Mystery Reads

Featured Book: Mai Tai One On by Jill Marie Landis

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Six months ago, if anyone would have told Em Johnson she’d end up divorced, broke, and running the dilapidated Tiki Goddess Bar on the magical North Shore of Kauai she would have told them to shove a swizzle stick up their okole. As if all that isn’t bad enough, when an obnoxious neighbor with a grudge is found dead in the Goddess luau pit, suspicion falls on Em and the rest of the Goddess staff. With the help of a quirky dance troupe of over-the-hill Hula Maidens, Em and the cast of characters must ban together to find the killer and solve the mystery before the next pupu party.

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Crying Woman Bridge by Loretta Jackson and Vickie Britton

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Haunted bridge, crying woman, missing baby! While returning from Professor Dawson’s lecture on haunted places, the last thing Sheriff Jeff McQuede and Dawson expect to encounter is a terrified woman clinging to the railing of Mirabella’s Bridge, crying for her lost baby. It looks as if Rae Harris has thrown the infant over the bridge in a fit of despair, but she claims he has been stolen by a ghostly figure she calls Mirabella. Similar to the La Llorona legend Dawson just spoke about, Mirabella was a local pioneer woman who was rumored to have drowned her infant after being abandoned by a lover. At first McQuede believes Rae was driven by madness, but he soon finds evidence that her story may be true, and the perfectly timed kidnapping of her child may be in some way related to lecture attendee and local celebrity, Jim Royce, and his vast fortune.

Targeted Age Group:: general readership

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
We were inspired by the legend of La Llorona and other tales throughout the United States about haunted bridges. We found these stories fascinating, and created a story of our own that is a blend of these tales, yet unique in its setting.

Featured Book: Karma Dead Ahead by D.H. Montgomery

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“Karma Dead Ahead” is a nicely paced detective/mystery story with appealing well-drawn characters and a plot that always keeps you guessing as it alternates between humor and suspense. On sale for 99 cents.

Two graduate students in a university paranormal research lab become accidental detectives as they go searching for a woman who fails to return from her Caribbean vacation. They get help from a group of psychics known as the “Gang of Four” and a hi-tech witchcraft practitioner. The psychics reveal that a karmic debt from two hundred years ago has put the woman on a path to danger. After some brilliant deductions and twists and turns, the two detectives come face to face with a deranged killer and his intended latest victim. Just as karma set off the chain of events in the beginning, it also determines the dramatic outcome.

“Karma Dead Ahead” is not just another Detective Mystery/Suspense novel. There are a number of incidents that take place that humorously satirize the corruption and dysfunction of modern institutions — the media, celebrity worship, the scientific establishment, business and elite protection from law enforcement — giving the novel depth and comic relief from the more suspenseful main plot.

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Murder at Wisteria Pines by Jon Randall

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“This is definitely a ‘read it in one night page-turner’ which I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.” —Bree, Verified Amazon Purchaser

“I love it! A classic locked room mystery with all the ambience of Britain set in the 1970s American South.” —Stephen L. Brayton, Writer Beat

Cornelius Astor-Beaudry, fondly known as “the Colonel,” invades the serene sanctity of Raymond Hilary’s antiquarian bookstore in a dire search for a particular book on poisons. A maid at a local Georgia mansion called Wisteria Pines has been found dead, the deed done apparently by poisoning.

From the moment the Colonel steps into Raymond Hilary’s life, Raymond is caught up in a flood of events racing and raging beyond his control. Their first evening together becomes a white-knuckled ride to Wisteria Pines on the news that the patriarch, Angus Callahan, has also been found dead—but in a locked room with bars on its windows.

It had happened right after a voodoo doll had been found nailed to the mansion’s door. Somehow three different wills appear to be involved, along with missing precious stones, Cajun legacies and legends, the founding of Acadia, the French Revolution, the British Crown Jewels, and an inheritance worth $6 million. Read “Murder at Wisteria Pines” today.

Targeted Age Group:: Young adult to adult

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I grew up in Georgia and Alabama, which certainly inspired the settings, but I also have always been fascinated with crime literature, both fact and fiction. I spent untold hours immersed in the mesmerizing worlds of the great fiction detectives. When I read the Sherlock Holmes stories, I knew, even as a boy, that one day I would attempt to entertain others the way Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had entertained me through so many sleepless nights. To invoke Doyle’s name and that of his great detective is an honorable homage, not hubris, and I don’t aspire even to walk in their shadow. I do hope, though, that readers might find in my work something magical, something fun, something that will hold them in guileless wonder as they struggle to guess whodunnit, and in doing so that they will find something of the deep love I have for the endless wonders of the American South.

An Icy Death by Vickie Britton

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In the heart of a raging blizzard Sheriff Jeff McQuede discovers a woman frozen to death in her car. At first he believes her death to be an unfortunate accident–until he finds clues that point to cold-blooded murder. Margaret’s husband, Arthur, left her in the stalled vehicle to brave the storm and manages to reach Joe Trevino’s isolated ranch. The case becomes more complicated because of the recent warehouse robberies at Trevino’s store. McQueede finds that Trevino is Margaret Burnell’s business partner, and that she has traveled from their Casper store to conduct a company audit. In addition, Margaret has planned to meet with her only child, a run-away daughter she hasn’t seen in years. Trevino, the missing daughter, and Arthur Burnell would all profit financially from Margaret’s demise. Has a relentless killer tracked and sabotaged the Burnells, or did Arthur simply abandon his wife for his share of the money, leaving her to die an icy death?

Targeted Age Group:: General Readership

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
It’s cold in Wyoming! Cold enough to freeze to death. This fact makes An Icy Death the only book we have ever written inspired by the weather. In winter it’s not uncommon for the temperature to dip to minus seventeen, often with a wind chill factor of thirty below zero. Because many places still exist where cell phones cease to work and help is almost impossible to summon, blizzards and sudden whiteouts are extremely hazardous. We got to thinking of what might happen if a murderer used a blizzard to cover up a crime and AN ICY DEATH was born.

The Lost City of the Condor by Vickie Britton

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A Reader’s Favorite 2013 Finalist in Adventure.
While traveling on a local bus in Chinchero, Peru, Arla is approached by a mysterious female peddler who shows her a small, silver warrior. The statue is identical to those found only in rare Inca tombs located high in the Andes. Arla suspects this is a genuine artifact, perhaps stolen from the same Capacocha burial site her co-worker, Lance Hayden, is seeking. When the woman tells her she has many more items for sale, Arla follows her to an abandoned house. Too late, Arla realizes she has fallen into a trap! Arla gets kidnapped by a group of ruthless thieves who are holding Lance Hayden hostage. They believe Arla’s in possession of a journal, which is the final link to the Lost City and the secret it holds. A race against time takes Arla to a snowy mountain peak and a clash with the looters for the most priceless treasure of all – the golden condor!

Targeted Age Group:: General Readership

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
An exciting trip to Peru and a trek up to Machu Picchu inspired us to write about the Inca. The story developed from the setting and the fascinating history of this area.

Unmarked Grave by Vickie Britton and Loretta Jackson

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Ardis Cole travels to Scotland to do a facial reconstruction on a skull her friend Bruce McBrier has discovered in the woods outside his ancestral castle. Because of an ancient ax buried in the skull, Bruce presumes the skull to be a historical relic, possibly the remains of a medieval ancestor murdered in battle. When Ardis makes the shocking discovery that the remains are that of a more recent murder, Constable Mark Ridley asks her help in going ahead with the facial reconstruction in hopes the victim can be identified. But someone is willing to go to great lengths … even murder … to keep the skull’s deadly secret.

Targeted Age Group:: General Readership

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
My sister and I took a trip to Scotland and we saw many interesting castles and heard intriguing stories about Scottish history. We just had to write a book set in Scotland, so we chose this setting for our second Ardis Cole mystery.

A Deal on a Handshake by Vickie Britton and Loretta Jackson

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What a deal! This short story book introduces Sheriff Jeff McQuede, the hero of the High County Mystery Series. In these seven mysteries Sheriff Jeff McQuede finds himself square in the middle of a deal made on a handshake—where the result is murder. Set in modern-day Wyoming, the stories take place at an old-time mountain man rendezvous, in a pawn shop where traders vie over rare Native American pottery, and after an engagement ceremony where two family patriarchs pretend to bridge a lifetime of feuding by the gift of a rare peace pipe. McQuede’s arch-enemy Ruger, is a suspect in many of these tales, and just manages to evade his traps. In each of these stories McQuede= relentlessly seeks out the dangerous men who have broken trust.

Full-length novels in the High Country Mystery Series include Murder in Black and White, Whispers of the Stones, Stealer of Horses, and The Executioner’s Hood.

Targeted Age Group:: General Readership

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
The inspiration to write this book and all the books in the High Country Mystery Series arose from the Wyoming setting and the many stories we’ve heard, both past and present. Our background in antique dealing also led to the creation of many stories that deal with rare finds and artifacts discovered in unusual place such as swap meets. The High Country of Wyoming seemed a perfect place to tell our tales.

Deadly Decor by Karen Rose Smith @karenrosesmith

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Book 2 in Karen Rose Smith’s Caprice De Luca cozy mystery series.

Quiet Kismet, Pennsylvania, may look like any other small town, but as a home stager, Caprice De Luca can see behind closed doors–and it seems someone has designs on murder. . .Life is a full house for Caprice these days. She’s dating, she’s rescuing adorable cocker spaniels, and she’s decorating the roomy interiors of Kismet’s most well-heeled residents with fun fantasy themes. But she’s worried about her pregnant sister. Bella’s marriage is coming apart like a bad wallpaper job, and to make matters worse, she’s decided to meet up with a former flame Bob Preston, a house painter Caprice frequently employs. When he’s found dead in a pool of green paint swirling with blood, it’s time for Caprice to stage an investigation. With all eyes trained on Bella’s husband, Caprice shifts her attention from finding the perfect curtains to finding the perfect culprit. . .

Catch up with Caprice’s adventures in STAGED TO DEATH, Book 1 of the Caprice De Luca home staging mystery series.
Book 3 GILT BY ASSOCIATION will be available in February 2015

Targeted Age Group:: 18 and up

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Since this is book 2 in the Caprice De Luca Home-staging series, I wanted to continue Caprice’s interest in solving crimes, staging houses and taking in stray animals. I also wanted to resolve Caprice’s sister’s family problems.

Stealer of Horses by Vickie Britton and Loretta Jackson @vickiebrit

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The famous Carlo painting Stealer of Horses sells for cash in a small Wyoming town and gallery owner Sheldon Spence gives the $200,000 to his wife, who walks over to the bank to make the deposit…and never returns.

A witness claims to have seen a frightened-looking Susan Spence in a battered old Chevy, speeding out of town. And each succeeding clue reveals a different angle on her disappearance. Sheriff Jeff McQuede begins to wonder if this is more than a simple case of kidnapping and robbery. Was Sheldon involved in Susan’s disappearance? Or did Susan and a lover fake the scheme, planning to run off with the money they stole from Sheldon? The identity of a victim found shot behind the wheel of the Chevy holds the key to one ominous question: Is Susan Spence a kidnap victim—or is she part of some sinister ploy?

Targeted Age Group:: General Readership

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
We actually heard a similar story about a woman who went to make a large bank deposit and didn’t return for a long period of time. There were concerns at the time that she might have been kidnapped and abducted. While there was a logical reason for her temporary disappearance, this event inspired our story.