Lost in Lavender: a Bennett Sisters Mystery (Bennett Sisters Mysteries)

Literature & Fiction

McClendon, Lise

Genre Fiction

Thalia Press

Deep in the cold heart of a Wyoming winter lies a dark tale of theft, murder, art, and archeology in this third entry in the Alix Thorssen mystery series. A visiting Norwegian artist comes to Alix’s gallery and is soon found dead. Bad enough for Jackson Hole’s winter carnival but for Alix it’s worse. Her stepfather, builder of a magnificent model Viking ship, is accused of murder and refuses to defend himself. With ancient myths seeming to come to life around her, Alix’s investigation could end with a Viking funeral. It all hinges on what the runes say.After The Bluejay Shaman and Painted Truth, Lise McClendon proves there is nothing cold about Norwegians in Nordic Nights. A sexy skier, a naughty ice carving, and a mysterious fortune teller make a visit to Jackson Hole a chilling puzzle."In Nordic Nights, Lise McClendon gives us a good idea, a wonderful setting, and skillful writing. You'll like it." -- Tony Hillerman, bestselling authorSavvy readers will enjoy the glimpses of Nordic ritual, the vivid descriptions of the Wyoming winter, and the pattern of fire and ice as Alix's emotions fight logic and the heated passions around her fight icy greed. -- Kirkus ReviewsSet in wintry Jackson Hole, Wyo., this crisp, straightforward mystery plunges gallery owner Alix Thorssen into the local Nordic Nights festival, which features ice carving, a parade, ski races-- And a startling murder. Famous Norwegian painter Glasius Dokken, who had come to town for his show at Alix's gallery, is found stabbed with an ice pick in the hotel room of an itinerant and provocative fortune-teller. Alix, persistent and unflappable, begins to investigate. McClendon works a good deal of Nordic folklore into her story. The fortune-teller is a specialist in runes, and her silver-and-wood tools quickly become a central point in the case: Are the runes museum quality? Have they been stolen? The third entry in the McClendon's series conjures up the icy beauty of Jackson Hole. Her agreeably feisty heroine and a hair-raising finale will keep readers entertained throughout the night, Nordic or otherwise. --Publisher's Weekly

Nordic Nights: An Alix Thorssen Mystery (Alix Thorssen Mystery Series)

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

Blue Wolf: an Alix Thorssen mystery (Alix Thorssen Mystery Series)

The sequel to the much-loved Blackbird Fly is here at last! Merle Bennett is spending another summer in France, vacationing with her four sisters and one friend, lawyers all, tramping around the backroads of the Dordogne. The sixth member of their walking tour is a law colleague, Gillian Sargent. She hasn't made a good impression on the Bennett sisters, being annoying and secretive and upsetting the delicate karma of sisterhood. When Gillian finds an injured dog along the roadside and wants to keep it for her own, the idyllic summer trip of sisterly bonding and wine-drinking turns dark and dangerous. Who else is after this dog? Why is she so special? And what secret is Gillian Sargent keeping so close to her chest that her co-workers call her 'The Girl in the Empty Dress?'  Lise McClendon introduced Merle Bennett in Blackbird Fly, taking readers on a journey of self-discovery for Merle as her late husband's life opened up its secrets. He left her a stone house in the Dordogne he never mentioned, his family estate. Merle's efforts to fix up the abandoned ruin, extract a squatter, and discover the family secrets help her through her grief. Now, back in this corner of southwest France of dark, oaky wine, rocky hills, foie gras and earthy truffles, she juggles sibling bickering, her teenage son, two boyfriends, and the law. All she wants is to unwind in the golden light of France. But France has a few tricks up its sleeves again. Thanks to a sad, dirty little dog and a woman with too many secrets.

The Girl in the Empty Dress (Bennett Sisters Mysteries)

Tate, Rory

"This incredibly sly mystery has everything you'd want when you bite into a dish: suspense, spice, and a new take on an old classic. For anyone who's ever watched Chopped or even stopped in at Williams-Sonoma -- Beat Slay Love is the perfect read." -- Bestselling author Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries Sex. Love. Death. Food. Sometimes it's hard to tell where one impulse ends and the other begins.When a series of celebrity chefs are murdered in gruesome fashion, there's no shortage of motives for revenge. Faced with dozens of possible suspects, food blogger Jason Bainbridge and FBI agent Kimberly Douglas have no choice but to join forces. They combine their knowledge of the cooking scene and expertise solving crimes to track an unpredictable killer through a cut-throat world of fragile egos, kinky sex, delicious but sometimes deadly dishes, and simmering feuds that could explode into murder at any time. Come along on this "delicious over-the-top romp" through the kitchens of reality television and high-strung chefs as their egos get skewered... and quite a bit more. A rollicking parody of the classic Eat Pray Love.

Beat Slay Love

Filbert, Thalia

In this third book in the Hubbert Lil series by Gallagher Gray, Auntie Lil must cope with the death of her dearest friend and trace a mystery back decades among the chaos of Manhattan's 7th Avenue Garment District with the help of her nephew, T.S. Hubbert.

Death of a Dream Maker

Gallagher, Gray

Thus final book in the Hubbert &amp; Lil mystery series by Gallagher Gray features the irrepressible Auntie Lil and her buttoned-down nephew T.S. Hubbert as they investigate a grisley death at NYC's Metropolitan Ballet Company.

A Motive for Murder

The inimitable Casey Jones is back in "Bad Moon on the Rise," sixth in the Casey Jones mystery series by Katy Munger. When a young basketball star and his drug-addicted mother disappear without a trace, the boy's ailing grandmother begs a reluctant Casey to find him before she dies. But even the normally unflappable Casey Jones is thrown for a loop when she discovers evidence of a murder in their wake and uncovers a shocking secret about the identity of the boy's father. When the case gets very personal, Casey has a difficult time separating her professional and personal judgment - with disastrous results that put her freedom at peril and endanger the boy's wellbeing. In this sixth Casey Jones mystery, kick-ass P.I. Casey is back with her trademark irreverence and a cast of supporting characters her fans have come to love, including her whale-sized boss, Bobby D., the ever-intrepid Marcus Dupree, Bill Butler, an old country boy flame and a new man in uniform who may just eclipse them all in Casey's heart. "Bad Moon on the Rise" offers readers plenty of action, plenty of humor and plenty for Casey fans to enjoy.

Bad Moon on the Rise

Munger, Katy

Halfway around the world, war has begun, but for Dorie Lennox, a newly-minted private eye on her first tail, danger is more immediate. The dark streets of Kansas City of 1939 offer swing music, fast cars, gangsters, and the chance to forget about the Depression and her own murky past. Dorie is thrown into a quickly unraveling scam that offers salvation to few - and misery to plenty. With vivid prose and sharp dialogue, the world of Dorie Lennox comes alive, behind the wheel of her Packard, into the packinghouses, race tracks, and mansions of jazz-age Kansas City. The landscape of America and the homefront of World War II are evoked in a thoughtful mystery that lingers for the force of characters and keen sharpness of a slice of history seen through the perceptive, compassionate eyes of Dorie Lennox.

One O'Clock Jump

A house in France connects three women — the woman who owns the house, the woman who lives in the house, and the woman who died in the house sixty years before. Merle Bennett inherits the house of her late husband, in a small village in the Dordogne. But when she arrives a deranged squatter won't let her inside. 
 Secrets from the post-war period, when southwest France was left to wither by Nazi occupation, and secrets of a newer kind, disrupt what should be a fine French summer for Merle. With her teenage son in tow, a sexy roofer in her kitchen, and a nasty discovery in the pissoir, there is plenty to keep her mind off her endless to-do list.In her first stand-alone suspense novel, Lise McClendon reaches deep into the past to find a France untouched by the outside world of tourism and fashion. Writing in a "lyrical, often humorous style," she brings both the pain and rewards of rebirth and the rich French countryside to life. 
 The descriptions of the French village and house make them a character. Blackbird Fly has love and intrigue, and proof that family bonds are strong enough to reach beyond the grave. —LuxuryReading.com
 “This book brought me back to wanting to keep reading until the very end. Pour yourself a nice Merlot and keep turning the pages.” 
 “An intriguing story, a mystery with heart.”
 “The characters were real and completely developed. All loose ends were tied up very nicely. This book climbed inside the main characters, flaws and all.”
 “A very well written story, with characters that are interesting, likeable, and you care about them. There are dead bodies, suspense, and mystery. It's just a great story!” 
 From the Author 
A novel has a distinct setting but it's the people who drive the action. I wanted to write about a part of France many Americans have never visited. Through the internet Americans living in France provided answers to my questions, sent me photos, became pen-pals and then friends. Generous and friendly to a fault, one new pen-pal lived in Bergerac at the time. Later she moved to Cahors then Puy-l'Évêque, and sent me missives describing her adventures. One delightful consequence of writing this novel was almost life-imitates-art when I finally met Sharon in France. 
My research led me to seek out a picturesque bastide village. I used Monpazier as a home base. The village in the book, the fictional Malcouziac, is pretty but it is definitely not Monpazier. The only similarity is the structure of the bastide, the stone walls crumbling, the hilltop location surrounded by vineyards and lush, tree-tangled ravines, the narrow pedestrian streets and half-renovated houses. Without the setting the story wouldn't have come alive in my imagination. When Merle Bennett dreams of France, she remembers the light: golden, warm, nourishing. And she can't stay away, even if it makes no practical sense to use her last nickel to go there. 
The village should be idyllic: sunshine, vineyards, and walls of yellow stone. Merle gets an off-the-books job as a tour guide at a local winery and evicts a squatter. But the townspeople are more than merely unfriendly. As the past unravels, colliding with modern tensions and the filthy trials of renovation, the summer takes on a dark cast, full of secrets best left buried. 
Whether you look out your real window, or the one in your mind I hope Blackbird Fly brings it all to life for you. Pour a glass of wine and enjoy.
 Want more Lise McClendon? Read her new novel, a twist on Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice, All Your Pretty Dreams. On sale now here on Amazon.

Blackbird Fly (Bennett Sisters Mysteries)

United States

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