Rosemary remembered

Sample

Susan Wittig Albert

Between the herb shop, the catering business, and a weekend paper- making class, China Bayles has her work cut out for her. And now China's half- brother is opening up old wounds, trying to investigate their father's supposedly accidental death, and her husband is taking on the case-meaning she's just bound to get involved.To put the unsavory business out of her mind, she's gathering supplies for making paper. But in a patch of yucca plants, she finds a body-cause of death unknown. Many residents of Pecan Springs live seemingly simple lives that hide complex and dangerous pasts, and it appears the victim was one of them. Now, while unraveling secrets that hit close to home, China must set the record straight-and find a killer.

Sample

Susan Wittig Albert

China Bayles is in a pickle. The daughter of her best friend, Ruby, has turned up on her doorstep, pregnant and in need of a place to live. And her otherwise sensible husband has announced that he's bored with teaching and ready for a career change." "Say "hello" to P.I. Mike McQuaid and Associates. There aren't actually any "associates" - unless you count Ruby and China, of course. But the title does have a nice, official ring to it. His first client is Phoebe the Pickle Queen, owner of the biggest little pickle business in Texas. According to Phoebe, her plant manager is embezzling, and she wants McQuaid to follow the money." Meanwhile, Pecan Springs is hosting the annual Picklefest - and this year, China and Ruby are on the planning committee, along with Phoebe. But just days before the festival starts, the Pickle Queen disappears. Some say she sold her business and split; others think the answer may lie with her missing boyfriend. It's up to McQuaid and China to search for the Pickle Queen - and for clues in a case that promises to leave a very sour taste.

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Nancy J. Cohen

Since beauty is her business, salon owner Marla Shore figures she can surely rid herself of a few excess pounds of holiday flab without joining a gym. But when daily walks with her slowpoke poodle fail to whittle her waistline, Marla reluctantly gives in to a trial membership at Perfect Fit Sports Club. She never dreamed that slimming down would mean running into a deadly case of foul play.

Sample

Kjell Eriksson

As Autumn creeps across the Swedish city of Uppsala, elderly Professor Ulrik Hindersten disappears without a trace. When the bludgeoned corpses of two local farmers are unearthed within days of each other, Inspector Ann Lindell and her team are called in to investigate what might connect the crimes. Caught in the middle of a dangerous web as distant events take on a devastating and urgent clarity, Lindell must unravel the threads if she is to stop the dranged killer, who may be closer than she thinks...