Southern Thrillers

The era is the 1970s; the setting is Southern California. Lew Archer has been hired to retrieve a stolen canvas reputed to be the work of the celebrated Richard Chantry, who vanished in 1950 from his home in Santa Teresa. It is the portrait of an unknown woman.

Magic and mystery are only part of the Southern Charms of Honeysuckle Hollow. This box set contains: Moonshine & Magic; Fried Chicken & Fangs; and Sweet Tea & Spells. Charli Goodwin finds herself at the center of a mystery that threatens the very foundations of Honeysuckle Hollow and the safety of every paranormal citizen in it - starting with Charlie herself.

Elise Carmichael is a court sign language interpreter who reads lips, all the time. As a widow with a young, deaf son, lip reading is simply second nature, until the day she reads the lips of someone on the phone discussing an attempt to be made on the life of Lilliana York...a senator who just happens to be her mother-in-law. Before Elise can decide what to do, she gets a call that her son is being rushed to the E.R. and must leave. Then later she sees the news report that her mother-in-law has been shot and killed. But when she comes forward, her life, as well as her son's life, may now ...

A young black boy serving life in prison... A city on fire... One man stands between a life behind bars and total exoneration... Christian Davis, a former big-firm lawyer turned social justice warrior, has just been assigned the case of his life by the State of California. Jamel Jackson, a 16-year-old black boy, has just been convicted for the brutal rape of a prominent movie star. Christian digs into the case with gusto, as he examines the trial court transcript for any hint that the trial court might have erred in Jamel's case. As he gets into the investigation of the case, he's shocked...

For generations, the women of the Brown family on Peach Cove Island have been known for their Southern sass and sweet homemade desserts at their beloved Peach Diner. Marygene has barely returned from Atlanta and tied on an apron when a diner regular drops dead at the counter. When it turns out the old man's been poisoned, her sister Jena Lynn is led away in handcuffs and the family eatery is closed. Now, to save her sister and the diner, Marygene must find the real killer. With some assistance from her Mama's spirit, Marygene will be serving up a special order of just desserts....

Pepper Dunn’s life couldn’t be more perfect. In a few short weeks she’s set to marry the man of her dreams, Axel Reign. All she has to do is tick a few more boxes and the wedding will be on. When her cousin Cordelia introduces Pepper to a wishing stone that can alter reality, Pepper doesn’t think much of it. But when she and her cousins each make a wish out of frustration, they are thrown quite literally into a very different Magnolia Cove. In this Magnolia Cove, Pepper’s life is completely different. Everything she knows to be true is false, and her world is upside down.

Novelist Anne George injects murder, mayhem, and laughs into her popular mysteries. Nominated for an Agatha Award, this hilarious tale of two “60 something” sisters reveals the deadly consequences of a hasty real estate purchase. Retired Alabama school teacher Patricia Anne thinks her older sister, flamboyant Mary Alice, has lost her cotton-pickin’ mind. On a whim, Mary Alice bought the Skoot ’n’ Boot, the local country western night spot where she and her boyfriend hang out. Mary Alice insists it will be easy to run the club - until the previous owner is found executed.

Justice delayed is not justice denied... Avery Collins went to prison for seven years for a murder she did not commit. And now her best friend, and Private Investigator, Regina Baldwin, is investigating the case and finds corruption, deceit, sick greed and games at the highest level. The highest level. Little by little, one by one, Regina uncovers the powerful forces behind Becky Whitfield's murder. And, little by little, one by one, Regina, helps her best friend take just revenge on each of these men and women who ruined Avery's life so many years ago. Avery was once an innocent pawn ...

Rue's always known her vampire boyfriend's fears have always been that his past deeds would come back to haunt him and hurt her. When someone from Luke's past insists he return to his ancestral home, Ruby Mae insists on returning with him. While in Italy, she finds out just how much the death of his long-lost sister is affecting his whole family, and she makes it her mission to solve her murder. But when her own life gets threatened as she gets closer, will Ruby be able to find out the truth before she becomes the next victim?

Having rescued Cassidy McKnight from kidnappers in South America, Gabe Sinclair thought his job was done. Not that the former Navy SEAL could ever forget the brave, beautiful single mother. But when the danger followed her home, Gabe promised to protect her. Why anyone would want to kill Cassidy was a mystery. Was the motive related to the orphaned toddler Cassidy was raising, a sweet little girl who brought out the father figure in maverick Gabe?

Welcome to Lemon Bliss, Louisiana, where an abandoned lemon tea factory is the most happening place in town and witches secretly rule the roost. Violet Broussard gets called back to the hometown she left in the dust when a dead body is found in the abandoned factory bequeathed to her by her grandmother. Violet has plans, and they most definitely don't involve staying in Lemon Bliss any longer than necessary. The town is mostly famous for its lemon tea infused with enough alcohol to make one experience bliss, hence the town's name. Yet, once she's there, things get a tad wacky.

The house has sat empty for 15 years, taking up prime real estate along the picturesque coastline. Built by one of the founders of South Cove, its last known owner, Maryanne Demerit, vanished without a trace. Now her home will be demolished for a condo development, but until then, it's the perfect spot for a Halloween haunted house. Jill Gardner, her boyfriend, and three other couples are spending the weekend in the Demerit home. But what begins as an all-in-good-fun fright fest turns into a mystery begging to be solved as Jill is contacted by the ghost of Maryanne.

Christmas, Criminals, & Campers: When romance author Nadine White is found dead in the Normal Library, librarian Abby Fawn is Detective Hank Sharp's number-one suspect. Motorhomes, Maps, & Murder: Mae West, owner of Happy Trails Campground, just might find out that tapping into her namesake might come in handy when coming face to face with a serial killer. Canyons, Caravans, & Cadavers: When the principal of Normal High School asks Mae West to teach a semester on small-town economics, Mae is thrilled and happy to teach the young people.

When a cold case dossier lands on Captain Benny Griessel's desk, he and his partner Vaughn Cupido, fellow member of the Hawks elite police unit in South Africa, reluctantly set to work reviewing the evidence of the disappearance - and possible murder - of ex-cop Johnson Johnson on the world's most luxurious train line. Two fellow travelers might have the answers Griessel and Cupido need - but they too seem to have disappeared into thin air, and the few clues that exist suggest a cover-up.

Jill Gardner has volunteered her Coffee, Books, and More to host a Christmas adopt-a-pet party. Among the potential forever friends is a male terrier named Baby, whose owner died of a heart attack. With few clues to go on, even finding the name of Baby's human is a daunting task. But there's no challenge too big for Jill this holiday season. Playing Santa's Little Helper, Jill is determined to find out what happened - and to fulfill a long-time coming Christmas wish.

Everyone in Sugar Creek Gap has tried to fix up widow and beloved mail carrier Bernadette Davis on several dates. They say she has to be lonely. What they don't know is how Bernadette's life is filled...filled with everyone's hidden secrets and obsessions. After all, she does deliver their mail and hears all the dirty laundry southern folks love to sweep secrets under the rug. While on her route, Bernadette finds out the beloved Sugar Creek Gap Country Club is being sold and turned into condos. The developer is Bernadette's best friend, Mac Tabor, and right now he's not very popular.

Lux and Ben receive a call from their old friend Rowan Merrick, the owner of the Witch’s Brew restaurant in New Orleans. Rowan's friend's son has disappeared, and it's suspected that he has been cursed by a Rougarou. The boy was last seen in the eerie Acadian swamps west of the city. Lux and Ben decide to bring along Chelsea, who has experience with wendigos, and Francois, thinking this small team will be sufficient for a straightforward rescue mission. However, what starts as a simple favor quickly takes a dark turn. The team soon discovers that the swamps conceal more than just murky ...

Charli Goodwin doesn't expect her homecoming to go without a hitch - after all, she skipped town, leaving her fiance and family without a clue as to where she was going or why. On her first night back, Charli discovers the body of her crazy great-uncle and suddenly finds herself at the center of a mystery that threatens the very foundations of Honeysuckle Hollow and the safety of every paranormal citizen in it - starting with Charli herself. With the clock ticking, will Charli's special magical talents be enough to save not only the town, but also her own life?

You never know when an ordinary day in Magnolia Cove will turn into one that’s extraordinary—and not in a good way. All heck breaks loose when Pepper and her cousins accidentally release a magic eater into their beloved town. At first, they’re not sure what kind of evil they’ve unleashed, but when bodies start dropping, it’s clear this magic eater intends to feast on people in town. Pepper must stop the creature from claiming more victims and attempt to plan her wedding to Axel Reign. Can she and her friends stop the magic eater or will a member of the Craple family become its next victim?

Coming from scandalous Florida treasure hunters and drug smugglers, Sloan McPherson is forging her own path, for herself and for her daughter, out from under her family’s shadow. An auxiliary officer for Lauderdale Shores PD, she’s the go-to diver for evidence recovery. Then Sloan finds a fresh kill floating in a canal - a woman whose murky history collides with Sloan’s. Their troubling ties are making Sloan less a potential witness than a suspect. And her colleagues aren’t the only ones following every move she makes. So is the killer.