All Sleuth and No Play


Book Description

From USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Hart comes the next nail-biting adventure of the hilarious mother-daughter Mackenzie & Mackenzie PI team! Another day, another secret. Novice PI Mackenzie Taylor is going stir crazy. Deep in the throes of a classic New England winter, the endless hours of following cheating spouses have left her feeling jaded and restless. Not to mention the emotional tug of war when the father of her teenage child suddenly starts hanging around and putting a major crimp in Mackenzie’s fledgling relationship with the hot Detective Hunter Black. So when she's asked to help find a missing bride, Mackenzie jumps at the chance to do some good. Juggling the missing persons case, two headstrong men, being a new landlord of a rundown building, and a sixteen-year-old daughter/ BFF actually acting her age for once and crushing on a much older man has Mackenzie’s contemplating the upside of running away from home. Instead she throws herself into work. But the more dirt she digs up on the missing bride, the murkier the investigation becomes. Was it a simple case of post wedding jitters or did the missing woman make a fatal mistake? And is Mackenzie about to follow her footsteps right into the clutches of a killer? Mackenzie & Mackenzie PI Mysteries: Sleuthing for a Living – book#1 All Sleuth and No Play – book #2 What critics are saying about Jennifer L. Hart's Mackenzie & Mackenzie PI Mysteries: "SLEUTHING FOR A LIVING by Jennifer L. Hart will be one of my new favorite cozy mystery series! Sure to be a hot hit!" ~ Fresh Fiction "What a great start to a new series." ~ Janet's Five Star Review, HEA Fictional Bookstore "....a very enjoyable and laugh out loud read that was both engaging and entertaining, and I can’t wait to see what escapades will face Mackenzie and her friends. What a fun book." ~ Dru's Book Musings




Sleuthing for a Living


Book Description

From the #1 cozy mystery bestselling author of The Southern Pasta Shop Mysteries comes a new series that proves blood can be thicker than water... As a young single parent, Mackenzie Elizabeth Taylor has struggled to provide for her teenage daughter. She finally catches a break when she inherits half of an apartment building in Boston from her uncle Al...along with his P.I. business. So what if she doesn’t know the first thing about investigation or if their hot-but-crabby downstairs tenant is a police detective who’s looking for any excuse to handcuff her? Her daughter, Mac the computer whiz, has her back. And these two girls don’t know the meaning of the word quit—not even when their first case takes an unexpected turn. The man Mackenzie's been hired to follow in a custody case seems to have upset more than just her client when she spies another person tailing him—a mysterious man Mackenzie would bet is up to no good. But when her mark suddenly winds up dead, and her first and only client is accused of his murder, Mackenzie vows to find the truth. Only one problem: she doesn’t know where to start…or when to draw the line. Who is the mysterious man she spotted tailing the victim? Is he the killer? Is she in over her head, or will she uncover the secrets someone killed to keep hidden? Mackenzie and Mackenzie are on the case, and the world of private investigation will never be the same. What critics are saying about Jennifer L. Hart's books: "A must read for all people who love a good mystery and a jolly good laugh...laugh out loud funny." ~ Black Orchid, Cocktail Reviews Jennifer L. Hart introduces a deliciously delightful new amateur sleuth with this cozy mystery. The mystery had just the right amount of ups and downs and I found it as entertaining as the reluctant detective herself." ~ Night Owl Reviews "Laugh out loud funny, realistic characters, snappy true to life dialog, and a sufficiently difficult mystery; all the required elements for an excellent read." ~ Manic Readers "I would not hesitate to pick up another of Ms. Hart's works as she definitely made me with one book a lifelong fan." ~ Joyfully Reviewed




And the Band Slayed On


Book Description

With her favorite 80s hair-metal band in town, Bobbi's as starstruck as they come. But when the guitarist is found dead, she's got to find his killer, track down a demonic serpent and take care of fox puppies-good thing she's all fired up! The cozy town of Devil's Orchard has been overrun with all types of misfits and miscreants as they host a reptile expo. The sponsors of the event are none other than Rexx Cobra and Dirk Dagger, two 80s rockers who don't know the meaning of the word restraint. When Dirk's found dead of an apparent snake bite, the sheriffs are quick to rule it an accident. Bobbi's not so sure, because a lot of things don't add up-like how the guitarist had a lot of enemies and more than a few secrets that he was trying to hide from the tabloids. In addition to finding the murderer, she's also trying to track down the mysterious book that her mother was reading right before she disappeared. The old spellbook just might hold the key to what happened-and what evil plans are brewing in the spirit world. But none of that compares to the shock when Grant tells her that he's got a big announcement about his fiancée. So when Granny says that the demon embodiment of Chaos itself is slithering around town, it all makes sense. Because Bobbi's always been drawn to disaster like a moth to the flames... And the Band Slayed On is a hilarious, full-length paranormal cozy mystery filled with plenty of heavy metal, hair spray, humor, homicide, hexes, hellfire, hazardous snakes, hugely pregnant foxes, home cooking-and a recipe from the Devil's Lunchbox that will win friends and influence people!




Bound to the Wheel


Book Description




Mastering Suspense, Structure, and Plot


Book Description

Enthrall Your Readers! Suspense is one of the most powerful tools a writer has for captivating readers--but it isn't just for thrillers. From mainstream fiction to memoir, suspense creates the emotional tension that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Mastering Suspense, Structure, & Plot is your hands-on guide to weaving suspense into your narrative. Award-winning author Jane K. Cleland teaches you how to navigate genre conventions, write for your audience, and build gripping tension to craft an irresistible page-turner. Inside, Cleland will show you how to: • Implement thirteen no-fail techniques to construct an effective plot and structure for your story • Use Cleland's Plotting Road Map to add elements of suspense like twists, reversals, and moments of danger • Write subplots with purpose • Improve your descriptions, character development, sentence structure, and more Packed with case studies, exercises, and dozens of examples from best-selling authors, Mastering Suspense, Structure, & Plot is the key to writing suspenseful, engaging stories that leave your readers wanting more. ------ "Indispensable! For newbie authors and veterans alike, this terrific how-to is your new go-to. Don't write your book without it--it's a treasure." --Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony, Macavity and Mary Higgins Clark award-winning author




Scot. Text S.


Book Description







Good Nights Out


Book Description

London's West End is a global success story, staging phenomenal hit shows that have delighted millions of spectators and generated billions of pounds in revenue. In Good Nights Out, Aleks Sierz provides a thematic survey of such popular theatre shows that were enormous commercial successes over the past 75 years. He argues that these outstanding hits have a lot to say about the collective cultural, social and political attitudes and aspirations of the country, and about how our national identity - and theatre's role in creating it - has evolved over the decades. The book spans a range of work from almost forgotten plays, such as R. F. Delderfield's Worm's Eye View and Hugh Hastings's Seagulls Over Sorrento, to well-known mega-hits, such as The Mousetrap and The Phantom of the Opera. Such popular work has tended to be undervalued by some critics and commentators mainly because it has not been thought to be a suitable subject for inclusion in the canon of English Literature. By contrast, Sierz demonstrates that genres such as the British musical, light comedy, sex farce or murder mystery are worth appreciating not only for their intrinsic theatrical qualities, but also as examples of the dream life of the British people. The book challenges the idea that mega-hits are merely escapist entertainments and instead shows how they contribute to the creation of powerful myths about our national life. The analysis of such shows also points towards the possibility of creating an alternative history of postwar British theatre.




Foul Play at Seal Bay


Book Description

A brand-new series perfect for Richard Osman readers and all fans of a page-turning whodunnit. It was meant to be the start of quiet season in the sleepy Cornish village of Seal Bay, but not for sexagenarian librarian and wild swimming enthusiast Morwenna Mutton. Because when a local businessman is found on the beach with a bread knife is his back, bungling police officer DI Rick Tremayne is soon out of his depth. Morwenna knows it’s going to be down to her to crack the case. The list of people the victim upset is long, the evidence is slight, and an arrest illusive. Morwenna has plenty to occupy her time what with ghostly goings-on at the library and skullduggery at her granddaughter’s school, but she could never resist a challenge. And even the most ruthless of murderers should quake at the sight of this amateur sleuth getting on her bike to track them down. If you love Miss Marple and The Thursday Murder Club, then you'll love The Morwenna Mutton mysteries. Readers love Judy Leigh: ‘Brilliantly funny, emotional and uplifting’ Miranda Dickinson 'Lovely... a book that assures that life is far from over at seventy' Cathy Hopkins 'Brimming with warmth, humour and a love of life... a wonderful escapade’ Fiona Gibson 'Judy’s done it again. Every woman over a certain age should read this wonderful book' Jennifer Bohnet ‘Loved this from cover to cover, pity I can only give this 5 stars as it deserves far more’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review ‘I loved reading this book, great characters and this author certainly knows how to put a good story together. I'm really looking forward to reading more books by her’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review ‘This book is yet another triumph from an author who never disappoints me, and very much recommended’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review