Books

A small town, a murder, a fraternity, and a tangled web of people and politics

When Senator Marcus Thornton is killed at an engagement party in his hometown, amateur sleuth Sheridan Hendley is drawn into the investigation alongside her detective husband. With a reputation for flip-flopping on political issues, Thornton’s death sparks suspicion....

A prominent child advocate’s death is only the beginning…

When a prominent doctor and outspoken advocate for child abuse victims is murdered, trauma counselor and amateur sleuth Stacie Maroni can’t help but wonder if there’s more to the tragedy than meets the eye. At the same time, whispers of financial misappropriation in programs meant to aid...

The murder of Carson J. Keltce rippled from the small town of Blanton, MD to Baltimore and beyond. Known for his immense wealth and his impact on private health care services through the CJK Corporation, his death rocked the business world. Izzie Di Sante, a reluctant restaurant owner with a passion for investigative reporting, gets thrust into...

A weekend getaway leads an amateur sleuth and her detective husband down a treacherous trail.

With Maddie away on a high school trip, Sheridan and Brett are looking forward to some alone time – and a long-needed break from work and crime. To that end, they rent a cabin in the woods, planning to enjoy nature and hike the trails in the adjacent...

Three young women, a dance studio, a bungled kidnapping, and a murder.

When Stacie Maroni is mistakenly abducted, she fears for the life of the intended victim. The young woman, who worked at the same company as Stacie, soon turns up dead. With the kidnappers afraid Stacie could identify them, threats lurk around every corner. Add the victim’s...

With a call from her uncle, Italian restaurant co-owner and investigative journalist Izzie Di Sante agrees to look into the recent murder of an English professor at a nearby college. Izzie is intrigued by the cryptic quotes mailed to the victim and puzzling circumstances. The victim’s home has been broken into twice, with no apparent motive or...

When a man engages in risky business, it’s not surprising he’s dead.

When Donald Woodlawn, an investment advisor from Lynchburg, is shot dead in their quiet town, Sheridan Hendley can’t help but wonder why. As the secrets of his questionable financial dealings with investment clients unravel, she discovers that a dangerous combination of gambling...

Sheridan Hendley, an amateur sleuth, never imagined a tranquil morning following a stormy night would turn into a crime scene at the local high school soccer field. As news of the murder spreads, the community is gripped with a sense of unease. The victim’s son shows up at Sheridan’s door confused and seeking answers.

Delving into the victim’s...

An urgent call from Stacie Maroni’s friend, Meredith, interrupts the sleuth’s New Year’s Eve plans for a romantic evening. Instead, she and Detective Michael O’Hare rush to the country club only to find it is too late to help their friend. Not quite how they wanted to bring in the New Year. A fully booked event for the annual bash translates...

Izzie Di Sante loves a challenge but not so many on the menu at once. With sudden personnel changes, she’s juggling the staff schedule for the family restaurant. Her sister, Chloe drops startling news, and Izzie’s itching to chase down a new cold case. Besides an excuse to see Henry, she empathizes with the victim’s sister, who wants answers....

Love is in the air on what should have been the perfect day for a wedding, that is, until someone offs the wedding planner.

The wedding planner had done a great job. Predictably, he did his best to jack up the price with extras to please the mother of the bride who insisted on a traditional, monochromatic wedding. Even so, the bride prevailed and...

A well-dressed man killed at a demolition site, at night in a snow storm.

Izzie Di Sante loves a challenge and Chance Corcoran’s murder sparks her curiosity. While managing the day-to-day business of the family restaurant, she searches for some connection between the victim and the site of the future Elite Townhomes. A co-worker of the victim...

The high school art teacher’s murder leads Sheridan to a piano bar and danger.

Sheridan Hendley, amateur sleuth, wants nothing more than a return to routine following their family vacation. The last thing she needs is to find herself involved in another murder investigation. But that’s precisely what happens when the victim is one of Maddie’s...

Can a stalled murder investigation in Halcyon Springs pull Izzie Di Sante back into investigative journalism?

The mere thought of getting involved in the investigation shifts Izzie’s mind into overdrive. A former reporter turned restaurant owner, she’s determined to find out everything she can. Only the more she discovers about Drew Scanlon’s...

A suspicious death in a small town reawakens Izzie’s long-dormant itch for digging up the truth.

When Izzie Di Sante’s dream career as an investigative reporter hit a roadblock, she traded her press pass for an apron and returned home to manage the family restaurant. However, some things are impossible for Izzie to ignore. Like when the details...

The perfect first date. Good food, romantic setting, good vibes. Until a woman screams and a shot is fired.

As a trauma counselor, Stacie Maroni, doesn’t hesitate to barge through the fray. Nor does her date, Detective O’Hare. With the case falling outside his jurisdiction, O’Hare and Stacie should simply be witnesses. Emphasis on should. As...

No one wants to believe murder can happen in their neighborhood.

Only it can and did, with Sheridan Hendley, amateur sleuth, and Detective Brett McMann dealing with a murder too close for comfort. Shots fired add a layer of tension to babysitting and being neighborly. With no witnesses and no verified identification of the victim, questions are...

Caffeine à la corpse, anyone?

The last thing Stacie Maroni expected to find in the break room was a dead guy. And even worse, a dead guy with her name, phone number, and office location in his pocket. If that’s not bad enough, a fellow member of the foundation she spearheads seems to be missing in action.

Although these events don’t seem to be...

Wine tasting, murder and more.
A murder and a toxic substance in a vineyard would spell doom for the manager of any winery. And when that manager is a woman, a rarity in the wine industry, people are quick to place the blame on her shoulders. Even though Sheridan’s husband, Brett, and his partner are already on the case, the amateur sleuth, is...

Everyone’s dancin’ and prancin’ at the Pets & Paws Holiday Gala, that is, until chaos breaks out.

A festive fundraiser to help the dog rescue turns sinister when somebody salts the tempting spread with something toxic. Although Maddie and most of the other guests are quick to recover, Davis Elder is not so lucky. When it appears that the...

Deck the mall with boughs of holly - until shots ring out.

Attempts to get Stacie in the holiday spirit fall flat when Santa’s elf finds himself in a shooter’s crosshairs. As Stacie and friends help the elf and deal with the potential witnesses, a man in the crowd stands out, the lapels of an old wool coat obscuring his face. Ignoring police...

A walk in the park, online connections, and dangerous discoveries.

When the cybersecurity expert who checked out Stacie’s computer turns up dead, Stacie and her good friend and IT whiz, Trina, find themselves entangled in the ensuing murder investigation. Who killed Sam and why? Was the motive personal or was Sam silenced because he discovered...

It’s the time and place, but it’s not all fun and games.

Emotions run high at Rosedale High as Tamar and her friends plan the junior class’s year-end fundraiser - a school fair set to involve students, staff, and the community. Even when a series of puzzling incidents put a friend and their plans at risk, the teens are not deterred. They are...

A touch of nostalgia, a murder, and good friends.
When a former colleague is implicated in his neighbor’s demise, Sheridan Hendley returns to Cold Creek to prove his innocence. Annoying as Max can be, she can’t imagine the quirky professor is capable of murder. Unfortunately, not everyone shares her opinion. Of course, it doesn’t help that Max...

A domineering co-worker, a flirtatious neighbor, and a dead body make for many questions and awkward situations.

As HR Specialist and trauma counselor, Stacie Maroni is used to dealing with difficult situations. When her night out is derailed by the discovery of a body outside a local watering hole, she’s glad she’s not involved. But when the...

An abandoned house, an abundance of dogs. And a dead body or two.

Sheridan Hendley’s volunteer position at Pets and Paws takes a new turn when more than twenty malnourished dogs are found at a rundown house on the outskirts of town. When the body of an elderly woman is found amidst mountains of clutter in the house, a search of the property...

Being part of a non-profit to prevent and support victims of domestic violence should have been rewarding. Instead Stacie is plagued by bad karma, discovers a body, and isn’t too sure who to trust.

Sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for.
Pretty much settled into her new home in Appomattox with Brett and his daughter, Sheridan longs for something to keep her busy. That is, until Maddie and her new friend are framed for theft and murder. Not quite the distraction she had hoped for, but she’ll turn over every rock to prove their...

SOCIAL MEDIA, SMOKE BOMBS, AND A SECRET SOCIETY ADD UP TO MALICIOUS MISCHIEF AT ROSEDALE HIGH
When a popular jock senses something’s up with his younger sister, he turns to local teen sleuths, Hannah and Tamar for help. At the same time, a rash of smoke bomb attacks across Rosedale has the community on edge. Are these events connected and could...

A divorce decree is made null and void by murder.Stacie Maroni, HR specialist and trauma counselor, isn’t prepared for the murder of her estranged husband. His death and custody of their Maltese, Jasper, barely sink in and someone is after her. Her in-laws and her husband’s law firm strive to keep up the pretense that all is above reproach and...

Solving a murder wasn’t on the wedding planner’s checklist.

Professor Hendley can’t seem to stay away from murder even on a morning run. With so many changes in her life, sleuthing is the last thing on the mind of Cold Creek College’s amateur sleuth. Unbeknownst to her, the victim was the manager of Hidden Oaks, a picturesque wedding venue – the...

A gorgeous addition places Playful Paws and its staff at the center of a mystery.

It’s love at first sight when Tamar meets Rusty – the newest resident at the local shelter where she volunteers. However, the arrival of the well-trained and affectionate dog coincides with the onset of suspicious and dangerous incidents involving the shelter and...

A SIMPLE REQUEST OPENS UP A SAVORY MYSTERY
Hannah never imagined her high school service project with the elderly would draw her into another mystery. Mrs. Tedesco, a lonely widow who loves to bake has just one request–that the teen retrieve her cookbook from her old house. Easier said than done. The house has been ransacked and the coveted...

Hannah and Tamar are looking forward to spending Thanksgiving break with their grandparents. On the long ride to Vermont, the sisters are quick to offer assistance when a fellow passenger – a girl in her late teens – is hassled by a rough-looking young man. Grateful as she may be for their help, Gwen is in no hurry to make friends, not even as...

The drama program has never been so dramatic.
It’d be the season to be jolly if only someone hadn’t set the stage for murder. When a student is arrested for the crime, Professor Sheridan Hendley is cast in the role of amateur sleuth. Tensions run high, friendships are strained, and the college administration is beginning to panic. As the plot...

An amateur sleuth, Sheridan Hendley jumps at the chance to work with the defense when a favorite waitress is arrested for the murder of her ex-husband. Determined to prove Zoe’s innocence Sheridan probes into the victim’s past and why he chose to return to Cold Creek 15 years after the divorce. Personalities clash and Zoe’s family closes ranks...

Another murder in small town Cold Creek has tensions rising. Clive Johnson, the groundskeeper at Cold Creek College, is a convenient scapegoat for a police chief who seeks an easy solution. Convinced Chief Pfeiffe has it all wrong, professor and psychologist Sheridan Hendley sets out to help prove Clive’s innocence. But not everyone is pleased...

Sheridan Hendley is a professor and psychologist, not a sleuth. When her colleague is murdered and her good friend becomes the prime suspect, her curiosity and logical mind have her putting pieces together. In small town Cold Creek it’s hard to have secrets. As Sheridan tries to connect all the people in Adam’s life, she finds that many women...