Download or read book Poppy Harmon and the Shooting Star written by Lee Hollis and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2023-05-23 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Golden Girls meets Remington Steel in Lee Hollis's sixth mystery set in a Palm Springs retirement community, featuring retiree-turned-PI Poppy Harmon and her Desert Flowers Detective Agency! Poppy never planned on speaking to her old acting rival Serena Saunders again, let alone accepting her as a client. But familiar drama barges back into her life when Serena requests an urgent background check on Ned Boyce, her fiancé, before tying the knot. And the flighty film star is behaving out of character by wishing to start over with Poppy—this time as friends . . . Wealthy, connected, and the owner of a breathtaking mountaintop home, Ned seems like the most unlikely private investigation subject in Palm Springs. Poppy no sooner thinks she’s nailed down her latest assignment than Serena is caught holding a smoking gun over a stranger’s dead body . . . With Serena claiming self-defense and the wedding fast approaching, the Desert Flowers team must summon their showbiz talents to expose the truth about the unknown victim. But as her former enemy finds herself in another devastating position, only Poppy can determine who’s innocent and who’s ready to smile for their mug shot . . .

Download or read book Poppy Harmon Investigates written by Lee Hollis and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2018-07-31 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lee Hollis begins a delightful new series in which Poppy Harmon and her friends find that life after retirement can be much busier—and deadlier—than any of them ever anticipated . . . When Poppy goes from complacent retiree to penniless widow in a matter of weeks, the idea of spending her golden years as the biggest charity case in Palm Springs renders her speechless. With no real skills and nothing left to lose, Poppy uses her obsession with true crime shows to start a career as a private eye . . . But after opening the Desert Flowers Detective Agency with help from her two best friends, Violet and Iris, Poppy realizes that age brings wisdom, not business—until she convinces her daughter's handsome boyfriend, Matt, to pose as the face of the agency. It’s not long before Matt’s irresistible act snags a client desperate to retrieve priceless jewelry burglarized from an aging actress at the Palm Leaf Retirement Village. Or before Poppy stumbles upon the bloodied body of the victim’s arch rival . . . In a flash, Poppy’s innocent detective gig is upstaged by a dangerous murder investigation riddled with slimy suspects and unspeakable scandal. As she and her team uncover the truth, Poppy must confront the secrets about her late husband’s past and swiftly catch a killer lurking around the retirement community—even if it means turning her world upside down all over again.

Download or read book Murder at the Spelling Bee written by Lee Hollis and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2024-05-21 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The murder of a moderator for a school competition spells trouble for Portland P.I. partners and moms Maya Kendrick and Sandra Wallage . . . Twelve-year-old Rocco Fanelli is a spelling bee champ in the making. He’s the odds-on favorite to win the local middle-school bee and go on to the regionals, the state, and ultimately the nationals. Which is why someone is trying to intimidate him to drop out with a threatening note in his locker. Rocco’s concerned parents hire Maya and Sandra to uncover the culprit and ensure their son’s safety. But the competition turns killer when a high school teacher who’s running the bee, clearly favoring certain students, is found dead in the school supply closet. Sandra had already confronted Ellie Lambert over unfairly grading her son Ryan—which now makes her a suspect. She’s not the only one who tangled with the teacher, however, and with suspects ranging from helicopter parents to the school custodian, Maya and Sandra will need to put their heads together to spell out who had the motive and opportunity to silence Ellie Lambert . . .

Download or read book Christmas Mittens Murder written by Lee Hollis and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2023-09-26 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Just in time for the holiday season, a new mystery collection featuring cozy mystery novellas by Lee Hollis, Lynn Cahoon, and Maddie Day! DEATH OF A CHRISTMAS MITTEN KNITTER by LEE HOLLIS The church’s annual Christmas bazaar is an unqualified success until the local jeweler cries out that a valuable diamond ring has been stolen. Food writer Hayley Powell joins the search for it but discovers something decidedly more shocking—the dead body of a local knitter with a homemade mitten stuffed in her mouth. With only days to spare before the holiday, Hayley must unravel the mystery of Bar Harbor’s crafty killer before someone else receives a deadly gift. TWO CHRISTMAS MITTENS by LYNN CAHOON Magic Springs, Idaho, is decked out in its sparkling best for the season, but Mia Malone is almost too busy to notice. Taking a second job at the Lodge to save Mia’s Morsels doesn’t leave her much time for festivities—until she finds a dead body near one red mitten in the snow outside the Lodge during the holiday party. Learning that an ancient curse is at play, Mia must find the missing mitten and solve the murder before someone she loves is the next victim. MURDEROUS MITTENS by MADDIE DAY A quiet Christmas in Colinas, California, at her twin sister’s charming B&B is exactly what Cece Barton needs during the holiday hustle of Los Angeles. But the morning after a lovely evening at the local wine bar, Cece learns that the bar’s proprietor, who sells mittens in her spare time, has has been found dead, hit on the head with a bocce ball nestled in one of the mittens she sells as a sideline. With her horrified twin one of the main suspects, can Cece unmask the merry murderer before this becomes a holiday from hell?

Download or read book Easter Basket Murder written by Leslie Meier and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2024-01-23 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Put on your springtime best and grab a basket, because Easter egg hunting is to dye for in this delightful new collection of Easter-themed capers set in coastal Maine and featuring fan-favorite sleuths from the long-running, bestselling cozy mystery series by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross! EASTER BASKET MURDER by LESLIE MEIER Tinker’s Cove businesses are clashing over a new Easter Basket–themed promotion to boost in-store sales, with tensions boiling over the grand prize—a mysterious golden egg crafted by a reclusive Maine artist. When the one-of-a-kind art piece is stolen, it’s up to part-time reporter Lucy Stone to investigate three struggling entrepreneurs who stick out in the local scene. But a huge town scandal comes into focus when a harmless shopping spree turns deadly, leaving Lucy to stop a murderer from springing back into action . . . DEATH BY EASTER EGG by LEE HOLLIS As Bar Harbor’s annual egg hunt approaches, Island Food & Spirits columnist and restauranteur Hayley Powell is thrilled to introduce her grandson, Eli, to local springtime traditions. Turns out, keeping up with a rambunctious toddler isn’t always sunshine and rainbows—especially when a decadent peanut butter treat kills the Easter bunny himself during the festivities! Now, with a clear-as-cellophane case of murder on her hands, it’s up to Hayley to crack the clues and scramble deadly plans before it’s too late . . . HOPPED ALONG by BARBARA ROSS Julia Snowden’s Easter Sunday at Windsholme, a sprawling mansion tucked away on a remote Maine island, looks like it’s been borrowed from the pages of a lifestyle magazine. But when a dead body is discovered in the garden—then vanishes soon after without any explanation—an innocent hunt for eggs becomes a dangerous hunt for answers. With no clues beyond a copy of The Adventures of Peter Rabbit, Julia must find out if April Fool’s Day came early or if she’s caught in a killer’s twisted game . . .

Download or read book Irish Coffee Murder written by Leslie Meier and published by Kensington Books. This book was released on 2023-01-24 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You don’t need to be Irish to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day in Maine, where the chilly March weather offers the perfect excuse to curl up with an Irish coffee…But in these St. Patty’s-themed novellas by fan-favorite cozy mystery authors Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Barbara Ross, someone may have spiked this year’s brew with murder! IRISH COFFEE MURDER by LESLIE MEIER Part-time reporter Lucy Stone is writing a piece for the Courier about four Irish step dancing students from Tinker’s Cove on the cusp of making it big. But the story becomes headline news for all the wrong reasons when one girl’s mother is found dead in her bathtub . . . DEATH OF AN IRISH COFFEE DRINKER by LEE HOLLIS As owner of Bar Harbor’s hottest new restaurant, Hayley Powell offers to cater the after-party for popular comedian Jefferson O’Keefe, but it’s no laughing matter when Jefferson keels over after gulping down his post-show Irish coffee . . . PERKED UP by BARBARA ROSS It’s a snowy St. Patrick’s Day in Busman’s Harbor. But when the power goes out, what better way for Julia Snowden to spend the evening than sharing local ghost stories—and Irish coffees—with friends and family? By the time the lights come back, they might even have solved the coldest case in town . . .

Download or read book Death of a Clam Digger written by Lee Hollis and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2023-07-25 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hayley Powell, a small-town food-and-wine columnist turned sleuth finds herself caught between a deadly rivalry between seafood clans! Food and cocktails columnist Hayley Powell usually reserves judgement for local cuisine, not the people who serve it. But staying neutral isn’t so easy when caught between the biggest seafood rivals in town—her BFF Mona Barnes and the successful Leighton clan. Adding to a bitter decades-old surf-turf war between family businesses, a modern Romeo and Juliet story unfolds as Mona’s son gets engaged to the daughter of her sworn enemy . . . Spiteful patriarch Lonnie Leighton is also steamed about the arrangement—enough to go to dangerous lengths to break it up. At least, until he’s discovered face down and dead in the clam flats. With unanswered questions swirling, accusations flying in both directions, and a young couple stuck in the middle, Hayley has bigger fish to fry than determining who sources the best shellfish in Bar Harbor. Because someone wants to get away with murder . . . and send whoever else gets in their way to a muddy grave. Includes delectable recipes from Hayley’s kitchen!

Download or read book Death of a Gingerbread Man written by Lee Hollis and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2024-09-24 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It’s a killer Christmas in more ways than one in the latest Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails mystery set in Bar Harbor, Maine. With the holiday season in full swing, food and cocktails columnist and restauranteur Hayley Powell has lots to check off her last-minute to-do list. Not included is the sudden arrival of her father, who hasn’t been in the picture since she believed in Santa Claus. Dwight Jordan’s presence in Bar Harbor might just be the unwanted gift that keeps on giving—especially after he becomes the top suspect in a case of yuletide murder . . . As Hayley plans a New Year’s Eve bash while handling a hefty helping of family drama, she must lean into her closest friends to unravel a twisted mystery. Because the countdown is on to find out who killed the sore loser at the gingerbread house contest before Dwight disappears again—this time behind bars. And the more Hayley learns about the possible culprits, the more she knows it’s either crack the case ASAP or watch everything crumble like a stale cookie . . .

Download or read book Death of a Wicked Witch written by Lee Hollis and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2020-07-28 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bar Harbor, Maine, is quieter in the off-season, but the population has just increased a bit with the arrival of Ted and Trudy Lancaster. Ted’s taking over for a retiring minister, and Trudy runs a food truck called Wicked ’Wiches. When she stops in at the Island Times office to place an ad, Hayley happily devours the sample sub Trudy offers—and the two become fast friends. When Trudy tragically dies in her truck while catering a Halloween party, suspicion falls on a cranky, competitive caterer who’d made veiled threats to Trudy. But the case becomes more complicated when Hayley’s husband admits he’d seen someone dressed as a witch hurrying away from the food truck—not very helpful when countless women at the party wore the same costume. Now Hayley finds herself sandwiched between witches and witnesses as she considers a smorgasbord of suspects. If she finds the killer, she’ll be a local hero . . . Includes delectable recipes from Hayley’s kitchen!

Download or read book Death of a Wedding Cake Baker written by Lee Hollis and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2019-04-30 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For Matron of Honor Hayley Powell, catching a half-baked poisoner before her friend's wedding will be icing on the cake . . . Liddy Crawford, best friend of food and cocktails columnist Hayley Powell, is getting married. The wedding is the talk of the town in Bar Harbor, Maine, including snide gossip about the age gap between the bride and her groom, local lawyer Sonny Lipton. But the cruelty of the comments is nothing compared to the nasty wedding cake baker, Liddy's quarrelsome cousin Lisa. So when the belligerent baker is found facedown in a three-tier cake, the victim of a poisoned slice, there are more suspects in town than names on the guest list. With Sonny getting cold feet, Liddy getting hot under the frilly collar of her wedding gown, and a killer possibly crashing the ceremony, Hayley vows to solve the crime before her best friend walks down the aisle . . . Includes seven delectable recipes from Hayley’s kitchen!

Download or read book Murder at the Bake Sale written by Lee Hollis and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2021-11-30 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Maya and Sandra are friends, fellow moms, and private-detective partners in the picturesque waterfront city of Portland—where sometimes their cases can get as rocky as the Maine coast . . . While private investigator Maya Kendrick is still mentoring her new partner, PTA president Sandra Wallage, in the detective game, the two women don’t need incredible powers of deduction to know their marriages are on the rocks. With Maya’s ex-cop husband in prison and Sandra’s senator spouse separated from her, both find themselves investigating the dating scene. Until Diego Sanchez turns up dead. The flirtatious high school Spanish teacher who had eyes for Maya was poisoned by cookies from a bake sale fundraiser for a Portland High school class trip to Spain. Hired by the students to find out who killed their popular and beloved teacher—including their own children—Maya and Sandra get a real education in parenting, relationships, and murder as their search for whodunit leads them deep into the unpleasant realities found in the small town politics and gossip of their Maine community . . .

Download or read book Poppy Harmon and the Backstabbing Bachelor written by Lee Hollis and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2022-04-26 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For fans of The Golden Girls and Remington Steel, Lee Hollis’ fourth Desert Flowers Mystery featuring Palm Springs retiree-turned-investigator Poppy Harmon! Private Investigator Poppy Harmon can see through the charms of Southern California’s trickiest criminals. But when she and the Desert Flowers Detective Agency go up against a dashing dating show killer, they may have finally met their match! While sidekick Matt Flowers shoots a film abroad, Poppy dusts off her own acting chops to break up a Gen Z crime ring targeting seniors in Palm Springs. Tanya Cook and her gal pals have been swindling susceptible residents for all they’re worth—until the gang meets Poppy undercover. Yet with the case cracked, the desert heat is on full blast as new terrors take the lead… Poppy’s already sweating over a menacing mystery stalker when a shocking death proves she’s in serious danger. As suspicions fall once again on Tanya, finding answers may mean pulling off the most challenging performance of her career… Now, with Poppy’s unknown stalker rumored to be posing as one of several bachelors on a glitzy reality series, a disguised Poppy must reveal his true identity on set before he realizes hers. Does Poppy have what it takes to catch the cold-blooded killer in time for the season finale…or should she start planning for her funeral?

Download or read book Murder at the PTA written by Lee Hollis and published by Kensington. This book was released on 2020-09-29 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Desperate Housewives meets Murder, She Wrote, in Lee Hollis’s new mystery series, where a housewife and a female private eye solve murders together in their small Maine town! Someone is trying to turn Portland High into a school for scandal with a gossipy website called Dirty Laundry. The latest target of ruinous rumors is newly elected PTA president Sandra Wallage. After a heated meeting with outraged parents, Sandra runs into fellow school mom and private investigator Maya Kendrick, who's discovered the person behind the website. But when the women storm into the venomous gossip columnist’s office they find a lifeless body—along with a confession. Although the police rule the death a suicide, Maya suspects an injured party hung the Dirty Laundry creator out to dry. Maya already has a PI partner—but she's pregnant, and sonograms and stakeouts tend to conflict. So when Sandra volunteers for a crash course in sleuthing, Maya accepts the help. But as these unlikely partners study the clues, a killer plans to teach them a lesson . . .

Download or read book Poppy Harmon and the Pillow Talk Killer written by Lee Hollis and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2021-03-30 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Private investigator Poppy Harmon likes the anonymity of working behind the scenes for the hottest names in Palm Springs. But when solving a case demands dragging her old acting career out of retirement, it’s lights . . . camera . . . murder! Cast in her first role since the 1980s, Poppy has never been more rattled or unprepared on a film set. It’s an embarrassing but necessary cover to keep an eye on client Danika Delgado, a rising starlet and social media influencer with a large following—including a dangerous stalker who won’t disappear. The leading lady’s fame is growing, and so are the threats against her life . . . Unfortunately for Poppy, there’s more to fear than flubbed lines. When she finds Danika smothered to death in her trailer at Joshua Tree National Park, the horrifying crime stirs up memories of a man known as the Pillow Talk Killer during her time as a young actress, bringing unsolved murders from the past back into focus . . . A trail of clues urges Poppy, hunky sidekick Matt Flowers, and the rest of the Desert Flowers Detective Agency gang on a frantic chase after Danika’s crazed #1 fan. But as co-stars and production crew members start looking equally suspicious, Poppy must expose a slew of insidious industry secrets before a murderer rolls out the red carpet for someone else . . .

Download or read book Poppy Harmon and the Backstabbing Bachelor written by Lee Hollis and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2022-04-26 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Private Investigator Poppy Harmon can see through the charms of Southern California’s trickiest criminals. But when she and the Desert Flowers Detective Agency go up against a dashing dating show murderer, they may have finally met their match! While sidekick Matt Flowers shoots a film abroad, Poppy dusts off her own acting chops to break up a Gen Z crime ring targeting seniors in Palm Springs. Tanya Cook and her gal pals have been swindling susceptible residents for all they’re worth—until the gang meets Poppy undercover. Yet with the case cracked, the desert heat is on full blast as new terrors take the lead . . . Poppy’s already sweating over a menacing mystery stalker when a shocking death proves she’s in serious danger. As suspicions fall once again on Tanya, finding answers may mean pulling off the most challenging performance of her career . . . Now, with Poppy’s unknown stalker rumored to be posing as one of several bachelors on a glitzy reality series, a disguised Poppy must reveal his true identity on set before he realizes hers. Does Poppy have what it takes to catch the cold‐blooded killer in time for the season finale . . . or should she start planning for her funeral?

Download or read book Poppy Harmon and the Hung Jury written by Lee Hollis and published by A Desert Flowers Mystery. This book was released on 2021-02-23 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Golden Girls meets Remington Steel in Lee Hollis's second mystery set at a Palm Springs retirement community! For retiree-turned-PI Poppy Harmon, spending her golden years running the Desert Flowers Detective Agency is far from the glamorous life she once knew. But becoming ensnared in two twisted Palm Springs crimes might be her worst look yet... If Poppy didn't believe she was in too deep as the only female juror in a high-profile assault case involving an infamously hot-tempered crooner, she's sure of it upon meeting blast-from-her-past Rod Harper. A former TV co-star from her short-lived acting days, Rod is as dashing as ever, and now he wants to partner again--this time to locate his missing daughter... Returning a pampered songstress with a penchant for running away back home unscathed shouldn't be too challenging. But Rod's charms while on the job is another story--and so is finding a dead body! When Poppy discovers a fellow juror face down in a swimming pool, she's unwittingly thrust into a murder investigation with sinister parallels to the troubled chanteuse's disappearance. As Poppy struggles to survive a steamy love triangle while deciphering the connection between two seemingly unrelated cases, the Desert Flowers Agency must outsmart a ruthless killer who will do anything to keep hideous secrets hidden away...including ensuring Poppy becomes the next forgotten ex-actress to bite the dust...

Download or read book Poppy Harmon and the Hung Jury written by Lee Hollis and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2019-12-31 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For retiree-turned-PI Poppy Harmon, spending her golden years running the Desert Flowers Detective Agency is far from the glamorous life she once knew. But becoming ensnared in two twisted Palm Springs crimes might be her worst look yet . . . If Poppy didn't believe she was in too deep as the only female juror in a high-profile assault case involving an infamously hot-tempered crooner, she’s sure of it upon meeting blast-from-her-past Rod Harper. A former TV co-star from her short-lived acting days, Rod is as dashing as ever, and now he wants to partner again—this time to locate his missing daughter . . . Returning a pampered songstress with a penchant for running away back home unscathed shouldn’t be too challenging. But dodging Rod’s charms while on the job is another story—and so is finding a dead body! When Poppy discovers a fellow juror face down in a swimming pool, she and the Desert Flowers Agency must outsmart a ruthless killer who will do anything to keep hideous secrets hidden away . . .