Femalesleuth Stories

The Dominant Motive is the first novel in the Alex Goldfinger mystery series written by Jack D. Kelly. Alex Goldfinger is an office manager/private investigator-in-training that inherits her boss's private investigation firm. Overnight she goes from office manager to private investigator. Alex's first solo case is to locate a man suspected of killing his wife twenty years earlier.

Candy Hale, a self-professed self-love guru, author of the book and course: Mission: Epic Self-love, therapist and motivational speaker is found murdered with pages from her own book stuffed down her throat. Journalist and private investigator, Alex Goldfinger tracks onto the story when she receives an anonymous email stating Candy had to die because she was inauthentic and living a lie. Curious, Alex begins to investigate; an affair with a clients' significant other and shady business dealings proves the self-help guru was indeed not living her truth and was making enemies along the way. Born to expose lies and uncover the truth, Alex navigates her way through the dark side of therapy and extramarital affairs to find a killer. Who killed Candy? Will Alex be next?

All Lexi wants to do is get through the day at her boring temp job with Green Hand Insurance. That's until she discovers the vice president, Martin Dean, in a pool of blood and herself at the center of an investigation into insurance fraud. Millions of dollars are missing, the chief suspect is dead and her mysterious, sexy, new boss is not what he seems. Recruited by the joint task force working on the case, all Lexi has to do is work out who killed Dean and where the missing millions are. That's easier said than done when her sister insists upon the baby shower to end all baby showers, her wise-ass cop family just wants to keep her safe, someone keeps leaving her creepy gifts, and all the clues point to a seedy sex club on the wrong side of town. As the bodies start to pile up, Lexi is on a race against time to find the killer and the money, before she's the next one in the murderer's sights.

The distant Scottish spa town of Ballater seems a world away from the stylish and familiar streets of Georgian Edinburgh, but recently married Hippolyta Napier is making a new life amidst its dark woods and pure, flowing waters. But suspicion, intrigue and death await both inside and outside her new home, and the forces of nature take few prisoners. The first in the Hippolyta Napier murder mystery series set in mid 19th century Scotland. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knife-Darkness-Hippolyta-Napier-Book-ebook/dp/B01N1K4683/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1546274949&sr=1-1&keywords=lexie+conyngham+a+knife+in+darkness

Department secretary Emma Price is underemployed at her alma mater and considering an English graduate degree to boost her job prospects. Unfortunately, she had a short-lived fling with Eric Sanger, the new chair of the English department. He's a lightning rod who has as many rabid fans as ticked off enemies throughout the college. When one of Eric's foes takes their anger one step too far, Emma is a suspect, and finding the true culprit becomes a matter of life and death.

Trouble always finds Echo Ellis. Constantly on the hunt for the next big scoop, Echo Ellis is a kickass journalist who does whatever it takes to land the story - whether sashaying into a club like a fashionista, hiding in a coffin, or skulking across muddy fields in her Wellies. With an enigmatic pedigree and a well-stamped passport, Echo learned at an early age that a seedy underbelly usually lurks right under a glossy surface. With that in mind, she often finds herself in dangerous, yet thrilling situations, as she strives to seek the truth in a snare of lies. One night at an art show, Echo meets Dash Oxford, a handsome doctor with a roving eye. Her reporter instinct kicks in - as does her attraction to this mysterious man - and Echo soon finds herself unraveling a Southern Gothic mystery in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. With her dry humor and penchant for irony, Echo matches wits with everyone from Southern pastors to corrupt politicians as she uncovers the big story while trying to stay alive.

Amy Ridley is as excited as everyone else in Kellerton, Michigan to have DIY Home Improvement star, Phoebe Plymouth, come to town for the first annual Cabin Fever Cure event. However, the TV star's prickly personality quickly turns people off. When she's found dead, at the business owned by Amy's husband, the hunt is on to catch the killer before his professional reputation is ruined.

Amy Ridley's best friend, Carla, is getting married, and Amy is delighted to be recruited as the head wedding planner-even if Carla's bridal demands aren't exactly conventional. Navigating the world of nuptials becomes the least of Amy's problems when the owner of a menswear shop is found dead, and Carla's fiancé is assigned to the case as the lead detective. Amy and Carla vow to help track down the killer to save the wedding and honeymoon plans. Soon they discover there are even more sinister happenings affecting the businesses in downtown Kellerton, Michigan.

When Psychology Professor Pamela Barnes discovers her department's star researcher strangled to death in the computer lab, she's determined to find out who did it. Will an accidental recording of the murder allow Pamela to use her expertise in acoustics to identify the killer? A unique cozy mystery--set in the world of academia and high-stakes research--full of excitement, humor, and romance.

On Oct. 1, 1947, Paul Jasper Monroe was lynched at Hangman's Oak. He was a decorated WWII veteran. He was Black. He was also Gay. Despite rumors, no one was ever arrested. Sixty-eight years later on the anniversary of Monroe's murder, George Armstrong Cutter, often suspected as one of the killers, was found hanging from Hangman's Oak. Revenge or Justice?

Amy Ridley and her friend, Sophie, have perfected their chicken soup recipe to compete against other local chefs in the Chicken Soup Showdown. But the charity event has a rocky start when Amy finds the dead body of another competitor. Adding to Amy's stress, the detective in charge of the investigation targets her best friend, Carla, as the chief suspect in the murder. In order to clear her friend's name, Amy conducts her own investigation. Soon her suspect list is longer than the list of ingredients in her secret chicken soup recipe. Can Amy figure out who really killed the celebrity chef? Or will Carla end up in jail?

Nancy sets out to unveil a Ghostly Legend and to find a Vanished Groom! Touted as the most romantic event to grace the ruined halls of Ireland's Castle Malloy, the Simmons-Mallory wedding was supposed to be a fairytale beginning, but now the groom is missing! Did a banshee crash the wedding or is this a case of cold feet? Nancy Drew, has to unravel the knot of scattered clues and scary superstitions? She will need to catch more than a bridal bouquet to make this a happily ever after!

The last Vivian Larke was seen was when her brother dropped her off at school, before going to his college class. Coincidentally, he became sick that morning and failed to attend class, making him the perfect target for the prime suspect of her disappearance. Even after death, Vivian appears to her best friend, Lacey, Who is too young to understand what this means. All Lacey really knows is that she sees her best friend when no one else does. Luckily, she, much like Vivian, has an older sibling she can rely on to help determine what Vivian's cryptic messages might mean. Annie, isn't quite sure what to make of her little sister Lacey's stories. Aware of Vivian's disappearance, she doesn't quite know if she can trust her love interest, who just so happens to be Vivian's brother. But when she finds her carefully wound world unraveling right before her eyes, she will stop at nothing to prove the sanity and innocence of the people she loves.

"A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page." --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) ONCE FORSAKEN is book #7 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)-a free download with over 700 five star reviews! When Special Agent Riley Paige finally decides to take a well-needed rest from the FBI, a request for help comes from the most unlikely source: her own daughter. April's best friend is devastated by the death of her sister, a freshman at Georgetown. Worse, she is convinced that the suicide was staged, and that her sister was murdered at the hands of a serial killer. Riley reluctantly looks into the case, only to discover that two other freshman girls at Georgetown recently killed themselves in the same grotesque way-by hanging. As she realizes foul play may be afoot, she brings in the FBI. The case takes Riley deep into the privileged campus of one of the world's most esteemed universities, into the unsettling world of the wealthy and driven families that pushed their children to succeed. In time she discovers that this case is far more twisted than it seems-and that she just may be up against the most psychotic killer of her career. A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE FORSAKEN is book #7 in a riveting new series-with a beloved new character-that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #8 in the Riley Paige series will be available soon.

ONCE LOST is book #10 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1) -a free download with over 1,000 five star reviews! Still reeling from her former partner Lucy's death and from her partner Bill's PTSD, FBI Special Agent Riley Paige does her best to try to keep herself stable and to patch together her family life. She has to decide what to about April's boyfriend, recovering from his abusive father, and about Blaine, who is ready for their relationship to move ahead. But before she can work it out, Riley is summoned for a new case. In an idyllic suburban town in the Midwest, teenage girls are going missing-and a body has already turned up. The police are stumped, and Riley is called in to catch the killer before another girl goes missing. Making things worse is that Riley is assigned a partner she does not want-her nemesis, Special agent Roston-who had been interrogating her in Shane's case. Even worse: Shane is on the loose, he wants revenge-and he has Riley's family in his sights. A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE LOST is book #10 in a riveting new series-with a beloved new character-that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

When Amy Ridley enters the Holiday Celebrations Competition she was hoping to spread some Christmas cheer with her sparkling tablescape and delicious canapés. When other displays begin to literally fall apart she sets out to discover the Scrooge who is sabotaging the charity event.

"A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go." --Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone) From #1 bestselling author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense: CAUSE TO FEAR (An Avery Black Mystery-Book 4). When a body turns up floating beneath the frozen Charles River, the Boston Police summons its most brilliant and controversial homicide detective-Avery Black-to close the case. It doesn't take Avery long, however, to realize that this is no isolated murder: it is the work of a serial killer. Other bodies begin to turn up, all of them sharing one thing in common: all are trapped in ice. Is it all a coincidence-or the signature of a particularly deranged killer? As the media converges and Avery suffers pressure from her bosses, she struggles to crack the inexplicable case, too bizarre even for her brilliant mind. At the same time she tries to keep her own depression at bay, as her personal life spirals to a new low. And she does it all while trying to enter the mind of a psychotic and elusive killer. What she will find will shock even her, and make her realizes that nothing is what it seems-and that the worst darkness may sometimes be closest to us. A psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, CAUSE TO FEAR is book #4 in a riveting new series-with a beloved new character-that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #5 in the Avery Black series will be available soon. "A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side, so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page." --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)

In the quiet city of Rockwell, a haunting mystery unfolds as nightmares bleed into reality, threatening the lives of innocent souls. Seventeen-year-old Teya Phillips finds herself tormented by terrifying dreams of brutal murders - scenes that soon manifest into grisly crimes haunting her waking world. As the nightmares intensify, Teya becomes desperate for answers, but the closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous her pursuit becomes. Detective Lilian Roland, an investigator determined to keep her city safe. Assigned to the chilling case, Lilian finds herself perplexed by the uncanny connection between Teya's nightmares and the actual murders. As the body count rises, she realises she must rely on the very source of the darkness to shed light on the enigmatic killer. Yet, amid the chaos, Teya receives anonymous, cryptic notes urging her to abandon her investigation. Someone seems determined to steer her away from the truth, and the ominous presence lurks closer than she could ever imagine. Unsure of whom to trust, she cautiously allies herself with Detective Roland, as they both grapple with the terrifying realization that the killer might be someone they've known all along. Together, they embark on a heart-stopping race against time, using Teya's nightmares as clues to outwit the elusive serial killer before he claims another life. "Nightmares of Truth" is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the twisted realms of dreams and darkness, where the power of collaboration between a teenage girl and a determined detective may be the only hope to stop a cold-blooded murderer in his tracks.

The Seasons of Canyon Creek Cozy Mystery Series - Book 1 As the small community of Canyon Creek gathers for the annual Christmas parade, there is only one thing missing - Santa. The citizens of Canyon Creek look forward to the annual Christmas festivities. As anticipation builds with each passing float in the parade, everyone eagerly awaits the first glimpse of Santa. Kate and a small group of volunteers have worked tirelessly to deliver a holiday celebration to the small community, but will it go off without a hitch murder?