The lack of water and capital could put master beer brewer Hera Knightsbridge out of business ... and then things get worse. Much worse. Money is always a problem for Hera's microbrewery, but now water is scarce, as well. Worse, Hera discovers a rival brewer murdered in her Butternut Valley brew barn, making her the authorities' favorite suspect. To clear her name, Hera joins forces with local lawman Jake Ryan, her former lover from law school days. There's unfinished business between these two, and the sparks fly as they pursue a killer who has targeted Hera as his next victim.

A Deadly Draught

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Diehl, Lesley A.

Mystery

Mainly Murder Pr

In the second Big Lake Mystery, Emily Rhodes, retired preschool teacher and bartender turned amateur snoop, wonders if she is destined to discover dead bodies. This time she finds one of the contestants at the local barbecue cook-off dead and covered in barbecue sauce in a beer cooler. She should be used to stumbling onto corpses by now and the question of who killed the guy should pique her curiosity, but Emily decides to let Detective Lewis handle this one, at least until she figures his theory of who did the deed is wrong, wrong, wrong. Emily’s pursuit of the killer could end in a steamy shower with her favorite detective or land her in a sinkhole with a dirty cop and an angry mama pig.

Grilled, Chilled and Killed: Book 2 in the Big Lake Murder Mysteries

Literature & Fiction

Humor & Satire

Creekside Publishing

When Jenny McCleary leases her property to be ravaged by the annual mud bog races, the small rural town of Sabal Bay, Florida, is divided into warring camps: environmental activists versus monster truck fans. Jenny, who frequents the consignment store owned by Eve Appel and her friend Madeleine, doesn’t seem to mind when Eve and Madeleine join the protesters the day of the races. During the race, Eve catches Jenny’s airborne head after it is tossed into the air by the wheels of a truck. Now every protester is a suspect in Jenny’s murder. What’s left of her alligator-gnawed body is found near the airboat business of Eve’s Miccosukee Indian friends, Sammy Egret and his grandfather. When more evidence turns up nearby, Grandfather is arrested. Even without the disembodied head, Eve has her hands full. The town resents her role in the protests and is boycotting the consignment shop on wheels. She is torn between two men—GQ-handsome, devoted PI Alex and tall, dark, and exotic Sammy. Jenny’s sweet and needy teenage daughter is dating a petty criminal. Will Eve and Madeleine ever be able to move into their new digs? Not unless the town forgives them. And not if whoever decapitated Jenny gets to Eve before she and her sleuthing buddies solve the mystery. Book 4 in the Eve Appel Mystery series.

Mud Bog Murder (Eve Appel Mystery)

Camel Press

The past comes back seeking vengeance. To save her family and friends, Novice PI Eve Appel, pregnant with her second child, must outwit the bad guys in a final act of desperation, risking her life and that of the man she's asked to help her, her mob boss friend, Nappi.

Murder in the Family

Spunky and outspoken Eve Appel moves from Connecticut to rural Florida intent on starting a new life, free of drama, and more importantly, her soon-to-be ex-husband. The rural Florida town of Sabal Bay, situated only an hour from West Palm, proves to be the perfect spot for her consignment store. Thanks to the recent economic downturn, Florida’s society matrons need a place to discreetly sell their stuff and pick up expensive-looking bargains. But Eve’s life, and her business with it, is turned upside down when a wealthy customer is found stabbed to death in a fitting room. As accusations fly and business slows, Eve decides to take things into her own hands. With the help of an unlikely bunch of friends—including her estranged ex, her best friend, a handsome private eye, and a charming mafia don—she struggles to find answers and save lives. Through a maze of distorted half-truths, dramatic cover-ups, and unrequited passions, Eve learns just how far the wealthy will go to regain what they have lost. A Secondhand Murder is Book 1 of the Eve Appel Mysteries Series.

A Secondhand Murder (Eve Appel Mystery)

Literary

It s smooth sailing for Eve Appel and her friend Madeleine, owners of Second to None Consignment Shop in rural Florida s Sabal Bay, land of swamps, cowboys, and lots and lots of gators. Eve and her detective boyfriend Alex have joined Madeleine and her new beau David Wilson for a pleasure cruise on his boat. But cloudy, dangerous waters lie ahead. A near fatal encounter with Blake Reed, David s supremely nasty neighbor, is soon followed by a shooting death on the dividing line between David and Blake s land. Both men run sport-hunting reserves, but Blake imports exotics from Africa and promotes gator killing, while David stays within the law, pointing clients toward the abundant quail and turkey as well as the wild pigs that ravage the landscape. Nevertheless, when a mutual client is killed, it is David who is arrested and charged with murder. Blake s nastiness is only exceeded by that of his wife, Elvira, who forces Eve and Madeleine out of their shop, intending to replace it with a consignment shop of her own. It seems that bad luck looms over them all, even Eve s brawny and hard-to-resist Miccosukee Indian friend Sammy, whose nephew has disappeared. As the case against David grows stronger and his friends misfortunes multiply, Eve and her strange and diverse group of friends, including her ex, a mobster, her grandma, and Sammy s extended family, band together to take on the bad guys. But the waters are getting muddier and more troubled, and Eve and Madeleine may end up inundated in every sense of the word. Book 3 in the Eve Appel Mystery series, which began with A Secondhand Murder and continued with Dead in the Water.

A Sporting Murder (Eve Appel Mystery)

In the second Big Lake Mystery, Emily Rhodes, retired preschool teacher and bartender turned amateur snoop, wonders if she is destined to discover dead bodies. This time she finds one of the contestants at the local barbeque cook-off dead and covered in barbeque sauce in a beer cooler.  She should be used to stumbling onto corpses by now and the question of who killed the guy should pique her curiosity, but Emily decides to let Detective Lewis handle this one, at least until she figures his theory of who did the deed is wrong, wrong, wrong.     Review Blurbs:   “…a wonderful combination of mystery, murder and mirth. The most recent novel in her Big Lake mystery series has it all: an intriguing plot, a cast of colorful characters, a vivid rural Florida setting and a dash of romance intertwined with humor every step of the way.”  --Patricia Gligor, author of The Malone Mystery Series   “Lesley Diehl’s new southern mystery has it all, suspense, intrigue, romance and a killer title, Grilled, Chilled and Killed.”         --Michael Murphy, author of Goodbye Emily   “…Lesley Diehl has done it again with a story too good to put down. Emily Rhodes works part-time at a country club cocktail lounge, but Diehl is the one mixing the best cocktail whose ingredients consist of mystery, humor and romance, and of course, murder. Slip in a crooked cop, a barbeque cook-off, a shady character in the background and a feral pig, and you’ll have a delightful day of reading. Trust me on this one.” --Marja McGraw, author of the Sandi Webster and Bogey Man Mysteries

Grilled, Chilled and Killed

Dark Oak Mysteries

The Killer Wore Cranberry anthology is back with an all-new set of flavorful stories, guaranteed to whet your appetite for both your favorite holiday fare and a tasty crime story. In this collection of humorous short mysteries, see what happens when sisters are pushed over the edge, dentists dine with crime bosses, 1950s private detectives deal with dames and sweet potatoes and a family has a bit of a problem with their future son-in-law. And that's just the tip of the turkey leg!   Join us at our table for ten great stories from returning Cranberry authors Big Jim Williams, Lesley A. Diehl, Earl Staggs, Barbara Metzger, Steve Shrott, Laird Long and Barb Goffman. We've brought along some new friends too: Sandra Murphy, Rob Chirico and Debra H. Goldstein. And, again this year, Lisa Wagner presents three recipes in-between the stories that are sure to have your guests killing for seconds!   At the head of our table is J. Alan Hartman, the Editor-in-Chief of Untreed Reads Publishing who has curated all four installments of The Killer Wore Cranberry plus the anthologies Year's End, The Untreed Detectives and Moon Shot.   So, turn off that football game. Tell Grandma you just don't have time for green bean casserole or gelatin mold. Let Uncle Bernie sleep off the tryptophan in the recliner. Then, find yourself a comfortable spot away from the carving knives and get ready to laugh, solve crimes and experience our fourth meal of pure mayhem!

The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Fourth Meal of Mayhem

Metzger, Barbara

Wagner, Lisa

Staggs, Earl

Murphy, Sandra

Goffman, Barb

Long, Laird

Williams, Big Jim

Shrott, Steve

Untreed Reads Publishing, LLC

Spiked Punch (Maddie Sparks Mystery)

In 2010, The Killer Wore Cranberry showed how funny murder and food could be. In 2012, Untreed Reads presented a new installment of the worldwide, bestselling anthology (The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Second Helping) proving that this was a hilarious mystery anthology with legs. Drumsticks, to be exact.Killer is back with all new crimes, all new capers and all new laughs that are guaranteed to make you forget the in-laws at this year’s holiday gathering. Join all of these fantastic authors as they make your Thanksgiving holiday murderous and fill you with laughter: Barbara Metzger, Mary Mackey, Toni Goodyear, Barb Goffman, Herschel Cozine, Lesley A. Diehl, Big Jim Williams, Elizabeth Hosang, Randall DeWitt, Sharon Daynard, Sarafina Gravagno, Laird Long, Rhett Shepard, Warren Bull, Lee Hammerschmidt and Mary Patterson Thornburg.In this edition, Killer is also introducing great recipes from vegan cookbook author Lisa Wagner to accompany the stories. After all, you can’t have murder and humor on an empty stomach!So loosen your belt, push out from the table a bit and get ready to devour some of the funniest crimes you’ll ever experience at a Thanksgiving table. There’s always Room for Thirds!

The Killer Wore Cranberry: Room for Thirds

Mackey, Mary.

Cozine, Herschel

Goodyear, Toni

Hosang, Elizabeth

Dewitt, Randall

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