marcus is on the hunt for a killer when a pet store employee mysteriously dies after blowing…
the whistle on possible puppy mill connections…Josie’s latest assignment is one for the dogs—literally! Pets 4 Luv, a national pet store chain, has hired Josie to mystery shop its St. Louis suburban locations and she discovers possible puppy mill suppliers. When an employee tipster is killed in a suspicious hit-and-run, Josie’s job suddenly gets a lot hairier.Posh pets are a million dollar business for puppy mills; even so, Josie is staggered to think that her sniffing around led to an innocent woman’s murder and may have put her own life at risk. But she’s not ready to tuck her tail and run just yet. Using every bit of her secret shopper savvy, Josie must follow the designer dog trail to expose the illegal breeders, shutter the puppy mills, and finally collar the vicious killer on the loose.Officer-Cadet (Dirigent Mercenary Corps #1)
By Rick Shelley. 1998
The year is 2804 AD. Humanity has colonized the universe. But the authority of the Confederation of Human Worlds is…
spread thin. Where the Army of planet Earth cannot reach, mercenaries must keep the peace--and the Dirigent Mercenary Corps are the best of the best.Lon Nolan wasn’t supposed to be serving with the DMC. He’d earned his place at the elite North American Military Academy, and he’d excelled there. But when he’s kicked out of the Academy on trumped-up charges, he’s left with no choice: join the DMC or go home.So join he does, going from top of his class to bottom rung in the DMC. To become an officer, he’ll have to survive his first taste of combat with his new army, and if he fails, he won’t lose just his honor, but his life.The Dirigent Mercenary Corps books are classics of military science fiction. Rick Shelley was himself a veteran of the U.S. Army, and his experience and knowledge shine through on every page.High Heels Are Murder (Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper #2)
By Elaine Viets. 2006
Secret shopper Josie Marcus checks out an exclusive shop where the shoes are to die for in this cozy mystery…
by the Anthony and Agatha award–winning author.Josie’s boss just assigned her a coveted gig—mystery shopping at Soft Shoe, one of the hottest boutiques in St. Louis. But trying on their exclusive designer footwear isn’t the treat Josie expected thanks to Mel Poulaine, Soft Shoe’s top seller. His hands-on fascination with feet goes far beyond professional interest. Josie’s scathing report kills Mel’s career . . . and later that night, someone kills Mel.Josie is determined to stay out of it. But when her neighbor’s daughter, Cheryl Malmy, becomes a suspect, Josie decides to investigate. It turns out “Perfect Cheryl” has more than a few dirty secrets in her closet, drawing Josie deeper into the seedy suburban underbelly. But can she trip up a killer who always seems to be one step ahead?Murder Unleashed (The Dead-End Job Mysteries #5)
By Elaine Viets. 2006
From Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author Elaine Viets—the thrilling mystery series about one woman trying to make a living... while…
other people are making a killing.At the Pampered Pet Boutique in Fort Lauderdale, the dogs are treated better than the people—a fact not lost on Helen Hawthorne, who is working at the fabulous and furry canine salon where the wealthy dog owners need a muzzle more than their beloved pets.And while some things shouldn’t happen to a dog, they do happen to humans—as Helen discovers when she drives out to the lavish home of Tammie Grimsby to deliver a freshly fluffed Yorkie, only to find Tammie stabbed to death with a pair of grooming scissors. In a panic, Helen speeds out of there—but she doesn’t report the murder, lest her own criminal past come to light.But that doesn’t mean she can’t look into the stabbing on the sly. As Helen sniffs around both the boutique and a growing list of pure breed suspects, she knows that her bark will have to be worse than her bite if she’s going to put the collar on a killer…Murder Between the Covers (The Dead-End Job Mysteries #2)
By Elaine Viets. 2003
From Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author Elaine Viets—the thrilling mystery series about one woman trying to make a living... while…
other people are making a killing.Helen Hawthorne is still on the run because of her refusal to pay her worthless ex-husband alimony. But a girl’s gotta eat…and pay rent, utilities, etc. So she’s taken a cash-paying job at Fort Lauderdale’s own Page Turners bookstore. And while the job is decent enough, the owner of the store is anything but.Page Turner III is a boor with more money than brains: he’s cheating on his wife while running his family business into the ground and has a list of enemies longer than any bestseller. So when he turns up dead, no one is too surprised. What is surprising is where—in the bed of Helen’s glamorous gal pal Peggy, whose usual bedmates are more cultured, refined…and still breathing.Worse still, it turns out that Peggy once had a tryst with the late Mr. Turner that ended quite badly, with a scorned Peggy promising the lothario payback—and someone is making it look like she finally collected. With Peggy as the prime suspect in a murder, it’s up to Helen to prove her friend innocent before the police throw the book at her…Killer Cuts (The Dead-End Job Mysteries #8)
By Elaine Viets. 2009
From Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author Elaine Viets—the thrilling mystery series about one woman trying to make a living... while…
other people are making a killing.Miguel Angel’s chic salon is where Fort Lauderdale’s high society hairdos get done. Even though Helen Hawthorne is just a gofer at the upscale salon, she has to admit the fabulous Miguel Angel is a master at the craft of coif.But with great heads of hair come great headaches. Especially when Miguel Angel and Helen try to prepare the pregnant fiancée of Kingman "King" Oden for her nuptials. King is a bloated, loudmouth bully with a gossip blog, a TV show, and a lousy attitude. When King tries to throw his weight around the shop, Miguel Angel delivers a vicious dressing down—along with a killer threat.Unfortunately, that’s why Miguel Angel is named the prime suspect when King's body is found drowned in a pool at his own wedding. Helen knows her boss might have a temper, but murder? That’s just not his style.So it’s up to Helen to find out which of King's countless enemies wanted to give him a final, fatal rinse…Murder with Reservations (The Dead-End Job Mysteries #6)
By Elaine Viets. 2007
From Anthony and Agatha Award-winning author Elaine Viets—the thrilling mystery series about one woman trying to make a living... while…
other people are making a killing.Still on the run from the long arm of the law, Helen Hawthorne has found employment as a maid at Fort Lauderdale’s Full Moon Hotel, picking up after clueless tourists and keeping her head down.But staying discreet gets a bit more difficult when Helen opens the hotel Dumpster and discovers the dead body of a fellow hotel employee. Then, a hotel guest is murdered in the shower, and Helen’s no-good ex-husband Rob arrives in town in search of the money the court said he deserves.With the police already suspicious, and her friends frantically trying to keep Rob off her trail, Helen knows the only way clean up the mess is to find the killer. But if she’s not careful, the killer just might find her first…An Uplifting Murder: Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper (Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper #6)
By Elaine Viets. 2010
St. Louis mystery shopper Josie Marcus discovers the world of luxury lingerie has more than one secret after her high…
school teacher is accused of suffocating a former classmate...When Desiree Lingerie hires Josie, she’s delighted to find her high school teacher, Mrs. Hayes, is now a manager at the chain. Less thrilling is the mini-reunion with her mean girl nemesis, Frankie Martin. But after Frankie is killed just steps from the shop—and her beloved ex-teacher is identified as a prime suspect—Josie gets hooked into another murder investigation.Mrs. Hayes is spilling over with motives—years ago, Frankie destroyed her career. Unfortunately, her alibi is pretty skimpy. So, with only her secret shopper smarts and a bit of amateur sleuthing experience to support her, Josie must strip away the lies in order to bust the real killer before anyone else becomes tangled up in this case.Death on a Platter: Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper (Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper #7)
By Elaine Viets. 2011
Mystery shopper Josie Marcus digs into another meaty murder investigation when a local restaurant owner is charged with picking off…
a problem customer…Josie is getting a taste of St. Louis’s foodie scene—Travel America Guided Tours just hired her to test area restaurants for an upcoming package. Their list includes Tillie’s Off the Hill, a classic Italian joint owned by Tillie Minnelli, a former classmate of Josie’s mother. It should be a pretty sweet gig, but the assignment quickly turns sour when an unruly customer dies after eating Tillie’s special sauce.While detectives move to put Tillie on ice for murder, Josie’s mom implores Josie to whip up another amateur investigation. The case has more secret ingredients than anyone anticipated: a jilted lover, a greedy real estate developer, and even a disgruntled employee. But there’s no time for Josie to savor all the possibilities, she must skewer the culinary killer before someone else is served a final course.Before mystery shopper Josie Marcus can say “I do” she must solve a matrimonial murder to keep her in-law from…
becoming an inmate...As a bride-to-be, Josie’s latest assignment is a gift—mystery shopping flower and cake vendors for a popular St. Louis wedding website. She even meets another bride, Molly Deaver, at the local florist. Turns out, Josie and Molly have a lot in common, including the groom! Molly has been stalking Dr. Ted for months, but after his high-maintenance mother, Lenore, confronts the faux fiancée, everyone believes Molly is history. Instead, she’s murdered and Ted’s pistol-packing mama is cuffed for the crime.While it’s tempting to leave her future mother-in-law behind bars, Josie knows she and Ted can’t get married until Lenore is freed. It’s up to Josie and her amateur sleuthing skills to unwrap this case, clear Lenore’s name, and unveil the real killer…or her wedding bells could soon become death knells.