The Color of Heaven


Julianne MacLean - 2011
    When it seems nothing else could possibly go wrong, her car skids off an icy road and plunges into a frozen lake. There, in the cold, dark depths of the water, Sophie experiences something profound and extraordinary--something that unlocks the secrets from her past, and teaches her what it means to truly live"--Publisher description.

Fatal Fixer-Upper


Jennie Bentley - 2008
    Now, with help from hunky handyman Derek Ellis, Avery starts learning the ABCs of DIY. But when the designer-turned-renovator finds clues that lead to a missing professor, she wonders if she can finish the house-without getting finished off in the process.

Pancakes and Corpses


Agatha Frost - 2017
    With a new smug Detective Inspector in town who underestimates her every move, Julia makes it her mission to discover the real murderer, before her village friends are dragged into the frame, and more bodies are discovered.A light, cozy mystery read with a cat loving and cafe owning female amateur sleuth, in a small village setting with quirky characters. No cliffhanger, swearing, gore or graphic scenes

The Do-Over


Kathy Dunnehoff - 2011
    She realizes that one foamy soak probably won't cure what ails her, so she takes a 30 day vacation from her life. (What woman doesn't need one of those?) As her 30 days sail by, Mara Jane Mulligan discovers she has a decision to make that even Dorothy couldn't avoid... Will she click her heels for home or kick them up for good? Read all Kathy's women's fiction: The Do-Over - what woman doesn't need a vacation from herlife? Plan On It - 6 men, 6 months! Back To U - taking her daughter's place at college seemedlike a good idea... Hollywood Beginnings - her mother was once a star, butdoes fame and love skip a generation? Over 100 FIVE STAR reviews! "Make mine a Do-Over..." The Do-Over is an IndieReader.com Top 10, a BookRooster.com Reviewers Pick and a Top Amazon Bestseller."The writing is witty, the plot clever, the theme universal. I can't wait for this author's next book!" P.A. Moore, author of Courthouse Cowboys (5-stars) Kathy is the National Bestselling author of The Do-Over, Plan On It, Back to U & Hollywood Beginnings. She has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Montana,an encouraging husband, two creative daughters, and the ability to bringwriting and life together with insight and humor. She teaches writing and creativity workshops, her screenplays have placed in numerous competitions,and she was a recipient of a Zola Award for fiction from the PacificNorthwest Writer's Association.

Eat, Pray, Die


Chelsea Field - 2016
    The one side of the job that lives up to expectations is the money. Which is just as well for Izzy, since she needs an awful lot of it. Who knew when she made a lifelong commitment to a man that it would be one year living with him and the rest of her life paying for it?But even her scoundrel ex-husband doesn’t look so bad compared to her new client. He’s competent, condescending, and annoyingly attractive, and Izzy doesn’t know whether to sleep with him or poison him herself. Throw in a loan-shark, a nosy neighbor, and a murder attempt, and Izzy will have her work cut out for her.

Sorry I Missed You


Suzy Krause - 2020
    Mackenzie’s sister, Sunna’s best friend, and Maude’s fiancé—all gone with no explanation.So when a mangled, near-indecipherable letter arrives in their shared mailbox—hinting at long-awaited answers—each tenant assumes it’s for her. The mismatched trio decides to stake out the coffee shop named in the letter—the only clue they have—and in the process, a bizarre kinship forms. But the more they learn about each other, the more questions (and suspicions) they begin to have. All the while, creepy sounds and strange happenings around the property suggest that the ghosts from their pasts might not be all that’s haunting them…Will any of the housemates find the closure they are looking for? Or are some doors meant to remain closed?Quirky, humorous, and utterly original, Sorry I Missed You is the perfect read for anyone who has ever felt haunted by their past (or by anything else).

The Girl She Used to Be


David Cristofano - 2009
    In this book, a woman who has lost her identity to the Witness Protection Program flirts with trusting her life to the Mafioso hired to kill her.

Unstolen


Wendy Jean - 2006
    People depend on you, people who can't take any more stress in their lives and you'd better count yourself lucky because after all, you weren't taken, you're still here and you better be grateful for all that's been given to you because your brother sure didn't get anything ...Bethany Fisher's life has always been overshadowed by her missing brother. Four-year-old Michael was abducted when Bethany was a baby and no trace of him was ever found. Twenty years later, Bethany is a college graduate and has a small son of her own. But her life is thrown into turmoil one evening when her mother follows a man home from the supermarket and savagely beats him to death. What could have made this mild, middle-aged woman suddenly snap? Packing the emotional punch of "The Lovely Bones", this powerful novel explores how the comforting lies we tell ourselves can be ultimately more destructive than confronting difficult truths.

Elvis and the Dearly Departed


Peggy Webb - 2008
    And no one gets into Eternal Rest without passing muster with Elvis--the basset hound who's convinced he's the reincarnation of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Brewing up a big ol' pitcher of Mississippi mystery, Peggy Webb's delightful new series is as intoxicating as the Delta breeze.Normally, Callie Valentine Jones spends her days fixing up the hairdos of the dead, but when the corpse of local, prominent physician Dr. Leonard Laton goes missing, it's bad for business. So Callie and her cousin Lovie (Eternal Rest's resident wake caterer) have no choice but to go in hot pursuit of the recently embalmed, last seen bound for Vegas by way of downtown Tupelo. In Vegas, Callie and Lovie hit the jackpot when they find the dearly departed inside a freezer owned by his showgirl mistress, Bubble Malone. But their luck runs out when Bubble decides to join her man in the afterlife. With the poisonous Laton family tree providing plenty of rotten suspects, Callie, along with some help from her basset hound, Elvis, is determined to crack this case--and have a killer singing "Jailhouse Rock" in time for her next haircutting appointment. . .Pure southern lunacy of the best possible kind." --Laurien Berenson

The Mystery of Montague House


Emma Davies - 2020
    Tales of strange goings on, an owner who disappeared one day and was never seen again, not to mention the treasure that rumour has it lies at its heart... But now the present owner has died and the house is to be sold. Has the opportunity come to finally unlock the secrets of Montague House?Auctioneer, Clodagh Wynter, doesn’t believe in ghostly goings on and tall tales of secrets. She has her feet very firmly on the ground and it’s her meticulous and methodical approach that will get results, not wild goose chases… She has a job to do after all…Andie Summer, however, is a self-styled Finder of Things (dead bodies mostly), and hunting for hidden treasure sounds right up her street, even if there was something very fishy about the mysterious Mr Mayfair who hired her. Because it’s just like she said to her faithful basset hound, Hamish; I saw something out of the corner of my eye as I was leaving, and you know what that means. It’s never good news when I see something out of the corner of my eye...But where did the rumours spring from? And why have parts of the house lain preserved and undisturbed for years? As if time has stood still… As the unlikely pair are thrown together, it soon becomes very clear that they are not the only ones searching for the treasure. And they’re going to need all their ingenuity and resourcefulness if they’re ever going to untangle the web of secrets that surrounds Montague House. One that reaches even further than they ever thought possible...From #1 International bestselling author, this new series of cosy murder mysteries introduces her fans to the indomitable Andie Summer and Clodagh Wynter, plus, of course Hamish, everyone’s favourite basset hound. Perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Clare Chase and Anthony Horowitz.

Drumveyn


Alexandra Raife - 1996
    Only his widow lives there now, grudgingly looked after by a self-serving couple, still complying with the rigid patterns laid down by Charles and his mother. But after her husband's death Madeleine begins to break free from his lingering domination. When her two grown-up children return, each seeking her help, Madeleine discovers in her new independence the ability to offer them the love she has never been able to express before.

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.

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox


Maggie O'Farrell - 2006
    This haunting story explores the seedy past of Victorian asylums, the oppression of family secrets, and the way truth can change everything.In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend’s attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital - where she has been locked away for over sixty years. Iris’s grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But Esme’s papers prove she is Kitty’s sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in Esme’s face. Esme has been labeled harmless - sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But Esme’s still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, and one who is sure to bring life-altering secrets with her when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit? Maggie O’Farrell’s intricate tale of family secrets, lost lives, and the freedom brought by truth will haunt readers long past its final page.

Thicker Than Blood


C.J. Darlington - 2009
    She’s putting her past behind her and working hard to build her career as a buyer for a large used bookstore. So far she’s been able to keep her drinking problem at bay, but everything changes when she lands a DUI on her thirty-third birthday. When she’s accused of a crime she didn’t commit at work, she has nowhere to turn. She yearns for her estranged family, especially her younger sister May whom she hasn’t seen for fifteen years. Now the owner of a failing cattle ranch in Elk Valley, Colorado, May couldn’t possibly want a relationship with the big sister who didn’t even say good-bye all those years ago, could she? Soon Christy’s fleeing from her shattered dreams, her abusive ex-boyfriend, and God. Could the Triple Cross Ranch be the safe haven she’s searching for, or will May’s new-found faith give her even more reason to reject Christy?

Crooked Moon


Lisette Brodey - 2008
    The friendship they shared was special - the kind that storybook heroines had - and neither ever considered the possibility of it not lasting forever. But after high school, life interfered and circumstances separated them as they each went on to live drastically different lives. Twenty-three years later, one hot Rainytown summer, the lives of these women suddenly come crashing back together. To complicate the fragile reunion, Callie's marriage is suddenly at risk, further complicated by the affections of (and attraction to) Frankie's brother, Paulie. Tensions and passions explode in the sweltering heat, and amidst pain and tragedy, each woman not only ends up with a life-altering secret regarding the other, but the burning question of what to do with it.