Victoria Gilbert

A mystery writer must solve a real murder case before an innocent girl is condemned in this series debut from acclaimed author Victoria Gilbert, perfect for fans of Ellery Adams and Lorna Barrett.Jennifer "Jenn" Dalton is an author and educator at Clarion University in Virginia. She loves her job, but some of her petty coworkers look down on her for writing genre fiction. As members of the English department, they wish to encourage students to pursue higher literary aspirations. When a humiliating confrontation between an uppity professor and one of Jenn’s students, Mia, escalates, no one thinks much of it. Until his dead body is found along with evidence incriminating Mia. Jenn knows Mia couldn’t have killed him, but Mia’s suspicious disappearance might as well be a proclamation of guilt. With the sleuthing skills Jenn has acquired from writing murder mysteries, she’s determined to solve the case and clear Mia’s name. Along with the help of her fellow sleuthers—Christine Kubiak, a cafeteria manager; Zachary Flynn, the charming but annoying campus psychologist; and Brianna Rowley, a librarian—Jenn must catch the real killer before there’s another murder on the books.

When Eloise Anderson, the owner of an antiquarian bookshop, arrives at the grand Aircroft estate to ask retired librarian Jane Hunter and eccentric collector Cameron Clewe for help, Jane and Cam expect a bookish inquiry. But the bookseller has a different sort of assistance in mind - clearing her mother''s name of a murder Eloise is convinced she didn''t commit. Eloise''s mother has just died after spending many years in prison for allegedly killing Eloise''s father. Armed with new information found in her mother''s effects, the bookseller is determined to uncover the true killer so her mother can rest in peace, even though the case is now colder than ice. When Jane tracks down the original detective from the investigation and discovers him stabbed to death in Eloise''s bookshop, Jane and Cam are sure this murder is connected to the cold case. They think it''s the same killer, but the police unfortunately have their own prime suspect, and this time around it''s Eloise. Cam and Jane''s cold-case sleuthing turns urgent - find who committed the murders or watch another innocent woman rot in jail as a cold-blooded killer walks free.

Library director Amy Muir has always been suspicious of wealthy art dealer Kurt Kendrick. As a close family friend, the ties that bind them are strong, but his murky past is concerning, especially since he is the godfather to Amy and her husband Richard''s six-year-old twins. When a visitor to their small, historic Virginia town is found dead after publicly accusing Kurt of committing a decades-old murder, Amy is determined to prove that Kurt didn''t kill anyone, in the past or the present. But the evidence Kurt''s accuser sent to Sheriff Brad Tucker before her untimely demise indicates otherwise. With Amy''s own aunt and other older town residents corroborating some of the details related to the first murder, and a witness placing Kurt near the scene of the second crime, it seems Kurt is doomed to swift, and severe, justice. Amidst the fun and excitement of an arts festival that features the premiere of Richard''s new dance company, Amy faces her own challenging performance-balancing her work and family life while dancing on the edge of danger. With family and friends harbouring suspicions about Kurt, and Amy bedeviled by her own wavering trust in his innocence, she must fight to uncover the truth before a hidden killer strikes again.