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Floodgates (Faye Longchamp Archaeological Mysteries #5)
By Mary Anna Evans. 2009
"Pick it up, but only if you can afford to lose a night's sleep, because you won't be able to…
put it down." —Steve Martini, author of the Paul Madriani novelsSeveral years have passed since we last saw stunning, savvy attorney Rachel Gold. Now she is a mother, a widow, and a reluctant participant in a lost cause: the Frankenstein Case. She represents a blue-collar neighborhood fighting a developer intent on bulldozing their homes to erect a gated community. Rachel's strategy will be based on the wacky judge on the case, known to the St. Louis Bar as "The Flinch Factor."Then Rachel gains a new client: Susannah, sister of Nick Moran, local heartthrob. Nick has been murdered, found slumped on the front seat of his pickup along an isolated lane known as Gay Way. His female groupies are, to say the least, stunned. His sister smells foul play. A skeptical Rachel agrees to check it out and turns up facts suggesting that Nick's death was not an accident. Are Nick's death and her Frankenstein case somehow related? Can Rachel uncover the truth before more lives are lost?Morgue Mama: The Cross Kisses Back (Morgue Mama Mysteries #1)
By C. R. Corwin. 2003
She was 1932 Broadway's newest sensation. Then she was murdered.Three years after the Crash that ushered in the Great Depression,…
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and playwright Edna Ferber finds herself a guest at Noël Coward's lavish birthday party. The British wit, enjoying the Christmas holiday season in New York and bracing for a trip to Cleveland in the new year, has filled his room with rich, famous folks whose lives continue in stark contrast to those being lived out in the city's streets and poorer neighborhoods.Edna is haunted by the dark landscape of Manhattan outside Coward's elegant rooms: the snake-like breadlines, the shanty village in Central Park, the gaunt apple sellers in threadbare suits on freezing sidewalks. She has yet to be introduced to the Automat where a few cents are the difference between nourishment and starvation.Among those who've kept fortune intact is Dougie Maddox, the financially astute but socially naïve only son of a Fifth Avenue dynasty. His widowed mother, known as Lady Maud, has kept the thirty-five-year-old on a short leash, but Dougie has crossed paths with Belinda Ross, the new Broadway songbird. He's mesmerized by her, a woman flagrantly courted by other men. But Belinda seems besotted by Dougie. Gossip flourishes—she has a shadowy past and a producer brother anxious to break onto the Great White Way.When Belinda is found strangled late one night in a Times Square Automat, jealous, hot-tempered Dougie is the prime suspect. But Noël, who had befriended him, and Edna, who likes him, team up to clear Dougie's name. Their investigation inevitably takes them deep into Belinda's circle and her past.As the crowds in Time Square ready for a half-hearted New Year's celebration, are Noël and Edna watching the last act of a New York Othello, or is there some other killer-maybe more than one-afoot on the icy pavements of New York City?Primitive Secrets: A Storm Kayama Mystery (Storm Kayama Series #1)
By Deborah Turrell Atkinson. 2002
One beautiful Hawaiian morning Storm Kayama walks into her lucrative Honolulu law office to find her adopted uncle, Miles Hamasaki,…
at his desk, stiff and cold. Years before, Miles had fulfilled a promise to Storm's father to raise Storm with his own family. But now questions emerge about Hamasaki's death and her adopted family, and Storm's suspicions rise.Heading to the Big Island for a weekend away from escalating pressures, Storm narrowly escapes a terrible accident. Later, with her "aunt" Maile, a traditional Hawaiian healer, and Keone, a paniolo on the huge Parker Ranch, Storm encounters a legend from her youth and a family totem, or 'aumakua, which they say will protect her. Or will it? As Storm struggles to heal wounds from her childhood and bring justice to Hamasaki's killer, she also must come to grips with rifts in her life and culture.The Otter of Death (Gunn Zoo Series #5)
By Betty Webb. 2018
"While examining some timely social issues, Webb also delivers lots of edifying information on the animal kingdom in an entry…
sure to please fans and newcomers alike." —Publishers WeeklyWhile taking the yearly "otter count" at a marsh near Gunn Landing Harbor, California, zookeeper Theodora Bentley sees Maureen, her favorite otter, swimming around clutching someone's expensive smartphone. When Teddy rescues the device, she discovers a photograph of a murder-in-progress. A hasty search soon turns up the still-warm body of Stuart Booth, PhD, a local Marine Biology instructor.Booth was a notorious sexual harasser of young female students, so the list of suspects is long enough to make Teddy wonder if the crime will ever be solved. But when her friend, Lila, one of Booth's original accusers, is arrested and charged with his murder, Teddy begins to investigate. This creates considerable tension with Teddy's fiancé, Sheriff Joe Rejas. He believes the ever-inquisitive zookeeper might be putting her own life at risk, and so orders her to butt out.Concerned for her accused friend, Teddy ignores Joe's ultimatum. She questions not only members of Gunn Landing's moneyed social elite, but also the other side of the financial spectrum—the financially strapped young women willing to do almost anything to pay for their college tuition. Alarmed by Teddy's meddling, Booth's killer fights back—first with a death threat, then via gunshot.In this fifth Gunn Zoo Mystery, Teddy is torn between living a peaceful life on her Monterey Bay houseboat with her three-legged dog DJ Bonz, or moving inland to marry Joe, who comes with kids and a mother who has her own mysterious agenda. The choice is scary for Teddy—who has barely been managing her own many-times-married mother, and her imperious employer, Aster Edwina Gunn, overlord of the famed Gunn Zoo. Teddy's life is further complicated by a wayward snow monkey named Kabuki, taunter of teenage boys. The zookeeper's dedication to her charges—including the anteater, the koala, the llama, and Magnus, the polar bear cub from Iceland (met in Teddy's last adventure, The Puffin of Death), never falters in a cleverly plotted series rich in characters and in animal lore.Gunn Zoo series:The Anteater of Death (Book 1)The Koala of Death (Book 2)The Llama of Death (Book 3)The Puffin of Death (Book 4)The Otter of Death (Book 5)Praise for the Gunn Zoo series:"'High Society meets Zoo Quest.' I've always been a sucker for zoos, so I also relished the animal details in this highly enjoyable read." —RHYS BOWEN, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author"Webb skillfully keeps the reader guessing right to the dramatic conclusion." —Publishers Weekly for The Puffin of Death"Teddy's second case showcases an engaging array of quirky characters, human and animal." —Kirkus Reviews for The Koala of DeathRituals: A Faye Longchamp Mystery (Faye Longchamp Archaeological Mysteries #8)
By Mary Anna Evans. 2013
"A suspenseful crime story with just a hint of something otherworldly." —BooklistFaye Longchamp doesn't believe in ghosts, but she's an…
archaeologist—dead people are her life. While working in Rosebower, a rural New York town founded by Spiritualists, Faye is surrounded by people who talk to the dead on a regular basis. So when influential Spiritualist Tilda Armistead invites Faye and her daughter to commune with the dead, she can't say no. An hour after Tilda's crystal ball shows Faye things no rational mind can explain, Tilda is dead. The evidence says someone trapped Tilda in a small room, nailing its one door shut before setting her house afire. There is no possible way for her to have escaped the blaze, let alone drive for miles before finding Faye and dying in her arms. Yet Tilda did. How? And why?Anywhere else, these people would be dismissed as crazy. But in Rosebower, "normal" is relative. As Faye watches psychics and charlatans jockey for power, Tilda's sister, Myrna, is slowly dying. Will Rosebower reveal its secrets before more goes up in flames?Mute Witness (Anne Cartier Mysteries)
By Charles O'Brien. 2001
It's February in the Hudson Valley and Oak Falls veterinarian Dr. Kate is once again up to her galoshes in…
corpsesHudson Valley winters can be brutal…and deadly! Dr. Kate is once again on the case (not to mention thin ice) after discovering a young engaged couple frozen to death in the lake. To make matters worse, her temporary receptionist appears to have overdosed from a recreational sedative used at the animal hospital. Kate barely has time to dread Valentine's Day (and the fact that she's alone on this holiday, once again) as the police investigation shows that all three fatalities are in fact homicides. But who would want the young couple dead, just as they were embarking on a new life together? And who pumped the temp employee full of enough animal tranquilizers to drop an ox? Kate doesn't know where to begin until she stumbles upon a connection between the three victims and decides she needs to investigate further. But will her investigation leave her any time to get to know the handsome large animal vet she's just met on a house call? And is the injured wild crow she's taken under her wing in fact an omen of more bad things to come?Saddled with Murder (Dr. Kate Vet Mysteries #1)
By Eileen Brady. 2020
First in a new vet books mystery series, perfect for fans of cozy mysteries by Miranda James and Leann Sweeney!Veterinarian…
and amateur sleuth Kate Turner has her hands full trying to juggle two boyfriends, a thriving practice, and a criminal investigationIt's the Christmas season and veterinarian Kate Turner is not feeling very jolly. She's overworked, unappreciated, and dealing with two dissatisfied clients. Throw in a very complicated personal life and Kate's definitely got a case of the holiday blues.To make matters worse, Kate's ex-boyfriend, Jeremy, is mugged and robbed after they have a heated argument in the hospital parking lot. Then, two of her dissatisfied clients turn up dead (which really gets Kate's tinsel in a tangle). All of these events seem like coincidences, but they add up to something much more venomous.Saddled with Murder is a cozy holiday mystery from beloved author Eileen Brady that explores the fragility and resiliency of animals and humans whose trust has been broken, and will keep animal-loving readers riveted until the last page.Different Paths (Stella Crown Series #0)
By Judy Clemens. 2008
"A sprightly tale and a surprising ending, along with Clemens's trademark quirky characters."—Kirkus ReviewsWhen dairy farmer Stella Crown's friend, veterinarian…
Carla Beaumont, is car-jacked it's just the first of a rash of vicious attacks on local business women. Then three more women—a truck driver, a minister, and a personal trainer—are targeted for vandalism and theft. But the community is shaken to the core when the kind-hearted Dr. Peterson is found murdered in her office.Worried that she and her farmhand Lucy might be next in line, Stella makes it her job to find the connection between the victims, get the good Detective Willard to stop the violence, and track down the killer.Meanwhile, Stella's boyfriend Nick insists on joining her on the farm. Will he, with his newly diagnosed MS, be able to protect her? Does she even want him to?As she investigates, Stella finds much that doesn't seem right in her usually quiet town. Between her suspicions of steroids at the local gym, irate patients at the doctor's office, and Carla's brand-new boyfriend, Stella's not sure where to focus her attentions. But focus she must—or more women will die."In this entertaining, sexy debut, Allie is a sharp Stephanie Plum paired up with a hot partner... The original voice,…
humor, and unusual premise will appeal to Janet Evanovich readers." —Library Journal STARRED reviewLonely and broke, Cleveland divorce-survivor Allie Harper believes all her problems would be solved if she could find a nice, smart, hot guy and enough money to get her car fixed.The hot guy arrives first: he's in a crosswalk clutching a bag of groceries while a blonde in a Hummer is leaning hard on her horn, sending the man's groceries and white cane flying. How has this woman missed the fact that the man is blind? From the curb, an outraged Allie jumps to his rescue, rebagging the groceries as well.The money is in the bag. Literally—Thomas Bennington III, for that's who the handsome guy proves to be, has bought a MondoMegaJackpot ticket along with canned tomatoes. Allie takes him home and turns his groceries into dinner for two. Later that night, Tom hears the numbers announced. He's won. And he's less than thrilled. PhD Tom had gambled on the odds of losing (175 million to one) to prove a point to Rune, a kid from the projects he's befriended, that only losers buy lottery tickets. Instead, Rune, who'd helped pick the Mondo numbers, will share Tom's jackpot.Allie and Tom grasp two things: one, they're hot for each other, and two, the ticket is a hot target, and now so are they. Every scheming weasel in Cleveland will be after Tom's millions. $550 of them. Yes, once the Mondo ball drops, it's game on with killers and kidnappers as players.Allie and Tom need to get smarter about the threats all around them. On the run from one fancy hotel refuge to another and from one danger moment to the next, with only Allie's feisty landlady, Margo, and a couple of Cleveland cops for back-up, Allie and Tom evolve a strategy. First, turn in the ticket and claim the jackpot. Second, set up accounts to manage the millions. Third, stay alive to the end of the week...if they can.Too Lucky to Live debuts a talented writer in Annie Hogsett and a couple in Allie and Tom, a modern Nick and Nora Charles, who can power a compelling, amusing series with an excellent future.Somebody's Bound to Wind Up Dead series:Too Lucky to Live (Book 1)Murder to the Metal (Book 2)The Devil's Own Game (Book 3)Praise for Annie Hogsett:"Fast pacing, multiple plot twists, and humor, including a Stephanie Plum-like main character, enliven the story and keep the pages turning." —Booklist for Too Lucky to Live"The bittersweet mystery, with the open-ended threat of a villainous mastermind, is reminiscent of P.J. Tracy's early 'Monkeewrench' novels." —Library Journal for Murder to the MetalCatacombs (Faye Longchamp Archaeological Mysteries #12)
By Mary Anna Evans. 2019
What secrets lie deep beneath the surface?A deafening explosion rocks a historic Oklahoma City hotel, sending archaeologist Faye Longchamp-Mantooth crashing…
to the marble floor of the lobby. She's unhurt but shaken—after all, any time something blows up in Oklahoma City, the first word on everyone's lips is the same: bomb.Faye is in town for a conference celebrating indigenous arts, but is soon distracted by the aftermath of the explosion, which cracks open the old hotel's floor to reveal subterranean chambers that had housed Chinese immigrants a century before. Faye is fascinated by the tunnels, which are a time capsule back to the early 20th century—but when the bodies of three children are discovered deep beneath the city, her sense of discovery turns to one of dread…Desert Noir (Lena Jones Series #1)
By Betty Webb. 2001
With an introduction by Betty Webb.At the age of four, Lena Jones was found lying unconscious by the side of…
an Arizona Highway, a bullet robbing her of any memories. Now a private detective and scarred survivor of a dozen foster homes, Lena has vowed to find the truth about her childhood.But Lena's quest is interrupted when her friend, art dealer Clarice Kobe, is beaten to death in her Western Heart Art Gallery on Scottsdale's Main Street. Lena and her Pima Indian partner Jimmy Sisiwan first suspect Clarice's abusive husband, but their investigation soon reveals that domestic violence was far from the only problem in the dead woman's life.For all her money and beauty, Clarice had far more enemies than friends. Among them are a fiery Apache artist whose graphic work she once banned from her gallery and the daughter of an elderly Hispanic woman whose death was directly attributable to the gallery owner's greed. And Clarice's land developer parents are oddly untroubled by their daughter's murder.Lena's search for the killer brings violence back into her own life but does it bring her closer to solving her own personal mystery?Leave Tomorrow Behind: A Stella Crown Mystery (Stella Crown Series #6)
By Judy Clemens. 2014
"Clemens will win new readers with this multifaceted crime caper, which makes the most of the 4-H setting"—BooklistTattooed, hard-working, and…
often crabby dairy farmer and biker Stella Crown is hot—because it's summer and because she has plenty of things to raise her temperature: a nagging sister-in-law, her fiancé Nick's illness, and a bank account in the red. But when a local country star turns up dead at the county fair where Stella's teenage employee Zach is an exhibitor things turn from hot to ugly.Stella had only seen the victim from a distance. But since Stella was the one to dig her out from her deathbed in the calf barn's manure pile, the cops are on her like flies on…well…honey. Why on earth would Stella want to kill a young singer she'd never spoken to?Sick to death of annoying cops and entertainment folks, Stella figures the only way to get her life back is to aim law enforcement in the right direction. If that means having to endure a manicure with her soon-to-be-sister-in-law at the dead singer's favorite salon or stopping by the recording studio to check out the talent Stella figures there could be worse things. Can't a simple farm girl just get married in peace?"To the usual delightfully quirky characters, lovingly detailed descriptions of food and surprising mystery, Greenwood adds several appended medieval recipes."…
—Kirkus ReviewsCorinna Chapman, talented baker and reluctant investigator, is trying to do nothing at all on her holiday. Her gorgeous Daniel is only intermittently at her side (he's tracking down a multi-thousand dollar corporate theft). Jason, her baking offsider, has gone off to learn how to surf. And Kylie and Goss are fulfilling their lives' ambition auditioning for a soapie. But quiet reflection doesn't seem to suit Corinna. She's bored. So she accepts an offer from a caterer friend to bake for the film set of the soapie in which Kylie and Goss have parts. Soon complications that could only happen to Corinna ensue, involving cakes, sabotage, nursery rhymes, and a tiger named Tabitha.Meanwhile, on the other side of town, a young woman is being unmercifully bullied by her corporate employers—who spend a lot of time cooking the books....Desert Rage: A Lena Jones Mystery (Lena Jones Series #8)
By Betty Webb. 2014
With an introduction by Betty Webb.At the age of four, Lena Jones was found lying unconscious by the side of…
an Arizona Highway, a bullet robbing her of any memories. Now a private detective and scarred survivor of a dozen foster homes, Lena has vowed to find the truth about her childhood.But Lena's quest is interrupted when her friend, art dealer Clarice Kobe, is beaten to death in her Western Heart Art Gallery on Scottsdale's Main Street. Lena and her Pima Indian partner Jimmy Sisiwan first suspect Clarice's abusive husband, but their investigation soon reveals that domestic violence was far from the only problem in the dead woman's life.For all her money and beauty, Clarice had far more enemies than friends. Among them are a fiery Apache artist whose graphic work she once banned from her gallery and the daughter of an elderly Hispanic woman whose death was directly attributable to the gallery owner's greed. And Clarice's land developer parents are oddly untroubled by their daughter's murder.Lena's search for the killer brings violence back into her own life but does it bring her closer to solving her own personal mystery?A Little Learning: A Madeline Maclin Mystery (Madeline Maclin Series #3)
By Jane Tesh. 2009
Former beauty queen and fledgling private investigator Madeline Maclin has married her best friend, Jerry Fairweather, and settled into his…
old house in the small town of Celosia, North Carolina. Jerry seems to have given up his cons and schemes but not his phony séances.Then Amelia Lever, an unpopular teacher at Celosia Elementary School, dies mysteriously. Convinced hers is not a natural death, Maddy starts to investigate.And then comes Maddy's next case. Nathan Fenton hires her to help solve a riddle left to him by his Uncle Elijah, a man who loved to play games. The riddle says: "From west to east the river flows, from ancient times the sparrow flies. Trust animals that live in packs, and listen where the portrait lies." Could the teacher's death and this mysterious riddle be somehow related?Till the Cows Come Home: A Stella Crown Mystery (Stella Crown Series #1)
By Judy Clemens. 2005
"She's smart. She's tough. She's sexy. She's a dairy farmer?"—BooklistStella Crown works hard and loves her life. She runs her…
own Pennsylvania dairy farm with the trusted help of longtime farmhand Howie who stuck with her after her parents died. She rides her Harley on the weekends, and has just enough friends to suit her fiercely independent nature.But on her 29th birthday, things start to change. A local child dies from a strange and threatening illness, a string of mysterious disasters place Stella and her farm in peril, and her childhood friend Abe shows up with a new woman on his arm. It seems like bad luck run amok, but when her livestock begins turning up dead, Stella knows that something, or someone, is out to get her.Agatha and Anthony Award Nominee for Best First NovelTo Thine Own Self Be True (Stella Crown Series)
By Judy Clemens. 2006
"An armchair travelers delight"—Publishers WeeklyOne dead art collector and a gallery of suspects. This romantic weekend just turned deadly…Translator Rick…
Montoya is looking forward to a quiet weekend away with his girlfriend, Betta, an art fraud investigator for the Italian Culture Ministry. Their destination: the beautiful village of Urbino, home to Renaissance masters Rafael and the lesser-known Piero della Francesca. While Betta does have official business to attend to—namely, collecting a priceless Piero drawing from a wealthy Spanish collector on the ministry's behalf—she asks Rick to join her "in case she needs an interpreter," but with other, less-official intentions in mind.When the Spaniard is found murdered and the drawing stolen, Betta must shift back into art cop mode, and Rick's official services are required after all. As they set out to discover the identity of the killer and the whereabouts of the stolen sketch, they are drawn from Urbino's cobbled streets to eastern Tuscany and back as the list of suspects grows longer—and more dangerous. Will this lovers' getaway literally be to die for?This captivating crime fiction novel is perfect for armchair travel, transporting you right to Italy with vivid descriptions of the scenery, food, and wine. To Die in Tuscany is sure to delight those interested in international crime mysteries, police procedurals, and fans of art and the Renaissance period will appreciate learning more about Raphael and Piero della Francesca.Also in the Rick Montoya Italian Mysteries:Cold Tuscan StoneDeath in the DolomitesMurder Most UnfortunateReturn to UmbriaA Funeral in MantovaRoman Count DownMesozoic Murder (Ansel Phoenix Mysteries #1)
By Christine Gentry. 2003
"Gentry's appealing heroine, who gets ample opportunity to display her resourcefulness and fortitude, and the intriguing milieu in which she…
operates, should ensure both a warm reception and a speedy encore."—Publishers WeeklyAnsel Phoenix draws dinosaurs for magazines, books, and museum displays. But one morning, digging with students out in the field, she unearths the body of colleague and ex-lover Nick Capos. Shocked and grieved over the murder, and not trusting the Big Toe police who've an axe to grind with her father, Ansel decides to investigate what Capos had been doing during the last few months of his life. She soon suspects he was working on a secret, possibly illegal project worth killing for. Her list of possible suspects grows by the hour as someone starts stalking her across the Montana landscape—a master predator who will stop at nothing. Why is Nick's fossil collection missing and why had he developed a recent interest in Baltic amber?Ansel must also deal with the challenges of her own half-Anglo, half-Blackfoot heritage; with her ranching family and the changes threatening their rural community; and with more than one Mesozoic mystery....But Remember Their Names: A Cynthia Jakubek Legal Thriller (Cynthia Jakubek Legal Thrillers #0)
By Hillary Bell Locke. 2011
There's one corpse too many in a Pittsburgh museum's life-size diorama of the Battle of Lexington, 1775. The extra body…
is that of philanthropist and art connoisseur T. Colfax Bradshaw. But why? Maybe he knew too much about the biggest art heist in history.When their daughter Caitlin seeks legal advice, newly minted lawyer Cynthia Jakubek finds herself representing the teen. Jakubek aches to jump from Main Street to Wall Street but is stuck interning for ace Pittsburgh attorney Luis Mendoza while she waits for her future New York employer to recover from the Great Recession. Or for her fiancé to finish his post-modern novel....Protecting Caitlin will take Jakubek from a ghetto church in Pittsburgh to a confessional at St. Patrick's Cathedral to the opulent Manhattan office. Along the way she'll meet people who carry guns on the job and she'll pick up a broken nose and a broken heart for her trouble....The Wrong Hill to Die On (Alafair Tucker Mysteries #6)
By Donis Casey. 2012
"Alafair Tucker deserves to stand beside Ma Joad in literature's gallery of heroic ladies." —TONY HILLERMAN, New York Times bestselling…
author1916: Alafair Tucker had not wanted to come to Arizona, but because of her young daughter Blanche's lung ailment, she and her husband Shaw bundled Blanche onto the train and made the nightmare trip from Oklahoma to Alafair's sister in Tempe, Arizona, hoping the dry desert air would help their daughter.As soon as they arrive, Blanche begins to improve, and Alafair is overjoyed to see her witty, beautiful sister Elizabeth again. For added excitement, a Hollywood motion picture company is shooting their movie right in Tempe.But Alafair and Shaw soon discover that all is not well. Elizabeth's marriage is in tatters; tensions are high between the Anglo and Latino communities following Pancho Villa's murderous raid on Columbus, New Mexico; and Alafair suspects her sister is involved in an illegal operation to smuggle war refugees out of Mexico and into the U.S.And now here there's Bernie Arruda, dead on his back in a ditch. The night before he had been singing Mexican love songs at the party in Elizabeth's backyard. Can Alafair connect all the pieces and discover a murderer before it is too late?