Showing results by author "Elaine L Orr" in All Categories

Least Trodden Ground. Digger Browning looked forward to spending time with Uncle Benjamin after damaged pipes put her kitchen ceiling on the floor. She didn't expect to find his body at his Western Maryland home, the Ancestral Sanctuary. Who would kill the parsimonious octogenarian? Sure, some people were mad about him pushing the historical society to find a new abode, but they got over it, right? And then she finds out he had a new 'foxy lady,' and she's not his usual type. Antsy before the funeral, Digger delves into family history, but makes an unexpected find. Between trying to figure ...

A dinner invitation for Digger, who is accompanied by the very pale Uncle Benjamin, gets her involved with a recently discovered relative of their elderly friend Thelma, whose brother died during World War II. DNA testing has led his until-now-unknown great-grandson, Peter, to Maple Grove in the Western Maryland Mountains. Thelma enlists Digger's help as she gets to know Peter. But his presence is not the only surprise. Letters Thelma recently received from another brother’s estate raise questions about what happened to some of her parents’ prized possessions. Were they submerged with ...

Remember when candidates were polite and talked about issues? Well in Ocean Alley at the Jersey Shore, they still do. Well, there was the issue with the fire at the garage... If this is your first book in the Jolie Gentil series, it’s a bit different than the others. In fact, it’s called an Aunt Madge Story in the Jolie series. In terms of story chronology, it follows "Underground in Ocean Alley" (book 11). In that book, Jolie solves a murder while Aunt Madge happens to be running for mayor of Ocean Alley. In "Aunt Madge and The Civil Election," events of the crime-solving are muted and...

The reverberating bangs shake Melanie Perkin's nerves. Either someone's aiming at her truck, or they don't know fireworks are supposed to go upward. Could things get any worse? Yes. The next day she discovers a dead body in the barn on her late parents' farm, Sheriff's Deputy Granger's gun pointed at the chest of a primary suspect - someone she holds dear.

Jolie Gentil gets tapped for some appraisal work at 10th reunion of her Ocean Alley High School class. When appraising the vacant Tillotson-Fisher house, she finds the skeleton of Richard Tillotson hidden in an antique attic wardrobe. He vanished just after his sister married his business partner in 1929. Jolie sees a link to the Fisher family's Prohibition era business and works with friends Scoobie and Ramona to gather clues from old photo albums and ledgers. The photo albums lead her to Mary Doris Milner, Richard's girlfriend, who has fond memories of him and is certain of who murdered him. But, there was nothing to link her suspect to the murder then, and he's long dead himself.

Final Cycle 2nd Logland Mystery Marti and Nick have inherited The Bully Pulpit Diner in Logland, Illinois, and their first Christmas season has town grounch, Louella Belle Simpson, as a regular customer. She point out calorie content to other diners and lectures people on their weight. This doesn't encourage people to order pie. When Louella Belle turns up dead, there are plenty of people who were tired of listening to her, but murder seems like an extreme reaction. Police Chief Elizabeth Friedman has few clues and little help from the alarmed Logland residents. No one at Man-Up Tatoos saw ...

Can a real estate appraiser in a New Jersey beach town get in this much trouble? If your name translates to "pretty nice" in French, you've probably gotten used to teasing. It doesn't prepare you to find out that your soon-to-be-ex-husband has a gambling problem, raided your assets, and embezzled from his bank. Jolie Gentil moves to Great Aunt Madge’s bed and breakfast at the Jersey shore, taking her cat Jazz, and joining Madge's pair of prune-eating dogs. Jolie does not view this as a retreat, just a smart change. She had no idea her life at the Jersey shore was about to get even more ...

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.

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.

Opening your apartment door to see a woman sliding down it is distressing. Especially when that woman has a knife in her chest. How could a murderer be roaming the halls in the middle of the night? After all the times she has encouraged Jolie to mind her own business, Aunt Madge has had a change of heart. It's Jolie's boyfriend Scoobie Madge turns to help her figure out who the murderer is.

B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree Digger is bouncing back from a tough year. With the new graphic design firm she and her friend Holly started, things are looking up. But then life throws her a curve when she trips over a body while she and her friend Marty are taking photos at an abandoned train depot. As she tries to piece things together, Digger begins to think the body she found is linked to a long-ago disappearance in her town of Maple Grove. Did Daniel Stevens abandon his family in 1963, or is there a more sinister explanation? When she tries to learn more about Daniel’s life, Digger ends ...

From Hurricane Sandy to B&B repairs to Aunt Madge's wedding in three weeks. If Jolie can handle that surely she can deal with a sobbing woman who shows up at midnight. When the next morning Jolie learns that Pooki's husband is missing and his partner is dead, it seems there may be a connection to some shady hurricane repairs at Ocean Alley's senior complex.

4th in the Family History Mystery Series When a Maple Grove resident discovers some old gold coins in the woods near town, it's an intriguing event -- but not one that seems dangerous. However, the article Digger's friend, Marty, wrote for the Maple Grove News, seems to have attracted unwarranted attention. Did the coins come from a long-ago bank robbery or burglary, or was someone passing through murdered in the early 20th century? No matter the source, it leads to a fresh murder today. Sheriff Montgomery asks Digger for help in tracing descendants of possible owners of the stash of coins....

Mountain Rails of Old, third book in the Family History Mystery Series. Digger Browning never paid much attention to the abandoned cottage and its long-gone occupants until she accompanied her friend Marty, who wanted to photograph it for a news story. Everything changed when Uncle Benjamin made a huge discovery nearby. What really happened to Samantha and her eight-year old daughter twelve years ago? If it hadn’t been for a growling raccoon, Digger might not have badgered enough people to find out. Her friend Holly doesn’t like the ancestors Digger found for her, and Marty thinks ...

Jolie always has her hands full appraising houses, running the food pantry, and enjoying her family. Enter Buck Brock — an annoying landlord who likes to skimp on amenities and wants Jolie to lowball appraisals on properties he’s buying. He makes Lester Argrow -- usually Ocean Alley's most annoying realtor -- look like a polite uncle. She and Scoobie also decide to let a troubled Iraq War vet back into their lives, and Jolie finds him work cleaning units for Buck. Will Josh’s presence help or hurt her family — especially Scoobie? Jolie’s in the Java Jolt Coffee Shop when Buck’s ...

Corozón, her mother, and her little brother, Pico, have left Honduras to seek asylum in the US. Grandfather Tito and her father, Manuel, saved the life of Colonel Bill, an American soldier, many years ago. It's probably part of the reason Corozón's father was murdered. They believe they are fleeing to safety but don't know about the family-separation policy.

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 ...

Sticky-Fingered Books 12th Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery 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 ...

14th Jersey Shore Cozy MysteryMore 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 ...