Ellery Adams

From New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams comes the first in an intriguing new series set within a quirky small-town club where the key to happiness, friendship--or solving a murder--can all be found within the pages of the right book . . . Miracle Springs, North Carolina, is a place of healing. Strangers flock here hoping the natural hot springs, five-star cuisine, and renowned spa can cure their ills. If none of that works, they often find their way to Miracle Books, where, over a fresh-baked "comfort" scone from the Gingerbread House bakery, they exchange their stories with owner Nora Pennington in return for a carefully chosen book. That's Nora's special talent--prescribing the perfect novel to ease a person's deepest pain and lighten their heaviest burden. When a visiting businessman reaches out to Nora for guidance, she knows exactly which novels will help. But before he can keep their appointment at Miracle Books, he's found dead on the train tracks. Stunned, Nora forms the Secret, Book, and Scone Society, a group of damaged souls yearning to gain trust and earn redemption by helping others. To join the society, members must divulge their darkest secret--the terrible truth that brought each of them to Miracle Springs in the first place. Determined to uncover the truth behind the businessman's demise, the women meet in Nora's cramped and cozy bookstore to share stories and trade support. And as they untangle a web of corruption, they also discover their own courage, purpose, and a sisterhood that will carry them through every challenge--proving it's never too late to turn the page and start over . . .

The Secret, Book & Scone Society

During her resort's "Mayhem and Mystery Week," Jane finds herself investigating a real murder when the winner of the scavenger hunt is found dead.

Murder in the Mystery Suite

In the fourth in a beguiling cozy mystery series featuring a librarian-turned-bookseller with a penchant for bibliotherapy and a sideline in solving crime, the only hope is that Nora can be a heroine herself and lead the Secret, Book, and Scone Society in a successful investigation--before more bodies turn up and the secrets from Celeste's past come back to haunt them all. all.

A Witty and Page-Turning Southern Cozy Mystery

Ink and Shadows

Olivia Limoges agrees to join the Bayside Book Writers to break her writer's block and make a few friends, but the Book Writers are all suspects when townspeople start turning up dead with haiku poems left by their bodies.

A Killer Plot

Nora Pennington and her fiction loving friends in small-town Miracle Springs, North Carolina, encounter a young woman desperately in need of a new beginning . . . Nora Pennington, owner of Miracle Books, believes that a well-chosen novel can bring healing and hope. But she and the other members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society know that sometimes practical help is needed too. Such is the case with the reed-thin girl hiding in the fiction section of Nora's store, wearing a hospital ID and a patchwork of faded bruises. She calls herself Abilene but won't reveal much else. And when a customer is found dead in an assumed suicide, Nora uncovers a connection that points to Abilene as either a suspect--or another target. After a second death hits town, Nora and her intrepid friends must help the new, greenhorn sheriff discern fact from fiction--and stop a killer intent on bringing another victim's story to a close . . . "A love letter to reading, with sharp characterizations and a smart central mystery." --Entertainment Weekly

The Whispered Word

In the new Secret, Book, and Scone Society novel from New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams, the rain in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, has been relentless--and a flood of trouble is about to be unleashed . . . As the owner of Miracle Books, Nora Pennington figures all the wet weather this spring is at least good for business. The local inns are packed with stranded travelers, and among them Nora finds both new customers and a new friend, the sixtysomething Sheldon, who starts helping out at the store. Since a little rain never hurt anyone, Nora rides her bike over to the flea market one sodden day and buys a bowl from Danny, a Cherokee potter. It'll make a great present for Nora's EMT boyfriend, but the next day, a little rain turns into a lot of rain, and the Miracle River overflows it banks. Amid the wreckage of a collapsed footbridge, Danny's body lies within the churning water. Nora and the sheriff both doubt the ruling of accidental drowning, and Nora decides it's time for the Secret, Book, and Scone Society to spring into action. When another body turns up, it becomes clearer that Danny's death can't be blamed on a natural disaster. A crucial clue may lie within the stone walls of the Inn of Mist and Roses: a diary, over a century old and spattered with candle wax, that leads Nora and her friends through a maze of intrigue--and onto the trail of a murderer . . .

The Book of Candlelight

After discovering her hidden talent for enchantment, Ella Mae opens the Charmed Pie Shoppe, but her dream is short-lived when the fiancé of her nemesis, Loralyn Gaynor, is found murdered with Ella Mae's rolling pin. Original. 40,000 first printing.

Pies and Prejudice

"Virginia is for lovers--and Storyton Hall is its best vacation spot for lovers of books. The big event this summer at Jane Steward's resort is A Bookish Cook-Off. It's a blend of the literary and the culinary--but someone's headed for the mortuary..."--Page 4 of cover.

A Southern Culinary Cozy Mystery for Book Lovers

Murder in the Cookbook Nook

Entertainment Weekly hails the Secret, Book, and Scone Society series by New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams as "a love letter to reading," and in this fifth installment, bookshop owner, bibliotherapist, and occasional sleuth Nora Pennington must enlist the help of her brilliant, brassy librarian friend Bobbie to unravel the connection between The Scarlet Letter, an obscure 19th century writer, and a dead hiker... While January snow falls outside in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, Nora Pennington is encouraging customers to cozy up indoors with a good book. Even though the shop and her bibliotherapy sessions keep Nora busy during the day, her nights are a little too quiet--until Deputy Andrews pulls Nora into the sci-fi section and asks her to help him plan a wedding proposal. His bride-to-be, Hester, loves Little Women, and Nora sets to work arranging a special screening at the town's new movie theater. But right before the deputy pops the question, Nora makes an unsettling discovery--someone has mutilated all her store's copies of The Scarlet Letter, slicing angrily into the pages wherever Hester Prynne's name is mentioned. The coincidence disturbs Nora, who's one of the few in Miracle Springs who knows that Hester gave up a baby for adoption many years ago. Her family heaped shame on her, and Hester still feels so guilty that she hasn't even told her future husband. But when a dead man is found on a hiking trail just outside town, carrying a rare book, the members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society unearth a connection to Hester's past. Someone is intent on bringing the past to light, and it's not just Hester's relationship at stake, but her life...

The Vanishing Type

When best-selling author and Booker Prize winner Nick Plumley is found murdered in his rental, Olivia Limoges and the Bayside Book Writers employ their keen skills of detection to catch a clever killer – one who might be among them. Original.

The Last Word

Welcome to Storyton Hall, Virginia, where book lovers travel from near and far to enjoy the singular comforts of the Agatha Christie Tea Room, where they can discuss the merits of their favorite authors no matter how deadly the topic . . . With her twins, Fitzgerald and Hemingway, back in school, Jane Steward can finally focus on her work again--managing Storyton Hall, and breaking ground on the resort's latest attraction: a luxurious, relaxing spa named in honor of Walt Whitman. But when the earth is dug up to start laying the spa's foundation, something else comes to the surface--a collection of unusual bones and the ragged remnants of a very old book. The attendees of the Rare Book Conference are eager to assist Jane with this unexpected historical mystery--until a visitor meets an untimely end in the Henry James Library. As the questions--and suspects--start stacking up, Jane will have to uncover a killer before more unhappy endings ensue . . . "Combines clever clues, a smart and courageous heroine and an interesting setting in a whodunit that will inspire readers to make further visits to Storyton Hall." --Richmond Times-Dispatch on Murder in the Paperback Parlor

Murder in the Locked Library

Paper Cuts

When a series of bizarre burglaries plague the town of Oyster Bay, North Carolina, the Bayside Book Writers group spring into action, attempting to decipher the cliché clues that the thieves have left behind, while Olivia makes a shocking discovery about her father who was lost at sea 30 years ago. By the author of A Killer Plot. Original. 15,500 first printing.

A Deadly Cliché

While preparing for the Coastal Carolina Food Festival, Olivia Limoges must identify the contents of a mysterious jug to find out who killed Munin Cooper, the Witch of Oyster Bay, and enlists the help of the Bayside Book Writers to help her piece together the puzzle. Original. 25,000 first printing.

Written in Stone

When a wedding guest becomes seriously ill after eating one of her desserts, Ella Mae, whose baked goods are literally magical, must whip up some clues to prove that her pies didn't contain the killer ingredient. Original.

Peach Pies and Alibis

When storyteller Violetta Devereaux is murdered at a storytellers' retreat after announcing that she will die in Oyster Bay, the Bayside Book Writers, who organized the retreat, try to discover who was responsible for her death.

Poisoned Prose

Jane Steward is planning a week of Valentine's Day activities for the visitors to her book -themed resort, but when one of the authors she booked winds up dead, she must quickly find the killer.

Murder in the Paperback Parlor

Storyton Hall, Virginia, is a paradise for book lovers who come from all over for literary getaways. But manager Jane Steward is temporarily leaving for another renowned resort--in hopes of solving a twist-filled mystery . . . Jane's boyfriend is missing, and she thinks she may find him at North Carolina's historic Biltmore Estate. Officially, she's there to learn about luxury hotel management, but she's also prowling around the breathtaking buildings and grounds looking for secret passageways and clues. One of the staff gardeners promises to be helpful . . . that is, until his body turns up in a potting shed. When she finally locates the kidnapped Edwin, his captor insists that she lead him back to Storyton Hall, convinced that it houses Ernest Hemingway's lost suitcase, stolen from a Paris train station in 1922. But before they can turn up the treasure, the bell may toll for another victim . . . "Combines clever clues, a smart and courageous heroine and an interesting setting in a whodunit that will inspire readers to make further visits to Storyton Hall." --Richmond Times-Dispatch on Murder in the Paperback Parlor

Murder in the Reading Room

Bakery shop owner Ella Mae LeFaye investigates after an arsonist burns an enchanted grove, with a devastating effect on Ella Mae's magic.

Pecan Pies and Homicides

"When one of the members of The Medieval Herbalists turns up dead after finding and unlocking a garden filled with deadly plants at her book-themed resort, Jane Steward must discover which one of her guests has a penchant for poison."--NoveList Plus.

Ellery Adams

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