But her hilarious and inspired flight from that situation results in this 50 something unfulfilled housewife taking an around the world cruise she really cannot afford. The cost is soon a minor worry though, as one gin-fuelled pity party later, she is accused of murder and embroiled in the 30-year-old theft of a priceless jewel. In our greatest challenges, we find our true strength and Patricia is the best example of how true that is. Let her story make your heart soar as she shrugs off the ashes of her failed marriage and becomes the incredible woman she was always meant to be. This 4 book boxed set will give you hours of mirth-filled, often pulse-pounding, cozy mystery with no cussing or smuttiness and no graphic descriptions of sex of violence. Book 1 – The Missing Sapphire of Zangrabar. A thirty-year-old priceless jewel theft and a man that really has been stabbed in the back. Can a 52-year-old, slightly plump housewife unravel the mystery in time to save herself from jail? With only a Jamaican butler faking an English accent and a pretty gym instructor to help, she must piece together the clues and do it fast. Or when she gets off the ship in St Kitts, she’ll be in cuffs! Book 2 – The Kidnapped Bride. A cruise ship filled with gangsters, a missing woman, and a new head of security that can’t do his job. What’s a middle-aged sleuth to do? Patricia just wants to spend more time in the company of Alistair Huntley, the offensively handsome captain of the Aurelia who seems only too happy to host her. But as the Aurelia sets sail from Miami, it does so with a dangerous new addition: there is a mob boss among the passengers and he’s on the run – from more mobsters! Book 3 – The Director’s Cut. It’s well known that working in movies can be cutthroat, but no one expected that to be taken literally. It’s party time on board the Aurelia! On the LA to Hawaii leg, a Hollywood film crew are shooting scenes for a new action movie and Barbie has been given a bit-part role. It’s all great fun and Patricia isn’t surprised when her cute, blonde friend attracts the attention of the handsome A-lister male lead. Book 4 – The Couple in Cabin 2124. How do I always attract trouble and drama? When a crewmember takes his own life but hands Patricia a cryptic note and a request to save Anna just before he jumps, she feels she has no choice but to honour his dying wish. Who is Anna though? Praise for Patricia Fisher: She's over 50, feisty and oh so clever at solving murders. This first book has so many twists, turns and red herrings the reader has to pay close attention to catch all the clues. Love Steve Higgs’ books and this new series did not disappoint. Patricia started out as a betrayed wife and moved into a strong, smart woman role. I love her and her side kicks already and this is only the first book. Can’t get enough of Steve’s stories and wait anxiously for the next to publish in all of his series. Higgs continues the 'cozy mystery' genre in this unexpected and empowering new series with no loss of empathy for human variety.

    A young man with no direction of his own, Ripley has been commissioned by Dickie's father, a wealthy industrialist, to journey to Italy and persuade the prodigal playboy home to America.However, on arrival, Ripley is instantly captivated with Dickie's charmed existence: the Amalfi coast, the jaunts to Rome, the first-class hotels, and the beautiful expatriate who completes the triangle. Dickie is amused by his new acquaintance -- never suspecting the dangerous extremes to which Ripley will go to make this lifestyle his own.

    Make way for Charlie Smithers.The time is the nineteenth century. The place, the Serengeti Plain, where one Charlie Smithers – faithful manservant to the arrogant bone-head, Lord Brampton (with five lines in Debrett, and a hopeless shot to boot) – becomes separated from his master during an unfortunate episode with an angry rhinoceros, thereby launching Charlie on an odyssey into Deepest Darkest Africa, and subsequently into the arms of the beautiful Loiyan…and that’s where the trouble really begins.Maasai warriors, xenophobic locals, or evil Arab slavers, the two forbidden lovers encounter everything that the unforgiving jungle can throw at them."A truly engaging read that will keep anyone’s attention from the hilarious beginning until the last word. I highly recommend this 5 star novel." ~ Chapters & Chats

    He watched his father ascend the ranks within the academy to become one of the most respected warriors in the kingdom. The only thing he has ever wanted is to become an academy student and follow the path of his father. Unfortunately, only the best can enter the academy and Justan is a horrible fighter. Everyone tells him that he is more suited to scholarly work than swordplay. In desperation he hurls himself into training, eager to overcome the doubters and walk into the academy triumphant, unaware that secretive powers plot to disrupt his plans. Meanwhile, an evil wizard of immense power is using magic to twist the bodies of the creatures of the land and transform them into monsters. With these creatures and the peoples of the wilds, he is building an army . . . Ogres and dragons, warriors and wizards are destined to clash, their fates guided by The Bowl of Souls.

    When a woman is murdered on his street, this Black Labrador suddenly faces the loss of everything he's struggled a lifetime to gain. Taser must find the killer or return to the harsh world of the county dog pound. He's aided by his buddy, Meatloaf, and a colorful pack of neighborhood dogs. They struggle with their limited human vocabulary and a fractured knowledge of the world. Other obstacles include new alpha dog rivals, old deadly enemies, and a menacing coyote population from the adjacent Arizona desert. In the end, Taser must decide how much he can risk to save his world.This is a fun mystery narrated by the dogs, written for adults with a humorous tone and a love of animals and their quirks.

    He stumbled on a conspiracy that extended to the upper echelons of the US government—and wrote a legal brief to kill for… After a long and prestigious career, Congressman Max Southland is ready to retire, and as a member of his staff, Mattie Mathis is on hand to help her uncle wind down his career. When Mattie receives a cryptic call from her boyfriend and fellow staffer Craig, she’s left with more questions than answers: an interesting bit of research by a young law student has surfaced that could have national consequences. A copy is on its way to her. Before she can process this information, Craig is dead . . . and Mattie will be next. There is only one person who can help Mattie: Jack Summers, a cop whose sense of duty stems not only from his assignment but from his growing feelings for the woman he’s bound to protect. As the pair runs for their lives, it is clear that a violent cover-up has been plotted—and they must unravel the conspiracy if they hope to survive.

    She knew she had important decisions to make and a holiday on the beautiful Greek island of Holkamos with her Nan would give her time to think things through.Kostas and Eleni’s traditional Greek restaurant didn’t draw in the holidaymakers. Financially struggling, tired and looking forward to the end of the summer, how would they continue to make ends meet? How would Yannis, their adult, yet socially shy, son cope with changes to his lifestyle?Demetrious had arrived from Athens to help decorate a friends gift shop.Carmela, a reputable French artist who lived on Holkamos each summer had recently died leaving secrets, upsets and an important legacy.How do all their lives entwine?Set amongst the backdrop of the picturesque Holkamos harbour, NEW BEGINNINGS IN GREECE is an endearing tale of how long-lasting friendships, romances and business partnerships are created from chance encounters.

    Michener was an obscure textbook editor working in New York. Within three years, he was a naval officer stationed in the South Pacific. By the end of the decade, he was an accomplished author, well on the way to worldwide fame. Michener’s first novel, Tales of the South Pacific, won the Pulitzer Prize. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein used it as the basis for the Broadway musical South Pacific, which also won the Pulitzer. How this all came to be is the subject of Stephen May’s Michener’s South Pacific.An award-winning biographer of Michener, May was a featured interviewee on the fiftieth-anniversary DVD release of the film version of the musical. During taping, he realized there was much he didn’t know about how Michener’s experiences in the South Pacific shaped the man and led to his early work.May delves deeply into this formative and turbulent period in Michener’s life and career, using letters, journal entries, and naval records to examine how a reserved, middle-aged lieutenant known as "Prof" to his fellow officers became one of the most successful writers of the twentieth century.

    

    The history books say it sank before reaching its destination. The history books are wrong.Artifact recovery specialist, Sean Wyatt is in Savannah, Georgia looking for clues to a Confederate ship that went missing near the end of the Civil War. His search leads to trouble with a mysterious and seductive European collector in an exciting thrill ride that will keep you reading until the end, and make you wonder what other treasures still lie undiscovered.

    

    She is the only white woman in a land owned by the local Ingalik tribe; her closest neighbor is a fellow bush pilot and activist named Kash. Bailey and Kash are drawn to each other, but their fiercely independent natures keep them apart. When two Easterners hire Bailey to pilot them into the bush, a series of events is set in motion that will upset the delicate racial balance of the land and lead to violence. As the truth behind the couple's arrival becomes apparent, the refuge Bailey has created for herself shatters. Forced to face the demons of her unresolved past, she is given a chance to free herself at last from the secret that haunts her.  Marked by spare, resonant prose and imbued with an indelible sense of place, True North tells a powerful story of adventure and survival. It is a welcome debut by a gifted new voice in literary fiction.

    

    In The Road Show we meet Zachary Edge, a Confederate soldier, on his way home at the war's close. He stumbles upon a traveling troupe, a chance encounter that is the start of an unforgettable odyssey. Edge hits the road with bawdy showgirls, roguish tricksters, and a host of colorful characters. He soon finds himself in the arms of Autumn Auburn, the lithesome artiste known for her breathtaking sensuality.

     Werecat Festus McGregor leads his Recovery of Magical Objects Squad on a mission to retrieve the Moonstone Spoon from the penthouse of eccentric financier and collector Wardlaw Magwilde. Festus has the operation planned to the last detail until a wereparrot and a member of his own team throw a monkey wrench in the works -- but thankfully no actual monkeys. Join Festus, Rube and the rest of the raccoons in this fun-filled novella from the bestselling author of the Jinx Hamilton series. Filled with hysterical Fae acronyms and overlapping agency jurisdictions, Moonstone is an escapist romp you won’t want to put down.