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 ...

Solving crimes at a crusty old Florida inn was NOT in Lilly Livingston's 5-year plan. But when she discovers she's the executor of her forgotten stepfather's will and inherits Magnolia Manor, things get a little off track... Despite local law enforcement's warnings to mind her own business, Lilly refuses to back down when things don't add up. And when it comes to murders in sleepy Drifter's Cove—and even Magnolia Manor itself—this amateur sleuth has an uncanny knack for finding both trouble AND answers. Join Lilly alongside her quirky gang as she continues to unravel scandalous town ...

Some small towns hide their secrets in plain sight—Sweet Cove buries them six feet deep. When predictability-loving security analyst Grace Jordan returns home to help her whimsical Aunt Lyla with the bookstore, she's escaping her carefully controlled city life–and confronting a decades-long secret of her own. But what awaits her is something far more sinister: a body count that defies the odds in this seemingly peaceful coastal town. From a businessman's suspicious death to international intrigue involving shadowy power brokers, each case pulls Grace deeper into a web of deception that ...

Death doesn't take a vacation, but neither does justice. Returning to her sleepy hometown in Pennsylvania was the last thing former athlete Julia "JJ" Kamaras thought she'd ever do. So was solving murders. Stuck in Florida with a dead-end gym job and non-existent love life, JJ's world is upended when disaster strikes. Her Greek-American father convinces her to return to the supposed safety of Jim Thorpe, PA, and their family restaurant, the Kamaras Grill. But security proves fleeting when murder shatters the town's tranquility. Teaming up with her quick-witted friends, Rebecca and Gwen Q, ...

Something deadly is brewing at Jordan & Walsh Books, and security analyst Grace Jordan is dead set on figuring out what. When murder returns to Jordan & Walsh Books and Detective Sherwood's investigation stalls, Grace finds herself caught between cryptic riddles from an imprisoned mastermind known only as The Puzzler and warnings about a mysterious drifter named Silas who's recently arrived in town. As clues point to both blue-collar workers and those who wear the badge, Grace realizes someone is hiding in plain sight—and they're not finished. With pressure mounting to solve a case the ...

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 at 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 ...

From a hellacious hurricane, to chasing cold case killers, to uncovering a dirty secret out at sea, Lilly’s awful good at finding trouble—and answers. Join Lilly and the quirky Drifter's Cove gang as the mysterious action continues in this second Magnolia Manor trilogy. Squalls. Scandals. Secrets. Murder. Welcome to Drifter’s Cove. This second compilation includes: A Mysterious Arrangement A Deadly Combination A Treacherous TideEnjoy books 4, 5, and 6 in the ongoing Magnolia Manor Mystery series, with more to come!

Ah, Drifter's Cove, Florida. Another day in paradise? Not hardly. Join Lilly alongside her quirky gang at Magnolia Manor as she continues to unravel scandalous town secrets, crack cold cases, and come face to face with villains lurking in the shadows of small-town paradise. Enjoy this third compilation in the Magnolia Manor Series, which includes: A Deadly Deed A Dead Giveaway A Fatal Attraction A Grave Situation

Sweet Cove’s claim to fame should be its warm breezes and coastal charm. Not a bookstore with a murder problem. Fresh from FBI training, security analyst Grace Jordan returns home armed with cutting-edge knowledge in cybercrime and counterterrorism. But not even her enhanced skills can shake the shadow of the last murder that rocked the small town, or the mobsters who orchestrated it. Still, with only two town murders in decades—granted, both at her aunt Lyla's bookstore—surely the odds favor a peaceful homecoming. That hope shatters when Madame LaRue—the enigmatic Cajun mystic from...

Secrets love staying buried in Sweet Cove, North Carolina—but Grace Jordan is about to dig up every last one. When the predictability-loving security analyst leaves her Cleveland apartment to visit her aunt Lyla, she’s reassured that the bookstore murder that recently rocked the town is firmly in the past. Yet Sweet Cove feels off-kilter, from the strange newcomers to Lyla's addition of crystals and psychic readings to her cozy bookshop. Grace barely has time to scoff at the New Orleans medium, Madame LaRue, before a familiar face shows up dead—and her old high school tormentors prove...

Numbers never lie, but people sure do—as security analyst Grace Jordan discovers when her perfectly ordered world suddenly adds up to foul play. Content to hole up in her cubicle at S9 Security Systems crunching numbers, Grace has mastered the art of an invisible existence that runs like clockwork. But when the psychologist's office across the courtyard is abuzz following pompous Dr. Ross Kinkaid's release of the soon-to-be bestseller, Mind Games, and someone mysteriously disappears, Grace watches her predictable world go out the window as her analytical mind locks on to a puzzle that ...

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 ...

A string of murdered scientists baffles the FBI cold case unit. A brilliant NASA researcher is found dead. What’s a savvy amateur sleuth to do but take matters into her own hands? As the small town of Drifters Cove buzzes with excitement over the grand reopening of the vintage Starlight Theater and the arrival of Sammy’s Sideshow Spectacular, Lilly’s solidifying her team at Magnolia Manor with Marine vet Brian and sassy Gertrude. With FBI Lead Agent Armstrong still questioning Lilly’s contribution to the cold case team, she’s extra determined to use her analytical skills to crack ...

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 ...

Have your eyes ever deceived you? They’re about to… In sleepy Drifter’s Cove, a fall town raffle to restore the old Starlight Lounge and Theater brings an eclectic crowd—and deadly consequences. Still haunted by a recent car bomb that killed a guest instead of her, amateur sleuth Lilly Livingston tries to juggle managing busy Magnolia Manor with her role as a civilian FBI cold case consultant. Just as the inn's charming reputation had finally been established, an impossibly demanding elite guest arrives—as well as a mysterious job applicant who seems to have risen from the grave. ...

A dirty, small town secret. Decades of cryptic disappearances. For Lilly, it’s now or never time. Despite the inn humming along with Gert and Brian as reliable employees and her relationship with Quigley in a good place, Lilly still can’t shake a nagging restlessness. When a local fishing tournament brings an eclectic group of guests to the inn, Lilly lets crass Gert take the reins so that she can dive headfirst into the latest FBI cold case—seemingly unconnected John Does who vanished over the decades. Continuing to butt heads with lead agent Brock Armstrong, Lilly starts to feel she...

A decades-long cold-case murder. A dirty secret out at sea. Sometimes a scrappy inn owner is your only hope. As Lilly passes the year anniversary mark of her life in Drifter’s Cove, Florida, things seem to be going swimmingly—her first clue trouble must be brewing. The inn was full, her relationship with Quigley was blossoming, and her new role on the local FBI cold case unit was shaping up—at least on a good day. But when dead fish start to wash up on shore and a local business owner bites the dust, the good vibes start going south and let’s just say, it was five o’clock ...

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 ...

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 ...