Daryl Wood Gerber

Fairy garden store owner Courtney Kelly believes in inviting magic into your life. But when uninvited trouble enters her shop, she'll need more than a sprinkling of her imagination to solve a murder . . . Since childhood, Courtney has loved fairies. After her mother died when Courtney was ten, she lost touch with that feeling of magic. A year ago, at age twenty-nine, she rediscovered it when she left her father's landscaping business to spread her wings and start a fairy garden business and teashop in beautiful Carmel, California. At Open Your Imagination, she teaches garden design and sells everything from fairy figurines to tinkling wind chimes. Now she's starting a book club tea. But the light of the magical world she's created inside her shop is darkened one night when she discovers neighboring dog-grooming business owner Mick Watkins dead beside her patio fountain. To make matters worse, the police suspect Courtney of the crime. To clear her name and find the real killer, Courtney will have to wing it. But she's about to get a little help from an unexpected source . . .

A Sprinkling of Murder

Includes an excerpt from Inherit the word.

Final Sentence

When an amateur chef competing in Grill Fest is murdered, it is up to Jenna Hart to find out which of the many cooks in the kitchen conjured up the killer recipe. Original. 20,000 first printing.

Inherit the Word

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The proprietor of a fairy garden and tea shop in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Courtney Kelly has an occasional side gig as a sleuth—with a sprinkling of magical assistance. . . .

Courtney has thrown a few fairy garden parties—for kids. But if a local socialite is willing to dip into her trust fund for an old sorority sister’s fortieth birthday bash, Courtney will be there with bells on. To make the job even more appealing, a famous actress, Farrah Lawson, is flying in for the occasion, and there’s nothing like a celebrity cameo to raise a business’s profile.
 
Now Courtney has less than two weeks to paint a mural, hang up tinkling windchimes, plan party games, and conjure up all the details. While she works her magic, the hostess and her girlfriends head off for an indulgent spa day—which leads to a fateful facial for Farrah, followed by her mysterious death. Could the kindhearted eyebrow waxer who Farrah berated in public really be the killer, as the police suspect? Courtney thinks otherwise, and with the help of her imaginative sleuth fairy, sets out to dig up the truth behind this puzzling murder . . .

A Fairy Garden Mystery #3

Hint of Mischief

Jenna Hart, the owner of The Cookbook Nook, must conjure up a killer when the Head Priestess of the Winsome Witches is murdered during Halloween and her Aunt Vera is unable to call on her ability to foresee the future. By the Agatha Award-winning author of Inherit the Word. Includes recipes and teaser. Original. 20,000 first printing.

Stirring the Plot

The owner of a Napa Valley inn comes under suspicion when her business partner is murdered.

A Deadly Éclair

"Readers will be shocked by this exciting, fast-paced thriller's twists and turns." Kirkus Reviews From nationally bestselling author Daryl Wood Gerber comes a gripping new suspense! When a fairytale fantasy night becomes a nightmare, Chessa Paxton must run for her life...but will the truth set her free? Chessa Paxton, an event planner in Lake Tahoe, celebrates a successful night at the Happily Ever After Ball, but her dream quickly becomes a nightmare when she wakes up beside the body of her dead husband. Nauseous and confused, feeling as if she's been drugged, she can't explain to the sheriff why her princess costume is bloodied. With her father already a convicted murderer, she feels invisible shackles ratcheting onto her wrists and ankles. She runs! But she can't escape vivid flashes of memory: a massacre in a meadow; men and women in fairy tale costumes; Snow White's dead body shielding her from bullets. Though Chessa is a former costumer and a master of disguise, she quickly learns that hiding while trying to prove herself innocent is the most difficult task imaginable. Especially when the sheriff wants to throw her in jail and the real killer wants to silence her forever.

Girl on the Run

Pirate Week is sweeping through Crystal Cove and keeping Jenna Hart and her bookstore, the Cookbook Nook, plenty busy. But she's not too swamped to also host the local Chocolate Cookbook Club's meeting--especially because the guest of honor is her friend, candy maker and cookbook author Coco Chastain. Jenna whips up a delicious event amidst the rowdy festivities, but the mood is soon broken by robberies, simmering tempers, and a dead body--Coco's editor, Alison. The suspects turn out to be more plentiful than a pot full of gold doubloons, so to prove Coco isn't responsible for the dastardly deed, Jenna will have to stir up some clues and figure out who's the real sticky-fingered killer.

Fudging the books

The Agatha Award–winning author of Wining and Dying returns to the Cookbook Nook, where a killer’s explosive vengeance may lead to Jenna Hart’s happily never after . . . With Bride’s Dream Expo in town, it’s all things wedding in Crystal Cove, including at the Cookbook Nook, where owner Jenna Hart is preparing for her own wedding in just a few short weeks. But there’s a dark cloud hanging over the festive mood by the name of Sarita Strachline, a woman Jenna helped convict of arson who is now out of jail and bent on revenge. And when Jenna and Rhett’s intimate prenuptial dinner is rocked by an explosion that nearly takes Rhett’s life, Jenna can’t help but think Sarita is to blame. Desperate to prove Sarita’s guilt but consumed by worries over Rhett’s condition, Jenna reluctantly lays her case out for the police and leaves the investigation in their methodical hands. Still, she can’t help piecing together the clues, and as the evidence begins to mount, Jenna realizes that revenge may be a dish best served cold, but she can cook up a scheme of her own to bring the culprit to justice—she just has to hope it doesn’t blow up in her face . . . Includes mouthwatering recipes! Praise for Daryl Wood Gerber and the Cookbook Nook Mysteries: “There’s a feisty new amateur sleuth in town and her name is Jenna Hart. With a bodacious cast of characters, a wrenching murder, and a collection of cookbooks to die for, Daryl Wood Gerber’s Final Sentence is a page-turning puzzler of a mystery that I could not put down.” —Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author of the Cupcake Mysteries and Library Lovers Mysteries “In Final Sentence, the author smartly blends crime, recipes, and an array of cookbooks that all should covet in a witty, well-plotted whodunit.” —Kate Carlisle, New York Times bestselling author of the Bibliophile Mysteries “Readers will relish the extensive cookbook suggestions, the cooking primer, and the whole foodie phenomenon. Gerber’s perky tone with a multigenerational cast makes this series a good match for Lorna Barrett’s Booktown Mystery series . . .” —Library Journal “So pull out your cowboy boots and settle in for a delightful read. Grilling the Subject is a delicious new mystery that will leave you hungry for more.” —Carstairs Considers Blog

Simmering with Resentment

Courtney Kelly has a shop full of delights, a cat named Pixie, a green thumb--and a magical touch when it comes to garden design. But in Carmel-by-the-Sea, things aren't all sweetness and fairy lights... When Courtney's friend Wanda gets into a ponytail-pulling wrestling match in public with a nasty local art critic, Courtney stops the fight with the help of a garden hose. But Lana Lamar has a talent for escalating things and creating tension, which she succeeds in doing by threatening a lawsuit, getting into yet another scuffle--in the midst of an elegant fundraiser, no less--and lobbing insults around like pickleballs. Next thing Courtney knows, Lana is on the floor, stabbed with a decorative letter opener from one of Courtney's fairy gardens, and Wanda is standing by asking What have I done? But the answer may not be as obvious as it seems, since Wanda is prone to sleepwalking and appears to be in a daze. Could she have risen from her nap and committed murder while unconscious? Or is the guilty party someone else Lana's ticked off, like her long-suffering husband? To find out, Courtney will have to dig up some dirt...

A Glimmer of a Clue

Daryl Wood Gerber, the national bestselling and Agatha Award–winning author of the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, returns with a novel of gripping suspense . . . A chilling murder, an elusive killer, and a family mystery that hits too close to home . . . After finding the body of her best friend on the icy shores of Lake Tahoe, Aspen Adams refuses to stand by and watch as the local sheriff’s department begins their search for the killer. Launching her own investigation, she’s soon confronted with a growing array of secrets—both about the friend she thought she knew and about many of the people in her own life. As fragmentary clues and escalating dangers threaten to derail her, she must also cope with the disturbing behavior of her deadbeat sister and troubled teenage niece. Determined to overcome her personal demons over past failures, Aspen is driven to unravel the conflicting evidence and a shifting range of suspects to bring the killer to justice, even as a family trauma unfolds that threatens to upend her life. And as her investigation inexorably leads her to a shocking discovery and taunts her with a solution that is just out of reach, Aspen realizes that the killer wants nothing more than to see her and her niece dead . . . Praise for the Suspense Novels of Daryl Wood Gerber: “The frantic plot will keep readers on edge.” —Kirkus Reviews “The novel’s plot is thick and the prose is more than rich enough to sustain it. Its shifting perspectives will give readers an even greater sense of excitement as the many pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Readers will be shocked by this exciting, fast-paced thriller’s twists and turns.” —Kirkus Reviews “Daryl Wood Gerber has proven again to be a gifted storyteller and one to watch in this genre. An absolute must-read!” —Escape with Dollycas “This completely entertaining thriller—with taut suspense, a timely plot, devastating secrets, and a touch of romance—will have you turning pages as fast as you can. Fans of Meg Gardiner and Melinda Leigh will devour this!” —Anthony, Agatha, and Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author Hank Phillippi Ryan “This is an edge-of-your-seat, can’t-put-it-down thriller. If you like Dan Brown’s thrillers you will want to read this!” —Goodreads “An action-packed, suspense-filled, riveting book. I was glued to this story, could not put it down.” —Goodreads

Desolate Shores

Shredding the Evidence

Pressing the Issue

Fairies are trending hard, especially when it comes to fairy garden décor in Walmart and Target and on Amazon. The latest installment in the nationally bestselling Daryl Wood Gerber's Fairy Garden mysteries is a perfect read for Laura Childs readers and all fans of whimsy and charm. With a theater foundation tea and an art show planned at Violet Vickers’s estate, Courtney is hired to create charming fairy gardens for the event. It’s not so charming, however, when her best friend Meaghan’s ex-boyfriend turns out to be Violet’s latest artistic protégé. Even worse, not long after Meaghan locks horns with him, his body is found in her yard, bludgeoned with an objet d’murder. There’s a gallery of suspects, from an unstable former flame to an arts and crafts teacher with a sketchy past. But when the cops focus on Meaghan’s business partner, who’s like a protective older brother to her, and discover he also has a secret financial motive, Courtney decides to draw her own conclusions. Fearing they’re missing the forest for the trees, and with some help from Fiona the sleuthing fairy, she hopes to make them see the light . . . Praise for Daryl Wood Gerber’s A Sprinkling of Murder “Enchanting series launch from Agatha Award winner Gerber. . . . Cozy fans will wish upon a star for more.” —Publishers Weekly “A winner. . . . Fans of Laura Childs’ work will enjoy.” —Booklist

A Flicker of a Doubt

The proprietor of a fairy garden and tea shop in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Courtney Kelly has an occasional side gig as a sleuth—with a sprinkling of magical assistance. . . . Courtney has thrown a few fairy garden parties—for kids. But if a local socialite is willing to dip into her trust fund for an old sorority sister’s fortieth birthday bash, Courtney will be there with bells on. To make the job even more appealing, a famous actress, Farrah Lawson, is flying in for the occasion, and there’s nothing like a celebrity cameo to raise a business’s profile. Now Courtney has less than two weeks to paint a mural, hang up tinkling windchimes, plan party games, and conjure up all the details. While she works her magic, the hostess and her girlfriends head off for an indulgent spa day—which leads to a fateful facial for Farrah, followed by her mysterious death. Could the kindhearted eyebrow waxer who Farrah berated in public really be the killer, as the police suspect? Courtney thinks otherwise, and with the help of her imaginative sleuth fairy, sets out to dig up the truth behind this puzzling murder . . . Praise for Daryl Wood Gerber’s A Sprinkling of Murder “Enchanting series launch from Agatha Award winner Gerber. . . . Cozy fans will wish upon a star for more.” —Publishers Weekly “A winner. . . . Fans of Laura Childs’ work will enjoy.” —Booklist

A Hint of Mischief

The Agatha Award–winning author of Pressing the Issue returns to the Cookbook Nook, where Jenna Hart is busy decking the halls and ducking a killer . . . The holidays are Jenna Hart’s favorite time of year, but just as she’s decorating the Cookbook Nook for all the festive events, her imperious older sister makes a surprise visit, anxious that her husband’s been more naughty than nice. To make matters worse, her father’s good friend Jake shows up on her doorstep with a frantic report that his friend has been murdered—trussed with Christmas lights and impaled with a tree star. Worried that Jake was the intended victim, Jenna makes a list of suspects and checks it twice. Swapping her Santa’s hat for a sleuthing cap, she gets busy investigating Jake’s long-lost sister, his Grinch of a neighbor, and a stamp collector who covets Jake’s most treasured piece. When Jake himself is poisoned and nearly dies, Jenna knows she’ll have to do whatever it takes to corner the culprit before it’s lights out for Jake . . . Includes tantalizing holiday recipes! Praise for Daryl Wood Gerber and the Cookbook Nook Mysteries: “There’s a feisty new amateur sleuth in town and her name is Jenna Hart. With a bodacious cast of characters, a wrenching murder, and a collection of cookbooks to die for, Daryl Wood Gerber’s Final Sentenceis a page-turning puzzler of a mystery that I could not put down.” —Jenn McKinlay, New York Timesbestselling author of the Cupcake Mysteries and Library Lovers Mysteries “In Final Sentence, the author smartly blends crime, recipes, and an array of cookbooks that all should covet in a witty, well-plotted whodunit.” —Kate Carlisle, New York Timesbestselling author of the Bibliophile Mysteries “Readers will relish the extensive cookbook suggestions, the cooking primer, and the whole foodie phenomenon. Gerber’s perky tone with a multigenerational cast makes this series a good match for Lorna Barrett’s Booktown Mystery series . . .” —Library Journal “So pull out your cowboy boots and settle in for a delightful read. Grilling the Subject is a delicious new mystery that will leave you hungry for more.” —Carstairs Considers Blog

Wreath Between the Lines

The Agatha Award–winning author of Shredding the Evidence returns to the Cookbook Nook, where it will take a stroke of genius for Jenna Hart to solve the murder of a local artist . . . Crystal Cove is buzzing with the launch of its fifth annual Art and Wine Festival, when local wineries are paired with local artists to show off their latest creations. Jenna’s thrilled to be showing one of her own amateur paintings at the fair, but her excitement quickly fades when an up-and-coming artist is murdered. What’s more, all the evidence points to a good friend of Jenna’s as the culprit, and she’ll have to use all her wits to prove his innocence before he paints himself into a corner. Certain that her friend is being framed, Jenna tries to blend in as she starts digging into an array of colorful suspects, including a tech guru with a penchant for stalking women, the mayor’s wayward son, and an older art instructor who might have been closer to the victim than anyone would have guessed. Jenna will have to wine and dine her way through all the clues before she can see the full picture and put the real killer behind bars—all the while avoiding her own brush with death . . . Includes tantalizing recipes! Praise for Daryl Wood Gerber and the Cookbook Nook Mysteries: “There’s a feisty new amateur sleuth in town and her name is Jenna Hart. With a bodacious cast of characters, a wrenching murder, and a collection of cookbooks to die for, Daryl Wood Gerber’s Final Sentence is a page-turning puzzler of a mystery that I could not put down.” —Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author of the Cupcake Mysteries and Library Lovers Mysteries “In Final Sentence, the author smartly blends crime, recipes, and an array of cookbooks that all should covet in a witty, well-plotted whodunit.” —Kate Carlisle, New York Times bestselling author of the Bibliophile Mysteries “Readers will relish the extensive cookbook suggestions, the cooking primer, and the whole foodie phenomenon. Gerber’s perky tone with a multigenerational cast makes this series a good match for Lorna Barrett’s Booktown Mystery series . . .” —Library Journal “So pull out your cowboy boots and settle in for a delightful read. Grilling the Subject is a delicious new mystery that will leave you hungry for more.” —Carstairs Considers Blog

Wining and Dying

Agatha Award–winning author Daryl Wood Gerber returns with private investigator Aspen Adams taking on a cold case that has haunted her for years . . . When her parents were murdered fourteen years ago, Aspen Adams coped as best she could as a college freshman and numbly moved on when the case was never solved. Living since then with almost daily reminders of how the tragedy shaped the lives of her and her sister, she’s always known that someday she would launch an investigation of her own. And now, with her sister in crisis, she draws on all her experience as a private investigator to untangle a case that left the police baffled and her family in ruins. Interviewing the detectives who worked the case, scouring endless pages of their notes, and even tracking down the original suspects, Aspen discovers aspects of the crime and her parents’ lives she never knew about—and ignites a menacing series of events that threaten to engulf everyone near her. Certain she’s on the trail of the killer and unwilling to be deterred, Aspen faces down her own fears about what she’ll find in her search for answers—and justice—before a killer who scarred her life can resurface to wreak havoc on her family once again . . . Praise for the Suspense Novels of Daryl Wood Gerber: “This completely entertaining thriller—with taut suspense, a timely plot, devastating secrets, and a touch of romance—will have you turning pages as fast as you can. Fans of Meg Gardiner and Melinda Leigh will devour this!” —Anthony, Agatha, and Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author Hank Phillippi Ryan “Daryl Wood Gerber has proven again to be a gifted storyteller and one to watch in this genre. An absolute must-read!” —Escape with Dollycas “Desolate Shores is an intriguing romantic suspense with a deceased friend, a dangerous killer, shady suspects, a captivating cop, and killer clues . . .” —The Avid Reader “Desolate Shores is an absolutely amazing start to a new suspense series! This book has everything I look for in a reading experience . . .” —ChewieTellsAll

Cold Conviction

Courtney Kelly has a shop full of delights, a cat named Pixie, a green thumb—and a magical touch when it comes to garden design. But in Carmel-by-the-Sea, things aren’t all sweetness and fairy lights . . . When Courtney’s friend Wanda gets into a ponytail-pulling wrestling match in public with a nasty local art critic, Courtney stops the fight with the help of a garden hose. But Lana Lamar has a talent for escalating things and creating tension, which she succeeds in doing by threatening a lawsuit, getting into yet another scuffle—in the midst of an elegant fundraiser, no less—and lobbing insults around like pickleballs. Next thing Courtney knows, Lana is on the floor, stabbed with a decorative letter opener from one of Courtney's fairy gardens, and Wanda is standing by asking “What have I done?” But the answer may not be as obvious as it seems, since Wanda is prone to sleepwalking and appears to be in a daze. Could she have risen from her nap and committed murder while unconscious? Or is the guilty party someone else Lana’s ticked off, like her long-suffering husband? To find out, Courtney will have to dig up some dirt . . . Praise for Daryl Wood Gerber’s A Sprinkling of Murder “Enchanting series launch from Agatha Award winner Gerber . . . Cozy fans will wish upon a star for more.” —Publishers Weekly “A winner. . . . Fans of Laura Childs’ work will enjoy.” —Booklist

Victoria Hamilton

Gail Oust

A heartwarming collection of holiday mysteries full of merriment . . . and murder! Wreath Between the Lines by Daryl Wood Gerber The Agatha Award–winning author of Sifting Through Clues returns to the Cookbook Nook, where Jenna Hart is busy decking the halls and ducking a killer . . . The holidays are Jenna Hart’s favorite time of year, but just as she’s decorating the Cookbook Nook for all the festive events, her imperious older sister makes a surprise visit, anxious that her husband’s been more naughty than nice. To make matters worse, her father’s good friend Jake shows up on her doorstep with a frantic report that his friend has been murdered—trussed with Christmas lights and impaled with a tree star . . . Breaking the Mould by Victoria Hamilton In this Christmas-themed Vintage Kitchen Mystery from the author of Cast Iron Alibi, when the town’s resident Scrooge is found dead, Jaymie says Bah humbug! to murder . . . Now that Thanksgiving’s behind her, vintage cookware enthusiast Jaymie Leighton Müller is excitedly making plans for the upcoming Dickens Days festival—the town’s month-long celebration leading up to Christmas. With a hot cider booth on the village green to warm the hearts and bodies of the townsfolk and a diorama featuring a scene from A Christmas Carol, things are shaping up for a festive season—until the town’s local Scrooge is found murdered, a vintage pudding mould covering his cracked skull . . . The Twelve Dice of Christmas by Gail Oust Welcome to Serenity Cove, a peaceful Southern community where the residents like to play dice, play golf and, when foul play moves in, play detective . . . With Christmas fast approaching, Kate McCall and her dice-playing friends get into the holiday spirit by agreeing to help the elderly Eula Mae Snow decorate her home, even when it means sorting through a veritable blizzard of the older woman’s knickknacks. Intent on doing a good deed and digging up a bright collection of seasonal decorations, Kate is stopped dead in her tracks when instead she discovers the skeleton of a man showing clear signs of foul play . . . Includes scrumptious holiday recipes!

Daryl Wood Gerber

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