Showing results by publisher "Dreamscape Media, LLC" in Amateur Sleuths

A note from bartender Brian McNulty, Raymond Ambler’s friend, confidant, and sometimes adviser, sets the librarian sleuth off on a murder investigation - one that he pursues reluctantly until a second murder upends the world as he knows it. The second victim is a lady friend of McNulty’s - and the prime suspect is McNulty himself.

In the depths of winter, Hortense, a midwife, disappears after attending a birth in the woodlands. During the search, Will Rees finds her struggling through the snow and woods without shoes or a coat. After two young men begin stalking the community in search of her - including targeting Rees’ own family - she is questioned further and claims she was kidnapped...but Rees and his wife Lydia are suspicious.

Anna Winslow, her husband Burt, and their teenage son have deep roots on Quarry Island. Burt and his brother, Carl, are lobstermen, just like their father and grandfather before them. And while some things on the island never seem to change, Anna’s life is about to take some drastically unexpected turns. First, Anna discovers that she has a younger sister, Izzie Jordan. Then, on the day she drives to Portland to meet Izzie for the first time, Carl’s lobster boat is found abandoned and adrift. Later that evening, his corpse is discovered - but he didn’t drown.

Cassie's good friend Dawn is part of an organization that's trying to protect a colony of stray cats on the property of a condo community in Chadwick, New Jersey. The residents have gotten their backs up over the cat invasion, and Dawn has come to Cassie's grooming and boarding shop, Cassie's Comfy Cats, to ask for her help in talking sense to them. Not everyone's against the cats. Eccentric Sabrina Ward feeds them and has even created makeshift shelters for them in the nearby woods, infuriating her neighbors. Following a heated community meeting Sabrina's body is found in the woods.

Maintaining good personal relationships with their suppliers is one of the secrets of the Cackleberry Club Café’s success, so Suzanne doesn’t mind going out to Mike Mullen’s dairy farm to pick up some wheels of cheese. She’s looking forward to a nice visit with the mild-mannered farmer before heading back to the café’s hectic kitchen. But when she arrives, Mike’s nowhere to be found. The moaning of his cows leads her to look in the barn, where she discovers a bloodcurdling sight - the farmer’s dead body.

Stella Reid and her grandkids are loving Halloween, until they stumble across a skull that unearths a mystery that reaches back decades and has personal ties to Stella.

As Mallory begins to plan a gala for an influential family, one of their employees is poisoned, and it's up to Mallory to solve the crime before time runs out.

While Lilly digs into a town beautification project, her friend Tamara O’Connor has greater concerns than well-pruned geraniums. The real-estate-firm owner hasn’t been shy about blaming perennial grouch Gladys Preston for thwarting her many attempts to sell off a beautiful beachside property. But accusations fly when Gladys is suddenly found dead - and Tamara is caught standing over the body with a bloody weapon in her hand. As Tamara becomes the prime murder suspect, Lilly and the Garden Squad ladies set out to prove that someone planted the evidence.

Lane Sanders and her fiery boss, Mayor Fiorello “Fio” La Guardia, have managed to contain the explosive underground conspiracies of New York’s most sinister schemers. But after a seemingly harmless pinball racket claims the life of a trusted ally, a new ringleader signals the rebirth of an all-too-familiar crime network at home and across the pond.

As a former military spouse, Sarah Winston’s learned a little about organizing, packing, and moving. Her latest project sounds promising: a couple of tech-industry hipsters, newly arrived in her Massachusetts town, who need to downsize. Unfortunately, when Sarah tries to sell their stuff, she discovers it’s all stolen - and she’s the unwitting fence. Michelle, an old friend of Sarah’s from the Air Force base, is in line for a promotion - but not everyone is happy about it. When a man who complains turns up dead in Michelle’s car, Sarah needs to clear Michelle’s name.

Actress Dakota Craig is set to tie the knot with her famous musician boyfriend at Mallory’s Pennsylvania B&B on the most romantic day of the year: Valentine's Day. Best of all, the whole thing will air on the reality TV show I Do. But the maid of honor has dropped out of the wedding party - by dropping dead. A lot of people insist the show must go on, so Mallory’s investigation keeps getting sidetracked by everything from a meddling mother to a foot of snow to a side project involving making arrangements for a high-school Winter Ball.

Apprentice baker Ivy Culpepper sees art cars everywhere she turns. Besides helping prepare the bread and pastry for Santa Sofia’s annual spring event, she’s the official photographer, documenting the elaborate cars, outspoken artists, and riotous celebrations. Her brother Billy has been runner-up in the competition several times. Then Billy’s rival, Max Litman, is found dead, positioned as a prop in his own art car. The whole town knows there’s no love lost between the two men, and Billy is the prime suspect.

Finally summoning the courage to face the past, Lane Sanders breaks away from her busy job at City Hall to confront childhood nightmares in Michigan. An unknown assailant left Lane with scattered memories after viciously murdering her parents. However, one memory of a dazzling solid gold pawn piece remains - and with it lies a startling connection to a current mystery haunting the Big Apple. Meanwhile, a respected banker and family friend disappears in Manhattan, threatening the financial industry and the reputation of Lane’s virtuous boss, Mayor Fiorello “Fio” La Guardia.

Mallory Shepard hopes to unveil her new B&B just in time for her first ceremony as a wedding planner. The renovations to Thistle Park - the mansion she inherited in small-town Port Quincy, Pennsylvania - are almost complete. But what she didn’t plan on is the bride’s aunt being poisoned at the wedding tasting and her perfect venue becoming a crime scene.

When Sarah Winston’s estranged brother Luke shows up on her doorstep, asking her not to tell anyone he’s in town - especially her ex, the chief of police - the timing is strange, to say the least. Hours earlier, Sarah’s latest garage sale was taped off as a crime scene following the discovery of a murdered Vietnam vet and his gravely injured wife - her clients, the Spencers. All Luke will tell Sarah is that he’s undercover, investigating a story. Before she can learn more, he vanishes as suddenly as he appeared.

When Sarah Winston started the virtual garage sale, it seemed like a keystroke of genius and the next logical step in her business. No more collapsing card tables and rainy-day washouts! But what began as a fun way to run garage sales during the long New England winter has become a nightmare of managing people and putting out fires. Online, she can avoid the crowds - but not the crazies. She certainly never bargained on dealing with frightening threats. And when a client is murdered, it's time for Sarah to swallow her pride and seek the help of her ex - C.J. Hooker, chief of police.

New York City, 1936. In the midst of the Great Depression, the Big Apple is defiantly striving toward an era infused with art, architecture, and economic progress under dynamic Mayor La Guardia. It’s been six months since Lane Sanders was appointed Mayor Fiorello “Fio” La Guardia’s new personal aide, and the 23-year-old is sprinting in her Mary Janes to match her boss’ pace.

When the four wealthy widows who make up the venerable Rosalie Bridge Club never get up from their card table, this quiet Mississippi town has its first quadruple homicide. Who put cyanide in their sugar bowl? An aspiring member and kibitzer with the exclusive club, Wendy takes a personal interest in finding justice for the ladies. She also has a professional motivation. A frustrated society columnist for the Rosalie Citizen, she's ready to deal herself a better hand as an investigative reporter. This could be her big break.

When Sarah Winston turns Ellington, Massachusetts, into New England’s largest garage sale for a day, it’s the small town’s biggest event since the start of the Revolutionary War - but without the bloodshed. That is, until a valuable painting goes missing...and the lifeless body of an air force officer is found in Carol Carson’s painting studio, his face perfectly framed with the murder weapon - a metal picture frame.

Fresh from facing allegations of witchcraft and murder, travelling weaver Will Rees, his heavily pregnant wife Lydia, and six adopted children take refuge in Zion, a Shaker community in rural Maine. Shortly after their arrival, screams in the night reveal a drowned body, but is it murder or an unfortunate accident? The Shaker Elders argue it was just an accident, but Rees believes otherwise. As he investigates further, more deaths follow, and a young girl vanishes from the community. Rees must rush to uncover the truth before the dreams can become reality, and more lives are lost.