Southern Fiction Mystery

Cantankerous Cat Touchette and his friend and employee, Tee Man, stumble upon Cat’s murdered neighbor, Ovey LaCourier. Cat later learns that the old man’s son, Ari, is in town and meets with him. Ari, an Army sniper, is near retirement eligibility, and in the process of investigating his father’s murder with Cat, his involvement with a childhood friend’s sister, and a general affinity for his new friends, gives retirement serious consideration. Meanwhile, once again, Cat cannot keep himself from landing in the middle of someone’s problem.

A young woman is rescued from an attempt by her poacher father to drown her in a Florida swamp by a mysterious woman alleged to have magical powers. Fearful at first, the young woman learns to trust the secretive woman, who has chosen to hide out in the depths of a hostile environment. The younger woman returns to civilization to claim the farm her father would have stolen from her and to build a relationship with the man she has loved since they were children.

The shocking disappearance of a young woman and a suspicious death put Hanna and Alex back in the crosshairs of the ruthless Dellahousaye crime family. Hanna and Alex again find themselves in the troubled waters of love and commitment. Alex returns to South Carolina with the promise of a new start, but with strings attached that Hanna may never be able to live with. The story plays out against the compelling backdrop of Charleston, Pawleys Island, and the fictional Dugganville, South Carolina.

Jerica and Jesse settle into Summerleigh and count themselves lucky to start their family in the beautiful old home. With the renovations nearly complete, Jerica uncovers Loxley Belle's name carved into a wooden desk in a forgotten shack near the old home. Along with the discovery comes the feeling that the last Belle girl needs her help. Jerica and Jesse do their best to piece together the past and find that the youngest Belle had secrets of her own.

The small Alabama town of Jericho Hills is one with many dark secrets born from turmoil. When Benjamin Belvedere, a young wanderer with a troubled past of his own, comes to town, he’s followed by an evil little imp with a severe grudge against Ben. When a few of the townspeople are murdered, Ben becomes the prime suspect. As he begins to regret coming to Jericho Hills, and even starts to doubt himself, an even bigger threat from the town's past rears its head and shows its teeth. A conflict arises that will have Ben battling two evils. The prize for winning this battle? His sanity.

Ingrid often said that one could find anything and everything they needed at yard sales. Perhaps she was right. In retirement, she laid her hands on the biggest yard sale find of all. The love of her life, Jerome Prioleau. Now, there was a wedding to plan. Meanwhile, strange things were happening in Juniper. A woman was murdered, her body found deep beneath Lake Murray by one of Ingrid’s former students. Later, the woman’s husband, none other than Juniper’s mayor, was found dead. A victim of his own poisoning.

For nearly a decade, twenty-nine-year-old Hudson Miller has made his living in the boxing ring, but a post-fight brawl threatens to derail his career. Desperate for money, Hudson takes a gig as a bouncer at a dive bar. That’s when life delivers him another hook to the jaw: his estranged father, Leland, has been murdered in what appears to be a robbery-gone-bad at his salvage yard, Miller’s Pull-a-Part.

Book two begins the morning after a torrential storm upends Shady Gully, and its citizens wake to the news that Wolfheart's beloved sister, Peony, has been brutally murdered. Wolfheart earned his reputation as the town lowlife in book one, inciting unrest and corrupting the youth with his homegrown product and signature scowl. But it's five years later, and the scoundrel from across the creek is now an upstanding citizen, a church-streamer, and a doting brother and uncle. Or is he?

The town of Macklin, Mississippi has seen its share of affairs, secrets, unexpected deaths, lies, and other scandals. There have also been various people floating in and out of the winding roads of Caleb County. Now that Ruthann, the matriarch of the town and midwife to over half its residents, has died, some wonder if the people of Macklin can continue on their path to redemption. The bond between sisters, Annie and Linda, has been put through the ultimate test. Can they find a way to resume their family ties? The sky has opened up once again, and Heaven’s eyes are still watching.

Mandy Rose Bokum wanted to go home. Her mind and body were getting sicker. Three lonely years living in one room in California were enough. She yearned for peace. She craved love. She wanted answers. Why was her child stolen? Did the thief know her? Was it somehow her fault? The townies blamed her. Accused her of murder. It was time to tell Clyde Boudreaux that he was Hannah's daddy. Clyde fought his own demons. He was seven when he'd watched his granddaddy get lynched. Mandy struggled for years with her own dark secrets. Maybe two halves could make a whole.

In 17th-century Peru, St. Martin de Porres was torn from his body after death. His bones were pillaged as relics, and his spirit was said to inhabit those bones.

When the small North Carolina mountain town of Eli was flooded in the early 1940s to make way for a TVA dam and lake, the homes and businesses were buried beneath the water - but buildings weren’t the only things buried. There are hushed stories of a spirit that lingers beneath the murky waters, hiding a dark secret. Judy and her husband Craig journey to the area to care for her ailing adopted grandfather. The elderly man reveals some interesting anecdotes about his own life in Eli, but the sharing of this information is more than mere storytelling.

Troika is loosely based on a real-life experience. A normal day in the Deep South turns into a nightmare, as Chantal discovers that beauty and terror trace the fault lines between life and death. She fights to understand why a good woman, her friend Aida, is stricken with a debilitating illness that steals her mind and reason. When Aida's terrifying visions are revealed, what price does it have when it's shared with Chantal?

Gracie's life is in danger. Only she can save herself and her lover. Beaten in the streets, Gracie is rescued. Some time passes, and Gracie begins to move on with her life. Only, trouble from Gracie's past threatens their new relationship. Gracie and Harold will face fate together.

I was only inside the corner store for less than a minute before a masked man entered the front door carrying a gun. The brawny man headed directly toward the counter. A short and thin woman stood behind the register. Her name tag read “Sheila.”

When a wedding party show up at Happy Trails Campground, Mae West is thrilled. She's all things girly and excited to assist the bride in all things southern, which is what the bride is hankering for. Mae recognizes the parents of the bride when they arrive. They are from her past. The past she's been desperately trying to escape...especially since it was the time she was married to Paul West. This just isn't any couple, it's the owners of the famous Moonbucks Coffee Company.

After seven months laying low in Ocean Beach, California, Seattle PI Leo Waterman has finally stopped looking over his shoulder - specifically, for the vengeful band of Washington white supremacists who blame Leo for blindsiding their big plans for America. Where better to disappear with his bodyguard, Gabe, than this laid-back stretch of San Diego heaven? But when Leo finds a boy’s body on the beach, he comes out of hiding to investigate.

Mail carrier Bernadette (Bernie) Butler, along with the Front Porch Ladies, are curious about their new neighbor, Courtney Gaines, who is the niece of Florence Gaines, the wealthiest widow in Sugar Creek Gap. Florence lets it be known that she is seeing Zeke Grey, which doesn't set well with the Front Porch Ladies. They were all in competition for Zeke's attention. While delivering the mail, Bernie overhears what could be the couple's first marital spat. When Florence turns up dead in mulch, Bernie can't help but want to get involved.

The terrorized children of Governor's Road grew up without resolution or closure to the most devastating event of their young lives. Their friend, a child their age, disappeared one afternoon and somehow, they never seem to learn what happened. Saddened parents decide to protect their children, and the obvious fear recedes in the face of the calm that settles back over the neighborhood. But, fear never really disappears until it's confronted.

It's early October - time for the Fall Folk Art Festival and Bake Sale in Lilyvale, Arkansas. Every business along the town square will benefit from the event, including the craft store run by Leslee Stanton Nix - a.k.a. Nixy - and the Silver Six, a group of retirees. In charge of making the festival go smoothly, Nixy is confident that it will be a success.