Showing results by author "Donna Muse" in All Categories

Madeline Ponderphelt has no reason to end her life. But when the middle-aged vlogger is found dead beneath a bridge in late January, the news calls it a suicide. When the obituary writer for the Beacon is found dead in the same location shortly thereafter, private sleuth Geneva Pomolo suspects something more than coincidence at work.

Private investigator Geneva Pomolo and her partner Iris Reeves are busier than ever. An old foe has challenged them to a contest to see which pair of friends can take the most one-day courses at the local community college. Never one to shirk from a challenge, Geneva now has her hands full three evenings a week learning the basics of sailing, baking, watercolors, Olympic sports, and mystery writing.

With the holidays approaching, amateur sleuth Geneva Pomolo takes a minor role in a community theatre’s musical stage adaptation of A Christmas Carol. A lifelong Dickens fan, Geneva is hoping for a calm respite from the rigors of crime-solving, but her stage debut proves anything but calming. The cast is stacked with powerful egos who have deluded themselves into thinking they deserve a career in Hollywood — such as Peter Vankirk, who lands the starring role of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Geneva Pomolo and her investigating partner, Iris Reeves, visit a local nightclub where up-and-coming entertainers read poetry and perform music. A young folk singer named Leora Kismet is interrupted during her performance by Mrs. Maribel Smythe’s ranting about “depravity” and “the end of days”. The rich widow’s outburst provokes consternation and confusion — all the more so when she is found dead on her front porch just a few days later.

With Iris now dating and working on her first novel and Geneva reaping the benefits of being the most famous amateur sleuth in northern Indiana, things seem to be looking up for the crime-solving duo. That is, until the day they go shopping at a high-end clothing store and discover a scene of carnage. Marilyn Abshire, 77, the genius impresario behind Sunday Chic, is found run down in a deserted alley.

Iris Reeve’s young niece, Nanette, invites Iris and Geneva Pomolo to a birthday party at a lavish estate belonging to Leandra Bosworth. Iris and Geneva - both of them amateur sleuths - are expecting a relaxing weekend getaway in rural Indiana. But the Bosworth household proves to be anything but relaxing. There’s the aggressive ex-boyfriend who is still hanging around...the daughter who is secretive, anxious, and high-strung...and the teenage granddaughter who seems entirely too invested in boys...

Amateur detective Geneva Pomolo has a busy weekend planned. An old flame is coming into town, and her current boyfriend isn’t exactly happy about it. On top of that, Geneva is busy planning the annual 5K Fun Run alongside the various local charities - which proves difficult, as the planning committee is full of backbiting and gossip.

Amateur sleuth Geneva Pomolo is once again drawn into mystery when she helps to acquire a rare collection of signed classics for the town library. The books were terribly expensive - and more than one person is after them. When the glass display housing the books is smashed and the books vanish, Geneva and her best friend Iris are drawn into the case. Their task is to recover the collection before it disappears into the hands of a private collector. But a wave of robberies in Wrangler’s Hill has the entire town on edge, and it’s only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.

Amateur sleuths Geneva Pomolo and Iris Reeves are invited to the local high school by their young friend Suzie Orleans, who is rehearsing for a performance of Agatha Christie’s Murder at the Vicarage. From the moment they set foot on campus, Geneva senses mysterious things afoot. When not one, but two murders take place on campus in the span of an hour, Geneva and Iris are thrust neck-deep into their most dizzying case yet. When an innocent teenage girl is targeted, Geneva tangles with a culprit both cunning and ruthless.

Tragedy strikes the sleepy town of Wrangler’s Hill, Indiana, when a retired media giant, James Orion, is found dead in his parked car. Immediately, amateur sleuths Geneva and Iris suspect foul play: there are faint skid marks leading to the car as if he were dragged and dumped there. But who would kill an old man who spent the last ten years of his life in quiet retirement, rarely leaving his house? Lots of people, as it turns out.

Running low on funds, Macey Spade has accepted a new job—as a teaching assistant at Whaler’s Bay College, presiding over a class on Time-Travel in Film and Fiction. Macey anticipates a relaxed semester grading papers and browsing the stacks of the college library, but fate has several cruel tricks in store for her.

Maybelle and Peter are finally engaged—and her estranged uncle, Harold Wright, insists on hosting a lavish celebration at his waterfront mansion on Lake Erie. It’s the perfect chance to reconnect with long-lost family… and enjoy a weekend of lakeside luxury.

Still nursing a broken heart after her split from Peter, Maybelle tries to keep her distance—especially now that he's dating someone younger and stunning. But when a deadly car accident and a suspicious house fire happen on the same night, it’s clear something sinister is at play. Peter dives headfirst into the investigation, and Maybelle, sidelined due to their breakup, starts digging on her own. What begins as two separate investigations soon becomes a tangled web of conflicting theories, clashing egos, and unresolved feelings.

Ten years ago, Maybelle made a choice she’s kept hidden—until her estranged husband, Alex Wilkinson, shows up on her doorstep, shattering the life she’s finally rebuilding with Peter. Shocked to learn she’s still legally married, Peter pulls away, unsure what to believe. Before Maybelle can explain, Alex is found dead in his motel room—and all signs point to her as the killer. Now, with a murder charge looming and her past unraveling, Maybelle must fight to prove her innocence. Peter wants to believe in her, but as evidence mounts, even he begins to doubt.

In the sleepy town of Raven’s Point, the annual ball at the opulent Park Mansion is the highlight of the year—a night of pure fantasy. This year, the Regency masquerade theme adds an extra layer of allure, and sisters Helen and Maybelle can hardly contain their excitement. Dressed in exquisite period costumes, they enter the grand estate, eager to glimpse the luxurious lives of the Park family, the town’s wealthiest residents. But the glittering evening takes a dark turn when Jeffrey Park, the man controlling the family fortune, is brutally murdered during a sudden power outage.

As Christmas approaches in Raven’s Point, festivities are overshadowed by another shocking murder. When Maybelle delivers a unique set of glass Christmas baubles to a local spa, she stumbles upon the crime scene—along with Peter, the town’s ever-dedicated detective. Despite lingering awkwardness from their recent kiss, Maybelle can't resist getting involved in solving the case.

When Richard Jackson goes missing in the small town of Raven’s Point, the entire community is baffled. Helen Wright discovers his body in a freezer, revealing that Richard didn’t disappear—he was murdered. Maybelle, having been reprimanded before for interfering with police investigations, vows to conduct her sleuthing in secret this time.

Maybelle was hoping for a quiet weekend and maybe a little romance. She and Peter are finally dating, and to her surprise, she’s enjoying it more than she imagined. But when a body turns up at an estate sale, their budding relationship is thrown straight into another investigation. Peter wants to keep their case from clouding their personal lives, but as the leads run cold and their theories begin to clash, the tension between them grows. With a prime suspect Peter is convinced is guilty—and Maybelle not so sure—the line between detective work and dating becomes harder to navigate.

After Andrew Gardener dies when sipping the wine he made at his vineyard, no one suspects foul play. But when the cause of death reveals a toxic poison, Maybelle fears there's a murderer on the loose. She tries to avoid getting involved, but the mystery is too hard to resist, especially when Helen becomes the main suspect. Needing to find the real murderer and to clear her sister's name, Maybelle goes on a dangerous sleuthing mission which not only pits her against Detective Peter Nelson again, but endangers her life.

As the charming town of Raven’s Point gears up for its beloved Christmas Festival, excitement fills the air. Maybelle and her sister eagerly join fellow shop owners to set up their stalls—until the unthinkable happens. When the mayor doesn’t arrive to unlock the town’s storage room, the town janitor steps in. But the moment the doors are opened, the town is faced with a gruesome truth: the mayor has been murdered.