As a child, I read many Nancy Drew books and loved how she solved the clues. During the last couple of years I have developed a deeper interest in mystery and romantic suspense books. I enjoy trying to figure out the clues in other's tales and creating my own. The challenge is like putting a puzzle together for me when I write in this genre. Recently I wrote two short cozy mysteries and a romantic suspense that were published for the Christian market. I have a couple of cozy mystery works in progress that will soon be ready to share with readers. My other books often have hints of mysteries.
I wrote
Stolen Gift Exchange: A Christmas in Ohio Anthology Collection Story
The Hidden Gate is a sweet cozy that I found intriguing.
The story has both a contemporary setting and one from the past. The two meld together to leave the reader wondering what happened to a young girl who disappeared in the past and what her relationship to the present day characters might be.
I found myself cheering for those wronged in the past and mourning for the unfortunate child's demise. The lead characters where appealing and made great sleuths for solving the crime.
This book initially appealed to me because of the title and the dog on the front cover.
As a child, I was a big fan of all things related to the television and movie versions of the character Zorro. He wasn't in this book, but there was someone who left their 'Z' around town, painted on runaway dogs. I enjoyed the developing romance between the local game warden and the determined animal rescue worker, who would eventually figure out the mystery.
The story was well-written and had some great twists and red herrings to enjoy. This book is part of a series and I look forward to checking the other books featuring cozy mysteries involving dogs.
Cozy up with your favorite pooch and unwind with a small-town mystery in book 4 of the Gone to the Dogs series.
Strange happenings are afoot in Brenham, Texas, as dogs start showing up at the Lone Star Veterinary Clinic with a Z spray painted on them. The cops blame pranksters, while pet owners are blaming each other. Receptionist Cassidy Carter uses her social media expertise to try to get the culprit caught on camera, but Texas game warden, Jason Cameron, thinks online media attention is the last thing this case…
12 Days will keep you on the edge of your seat. The past will collide with the present for a retired policeman who struggles with his faith, his work, and his relationship with those who care for him.
This is a new author to me and I was impressed with how she intricately woven the story together providing plenty of surprises and twists. When his estranged girlfriend's life is on the line, the mystery will morph into a suspenseful game that will threaten them both.
His journey of faith was important to the story and I was glad to see that be an important part of the story.
This is a well-crafted mystery with elements of suspense.
I sometimes read in children's and young adult genres and think this book would be a great choice for the Christian young adult market. Rae, the main character is independent due to questions about who her real parents are. She has discovered her father but now someone is making threats involving questions about who her mother was.
The story will leave the reader guessing about the threats and who is trying to make Rae scared. JPC Allen is a fairly new author and I hope to see more of her work.
Nineteen-year-old Rae Riley can barely believe her gamble paid off. After spending seven months investigating the identity of her father and whether he tried to murder her mother, Rae has been accepted by her dad, Sheriff Walter "Mal" Malinowski IV, and his immediate family with open hearts. And for the fi rst time in her life, Rae is making friends, jamming with three cute cops who play outlaw country music.
But someone is leaving Rae threatening notes, reminding her of her late mother's notorious past when Bella Rydell wrecked homes and lives during the few years she lived in rural…
Home Away from Home is a cozy mystery woven in with a romance for an older couple.
Marigold has searched for her father for years. Her mother died in a terrible accident. Her obsession with finding her father since then has interfered with relationships and interest in marriage. In this delightful tale, she will finally unravel the mystery of what happened to her father and will discover things about herself and a family she never knew about.
She will finally be open to accepting love from a dear and faithful friend. I found this book to be an enjoyable and relaxing read. It is part of a series that I highly recommend.
Will Marigold and Johnny embrace love late in life?
The day before Marigold Hayes turned fourteen, her mother died in a car accident and her father went missing. Her memory of standing on the porch and waving goodbye haunts her. After forty years of digging for clues to her dad's whereabouts and ignoring her personal life, the hope she might find him fades. Through the years, she has made friends, but no one significant until Johnny Papadakis. He has stood by her for nine years and helped search records of people alive and dead. For the last six months. he…
When someone steals a Christmas gift, Honey, Loretta, and Annabelle must solve the mystery before the season ends. Loretta's stolen painting of Edmund's long-lost wife will lead the trio on a merry chase when someone takes it from a locker during senior aerobics swim class. Edmund planned to celebrate Christmas by giving himself the gift of a happy memory of past love. He is upset to find out about the missing portrait. Loretta offers to redo the painting before New Year's Eve. He agrees on the condition they report the robbery to the police, who can't promise to help right away. So the ladies make a list of suspects and mount their own investigation. During their investigation, Honey may be surprised by romance.
Writer, reader, editor, reviewer, publisher… those are all parts of me. With a lifetime of experience in the “words” industry, I have a pretty good handle on what makes a book not just good, but hot. I say this with the understanding that each reader brings their own histories to the reading experience, and what one person may like, another may not. Nonetheless, I offer you my professional and personal favorites in the mystery/thriller/suspense categories. It is my sincere hope that you find these books as addictive as I’d found them. Superb and clever writing, engaging characters, unpredictable plots—yes, please! Though I occasionally step outside my comfort zone, I'm consistently drawn back to these categories.
Liza O’Connell was a horror buff in every sense of the word. But there was one deadly nightmare she would never be able to talk about … her own. A friend murdered. A business in trouble. A marriage struggling to survive. And that’s just the beginning.
When salon owner Carrie King discovers Liza dead in the back room of her shop, everyone becomes a suspect, even her. As tensions in the community rise, so does the death toll, and now the local cops believe there’s a serial killer on the loose. The question is … are the two investigations connected?…
Liza O’Connell was a horror buff in every sense of the word. But there was one deadly nightmare she would never be able to talk about … her own.
A friend murdered.
A business in trouble.
A marriage struggling to survive.
And that’s just the beginning.
When salon owner Carrie King discovers Liza dead in the back room of her shop, everyone becomes a suspect, even her. As tensions in the community rise, so does the death toll, and now the local cops believe there’s a serial killer on the loose. The question is … are the two investigations connected?…
