Southern Family Mystery

Sharyn McCrumb is the New York Times best-selling author of the Ballad novels, which celebrate the rich history of Appalachia. An elegant saga set against the American Revolution, King' s Mountain features John Sevier and his legendary Carolina Overmountain Men, who find themselves defending their families and farms against the troops of a haughty British major.

Death by devil's food—but was it really the cake? Savannah Stanton thought she was finally settling into small-town life in Spring Grove. But when a prestigious judge drops dead during the town's annual Dessert Festival—right after sampling Holly's signature devil's food cake—Savannah finds herself kneading through far more than just dough. With the bakery's reputation at stake and whispers of sabotage rising like badly proofed bread, Savannah must sift through a cast of colorful suspects: a fiercely competitive rival baker, a resentful estranged brother, and a host of other townsfolk...

On the heels of her mother's death, Hope Logan reluctantly returns to her grandparents' home place for a journal that reveals the explosive crimes and atrocities of the past that have haunted her grandma for nearly sixty-five years. Bitterness, unforgiveness, and anger consumes her as she sets out to solve the mystery that surrounds her grandma's life. The dark, evil secret that is contained in the journal only deepens her resentment of God. Because of her quest, she comes in contact with many strong believers. In that small town in the foothills of the mountains of North Carolina, Hope's ...

They took her mother 23 years ago. Now they want Ava. Forced home at Rosegate Farm by fragmented memories, Ava Cade learns her mother didn't abandon her but was murdered by a criminal network hiding secrets in plain sight. From hidden cellars to powerful men and corrupt officials, Ava unearths a conspiracy tied to land, money, and blood. With allies she barely knows and enemies lurking in the shadows, she's in a race against time. Justice is a long shot in the bayou... unless you fight for it!

When Pegasus Quincy, sheriff’s deputy, steps into the leaky rowboat to investigate a murder at a mysterious artists’ colony, her troubles have just begun. A new detective blames Peg when she gets snake bit. A friend gets caught in a drug raid and asks Peg’s assistance. Her new roomie monopolizes the kitchen, until Peg’s coonhound Reckless eats too many French macarons. And then there is the cat lady who accuses Peg of stealing a valuable painting. Surely Peg wouldn’t do that, would she? Join Pegasus Quincy as she delves into the nefarious underworld of art auctions, mid-century ...

They say chocolate is irresistible... this time it's deadly. When Savannah Stanton arrives in Spring Grove to help her cousin Holly run the family bakery, she's looking for a fresh start, not a fresh crime scene. But after a prominent charity board member drops dead at a gala event—right after eating one of Holly's cupcakes—both the bakery's reputation and Holly's freedom are at risk. As suspicions swirl around Sweet Springs Bakery, Savannah finds herself drawn into a web of small-town secrets, suspicious financial dealings, and long-buried scandals. With help from the handsome but ...

Step into the haunted heart of the South with The Rose Falls Trilogy, where love, betrayal, and the supernatural intertwine in an unforgettable saga of vengeance and redemption. Helene Wyndham's love for her cousin Paul blinds her to his sinister ambitions. As the Wyndham family fortune hangs in the balance, Paul's greed leads to murder, and Helene's fate is sealed in silence. Generations later, Sasha Berry Wyndham inherits the enigmatic Rose Falls estate, unaware of the dark history it holds. With her boyfriend Adam by her side, they uncover the estate's secrets, only to awaken the ...

Tragedy, secrets, and heartache. It’s been the story of her life for years. Abigail knew that she should be afraid of him…but she wasn’t. Not even when he told her who he was…and why he was there.She’d taken a job on the cruise ship years ago with the thought that if she was never in any one place for very long she would be safe. No one would ever think to look for her here. At least that’s what she believed. Gabe had suspected for a couple of days that something wasn’t quite right. He’d taken this particular job thinking it would be a simple deal and tied up quickly and ...

In 1913, on a summer's day at Half Moon Lake, Louisiana, four-year-old Sonny Davenport walks into the woods and never returns. The boy's mysterious disappearance from the family's lake house makes front-page news in their home town of Opelousas. John Henry and Mary Davenport are wealthy and influential, and will do anything to find their son. For two years, the Davenports search across the South, offer increasingly large rewards, and struggle not to give in to despair.

Family meant everything to Ayden Stratton. It always had even when he didn’t always allow it to show. Because of that, he understood the fury in Tobias Blaise’s eyes when they learned that his sister had been dragged out the backdoor of her restaurant despite every effort to stop her from being kidnapped. Fury didn’t begin to describe what he saw in his brother’s face. Cassidy Blaise might be Tobias’s sister, but she was Benjamin’s entire world. Tobias Blaise never expected to find any woman he wanted to spend his life with, let alone one who looked at him the way Ellis did, ...

No one has seen Antoine since he left to play European basketball a decade ago. It's disconcerting when he shows up claiming he needs to protect me from the "gray ones." I think he's a card short of a full deck. Lee and I are moving to Baltimore next month. I haven't found the right time to tell Mama and Daddy the exciting news. No, there's no ring yet. Still, I'm sure Lee has just been too busy to propose. Right? I need to clear out my caseload before leaving town. My clients are not being helpful. I'm running all over North Alabama searching for my client's scorned wife to stop her from ...

When Bick and Beck Kidd find a hidden trove of pirate treasure, it includes a map with clues to an even bigger score: the lost Incan city of Paititi. But treasure hunting is never easy - and when the map is stolen, the Kidds must rely on Storm's picture-perfect memory to navigate the dangerous Amazon jungle. Watch out for that nest of poisonous snakes!

When a music festival rolls through the sleepy town of Hesterville, Georgia, the Dixon family’s lives are forever changed. On the final night, a storm muffles the sound of the blaring music, and Rachel tucks her baby into bed before falling into a deep sleep. So deep, she doesn’t hear the kitchen door opening. When she and her husband wake up in the morning, the crib is empty. Emily is gone. Vicki Robart is one of the thousands at the festival, but she’s not feeling the music. She’s feeling the emptiness over the loss of her own baby several months before.

Death at South Hills is a gripping English murder mystery set in the picturesque coastal town of Lynden Sands during the 1920s. Immerse yourself in a tale of intrigue, deception, and family secrets that will keep you guessing until the very end. When Mark Northbridge and his sister Stephanie arrive at the newly opened hotel in Lynden Sands, they are unaware of the dark mysteries that lie ahead. Their family estate, South Hills, stands at the center of unresolved tensions and a haunting disappearance. Garrett, their nephew, has been missing since the war, leaving a void filled with ...

Siblings Bert, Willet, and Pansy know better than to go swimming at the old rock quarry. According to their father, it's the Devil's place, a place that's been cursed and forgotten. But Mississippi Delta summer days are scorching hot, and they can't resist cooling off in the dark, bottomless water - until the day six-year-old Pansy vanishes...not drowned, not lost, simply gone. When their father disappears as well, Bert and Willet leave their childhoods behind to try and hold their broken family together.

The year is 1994, and South Africa is in political turmoil as its first democratic election looms. Against a backdrop of apartheid and racial violence, traumatized artist Yolanda Petersen returns from the Appalachian foothills to the land of her youth at the behest of her mother. While there Yolanda longs to reconnect with her estranged daughter, Ingrid, the product of an illegal mixed-race affair with a white man. But Ingrid is missing, and as Yolanda quickly discovers, she isn’t the only woman in Cape Town desperate to protect her own.

Faith Simpson, a New York Police Department detective, grew up in North Carolina and was summoned back to her little hometown of Mint Hill for the reading of her great-aunt’s will and to settle her estate. Faith’s parents were tragically killed in a car accident when she was a child. Because there were no living relatives other than her great-aunt, she went to live with her at O’Gallagher Estate in the little town of Mint Hill. There she experienced isolation, mental abuse, and loneliness. Her only contact with the outside world was her friends at school. Because of the stipulations ...

In a suburban LA neighborhood, neighbors keep wary distance and at times collide, propelled by desire, fury, and mischief. Precocious Korean-American sisters Mira and Rosemary find their world rocked by a suicide; a charismatic and creepy drama teacher grooms his students; an aging gay horror novelist fights loneliness; and a white mother and her adopted Vietnamese daughter deal with lifelong anger issues.

In the charming coastal town of Seagrove Harbor, the annual Harvest Festival is a celebration of community, food, and friendship—until tragedy strikes. When beloved organic grocer, Maria Alvarez, collapses after sampling her famous salsa, the idyllic atmosphere shatters, leaving everyone questioning the innocence of their cherished traditions. Lila McAllister, owner of the Seagrove Bakery & Café, can't shake the feeling that something sinister lurks beneath the surface. Teaming up with Maria's niece, aspiring detective Izzy Alvarez, the duo dives into a web of secrets, jealousy, and ...

Chad Butner and his parents moved from the city and made their new home in the mountains of North Carolina. They now lived in a little valley called Deep Gap. Chad had to keep the reason of their move a secret from everyone in the valley. He soon discovered he was not the only one hiding secrets. This included a young mountain girl that quickly won his heart. Why did the Ghost of Deep Gap walk the mountains in the dark of night? Why did the people of Deep Gap whisper of a crazy woman that placed her dead baby in a moonshine jar? Was the baby the Ghost of Deep Gap that roamed the hills ...