She’s also got a nose for trouble and a passion for solving mysteries. Imagine Columbo in a lavender suit. She never met a woman who wouldn’t look better with a little help from the Lady Bianca line of cosmetics. But don’t be fooled by appearances. Underneath the fake diamonds and the big hair is a sharp brain and a keen eye that sees the details as well as the funny side of life. When a Lady Bianca sales rep is murdered at the annual convention in Dallas, Toni is the one who notices things that some people, like sexy Detective Luke Marciano, might easily miss. Only someone who understands as much about how to make appearances deceiving could see into the mind of this killer -- a murderer who wants to give Toni a permanent makeover. Into a dead woman.

    They are not cozy or fuzzy, but they do try to be humorous and witty. Sometimes they succeed. Each novel/novella has a stand-alone mystery, but the stories are also about the continuing life saga of a middle-aged Southern woman as she faces many serious obstacles. Josiah faces the world with sarcastic humor and a number of quirky, oddball friends that can only be found in the Southern town of Lexington, the heart of the Kentucky horse country. Some mysteries end with a bang, some are not solved at all and the first one ends with a cliff hanger, but they always entertain in the sassy, humorous and suspenseful world as Josiah goes about sleuthing. The Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series is just like fried chicken . . . finger-licking good! Add some sweet tea and a piece of chocolate pecan pie with a scoop of ice-cream and you got yourself some tasty reading. Description Josiah Reynolds is a beekeeper trying to stay financially afloat by selling honey at the Farmers' Market. She finds her world turned upside down when a man is found dead in her beeyard, only to discover that the victim is her nemesis. The police are calling the brutal death murder and Josiah is the number one suspect! Josiah makes the rounds of quirky characters that can only be found in the lush Bluegrass horse country. Fighting an unknown enemy in the glamorous world of Thoroughbreds, oak-cured bourbon and antebellum mansions, Josiah struggles to uncover the truth in a land that keeps its secrets well. Death By A HoneyBee is the first of an episodic series and as such ends in a cliff-hanger which is crucial to the rest of the series. Attached to HoneyBee is a bonus chapter from Death By Drowning which continues our heroine's story in linear time. I hope you enjoy reading Death By A HoneyBee as much as I have enjoyed writing it. It was a labor of love.

    Light and cozy, the book introduces our female amateur sleuth, the village of Waterfell Tweed, and a whole host of quirky characters! Each book in this series can be read as a standalone (but is better enjoyed if read in order), and is free from swearing, sex, violence and cliffhangers.

     Much to the chagrin of her brother, Zen, a homicide detective, Clarity throws caution to the wind and jumps into the investigation with both feet. Zen’s ultra-handsome detective partner, Hunter, encourages Clarity to learn self-defense—especially since she’s getting closer to discovering who the killer is. Using her social media sleuthing skills, she sets out to bait the murderer. Is she clever enough to entrap the killer? Or will she end up as the catch of the day?

    They agree that Retta, their baby sister, will NOT be included, since she tends to take over any organization she's part of. Sweetly but firmly, Retta will tell you what you should do, could do, and will do.The sisters finally get a decent case: finding a man who apparently murdered his wife years ago and has been on the run ever since. As they try to investigate what happened, they're opposed at every turn.

    FREE for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. If there’s one thing that every elf in the North Pole knows, it’s this: Never get on Mrs. Claus’s bad side. Never. Ever. Ever... After getting reassigned from the North Pole by a jealous Mrs. Claus, misfit elf Holly Hopewell is sent to work in the worst place imaginable: The North Pole Emporium Department store in Mistletoe, Oregon. The elves call it Mistletoe Row: a place so devoid of joy and Christmas spirit, that many a curly-toed folk has lost their poor mind working there. But just when Holly thinks things can’t get any worse, the store’s manager, who also happens to be Mrs. Claus’s nephew, is found murdered in his office. And good-natured Holly Hopewell finds herself as the prime suspect in the local police’s investigation. Will Holly be sent to a row of a different sort for a crime she didn’t commit? Or will the handsome yet mysterious homicide detective assigned to the investigation find the real murderer before the gumdrops hit the fan for Holly?

    Although the town is sleepy and nothing has ever happened, her arrival coincides with a murder in the property adjacent to her cottage. Sybil soon finds she is at odds with the attractive Blake Wessley, the exasperated police officer who is trying to solve the murder.After Sibyl narrowly misses becoming the next victim, she turns her attention to the suspects. Is it the English gentleman, Mr. Buttons, who serves everyone tea and cucumber sandwiches, or her landlord, Cressida Upthorpe, who is convinced that her fat cat, Lord Farringdon, speaks to her? Or is it someone else entirely?This is a non-paranormal cozy mystery.

     Welcome to Calendar where life is sweet, but death is murder. Sara Cutler loves her job as head librarian of the public library, an integral part of the historic heart of the picturesque mountain town, Calendar. The combination of old books, quirky clientele, and endless reading is nothing less than perfection for Sara. So when she discovers a body in the rare books section that threatens to destroy her quiet existence, along with the imminent demise of the library, Sara vows to find the killer. She never expects to receive any help from Jason Rees, the handsome, big city developer whose only objective is to get rid of the library. Sara assumes he is counting on the murder to serve as the final death knell his firm needs to demolish the library. However, that doesn’t prevent him from falling head over heels for the very woman with whom he’s clashing. When news arrives that the dead woman was nothing that she appeared to be, the whole town is instantly enthralled by the concept of having an actual jewel thief in their midst. Even more puzzling is: where did she hide her stolen treasure? All Sara must do to save the library is simply solve the murder, find the hidden jewels, and convince herself not to succumb to the one man she would rather see run out town. It doesn’t take long before she realizes that amateur sleuthing isn’t as easy in real life as it is in the stories she loves to read. Twelve cozy mysteries... one deadly town!

    HUNTER!!!Bertha Hannah’s two passions in life are books and piping hot homemade pies, and when an opportunity arises for her to open her own pie and book shop, she jumps in headfirst, only to find that preparing to open her own shop isn’t exactly a piece of cake.In the midst of getting organized and putting the pieces in place for her grand opening, tragedy strikes, far too close for comfort. All the while mourning the untimely death of an old friend, Bertha finds herself having to deal with pompous detectives, money-grubbing investors and unruly customers, which truly threatens to upset her apple cart.Will she be able to unravel the mystery which has presented itself at the worst of times? Or, will her dream business be finished before it even starts?

    When the brutal murder of socialite, (and stripper), Laura Howard lands on her desk, she finally encounters a case worthy of her talent.Murder on the Menu is the first in a series of mysteries featuring Nikki Hunter. The only child of a Cossack and a former nun, Hunter is a smart, tenacious thirty-five-year-old, who lives aboard a sailboat in the San Francisco Bay Area and works out of a ground floor office in the marina complex where she lives.When the Howard murder goes unsolved, the victim’s mother contacts Nikki, who agrees to a preliminary investigation, and discovers that Laura was about to inherit several million dollars. The list of suspects grows as Nikki delves into Laura’s past. Nikki befriends Homicide Detective Bill Anderson, and he confides to her that three recent murders, including Laura’s, have peculiar similarities.Nikki enlists the aid of her best friend and fellow boat-dweller, Elizabeth Gaultier, and while the two are conducting interviews they discover they’re being tailed by another PI. When the interviewees start turning up dead, Nikki tells Detective Anderson everything she’s uncovered, but it’s too late. Nikki has already become the killer’s next target.

    Has she been caught in the perfectly designed crime?

     She dreams of cakes & pies.  She dreams of crepes & brownies.  And, more than anything, she dreams of making a career of serving her delicious treats to an adoring public. So, when her grandmother calls and asks her to move to Florida to help run her café, she cannot get out of Minnesota fast enough!  And before she knows it she is standing in Paradise Point, the beautiful, oceanside plaza in which Bessie's Café is located, hardly able to believe her good fortune. Life is now exactly how Faith had imagined it could be.  She's made wonderful friends.  The café, now renamed the Slice of Paradise, has been renovated to showcase her amazing desserts.  And both locals & tourists are loving it! Well, all except for one... The owner of a nearby cupcake shop is not at all happy with Faith's arrival in Paradise Point.  She has accused Faith of trying to ruin her by stealing her recipes & designs.  And she is not shy about letting everyone know it. So, when the woman is found dead the day after their confrontation, people immediately begin to consider whether Faith is the killer... Is Faith guilty of murder?  If not, who is?  And can Faith find a way to clear her name before her dreams turn into nightmares? Find out in A Cherry Sinister Murder! "Slice of Paradise Cozy Mysteries" is a Culinary Cozy Mystery series written by #2 Bestselling Author, Nancy McGovern, and the talented newcomer, Cyra Bruce. Join the "Slice of Paradise Mailing List" inside this book and receive updates on the series, behind-the-scenes info & a FREE "SLICE OF PARADISE" STORY called The Cream Pie Alibi!

    Someone broke into her house, and she needs his help.Rushing to his sister's rescue, Beanie nearly hits a man staggering into the road. After the stranger collapses in the street, Beanie rushes to render aid. To his horror, he recognizes the dying man as Robyn's boyfriend, Dr. Henry Montague. When Beanie asks the doctor who shot him, Henry’s last words shake him to the core: Robyn ... shot me.Refusing to believe his twin sister killed a man, Beanie vows to use his investigative skills to prove her innocence. Beanie discovers plenty of suspects as he delves into the doctor’s dirty dealings, but can he solve the case before the killer makes him the next victim?

     It's been one helluva morning... And Hope hasn't even found the body. At least not yet. After a twelve year absence, investigative reporter Hope Walker is back home. In Hopeless, Idaho. And it's not going well. It seems the town and its citizens haven't changed much. Still weird. Still nosy. And a few of them? Downright hateful. And now Hope has a serious problem. Because one of the hateful is dead. And she's the prime suspect. Buy the first book in the Hope Walker Mysteries, A Hopeless Murder, today! Five Star Praise For The Hope Walker Mysteries "I really think this series and each book has the perfect mix of humor, mystery, real life, and suspense." "I love this series. Carson has me guessing the whole time!" "This book is every bit as good as the first! I can't get enough of Hope and the rest of the gang. An engaging plot, and laugh out loud humor make it difficult to put this book down." "I absolutely enjoyed reading this cozy mystery. It had everything I look forward to in a mystery and once started I couldn't put it down." The Hope Walker Mysteries - Book One - A Hopeless Murder - May 2018 - Book Two - A Hopeless Heist - September 2018 - Book Three - A Hopeless Discovery - June 2019 - Book Four - A Hopeless Game - Coming October 2019 - Book Five - A Hopeless Christmas - Coming December 2019

    His search leads him to Holmestead, and a stubborn, fascinating American who has acquired the box that once contained the rare jar.When the missing jar turns up, clutched in the hand of the very dead local historian, Martin becomes the prime suspect. He and that dead historian were bitter rivals.With his future on the line, Martin turns to Maggie for help, and they join forces to find the real killer.Maggie Mulgrew Mysteries:Ghost of a ChanceWritten on the Wind - coming August 2016Check out all my books here: amazon.com/author/catedean