Romantic Mystery

Featured Book: Image of Deceit by Jill Shannon

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Bygie Hudson’s isolated life as an artist was perfect… except for her husband. Her seclusion is shattered when the police arrive to tell her there has been an accident. The man she’d been married to for fifteen years, and considered divorcing for fourteen, is dead… and they believe she may be behind it.

As she fights to clear her name, she learns her husband has been selling far more than cars through their successful dealership, and the corruption is linked to a prominent judge… with tentacles reaching straight into San Diego PD. The deadly fallout puts her life in jeopardy.

When a witness disappears, and the threat of a reporter on the hunt for headlines is removed, lead Detective Tom Hall is told to walk away from the case. But the widow is an enigma. Unwilling to let go, he risks what’s left of his stalled career by following leads on his own time. He refuses to let Bygie walk away until he uncovers the truth.

Sometimes, you just can’t see crazy… even when it’s staring you in the face.

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Slow Dancing by Suzanne Jenkins

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After midnight, a mysterious stranger appears at the edge of the woods and the peaceful life fifteen-year-old Ellen has with her beloved stepfather Frank is turned upside down. Small town gossip, jealousy and murder strive to tear them apart in a tale of secrets and unrequited love. Clues to the outcome hide throughout the book!

“This stand alone story is fabulous. It was a little nostalgia for me. The setting and all the drama surrounding a woman who’s car breaks down in a small town when she takes a wrong turn. There is love, a mystery and a lot of emotions.” Amazon reviewer

Targeted Age Group:: 16 and older

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
A recurring idea to follow the course of a young girl in a healthy relationship with her stepfather was my inspiration. The relationship between the mother and a friend was inspired by Norah Lofts book Lovers All Untrue which is pretty dark. The mother is at the mercy of her friend and because of her situation isn’t able to circumvent the relationship. The daughter, Ellen, figures out what’s happening on her own, and the knowledge guides her to the end.

Gift Guide: Passion is a Harsh Taskmaster by Randy C. Finch

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Targeted Age Group:: 18 and older
Category: Romantic Mystery

About Passion is a Harsh Taskmaster:
Tom Shallot III, a skeptic of all things supernatural, awakening in bed with Carla, a new employee. He has cheated on his wife; something he swore he would never do. Upon internal deliberation and a frank discussion with Carla, Tom decides he must confess to his wife, who is a Christian, and beg her forgiveness. However, a visit from an elderly man from the future makes Tom question his skeptical worldview. The elderly gentleman convinces him he is about to do the wrong thing. In a total turnabout, Tom confesses his sin to his wife but asks for a divorce rather than forgiveness. Over time, additional visits from the elderly man cause Tom to change the path he is on. When he finally discovers the nature of the visits from the elderly man, Tom realizes that the lives of people close to him may be in jeopardy unless he and Carla combine forces and share information. The two thus begin a journey together that requires the correct interpretation of cryptic clues. Lives hang in the balance.

SOPHIA by Nigel Cooper

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A story of love, loss, and mania

Sometimes your state of mind has a dark side…

SOPHIA: 22-YEAR OLD CONCERT CELLIST, SOON TO BE ENGAGED, A PERFECT BOYFRIEND, A PERFECT FAMILY, A PERFECT LIFE

But Sophia’s picture-perfect life is about to take a drastic turn for the worse. After the tragic untimely death of her beloved boyfriend, Spencer, something happens to her – something dark.

After a period of post-traumatic stress, Sophia develops a severe personality disorder. Gone is the gracious upper middle class girl. In her place stands a dysfunctional young woman on a frenetic path of self-destruction and mayhem.
Sophia’s world starts to fall apart. Something dark has got a grip on her mind and it refuses to let go. Her psychologist has never seen a case quite like it and is at a total loss. Sophia has recoiled into a dangerous and sinister place in her mind, but now it’s spilling out into the real world with a vengeance.
She proceeds to tear her family apart, alienate her friends and destroy her career; soon there will be nothing left.
Can her new best friend, Delphine, save her before it’s too late?

Targeted Age Group:: 16 upwards

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
My ex career as a concert pianist

Mediums Guild by Lee Fishman @leefishman1

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Real estate agent Margo Fellshur can’t catch a break in a slow housing market. With her teen-age daughter dreaming of high end colleges, hopes of financial stability grow dimmer by the minute. For extra cash, the single mother works weekends as a psychic, reading cards at parties – and she’s good at it. Too bad she can’t resolve her own issues.

As a kid, Margo took her intuitive ability for granted. Couldn’t everyone see auras and hear the thoughts of their friends? Discovering tarot cards helped Margo focus, creating more faith in her “second sight”.

A chance encounter connects Margo with Greg, a pilot whose brush with death leaves him shaken. They click and he asks for her help in finding his sister and her friend, who disappeared months before. Margo recruits fellow psychics but they come up short until a dream changes everything.

Targeted Age Group:: Adult readers

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
It was a story that wouldn’t go away. Some scenes in my novel, Mediums Guild are based on real life happenings. Years back, I found myself working part-time with a group of psychics. At parties and fund raisers, we shared our intuitive knowledge through tarot and palm readings. Several incidents occurred within this group of friends and they’ve always stayed with me.

Poetic Justice by Lori James

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Poetic Justice is a murder mystery with a romantic twist. It’s set on a backdrop of characters ranging from a single mom, to high powered attorneys who are sure to draw you into their lives.

When Homicide Detective Mark Stevens receives a phone call to report to a bloody crime scene, he has no idea how his life is about to change. He faces the normal challenges of solving a murder. He also faces the challenge of confronting his past. Mark’s past has closed his heart. He chooses to be alone. When his heart is opened, by an unlikely visitor, he finds himself having feelings for the murder victim’s sister. However, he’s determined to remain professional. Now that he’s found his heart; can love be far behind?

The new, ambitious prosecuting attorney John Martin can’t wait to sink his teeth into his first murder trial. Seemingly lucky for him, a murder victim’s body is found his first day on the job. Not so luckily for him, there’s a tough judge and feisty defense attorney in his future.

Targeted Age Group:: 17+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I’ve always had an interest in true crime and trial watching. When I decided to write a book, I knew it would be a murder mystery.

It Had to Be You by Delynn Royer

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New York City, 1924

Determined to pursue her dream of becoming a crime reporter, heiress Trixie Frank believes she’s off to a running start when she lands a job at the most successful tabloid in Manhattan. Unfortunately, her high hopes fade fast when she’s assigned to the rewrite desk.

Sean Costigan is a demoted homicide detective on the commissioner’s blacklist. The last thing he needs complicating his life is a perky debutante with delusions of becoming the next great American journalist. Too bad she happens to hold one of the keys to solving his latest case, the Central Park murder of a notorious gangster. The other key? Sean’s childhood sweetheart, the victim’s widow, who has gone missing.

Sean soon has more trouble with dames than any good man deserves. But that’s the least of his worries. When he suspects deadly corruption within his own department, it’s not just his and Trixie’s careers that depend on finding the killer. It’s their lives.

Targeted Age Group:: Adult

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
My love of mystery, romance and classic cinema. I’ve been a fan of old movies since I was a teenager, and one of my favorite romantic mystery films is The Thin Man. The dialogue is top-notch and the romantic chemistry between William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles is playful and fun.

Add to that, I love Manhattan as a setting, and I’ve always been fascinated by the 1920s—the bootleggers, the flappers, the speakeasies, the post-war abandon. It was a combination of all these elements that inspired me to try my hand at creating a sleuthing couple of my own.