New Box Sets! Professor Molly’s Big Book of Murder Parts One and Two

The first five Professor Molly mysteries, plus a bonus!
This box set presents the first five Professor Molly mysteries in the order in which they are meant to be read and enjoyed:


The Musubi Murder: After a brutal year on the academic job market, Professor Molly Barda finally lands a teaching job. In Hawaii!

The Case of the Defunct Adjunct: Follow your dreams, and you’ll never work a day in your life. Because that field’s not hiring.

The Cursed Canoe: Seven women on the crew. Six seats in the canoe. Paddlers would kill to compete in the big race. What could go wrong?

The Black ThumbIt should have been a lovely summer afternoon.

The Invasive Species: It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.

BONUS CONTENTAlice Mongoose and Alistair Rat in Hawaii
In The Invasive Species, we meet Alice Mongoose and Alistair Rat, protagonists of the classic children’s picture book series. When Alice Mongoose sails from India to a sugar plantation on the Big Island of Hawaii, she is shocked to learn what her new job entails. She decides instead to strike out on her own. When she meets the gentle and dapper Alistair Rat, she knows that she has found a friend in her new Hawaiian home. The Alice Mongoose and Alistair Rat stories are classic tales of adventure, resilience, and friendship, beloved to this day by children of all ages.

Get Professor Molly’s Big Book of Murder Part One

Includes the second six Professor Molly mysteries and an exclusive bonus short story with reporter Pat Flanagan and young Harriet Holmes!

Mother’s Day: Professor Molly is not thrilled at having to “tutor” (babysit) a spoiled rich kid. Especially not while she’s battling morning sickness, a meddling mom, and (as always) the Student Retention Office.  But once inside the historic Brigham House, Molly realizes something is very wrong. And she has to decide whether to mind her own business and keep her job, or risk everything to prevent a murder.

The Nakamura Letters: Professor Emma Nakamura doesn’t believe in ghosts. So it doesn’t bother her (much) when she learns of a long-ago suicide in her remote upcountry rental house. She’s sure there’s a logical explanation for the disappearing items and the strange sounds in the night. Fortunately (?), Emma’s best friend Molly has news shocking enough to take Emma’s mind off the hauntings.

The Perfect Body: When Professor Molly attends Mahina State University’s exclusive donor dinner, she doesn’t expect to share a table with the insufferable Stephen Park. Turns out it’s one thing to invite your toxic ex-boyfriend to drop dead…it’s quite another when he takes you up on it.

The Fever Cabinet: Through no fault of her own, Professor Molly just got promoted to department chair. The Student Retention Office has her buried in paperwork. The college has just relocated to a former asylum. Molly’s dean has directed her to appease the department’s new star, the prickly Fiona Spencer. At least nothing else can go wrong. And then Fiona finds a body in her office.

The Influencer: There’s no such thing as bad publicity. Until it happens to you.

EXCLUSVE BONUS CONTENT: Death at the Effigy

It’s 1984. Young Pat Flanagan gets his first reporting job at San Diego’s second-coolest ‘zine, Voltaire’s Quill. But when Pat covers the opening night of a trendy new club, he witnesses a freak “accident” and has to choose: keep his eccentric editor Harriet and her advertisers happy, or find out the truth?

Get Professor Molly’s Big Book of Murder Part Two

10 years (or 14,600 cups of coffee) later, caffeine is still good for you.

Ten years ago, I shared the encouraging news that caffeine is good for you.

Specifically, for your endothelial function.

Science marches forward and knowledge is constantly advancing, so I’m happy to report that it’s still safe, and even beneficial, to indulge in caffeinated coffee and black tea. (Green tea too, although that’s hardly news.)

However, if (like me) you fancy an after-dinner espresso or a cup of tea before bed, there are some excellent decaf options out there. My unleaded favorites are Ty-Phoo decaf tea, L’Or Decaf Espresso (Nespresso capsules), and Peet’s Decaf Dark Roast (K-Cups).

Now I’m off to brew a big pot of tea and sit down to write!

Holiday Throwback: Letters to Santa, Hilo, Hawaii Edition

Before she was with the legendary mystery blog Chicks on the Case, author  Leslie Karst had a culinary blog called Custard and Clues In this 2014 post she shares highlights from the Hilo, Hawaii Tribune Herald’s Letters to Santa.  

 

Local kids provide evidence to bolster their case for getting on the Good List (“I’ve been helping my mom at dinner time by washing the rice”), or get Santa oriented so he doesn’t lose his way (“If you come down our chimney, one you will get dirty, and two, our Christmas tree will be right in front of you”). Some simply throw themselves on the mercy of the court (“Can I know if you give people on the bad list another chance?”).

Read the whole thing HERE!

Header image: Victorian Christmas card depicting Santa stuffing a child into his sack.

#MidweekMystery: Sand Trapped by Joanna Campbell Slan

Cara Mia Delgatto was looking for a lost ball when found Jocelyn “JJ” Johnson face down in a sand trap. Gave a whole new meaning to “take a drop.”

It wasn’t a surprise. The neighbors hated JJ for the reckless way she drove her golf cart. Sure, she lived on the grounds of a swanky golf club, and yes, she had tons of money, but JJ ruined flowerbeds, terrorized grandkids, and made a nuisance of herself.

Except…except…she’s quiet now. Lying there in the dirt at Hole #6. Someone bashed in JJ’s head. (Who would risk ruining an expensive Homna golf club like that?)

Cara doesn’t want to get involved. But when Gerta Hunsickler is named the prime suspect, and Gerta’s husband is so angry at his wife that he’s starting divorce proceedings, Cara can’t sit on her hands. She knows what it’s like to be unfairly accused. So she promises to take a swing at it and see if she can hit a long drive down the fairway of justice!

Meanwhile, back at The Treasure Chest, Cara’s friends are busy creating fabulous and fun Mother’s Day gifts. There are two brides-to-be working for Cara, and their two mothers-in-law-to-be have decided not to play nice. Can you say, “Mama’s boy” ten times really fast? I thought you could.

If you love warm-hearted, clean books, that feature female amateur sleuths, fur babies, family, and friends, you’ll love this charming DIY/recycling/upcycling series set on the Southeast Coast of Florida.

Joanna Campbell Slan

Joanna Campbell Slan

Kiki Lowenstein Mysteries

“Our best friend, our next-door neighbor, and ourselves with just a touch of the outrageous.” That’s how RT Book Review describes Joanna’s protagonist, Kiki Lowenstein. The truth is that’s a pretty good description of Joanna Campbell Slan as well.
Joanna is a New York Times Bestselling, USA Today Bestselling, and Amazon Bestselling author as well as a woman prone to frequent bursts of crafting frenzy, leaving her with burns from her hot glue gun and paint on her clothes. And the mess? Let’s not even go there.
Otherwise, Joanna’s a productive author with more than 80 written projects to her credit. Her non-fiction work includes how to books, a college textbook for public speakers, and books of personal essays (think Chicken Soup for the Soul).
Currently, she writes five fiction series: The Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series (Agatha Award Finalist, contemporary, St. Louis setting, crafting), the Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series (contemporary, Florida setting, DIY, and recycling), the Jane Eyre Chronicles (Daphne du Maurier Award Winner, 1830s England, based on Charlotte Brontë’s classic), the Sherlock Holmes Fantasy Thrillers (late 1800s, based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s books), and the Zen Cozy Mystery Series (launch 2021).
A former TV talk show host, college teacher, and public relations specialist, Joanna was one of the early Chicken Soup for the Soul contributors. She won a Silver Anvil for her work on the original FarmAid concert to benefit farmers.
In her ongoing quest never to see snow again, Joanna lives with her husband and their Havanese puppy, Jax, on an island off the coast of Florida. You can email her at [email protected] or visit her website at https://linktr.ee/jcslan
Website Http://www.JoannaSlan.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/1602372550058785
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/joannaslan
BookBub http://www.BookBub.com/author/joanna-campbell-slan
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/joannaslan/
Purchase Links – Amazon 

Featured Image: A Florida Golf Course where as far as we know, no dead bodies have turned up

Professor Molly Mysteries now available on audio

The Case of the Defunct Adjunct, The Musubi Murder, The Cursed Canoe, and the short story Trust Fall are available on audio. Coming up next: The Black Thumb!

Listen! Professor Molly Audiobooks up to 80% off

Discounted for a limited time

Get these deals through March 12, 2021 at Chirp, BookBub’s audiobook platform.

Title
The Case of the Defunct Adjunct

A twisty campus mystery! Professor Kent Lovely is Mahina State University’s resident creep — or he was, until he collapsed face-first into his cheesecake. Now the faculty summer retreat is a crime scene, and Professor Molly Barda must do everything she can to clear her innocent friend Emma’s name… before it’s too late.

Title
The Musubi Murder

Professor Molly just wants to stay out of trouble until she gets tenure at Mahina State University (“Where Your Future Begins Tomorrow!”). But when the college’s biggest donor, a local lunch-shop tycoon, vanishes, Molly’s dean orders her to find him before his check bounces. Will snooping around and stirring up old secrets land Molly in the soup?

Title
Trust Fall

It’s another faculty retreat at Mahina State University. Professor Molly struggles to stay awake. Her best friend Dr. Emma Nakamura does her best not to throttle anyone (a particular challenge in the case of newbie know-it-all Kyle Stockhausen). But then the Trust Fall exercise goes horribly wrong. Is it murder? Or just the worst meeting of the semester?

The Influencer, the latest Professor Molly mystery, is now available for preorder

The Influencer

The Influencer

Author:
Series: The Professor Molly Mysteries, Book 11
Genre: Mystery

There's no such thing as bad publicity. Until it happens to you.

Professor Molly's new renter is a social media star seeking privacy in remote Mahina, Hawaii. The arrangement seems to be working out...until the celebrity influencer vanishes. Molly and her best friend Emma Nakamura call in the Mahina PD and try to stay out of the way. But the unthinkable happens: The saturnine Detective Medeiros actually asks for Molly and Emma's help. As they confront nosy neighbors, fanatical followers, and the missing woman's has-been husband, Molly and Emma find themselves at the center of the story. And when fame creates its own reality, that's a dangerous place to be.

More info →

Three Widows and a Corpse (A Food Blogger Mystery) by Debra Sennefelder

Food blogger Hope Early finds one item not on her scavenger hunt list—a dead husband . . .

Between developing her food blog, Hope at Home, and choosing low-cal recipes for a feature in Cooking Now! magazine, Hope has a full plate. Still, she’s never too busy to compete in a Jefferson, Connecticut, tradition—the town’s annual scavenger hunt.

But as she races with her team to check off the next item, Hope discovers a grisly surprise—the body of shady real estate developer Lionel Whitcomb, shot in a parking lot. His wife Elaine, who’s also in the hunt, gasps and nearly faints. But two other women on the scene cry out that their husband is dead.

It turns out this louse of a spouse was more than a little lax in legally divorcing his former wives. Did one of them put a bullet in the bigamist? Number one suspect and number three wife Elaine begs Hope to investigate. Now Hope is on a new kind of hunt—for a cold-hearted killer and triple widow-maker . . .

Includes Recipes from Hope’s Kitchen!

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About the Author

Debra Sennefelder

Debra Sennefelder, the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series, is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in pre-hospital care, retail and publishing. Her writing companions are her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih-Tzus, Susie and Billy.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, Women’s Fiction Writers Association and Romance Writers of America.

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#MidweekMystery Molded 4 Murder (a Sophie Kimball Mystery) by J.C. Eaton


Molded 4 Murder

A View to a Kiln…Sophie “Phee” Kimball enjoys working as a bookkeeper for a private investigator. If only her mother Harriet could enjoy her retirement at Sun City West in Arizona—instead of constantly getting involved with retirees being prematurely put out to pasture. This time Quentin Dussler, a prominent member of the clay sculpting club, was found dead, clutching a piece of paper scrawled with Phee’s mother’s name.

Terrified she’s been targeted by assassins, Harriet begs Phee to investigate. What Phee uncovers is a complicated scheme that only the most diabolical of murderers would ever devise. And as she chisels away at confusing clues and potential suspects, Phee unearths something far more precious and valuable than she could imagine. Eager for answers, she takes a bold step—placing herself in the crosshairs of a stonefaced killer …

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About the Authors

J.C. Eaton

Sophie Kimball Mysteries

Ann I. Goldfarb
New York native Ann I. Goldfarb spent most of her life in education, first as a classroom teacher and later as a middle school principal and professional staff developer. Writing as J. C. Eaton, along with her husband, James Clapp, she has authored the Sophie Kimball Mysteries (Kensington) was released in June 2017. In addition, Ann has nine published YA time travel mysteries under her own name. Visit the websites at www.jceatonauthor.com and www.timetravelmysteries.com

James E. Clapp
When James E. Clapp retired as the tasting room manager for a large upstate New York winery, he never imagined he’d be co-authoring cozy mysteries with his wife, Ann I. Goldfarb. His first novel, Booked 4 Murder (Kensington) was released in June 2017. Non-fiction in the form of informational brochures and workshop materials treating the winery industry were his forte along with an extensive background and experience in construction that started with his service in the U.S. Navy and included vocational school classroom teaching.
Visit their website at www.jceatonauthor.com and Like and Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JCEatonauthor/
Amazon   B&N   Kobo   GooglePlay    IndieBound 

#MidweekMystery: Remembering the Dead, A Penny Brannigan Mystery by Elizabeth J. Duncan

In award-winning author Elizabeth J. Duncan’s tenth Penny Brannigan mystery set in North Wales, Canadian amateur sleuth Penny Brannigan attends a dinner party at a posh country house–where a historic chair disappears and a waiter is murdered.

Remembering the Dead Book Cover

Artist and spa owner Penny Brannigan has been asked to organize a formal dinner to mark the centenary of the armistice that ended World War One. After dinner, the guests adjourn to the library for a private exhibition of the Black Chair, a precious piece of Welsh literary history awarded in 1917 to poet Hedd Wyn. But to the guests’ shock, the newly restored bardic chair is missing. And then Penny discovers the rain-soaked body of a waiter. When Penny learns that the victim was the nephew of one of her employees, she is determined to find the killer. Meanwhile, the local police search for the Black Chair. The Prince of Wales is due to open an exhibit featuring the chair in three weeks, so time is not on their side. A visit to a nursing home to consult an ex-thief convinces Penny that the theft of the Black Chair and the waiter’s murder are connected. She rushes to Dublin to consult a disagreeable antiquarian, who might know more than he lets on, and during the course of her investigation confronts a gaggle of suspicious travelers and an eccentric herbalist who seems to have something to hide. Can Penny find the chair and the culprit before she is laid to rest in the green grass of Wales?

About The Author

Elizabeth J. Duncan

Elizabeth J Duncan is the author of two mystery series – Shakespeare in the Catskills and the Penny Brannigan mystery series set in North Wales. She is a two-time winner of the Bloody Words Award for Canada’s best light mystery and lives in Toronto.

Website: www.elizabethjduncan.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/elizabethjduncan

Twitter: @elizabethduncan

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