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Worst Laid Plans by Claire Robyns


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Previous Engagements


April Anderton - 2019
     It's 1996 and Boston reporter, Ali Loukas, has her sights set on advancing from radio newscaster to TV correspondent, so when the Maxwell story practically drops into her lap, she seizes the opportunity to solve the murder, scoop her competitors, and move up the broadcasting ladder. But gaining access to evidence and witnesses without stepping on the toes of family friend, Detective Ryan McGuire, could be tricky. Despite a knife wedged in her front door and opposition from the police, Ali is determined to prove that she can find the answers, solve the crime and earn the dream job...if she can stay alive to make it all happen. If you love Mary Higgins Clark Mysteries, grab this one today! Content Notes: PG equivalent - No swearing, sex or graphic violence.

Trudy, Madly, Deeply


Wendy Delaney - 2013
    With no physical evidence of foul play, Char's on the case, much to the irritation of Detective Steve Sixkiller, who doesn't want her to stick her pretty nose for trouble in his investigation. But she's a woman on a mission to uncover the truth, and she'd better keep her eyes open or the next body on the way to the morgue could be hers....

Give Me Chocolate


Annie Hansen - 2013
    She accepts her sister's generous offer to live in the apartment above Chocolate Love, her sister's specialty dessert shop in the Historic District of Geneva. Kelly's life starts to turn around when she reconnects with an old flame. Just when it looks like she's getting her life back on track, she stumbles over a dead body. The suspicious death sends her hopes for a better future plummeting. Has her violent past and the danger she faced in California followed her home to Geneva?

Chasing the Dollar


Ellie Ashe - 2014
     Miranda was just found not guilty of fraud, putting an end to the worst year of her life. And now the trouble really starts… Miranda Vaughn has spent the last year fighting for her freedom. Arrested for a fraud scheme, she's lost her job at a prestigious investment firm, her fiancé, and her reputation. The jury may have found her not guilty, but Miranda is broke, in debt to her beloved aunt, and can't find a job. She's not going to be able to move forward with her life until she finds out who set her up. Buried in the evidence against her, Miranda finds a larger scheme involving far more money than the $37 million her boss fleeced from unsuspecting investors. Determined to uncover the truth, Miranda begins her own investigation that leads her to Macau and Belize, and into the arms of one sexy FBI agent with his own agenda. When the danger heats up, Miranda finds herself in a race against time to find those behind it all, before they find her… Winner of the 2015 HOLT Medallion awards for novel with romantic elements and best first novel "Smart, sexy, and so suspenseful! The Miranda Vaughn Mysteries take you on a wild ride through the world of big-money crime, and you won't believe whodunit!" –Traci Andrighetti, USA Today bestselling author of the Franki Amato Mysteries

Resort to Homicide: A Merrifield Mystery Novella


Christine Chianti - 2016
    Giving in to her brother's request, she goes to visit his new island resort during a special weekend for the investors. Spending time at Rim Runners should have been the perfect prescription to help rebuild her life, but the mood at the resort is like the weather-stormy. As hurricane Anna cuts them off from the mainland, tempers flare resulting in threats and sabotage. When the body of one of the guests is found, Laura is forced to rely on her training to find the killer before the storm lets up and they can slip away.

Fields' Guide to Abduction


Julie Mulhern - 2018
    After all, what's better than the beach when a girl is feeling blue? When Poppy is abducted, she'll need all her smarts, all her charm, and a killer Chihuahua, to save herself in this new series from the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Country Club Murders. Dead body #1 found in bed, with me. That was a shock.
 Dead body #2 found in bed, not with me. That was a relief. 
Dead body #3 died telling me I’m a lousy actress. I already knew that.
 Dead body #4 died trying to kill me.
 Dead body #5 died kidnapping me.
 Dead body #6 died guarding me.
 Dead body #7 was a really bad man.
 Dead body #8 was an even worse man. That's a lot of dead bodies for a girl looking for a week's relaxation in Cabo. And, I’m probably leaving a few out—math isn’t my thing. Unless I can escape the cartel, I might be the next dead body. “Poppy Fields is in a tough spot. People are dying at a statistically significant rate after interacting with her, starting with her ex-boyfriend. Now a drug cartel is chasing her, the police have taken her passport, and that beach vacation where she was supposed to chill out has turned into a nightmare. Action, humor, great characters, and an intriguing mystery, Mulhern has packed a lot into this excellent mystery. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy!” ~ Julie Moffett, USA TODAY bestselling author of the Lexi Carmichael Mysteries "The best book I've read this year!" ~ Gretchen Archer, USA TODAY bestselling author of the Davis Way Crime Capers

The French Fraud: Cozy Mystery


Myrtle Morse - 2021
    

The Third Girl


Nell Goddin - 2015
    She’s looking for peace, beautiful gardens, and pastry—a slower, safer life than the one she’d been living outside of Boston. But you know what they say about the best intentions… Molly has barely gotten over jet-lag before she hears about a local student’s disappearance. In between getting her old ramshackle house in order and reveling in French food, Molly ends up embroiled in the case, along with the gendarmes of Castillac. And unlike the Nancy Drews she loved as a child, this mystery stirs up emotions she thought had been put to rest..and terrifies the residents of her beloved village.

Bellingwood Boxed Set


Diane Greenwood Muir - 2014
    She is renovating an old school building and while getting to know new friends, two sets of bones fall out of the ceiling. Don't miss this heartwarming first story in a series that makes you want to move to Bellingwood and get to know Polly and her friends. Before you know it, you'll be part of the community. Polly's First Christmas in Bellingwood: This first short story in the series occurs a few months after the end of "All Roads Lead Home." While preparing for Sycamore House's first big Christmas party, an old friend shows up needing help when he gets in trouble with the sheriff. A Big Life in a Small Town: Bellingwood's first barn-raising is coming up and to celebrate, Sycamore House is planning a hoe-down. The idea of a dance makes Polly nervous, but the gorgeous veterinarian is ready to step in and teach her a few moves, much to the chagrin of Henry Sturtz. A close friend of Lydia Merritt left a cryptic message as she died, asking her family to take care of ... what? The 'what' brings new excitement to Polly's life. Treasure Uncovered: Sycamore House is having difficulty finding a good custodian and when the latest man doesn't show up for work, Polly checks on him, only to find that he has been killed. The Sheriff is beginning to worry every time her number shows up on his phone. Does it mean another dead body? Thefts happening around the community are connected to Polly and her friends, but who would do this? Big Pete: Jamie McFarlane introduces Big Pete Hoffen, the father of Liam, the main character from his Privateer Tales. Liam and his friend, Nick James save their mining colony from pirates and find themselves in possession of a ship, tasked with keeping an eye on pirate activity throughout the galaxy. Liam only knows his father as a miner on a lonely asteroid, but in this story, Pete's exciting past led him to choose a quieter life. You will love this introduction to Jamie's rollicking adventures in space.

No Game For a Dame


M. Ruth Myers - 2011
     Moving through streets where people line up at soup kitchens, Maggie draws information from sources others overlook: The waitress at the dime store lunch counter where she has breakfast; a ragged newsboy; the other career girls at her rooming house. Her digging gets her chloroformed and left in a ditch behind the wheel of her DeSoto. She makes her way to an upscale bordello and gets tea – and information – from the madam herself. A gunman puts a bullet through Maggie’s hat. Her shutterbug pal on the evening paper warns her off. A new cop whose presence unsettles her thinks she’s crooked. Before she finds all the answers she needs, she faces a half-crazed man with a gun, and a far more lethal point-blank killer. If you like Robert B. Parker's hard boiled Spencer series and strong women sleuths, don't miss this one-of-a-kind Ohio detective from a time in United States history when dames wore hats -- but seldom a Smith & Wesson.

Wanna Get Lucky?


Deborah Coonts - 2010
    Almost everyone writes her off as another Vegas victim. But, Lucky O’Toole, head of customer relations at the Babylon megacasino, smells a rat, though she’s got a lot on her plate: the adult film industry’s annual awards banquet, a spouse-swapping convention, sex-toy purveyors preying on the pocket-protector crowd attending ElectroniCon… Still Lucky can’t resist turning over a few stones.When a former flame is one of the snakes she uncovers, Lucky is certain the woman’s death was no Sin City suicide. To top it all off, Lucky’s best friend, Teddie—Las Vegas’s finest female impersonator—presses to take their relationship to the next level. Leave it to Lucky to attract a man who looks better in a dress than she does.Lucky must manage the Babylon’s outrageous festivities, solve the crime, and struggle to keep her life and libido from spinning out of control.

A Friend of Silence


M. Lee Prescott - 2011
    Wickie is discovered in his office, a scrimshaw knife protruding from his chest, a knife belonging to beloved teacher and grieving widow, Bess Dore. Initially a suspect, the forty-two year old, Bess is soon exonerated and jumps headlong into a murder investigation along with old flame, police detective, Roger Demaris, and Harry Winthrop, an amateur sleuth, prolific writer, and the son of the school's wealthiest patron. Will Bess find romance along the way, giving her heart to the gruff police officer, who still adores her, or to the fly-by-night, but charming Harry who is clearly smitten? Will the killer strike again? Will the silence and calm of the 200-year old Friends school ever again be restored?

Louisiana Longshot


Jana Deleon - 2012
    Posing as a former beauty queen turned librarian in a small, bayou town seems worse than death to Fortune, but she's determined to fly below the radar until her boss finds the leak and puts the arms dealer out of play.Unfortunately, she hasn't even unpacked a suitcase before her newly-inherited dog digs up a human bone in her backyard. Thrust into the middle of a bayou murder mystery, Fortune teams up with a couple of seemingly-sweet old ladies whose looks completely belie their hold on the little town. To top things off, the handsome local deputy is asking her too many questions. If she's not careful, this investigation may blow her cover and get her killed.Armed with her considerable skills and a group of old ladies referred to by locals as The Geritol Mafia, Fortune has no choice but to solve the murder before it's too late.

New Corpse In Town


Lucy Quinn - 2016
     A phone call to the sheriff should mean the end of Cookie’s involvement, but when it’s clear the sheriff has no interest in the investigation, Cookie calls in reinforcements…her ex-partner Hunter O’Neil. Suddenly it’s like old times while the pair questions the residents of Secret Seal Isle. Except it’s not. Now she has both Hunter and Dylan vying for her attention, a wayward hippy mother, and a potential killer on the loose. With her love life heating up, her mother lighting up, and all signs pointing to the most unlikely suspect, Cookie does the only thing she knows to do—focus on solving the case.

The Honeymoon Cottage


Barbara Cool Lee - 2012
    But when she arrives in Pajaro Bay, she finds a village full of cute cottages, quirky characters... and a killer on the loose who's somehow linked to her, the young boy, and the darling little house known as The Honeymoon Cottage. The Pajaro Bay stories are filled with light and breezy, heartwarming fun, and always leave you with a happy ending.