Showing results by author "Joy Patrick" in All Categories

Solving crimes at a crusty old Florida inn was NOT in D.C. urbanite Lilly Livingston’s 5 yr plan. But when she discovers she is the executor of a forgotten stepfather’s will and is gifted Magnolia Manor, in little Drifter’s Cove, Florida, things get a little off track. The town coroner reports her stepfather died of natural causes, but Lilly is not convinced and joins a motley crew of locals to solve her first case. Leaving D.C. for good, Lilly’s excited to start her new small-town life and reopen the inn. But, a murder at the grand opening of her newly inherited inn wasn’t ...

Returning to her sleepy hometown in Pennsylvania is the last thing Julia “JJ” Kamaras thought she’d ever do. So was solving a murder. Alone in Florida and working a dead-end job at a local gym, JJ’s career and love life weren't exactly on fire. But when disaster struck, her Greek-American father convinced her to come home to the safety of Jim Thorpe, PA, and their family restaurant, the Kamaras Grill. Though initially happy to be back cooking souvlaki with her father, family tension festered, and JJ’s ex, police officer Ryan, showed up still bitter about their breakup. Making ...

They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Yeah, not this time. A long overdue vacation in the glittering lights of the Las Vegas Strip seemed like just what the doctor ordered for JJ, Rebecca, and Gwen Q. Fate had other plans. As they entered the renowned Neapolitan Hotel, the allure and glitz of the casino was undeniable. Yet, with the chilling discovery of a lifeless body sprawled in a posh hotel room suite, the fun fizzled fast. Caught in a twisted web of deceit, JJ and her friends find themselves entangled in a deadly game of whodunnit as they navigate a neon-lit labyrinth of ...

Returning to her sleepy, backwoods hometown in the Everglades was the last thing Vivian Blake ever thought she’d do. So was solving her uncle’s murder. Recently single, and with no other family to speak of, psych nurse Vivian Blake ditched her carefully calculated urban life for the swampy fishing village of Mangrove Bay, Florida. Though initially happy to be back at her beloved uncle Don’s place, the nostalgic feeling faded when she realized ex-con Ben was staying in the next room, and her uncle ended up dead. Convinced that local law enforcement arrested the wrong suspect, Vivian ...

Sometimes the sweetest small towns can be big on bitter secrets … Security analyst Grace Jordan never imagined she’d be solving a murder when she returned home to Sweet Cove, North Carolina. Or, that she was good it. Harboring a decades-long secret of her own, Grace leaves her carefully controlled, predictable city life for Sweet Cove to help her whimsical Aunt Lyla run her bookstore after the death of Lyla’s sister. When a local businessman ends up dead surrounded by a mysterious collection of books, accusations fly, and Grace is determined to put her analytical smarts to work to ...

Ah, the 70’s. Disco, Star Wars. And a heist that baffled the police every decade since. Lilly Livingston is celebrating her year mark as owner of Magnolia Manor—but things aren’t going exactly as expected. As an FBI unit descends on Drifter's Cove to tackle cold cases from a bygone era, a local billionaire, the elderly Baron Carrington, nears the end with his estate and heirs in question. Meanwhile, more tourists and riff-raff pour into once-sleepy Drifter’s Cove, frustrating Chief Crowder as she struggles to run a tight ship. As tempers flare, one probationer protests his sentence,...

Lilly’s first hurricane season in sleepy Drifter’s Cove, Florida, brought with it a few unexpected twists—one was solving another murder. As Labor Day approached, former urbanite Lilly Livingston’s visions of an end-of-summer party—to make up for her previous party debacle—were dashed by hurricane weather brewing in the Gulf of Mexico and bearing down on Drifter’s Cove. With studly handyman Quigley at her side, Lilly gathered supplies, boarded windows, and prepared the Manor for the worst, as Seth and Anne befriended a stray Irish setter, trying to shelter her before the storm...

Gelato. It can be the start of something deadly. As Christmas approaches, amateur sleuth Julia JJ Kamaras finds herself growing restless working in her family’s Greek restaurant in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania and dreams of an exotic adventure. When a twist of fate from the Natale family allows her the chance to work in a world-famous Italian restaurant, JJ packs her bags, grabs her two besties, and heads to Florence. Immersing themselves in the richness of Italian culture, JJ, Rebecca, and Gwen Q are blissfully unaware that they’re about to be thrust into a series of scandalous family ...

Solving crimes at a crusty old Florida inn was NOT in Lilly’s 5 yr plan. But when she discovers she is the executor of a forgotten stepfather’s will and is gifted Magnolia Manor, things get a little off track. Lilly heads south to finalize the estate, planning to quickly return to her busy life in D.C. But the quaint, sleepy town has a strange appeal. Locals wave to you on the street. What a difference from the frenetic pace and backstabbing politics of her normal life. But no sooner than finding the estate lawyer’s office, the laid-back vibe starts to evaporate. An evasive legal ...

A murder at the grand opening of her newly inherited inn wasn’t exactly the kickoff Lilly was hoping for. But leaving behind DC politics and her frenzied city life to run Magnolia Manor was the best thing she’d ever done - finally something on her own! As Lilly welcomed her first customers, she became fast friends with hotel guest Vanessa. Sharing the same fatherless childhood - and looking so similar they could pass for twins - Lilly was distraught when Vanessa went missing and a local retiree, Reds, pulled up an unidentified body in his fishing net. Making matters worse, Lilly’s ...

When JJ Kamaras opened her new business in her hometown, she expected great things. Being accused of murder wasn’t one of them. With Thanksgiving approaching, the rest of Jim Thorpe, PA, was focused on turkey, stuffing, and the safety of a warm hearth. But somehow, for JJ, it’s never safety and always trouble. While preparing for the Thanksgiving Regionals gymnastics meet, personalities clash when JJ's old rival, Priti Patel, seems bent on taking over everything, including JJ's new beau. As pressure mounts and the gym’s finances crumble, JJ faces another pesky problem—a mysterious ...

Returning to her sleepy, backwoods hometown in the Everglades was the last thing Vivian Blake ever thought she’d do. So was solving her uncle’s murder. Recently single, and with no other family to speak of, psych nurse Vivian Blake ditched her carefully calculated urban life for the swampy fishing village of Mangrove Bay, Florida. Though initially happy to be back at her beloved uncle Don’s place, the nostalgic feeling faded when she realized ex-con Ben was staying in the next room. And making matters worse, high school mean girl, the perfect Cassie Heatherton, was back in town as ...

This Halloween, it's all tricks. No treats. It’s her first Halloween since being back in sleepy Mangrove Bay, FL, and former urbanite-turned-amateur-sleuth Vivian Blake is feeling the town’s excitement as they prepare for the October festivities. Skeletons, ghosts, witches, spiders. And one corpse. A real one. Mischief Night—or Pirate Night as it’s called here—wouldn’t be complete without a reenactment of the eerie tale of pirate Captain Treader and his ship, The Bloody Cutlass, that was said to have capsized off the coast of Mangrove Bay. The quirky locals love their spooky ...

You really should be careful what you wish for. As Vivian Blake settled into her old hometown after ending her marriage and losing her uncle, she set up her new life with a big space for adventure. Like, a literal space on her bookshelf for photos and mementos of yet-to-be-experienced escapades. She sure got a doozy. Facing her first tourist season in the tranquil town of Mangrove Bay in years, she had no clue the place would be jammed with tourists and unruly partiers. Or the scene of a murder. While law enforcement searched for the killer, a local airboat driver entertained visitors with ...

Solving murder mysteries has become old hat for former D.C. urbanite-turned-amateur sleuth Lilly Livingston. But please, not at her inn’s first big event of the summer! Having settled into small-town life in Drifter’s Cove, FL, Lilly is thrilled that her recently inherited inn is now on the map! With Magnolia Manor fully renovated and sold out for the Memorial Day weekend celebration, she is eagerly welcoming guests, fluffing pillows, and finalizing the menu. As ex-boyfriend Eric reluctantly mans the front desk, the motley crew of guests checks in—a persnickety chef, a local drifter, ...