Underground in Ocean Alley


Book Description

Jolie Gentil has sworn off butting into other people’s business. To those who know her, it sounds as far-fetched as finding used bubble gum on Mars. Her life revolves around her husband Scoobie, her twins, appraising the occasional house, and helping run the Cozy Corner B&B. Nothing could drag Jolie into solving crimes. Really. Except maybe a request from the most unlikely source. Sergeant Morehouse is convinced his nephew is not a runaway. Something had terrified the teenager, but before Morehouse could figure it out, Kevin was gone. Jolie has a soft spot for Kevin, who helped Scoobie’s young brother Terry adjust to life in Ocean Alley. Plus, she has a feeling that Kevin saw something he wasn’t supposed to see at the hospital, when he had his appendix removed. She has to make the time to follow her hunch. Kind of hard to balance family, the B&B, and the upcoming Cinco de Mayo-themed food pantry fundraiser. And what about the murder of the hospital's head nurse? Could it be connected to Kevin's disappearance? Adding to the mix is Aunt Madge decision to enlighten the Jersey shore by running for mayor of Ocean Alley. She's convinced a proposed resort will change the character of Ocean Alley. With her husband Harry as campaign manager, she intends to convince voters progress doesn't have to mean lots more concrete. Jolie has faith in her hunches. Scoobie isn't so sure and Aunt Madge believes Jolie needs a remedial course in minding her own business. But Kevin’s life may depend on Jolie’s certainty and her efforts to find him before a killer does. Follow the crime -- and fun -- in the eleventh Jolie Gentil cozy mystery.




Two Plus Two: Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Series


Book Description

Two Plus Two: Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Series Enjoy four books in the Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Series. Two are "numbered" books, and two are special books to the series. The Unexpected Resolution (Book 10) The Twain Does Meet (Novella) Underground in Ocean Alley (Book 11) Aunt Madge and the Civil Election (an Aunt Madge Long Short Story) Many of the story lines from earlier books come together in these four books. “The Unexpected Resolution” is part of another box set of Jolie Gentil cozy mysteries. However, the four books in this grouping are part of an integral story line. If you’ve already read “The Unexpected Resolution,” I hope you enjoyed it. If you haven’t, you’ll appreciate having these books together.




Aunt Madge and the Civil Election


Book Description

Aunt Madge is horrified that her Jersey shore town will give big tax breaks to a huge resort. Ocean Alley will be swallowed up in a condo canyon. She runs for mayor to promote sensible progress over massive growth. A lot of people agree with her. Maybe not whoever tried to burn down her garage. Neither she nor her opponent will stoop to low blows, so people are actually talking about the issue. How odd. With the regular Ocean Alley characters, a bunch of laughs, and murder on the side, visit Ocean Alley to find out how it will chart its future. (A 17,000 word story, special to the Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Series.)




The Unexpected Resolution


Book Description

Wedding days are special, but they don't usually pack as big a surprise as Jolie and Scoobie's New Year's Eve nuptials. Scoobie never knew much about his family -- and after the way he grew up, who could blame him for liking it that way? A 9-1-1 call during the wedding changes everything. Suddenly Jolie has to help Scoobie figure out what he wants to know, and determine who seems to want someone in his family dead. Knowing more about Scoobie's past could change their future together. But a special wedding arrival may cause even more complications. Book 10 in the Jolie Gentil cozy mystery series brings together the close-knit group of friends and zany Ocean Alley townspeople for a very special event.




The Twain Does Meet


Book Description

"The Twain Does Meet" is a between-the-numbers book in the Jolie Gentil series, and while there are joys and problems to discover it's not a traditional cozy mystery. In book 10 (The Unexpected Resolution) Jolie solves a murder, she and Scoobie get married, and they gain a new family member--Scoobie's much-younger half-brother. Book 11 (Underground in Ocean Alley) takes place a few years later, and mystery solving is accompanied by their three-year old twins. I promised readers they would have the story of the twins' birth -- an anything-but-calm event -- but it didn't seem right to mix it with a murder. So, we have a 33,000 word novella that features laughs and angst with the Ocean Alley crew and more than a few surprises. A fun read with familiar characters.




Tip a Hat to Murder


Book Description

Tip a Hat to Murder When the owner of the Bully Pulpit Diner decided to stop letting servers accept tips, he figured the raise he gave them would keep them happy. Apparently not. Or were some of his other hobbies what got poor Ben Addison killed? Police Chief Elizabeth Friedman contends with, angry food servers, rowdy frat brothers at Sweathog Agricultural College, a batch of customers who seem to know nothing, and a thief who must have really wanted something from Ben. One of them keeps a good secret in the small town of Logland, Illinois. Join Elizabeth, Medical Examiner Skelly, and an offbeat group of characters who will tickle your funny bone. * * * * * First of the Logland Mystery Series




Jolie Gentil Box Set of Books 5 - 7


Book Description

Jolie Gentil cozy mystery box set. After rekindling friendships, Jolie has gotten readjusted to life in Ocean Alley and manages to balance appraising real estate with chairing the Harvest for All Food Pantry. What she can't quite do is mind her own business. This boxed set puts together books five through seven of the Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Series. They are Trouble on the Doorstep, Behind the Walls (short-listed for the 2014 Chanticleer Mystery and Mayhem Awards), and Vague Images. Join Jolie and friends as they figure out if the two deaths relate to contracts for Hurricane Sandy repairs, determine who is willing to kill for a stash of jewels behind the walls of the house Jolie just bought, and find out who killed the hospital budget cutter. And the food pantry? The fundraisers have a worthy purpose, but it's the laughs you'll remember. Can you say liquid string contest? What are readers saying? Trouble on the Doorstep: There's something for everyone in these stories- plenty of mystery and intrigue, loyal friendships and a spark of romance--and it's fun to reacquaint with the old friends from volumes 1-4. I'd love to see more stories from this series! Vb Behind the Walls: “I like the way the stories are tied together from the first book to the most recent. This author is spending a lot of time carrying the continuity forward.” Vague Images: This is the most exciting in this wonderful series…I look forward to every addition. Not sure how Jolie always end up in the middle of all these murders, but it's fun to see how she muddles her way through.




Jolie Gentil Books 12 to 14 Plus the Prequel


Book Description

Jolie Gentil Mysteries: Books 12-14 and the Prequel -- Jolie and Scoobie High School Misadventures The Jersey Shore can be fun, but then there's the occasional murder. Ocean Alley's most curious sleuth, Jolie Gentil, stays on top of crime, but has to use careful judgment so she doesn't mess up life with her great husband and four-year old twins. Somehow, trouble still finds her, and from time to time she enlists friends to help her solve a murder before a killer comes after her. Sticky Fingered Books. Generally, parents don't find bodies in their kids' daycare center. Leave it to Jolie to be the exception. Murder isn't funny, but the adults and 4-year-old twins bring chuckles as Jolie gets help from Scoobie and friends George and Ramona as she tries to figure out who wanted the daycare director dead. And what does it have to do with plans for downtown changes. Can development be deadly? New Lease on Death. People don't usually keel over in the Java Jolt Coffee Shop, and Jolie does not (often) find bodies in vacant houses. Jolie didn't think anyone in Ocean Alley's real estate business could be ornerier than cigar-chewing Lester Argrow, but Buck Brock wins the prize. Problem is, the prize is death in a vacant house, with an old friend of Jolie's as a key suspect. Phoning in a Murder. The band director hates cell phones in class or on the football field. But is that a good reason to kill him? Or maybe he's chosen his friends poorly. Either way, Scoobie's much younger brother is the last person seen on security footage before the band teacher dies. Jolie needs to prove he isn't the one who stuck a needle in the man's neck. Jolie and Scoobie High School Misadventures. Sixteen-year-old Jolie is furious to be duped. She gets dropped off at Aunt Madge's Cozy Corner B&B not for a fun weekend, but for her junior year of high school while her parents "work things out" in their marriage.She feels like an outsider, but does make friends with Scoobie, a kid who seems to be always on his own. To make money, she babysits. Who knew taking care of kids could be dangerous? Review: "My favorite part of this series is following the arc of characters whose lives feel authentic: Babies and seniors, recovering alcoholics and vets with PTSD, and everything else we all see in our communities. These topics are treated as the part of life, which they are, and rather than detract from the story, they enrich it." Amazon Review




Sticky Fingered Books


Book Description

Sticky Fingered Books Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Book 12 It isn't every day that you find a body at your kids' school. Unless you're Jolie Gentil. Then it's more of an option. Someone broke into Sand and Sea Daycare, leaving a broken window and plenty of rain in the director's office. When Jolie hears an angry man say the intruder must have been looking for some books, she wonders what's up. But that's not her business. Her job at the co-op center is to place orders for the food the kids gobble. Scoobie's contribution, as a poet, is to lead a rhyming session with the kids. It's bedlam and they love it. But when Jolie goes into the center for an evening board meeting, she finds a body at the desk of the Sand and Sea director. With help from Mayor Madge, Jolie learns that the daycare center building has been caught up in plans for a boutque hotel and could have to close. Some liked the idea of a sale and others strongly objected. Neither Jolie or Scoobie think it's a good idea for the twins to head back to school until they know what really happened. And when four-year olds clamor to be with friends, it's a good idea to figure it out. Who kills for an old building? Someone does, and they don't like the idea of Jolie learning who they are.




Phoning in a Murder


Book Description

14th Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Lots of teachers are irritated by students paying more attention to their cell phones than what's going on in the classroom. Some would like to see their school ban cell phones during the school day. They don't hold out a lot of hope for a cell phone ban, so they work around them. More than most faculty, the band director at Ocean Alley High School doesn't want students to have phones in class, and he especially doesn't want the band distracted by them when they march on the football field. Imagine his reaction when one goes off during the National Anthem. When no student will apologize, Mr. O'Halloran cancels band practice the week before a big competition. Talk about a good way to tick off students, parents, and band boosters. With Scoobie's brother Terry as one of the bass drummers, Jolie and family have strong opinions. But someone is a lot more upset. At least the knitting needle in the band director's neck seems to say so. If Jolie hadn’t been the first to find the man, she would be less insistent to know what happened to him. What really gets the Ocean Alley crew invested is the last two people the school security system shows talking to Mr. O'Halloran – Scoobie’s brother and his best friend. Rumors abound. With appraising houses, running the food pantry, and keeping four-year old twins in line, Jolie has her hands full. Scoobie’s best friend George is always willing to butt into a mystery. Sometimes that’s helpful. Other times, not so much. ISBN via Ingram paperback distribution (bookstores/libraries) 978-1-948070-99-7