Dorothy St. James

When small-town assistant librarian Tru Beckett sets up a secret book room in her newly modernized library, she discovers that protecting the printed word is harder than she'd ever imagined. In fact, it's murder. Trudell Becket, known to her friends as Tru, finds herself in a bind when her library in lovely Cypress, South Carolina, is turned into a state-of-the-art bookless "technological center." A library with no books breaks Tru's book-loving heart so she decides to rescue hundreds of beloved tomes slated for the town dump. Under the cover of darkness, Tru, along with her best friends--coffee shop owner Tori Green and mysterious bestselling author Flossie Finnegan-Baker--set up a secret bookroom in the library's basement and prepare to open it to their most loyal, trustworthy patrons. But as Tru and her crew are putting the finishing touches on their new book room, the town manager, who was behind the big push for the library's transformation, is crushed by an overturned shelf of DVDs. Tru becomes the prime suspect as she hadn't hid the fact that she hated having all of those wonderful books replaced by tablets and computers. But if she gives the police her alibi, she'll have to explain about the secret book room and risk losing the books. Tru knows she's in a heap of trouble, and it doesn't help that the officer in charge of the case is her old crush from high school, who broke her teenaged heart. To keep herself out of jail and her beloved bookroom up and running, Tru--with the help of Tori, Flossie, and a brown tabby stray cat named Dewey Decimal--decides to investigate. And faster than you can say "Shhhh!" Tru quickly finds herself on the same page with a killer who would love to write her final chapter. . . .

The Broken Spine

Tru Beckett built a secret book room in her now bookless library. Now she's working hard to maintain the little library downstairs while keeping her 'real job' upstairs in the technology centre. The last thing she needs is a mysterious vandal who brutalises the books. A patron of the secret room tells Tru that there have been rumours of a poltergeist. Tru is certain it's hogwash, but she's at a loss to think of who might be responsible. And when a dead body shows up right behind the library, Tru is certain that it's not a ghost but a cold-blooded killer that she and her trusty tabby will need to uncover.

A Perfect Bind

When White House gardener Casey Calhoun is attacked by an unknown assailant and discovers a dead body, she tries to find the killer before she meets the same fate as the dead woman.

Flowerbed of State

A Book Club to Die For

Librarian Tru Beckett, ardent defender of the printed word, is about to find out that keeping murder checked out of her beloved library is much harder than she thought... Tru Beckett succeeded in building a secret book room in her now bookless library, where book lovers from lovely Cypress, South Carolina, can rejoice in the printed word. Now she's working hard to maintain the little library downstairs while keeping her "real job" upstairs in the bookless technology center. The last thing she needs is a mysterious vandal who seems intent on breaking into her secret book-filled sanctuary and creating chaos. The nasty interloper doesn't steal anything, but brutalizes the books, damaging them and knocking them off shelves. A patron of the secret book room tells Tru that there have been creepy goings-on at the library for years, especially in the basement where the secret book room is located. He's heard rumors of a poltergeist that haunts the library, determined to scare off readers. Tru is certain it's hogwash, but she's at a loss to think of who might be vandalizing the beautiful books she fought so hard to protect. And when a dead body shows up right behind the library, Tru is certain that it's not a ghost but a cold-blooded killer that she and her trusty tabby Dewey Decimal will need to uncover.

When someone starts tampering with the presidential vegetable garden, Casey Calhoun, the official organic gardener for the White House, must dig through the clues and rumors to discover who is trying to sabotage both her garden and the First Lady's reputation. Original.

The Scarlet Pepper

Librarian Tru Beckett, ardent defender of the printed word, is about to find out that keeping murder checked out of her beloved library is much harder than she thought.... Tru Beckett succeeded in building a secret book room in her now bookless library, where book lovers from lovely Cypress, South Carolina, can rejoice in the printed word. Now she's working hard to maintain the little library downstairs while keeping her "real job" upstairs in the bookless technology center. The last thing she needs is a mysterious vandal who seems intent on breaking into her secret book-filled sanctuary and creating chaos. The nasty interloper doesn't steal anything, but brutalizes the books, damaging them and knocking them off shelves. A patron of the secret book room tells Tru that there have been creepy goings-on at the library for years, especially in the basement where the secret book room is located. He's heard rumors of a poltergeist that haunts the library, determined to scare off readers. Tru is certain it's hogwash, but she's at a loss to think of who might be vandalizing the beautiful books she fought so hard to protect. And when a dead body shows up right behind the library, Tru is certain that it's not a ghost but a cold-blooded killer that she and her trusty tabby Dewey Decimal will need to uncover.

Chocoholic Charity Penn must save her new seaside chocolate shop from a deadly assortment of threats in this sweet series debut. When Charity Penn receives a letter saying she won a trip to South Carolina for free confectionery lessons at a seaside chocolate shop, the Chocolate Box, she's skeptical: she knows that she never entered the contest. An old prep school friend offers to look into the phony prize - and ends up drowned in a vat of chocolate. A guilt-stricken Penn heads to the sunny Southern beach town to investigate. Though she's wary of the locals, their eccentric vibe makes her defenses melt away. But learning the art of crafting delicious chocolates turns bittersweet when she unwraps a dark and deadly plot to destroy the charming resort town. Only Penn's quick thinking and a mysterious cask of rare cocoa beans can save the town she's learned to love. -- front cover, inside flap

Asking for truffle

When a member of an exclusive book club is poisoned, spunky librarian Trudell Beckett must sort fact from fiction to solve the murder. The Cypress Arete Society is the town’s oldest and most exclusive book club. When Trudell Beckett, the town’s spunky assistant librarian, is invited to speak to the club about the library, its modernization, and her efforts to bring printed books to the reading public, Trudell’s friend Flossie invites herself along. Flossie has been on the book club’s waiting list for five years, and she’s determined to find out why she's never received an invitation to join. When Tru and Flossie arrive early for the book club, they're shocked to find the club leader, Rebecca White, dead in the kitchen. The main suspect: Detective Jace Bailey's mother, the host for the evening. With Jace removed from the case due to the conflict of interest, Trudell must help him investigate and prove his mother's innocence in a case where nothing is as it seems.

Dorothy St. James

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