Showing results by author "Donna Doyle" in All Categories

It’s almost Thanksgiving in Sunny Cove, and Sammy Baker has much to be thankful for, including a new raisin pie recipe that the customers at Just Like Grandma’s love. But after talking with her friend Rob, who’s interested in helping the homeless, Sammy realizes there are people out there who need her help. She teams together with other residents to find a solution.

Sammy Baker is happy she’s stayed at Just Like Grandma’s instead of opening her own bakery. She would have missed the quirky regular customers as well as the hustle and bustle of the restaurant. It's summertime, and her strawberry-rhubarb pies are selling like crazy. But then Sammy’s faithful Toyota breaks down, throwing a wrench in her life. She’s concerned the man she’s hired to fix it is giving her the run-around, and she might even need to buy a new vehicle.

Sammy is eager to get a homeless shelter established in Sunny Cove, and now that she has the money to do it she knows she can make it a reality. The first step is finding a place to have the shelter, and she thinks she’s found it in the form of a run-down Victorian. Unfortunately, everyone in town seems to believe the house is haunted. Sammy believes in God, not ghosts, but she has to admit that activity at the house just keeps getting weirder and weirder. Sammy’s got to get to the bottom of this if she’s ever going to make this shelter a reality.

It’s bitterly cold in Sunny Cove after the holidays, but nothing could be as icy as the chill that runs down your spine when you hear that your neighbor has come to a grizzly end! Sammy is looking forward to hosting a New Year’s Eve party. She’s spending her free time practicing new dishes for the occasion and researching everyone’s favorite traditions. But when the pipes freeze in her apartment, Sammy’s plans must change quickly. She finds a temporary place to stay with the help of her friends, but a nearby murder puts Sammy on the case once again.

The former actor and current mayor of Stone Springs, Stephen Montgomery, is on his way to Sunny Cove to campaign for governor. Sammy and Rob are particularly excited about this since one of the main issues Montgomery wants to address is homelessness. They’ve been trying so hard to get funds for a shelter, and this might be just what they need. But when Stephen Montgomery is sabotaged along every step of the campaign trail, Sammy begins to think this is about more than just politics.

Sammy has truly enjoyed her time at Just Like Grandma’s. The wonderful café and its sweet owner have given her a chance to start her life over, and the community of Sunny Cove truly enjoys all her baked goods. Now, Sammy is considering starting up her own bakery. This comes with plenty of challenges, including finding a building in which to have her business. Sammy thinks she’s found the perfect place, but when the landlord turns up dead, she has second thoughts and a list of suspects. Starting a new business is enough work without having to solve a murder case!

There’s more business than Sammy and Helen can handle at Just Like Grandma’s. Sammy hardly has enough time to keep up with the baked goods that keep customers coming in, and now an affluent couple has hired her to bake their wedding cake. A new waitress, Kate, is hired to keep on top of the demand, but her inconvenient disappearances are causing Sammy to wonder what this young lady is up to. When a body is then found by the lake, mysteriously connected to all of these things, Sammy must team up with Sheriff Jones to discover the truth.

Sammy and the other residents of Sunny Cove are excited to find out that the Columbia County Cooking Competition is to be held right in their small town. It attracts people from all the surrounding counties and even further, so the quiet streets are about to be full of tourists. Helen is convinced that Sammy will win, but when she finds out the famous Chef Collin Casey will be in the running as well, she isn’t so sure.

Who in Calmhaven does not know Molly Gertrude Grey, the gentle aging owner of the Cozy Bridal Agency? But Molly and her enthusiastic assistant, Dora Brightside, have more talents than just matchmaking. They are amateur sleuths with a nose for trouble! When poor Abe Mortimer, the town mayor, keels over during the wedding reception of his dear daughter, Miss Molly is certain it’s no accident. Her intuition tells her that something disturbing is afoot.

Wealthy tycoon Albert Gravel, lifeless and blue-faced on the floor after eating the Crystal Grill Restaurant’s fish special. The Grill owner has every reason to want him dead but protests his innocence. Something smells fishy! Calmhaven’s favorite amateur sleuth, Molly Montague Grey, sniffs something even more suspicious than the fish special at play. Followed by an eager reporter looking for a scoop, the Gravel case quickly uncovers Calmhaven’s dark underbelly!

The peaceful town of Calmhaven is getting ready for an elaborate wedding party. Bernard Bloomsteyn, the wealthy owner of Greenacre Manor, the most prestigious mansion of Calmhaven, is about to say his vows to Deborah Smythe, a lonely widow of means. But not all that glitters is gold, and not all who decide to tie the knot are as sincere as they claim to be. Several days before the wedding Deborah Smythe, the lovely bride, goes missing, and nobody knows what happened to her.

Disaster strikes the perfect wedding preparations! A bridal gown savagely torn and splurged with paint. A confused couple targeted by a hostile stranger. This sounds like a perfect case for Molly Gertrude Grey. Michelle and Brian seem to be the perfect match, until an unexpected break-in leaves them reeling and thrown headlong into a mystery. Who would target a couple’s happiness only days before they tie the knot?

A revival has come to the peaceful town of Calmhaven. But, is it actually a revival, or are there other forces at work? Pastor Papa Julian, the faithful shepherd of the flock, fears that a terrible storm is brewing on the horizon, as traveling evangelist Sharlan Tan has decided to make Calmhaven his next target for his message of peace and prosperity. And what happened to that valuable, antique first edition of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress that was handed to Papa Julian by his dying friend?

Is there anyone who has not heard of Miss Molly Gertrude Grey, the owner of the well-known Cozy Bridal Agency? Of course, the aging, spunky woman is, perhaps, best known for her work as an amateur sleuth, since together with her bubbly assistant Dora Brightside, she has now solved countless mysterious crimes in the peaceful tourist town of Calmhaven.

Courtney is up to the challenge when one of the most prominent clients of the Curly Bay Pet Hotel and Rescue wants her to throw a birthday party for her dog. Electrical problems both at the shelter and at home stall some of the party-making plans, and so does Patrick Murray, the only electrician in town.

Forced to postpone the gathering, the Bay’s animal-loving amateur detective is thrown into an unexpected bout of summertime sleuthing. Can Courtney pull it together and make the Summer celebration happen? Or will the mystery assailant sabotage the months of meticulous work it took to arrange this Alumni Picnic event? Even worse, could they be planning more attacks on Courtney’s supporters?

Despite feeling content with how life has changed since moving to Curly Bay, Courtney's days still seem peppered with problems. Not only have mice overrun Curly Bay Pet Hotel and Rescue, her clients are cancelling left, right, and center because they want to enroll the services of a famous pet-stylist setting up shop in the town.

Courtney is always happy to take on new volunteers, and she’s thrilled to take on a high school student named Mason. He’s not too thrilled about the idea at first, but things change for him once he realizes how important the shelter work is. Soon enough, he’s even getting the shelter involved at football games! Courtney is so happy, but an unexpected death puts a big damper on all the great PR that Mason has helped bring in. Courtney doesn’t know how, but she’ll have to find a way to prove that Mason and Rosie the shelter dog are innocent.

Courtney Cain is used to seeing dogs that are sad or upset when they first arrive at the shelter, but she’s never met one quite like Ruthie the Bloodhound! Ruthie does nothing but howl mournfully when she’s in her cage, and when she’s not crated, all she does is run away. Courtney is particularly concerned since the Curly Bay Lake has been drained for repairs, and there are some very dangerous areas at the park where the dog could get hurt. The lake seems to be the only thing the citizens of Curly Bay can talk about, especially the mysterious legend of the lake phantom.

Courtney is delighted that the Curly Bay Pet Hotel and Rescue finally has a full-time volunteer in Ms. O’Donnell’s friend Linda. But Linda quickly proves to be more of a hindrance, and perhaps something even more heinous. Courtney is certain she witnesses Linda committing murder. The police insist she has a rock-solid alibi, but Courtney knows there must be more going on.