Judy Fitzwater

Jennifer Marsh is a mystery writer with a stack of eight unpublished manuscripts and rejection letters to match filling her closet. She's sure that if she can just get famous for something, someone will have to publish her books. Why not murder? She'll find a target so mean that she'd actually be doing the world a favor by bumping him or her off. And she knows just the person: Penney Richmond, a high-powered literary agent who's made it her job to ruin people's lives. All Jennifer has to do is frame herself, do the deed, and come out with an iron-clad alibi, and she'll be well on her way to getting a three book deal. So what if she chickens out at the last minute? A vegetarian good girl who rescued a greyhound could never actually kill someone. But when Penney is found murdered and the police think Jennifer did it, she’d better find the real murderer before she goes away... for life. Along with her eccentric writer's group, spunky old ladies with a nose for sleuthing, her neurotic greyhound, and a sexy, sarcastic reporter named Sam, Jennifer embarks on a journey filled with danger, deception, and disguises that could leave her Dying to Get Published... “In a roller coaster of hilarity, Fitzwater has crafted three-dimensional characters with warmth, realism, and wickedness.” -- The Snooper "A sprightly novel, Dying to Get Published will entertain all writers...[It] offers a word to the wise: Never thwart a mystery writer, published or unpublished." -- Carolyn G. Hart “Jen’s a warm, intelligent character, and Fitzwater provides an entertaining (and for aspiring writers, frustratingly familiar) look at the world of writing and publishing.” -- Publishers Weekly

Dying to Get Published

Mary Ashton is convinced someone is going to murder her, and that there’s nothing she can do to stop it. But what she can do is hire unpublished mystery writer Jennifer Marsh to record her final days, so her killer won’t get away with it. Mary may seem a little loony, but she’s one of Macon’s leading socialites, or at least she was until the competency hearing. AND she’s offering Jennifer $1,000 a week to stay in her home, the historic Ashton mansion, reputed to be haunted by a Civil War heroine. The money’s too good to turn down, especially for a starving writer, so Jennifer agrees. And what’s the harm? Why would anyone want Mary Ashton dead? But the first night at the mansion, Jennifer’s awakened by blood curdling screams coming from Mary’s room, which is directly beneath her own. Trapped in her room, Jennifer is helpless. When she finally escapes, she finds a blood-soaked bed straight out of a horror movie but no sign of Mary’s body. Old family secrets and grudges, mysterious deaths, and ghostly lights that move about the mansion lead to a mystery fraught with danger and intrigue. Jennifer’s writers’ group offers their usual comic relief as they continue their journey toward getting published. Jennifer’s sarcastic reporter boyfriend Sam is there to lend his assistance as well. And, of course, so is her greyhound Muffy. “I was drawn in at the first page, and it was hard to put down once I started….This is a series worth discovering from the beginning.” Mystery News “…this is the book in which Judy Fitzwater has totally found her rhythm….I loved Dying to Be Murdered and wish I had the next one already!” Mystery Book Reviews “I was completely captivated…Dying to be Murdered is funny, entertaining and enjoyable. However, it is also compelling, suspenseful and thought provoking. The plot is a choreographed puzzle and it is up to Marsh to fit the pieces together, or risk becoming a victim.” The Charlotte Austin Review Ltd. “If you’ve missed your Nancy Drew books, this is the next best thing, in an adult package. And looking very, very good.” The Book Report, Inc.

Dying To Be Murdered

Jennifer Marsh is going under cover... well, not technically under cover. She is the brand new personal assistant to an honest-to-God private eye. An unpublished mystery writer who's solved a few real-life mysteries, Jennifer hopes some on the job experience with a pro will give her the next great book idea. So what if the only person who'll let her ride along is Johnny Zeeman, a professional sleeze ball and small time detective? When they witness a murder in the alley behind a fertility clinic, and Johnny takes a bullet, Jennifer finds herself tied up in a case full of family secrets... secrets so deep someone will kill to keep them. And when Jennifer takes on Johnny's client, a local college student desperate for answers about her past, she may just have traced a target on her own back. The search for the killer has Jennifer plotting with her writers' group, hiding out (and playing house) with her sexy reporter friend, Sam, and dodging bullets in a quest for the truth that has her Dying for a Clue... “This is a series worth discovering from the beginning.” -Mystery News “DYING FOR A CLUE is a fast-paced, easy read that is entertaining and beguiling.” --Romantic Times “Fitzwater...obviously has fun with her characters...” --Publishers Weekly

Dying for a Clue

She never found love in life…Is it possible she’ll find love after death? Something unexpected happens to Cindy Thomas during a mystery weekend at the Ferris Mansion. One second she’s enjoying a performance with astonishing special effects. The next, she’s dead, surrounded by a troupe of long dead actors who aren’t special effects at all. Harvey, her dream guy, is no longer a dream. He’s real—a real ghost. Suddenly, this new existence is complicated and scary and amazing, leaving her wondering if she’s made the worst mistake of her life, her death, or whatever you want to call it. Cindy will have to decide…should she step through the gateway to Heaven, or is Heaven actually here on earth, in this handsome ghost’s arms? Author’s Note: When I wrote DYING AT HONEYMOON INN, I became fond of Cindy Thomas, the young woman I killed off before readers had a chance to get to know her. For those of you familiar with my other books, you know that in VACATIONING WITH THE DEAD, I populated the Ferris Mansion with a troupe of actors who just happen to be ghosts. I enjoyed writing that book so much, I wanted to revisit the characters. What better way than to have Cindy’s spirit encounter them upon her death? Adding her to the group presented a number of problems, but I really enjoyed writing Cindy and Harvey’s love story. Who’s to say love ends with death, or even the possibility of new love? That’s part of the joy of creation. In my world, it doesn’t have to.

Love After Death

Readers will find ghosts, mayhem, and all out fun in Judy Fitzwater's romantic comedy, Vacationing with the Dead. When Rex Ferris’s great, great Uncle Nate dies and makes Rex promise to take care of the Ferris Mansion and “everything in it,” Rex has no idea the “everything” includes ghosts. Now he’s stuck with four ghosts, all actors, who have no intention of moving into the “Light.” With maintenance costs rising at the huge, old mansion, and four bored spirits who want to act, Rex does the only thing he can think of. He turns the mansion into a murder mystery weekend destination with incredible special effects that aren’t really effects at all. But not content with his growing success, Rex makes one fateful decision: he advertises his new enterprise in The Traveler’s Companion, the nation’s premiere travel magazine. Trapped in the basement of the Traveler’s Companion’s offices in Washington, D.C., dreaming of traveling the world and reviewing exotic resorts for the magazine, is Talia East. It’s her job to input and format ads for the magazine. But the closest she’s ever likely to see the world is gazing at the posters that line her tiny, gray cubicle….That is, until one strange ad comes across her desk which begins, “Vacation with the Dead.” It sounds ridiculous, even hokey, yet somehow intriguing. But maybe, just maybe, it could be her ticket out. IF she can write one knock-out article and IF the effects are even half as amazing as Rex Ferris promises, she might just land her dream job. What she finds at the Ferris mansion will forever change her life and her understanding of true love. But the path won’t be easy. Mediums, spirit guides, cutthroat critics, interfering coworkers, and an old boyfriend are all on hand to complicate Talia and Rex’s quest. Vacationing with the Dead is a funny, sweet romantic comedy in which true love is not just for the living, and its obstacles don’t end after death. It’s a fun romp filled with peril, mystery, unforgettable characters, and the adventure of finding everlasting love.

A Love Story

Vacationing with the Dead

Love and murder: two words that should never go together. But when Jennifer and long-time beau Sam Culpepper finally decide to tie the knot, murder rears its ugly head to intervene. Now Jennifer has more to contend with than choosing colors and flowers for the most important day of her life. She and Sam must thwart whoever is bent on keeping the secrets of an old kidnapping case. One man is dead, and young reporter Teague McAfee is next in line. Jennifer finds herself embroiled in a twisty tale of love gone wrong, while dodging her friends who are determined to give Jennifer and Sam the perfect wedding. This 7th installment in the delightful JENNIFER MARSH MYSTERIES is sure to satisfy fans of the series. All of Jennifer's writer friends--Leigh Ann, Teri, April, and Monique--plus Emmie Walker and Muffy are back to help Jennifer plan her wedding and solve the mystery as bullets, arrows, and poison threaten to derail it.

Dying Before "I Do"

On the coldest day in Macon, Georgia’s recent history, Suzanne Gray dressed herself in white, tied a blue ribbon in her hair, gathered a bouquet of white roses, typed a suicide note, lay herself down on her lover’s grave, and froze to death. Or did she? Suzanne's niece doesn't think so. Neither does mystery writer Jennifer Marsh. Not only was the note not signed, but, well, honestly the whole thing sounds fishy to Jennifer and she can't let it go. Sam Culpepper, the reporter on the case and Jennifer's boyfriend, not only appears to be hiding some of the details from Jennifer but seems more interested in taking their relationship to the next level than discussing work. So why, then, does an engagement announcement for Sam and his ex-girlfriend appear in the paper the next day? Did Suzanne commit suicide or was she murdered? Did Suzanne’s lover really die from a slip on the stairs? Does Sam have another relationship that Jennifer knew nothing about? What will it take to solve these mysteries? When the bullets start to fly, Jennifer knows that she’d better figure out what's happening, or she'll be paying with more than her heart... she'll be paying with her life. “Jennifer Marsh is a delight—resourceful, funny, and impulsive…” Laura Lippman “…the solution to the mystery is a kicker…” The Mystery Review “Bright and snappy, DYING O GET HER MAN is a fast-paced read.” Romantic Times “DYING TO GET HER MAN…is as engaging and entertaining as any Agatha Christie mystery.” I Love a Mystery Newsletter

Dying To Get Her Man

Jennifer and Sam are going on their honeymoon! Sounds wonderful, except that Jennifer has no idea where Sam is taking her. It's the middle of winter, so it has to be someplace warm with plenty of sand and sun, right? Imagine her surprise when she finds herself in the middle of a snowstorm in Pennsylvania in what's advertised as a "haunted" mansion for a murder mystery weekend. She's intrigued, especially by the amazing special effects created by the inn's owner, Rex Ferris. But things seldom go smoothly for Jennifer, and when a fellow diner face plants into her coconut cream pie and dies from a seizure, Jennifer suspects murder. After all, the victim is on a girls' weekend with her frenemies from college. Who could possibly want her dead, except every one of them? And who else might be on Jennifer's suspect list? The only thing certain is the killer is still nearby, trapped by three-feet of snow and dangerous travel conditions. Fans will be happy to see Mrs. Walker crash Jennifer's honeymoon to take over the murder investigation, so Jen and Sam can get back to their romantic activities. Fun and romance vie with an intriguing mystery that will keep the reader guessing to the very end. Dying at Honeymoon Inn is the eighth in the delightful Jennifer Marsh Mystery Series. "If you're a fan of Susan Isaacs or Olivia Goldsmith, you'll love Judy Fitzwater." --Janet Evanovich "Jennifer Marsh is a delight--resourceful, funny, and impulsive." --Laura Lippman

Dying At Honeymoon Inn

Twelve years ago Jimmy Mitchell disappeared the night of Jennifer Marsh’s prom, and now her good friend Leigh Ann is desperate for Jennifer to accompany her to their high school reunion. Nothing could make her go back to confront Sheena Cassidy, the backbiting, mean-spirited, boyfriend stealing, junior squad cheerleader that made her life a living hell—nothing except a note from Sheena’s now husband Danny Buckner, Jennifer’s first love and prom date, who is pleading for her help with something that happened on that horrendous prom night. But when she gets to the reunion, Danny barely has a chance to speak with Jennifer before he’s drawn away by one of his in-crowd. Less than an hour later Danny’s dead in the parking lot, an apparent suicide. And Gavin Lawless, budding singer/song writer and the love of Leigh Ann’s life, has returned to dredge up exactly what happened to Jimmy Mitchell that dreadful night twelve years ago that left Gavin with repressed memories and war hero Ben Underwood under a cloud of suspicion in Jimmy’s disappearance. Old grudges and new insights lead Jennifer straight into danger as she’s left Dying to Remember… Jennifer’s writers’ group is back, ready as always, to go undercover and ferret out information and help with outrageous ideas. Jennifer’s boyfriend, investigative reporter Sam is back, too, as is her ever faithful greyhound Muffy. “Fitzwater comes through with an imaginative plot, hilarious secondary characters (the critique group, mostly aspiring romance writers, is a hoot) and good red herrings to throw readers off the track.” Publishers Weekly “Dying to Remember is a fast paced read and one I felt compelled to finish in one sitting….I was kept guessing right up until the end.” The Mystery Reader “Jennifer is trapped in the thick of it, knowing too much to suit a killer…and dying to remember enough to save her own life.” The Mystery Review

Dying to Remember

Unpublished author and reluctant amateur detective Jennifer Marsh doesn't know how she keeps finding herself in the middle of a murder. Okay, the first one was her fault (she framed herself) but this one is just bad luck: catching her good friend, Emmie Walker, standing over her dead ex-husband, Edgar, holding a bloody knife. Jennifer's sure Emmie is innocent. She's a sweet senior citizen who is way too smart to do something so stupid. So what if she has motive (her former husband was loaded and she'd gain ownership over his successful chain of restaurants) and opportunity (found holding a knife over his body)? She's not the only one. Edgar Walker was not a nice man. People were probably standing in line to murder him. The question is who got to him first? With help from her quirky writer's group, gorgeous, cranky reporter Sam, and her own fictional heroine Maxie Malone, Jennifer's determined to get to the bottom of this... before Emmie's convicted based on Jennifer's own eyewitness testimony. "If you're a fan of Susan Isaacs or Olivia Goldsmith, you'll love Judy Fitzwater." --Janet Evanovich “...one of the funniest new mystery authors since Janet Evanovich....see why mystery fans are still laughing!” –-Meritorious Mysteries “ Fitzwater once again offers an entertaining read.” –-Publishers Weekly “Dying to Get Even is a satisfying yarn that develops Jennifer Marsh as someone to reckon with, in spite of herself.” –-The Mystery Reader

Dying to Get Even

For the first time, bestselling author Judy Fitzwater has collected in one volume the first three books in her funny, cozy, Jennifer Marsh Mystery Series: Dying to Get Published, Dying to Get Even, and Dying for a Clue. Follow the adventures of aspiring mystery writer Jennifer Marsh as she solves her first crimes. Dying to Get Published, an Agatha Award nominee, introduces Jennifer, a writer so desperate to get published she finds herself in a twisted tale of how deadly the publishing business can be. Her second adventure lands her as the key witness for the prosecution in the case of a dear friend accused of murdering her husband. The third involves an adopted college student seeking her true identity, only to find people willing to kill to keep it secret. On hand to help are Jennifer's wacky writer friends, a rich and possibly demented old lady who prefers solving crimes to her weekly bridge games, and investigative newspaper reporter Sam Culpepper who's as attracted to Jennifer as much as he is to the crimes she's embroiled in. And, of course, there's Muffy, Jennifer's faithful greyhound offering love and support. Come join the fun and enjoy an intriguing mystery.

The Jennifer Marsh Mysteries Box Set: Books 1-3

The Jennifer Marsh Mysteries, Books 4 – 6, in one volume! DYING TO REMEMBER, DYING TO BE MURDERED, and DYING TO GET HER MAN continue Jennifer Marsh's adventures as an amateur detective and mystery writer striving fervently to get published. In DYING TO REMEMBER, Jennifer is dragged to her high school reunion by her good friend Leigh Ann. But high school holds nothing but bad memories for Jennifer. Twelve years ago on prom night, classmate Jimmy Mitchell vanished, and her high school beau, Danny Buckner, humiliated her by disappearing in the middle of their date. Now he's begging for her help, only he won't live long enough to tell her why he needs it. Old mysteries surface and new dangers arise as Jennifer tries to solve two murders, one from the past and one from the present. In DYING TO BE MURDERED, Jennifer has been hired to record the last days of rich society matron Mary Ashton's life. Mary's convinced someone is going to murder her, and that there’s nothing she can do to stop it. She makes Jennifer promise that she won't let her murderer get away with it. Jennifer doesn't believe her until Mary winds up dead. Family secrets and grudges, mysterious deaths, and ghostly lights that move about the Ashton Mansion lead to a mystery fraught with danger and intrigue. In DYING TO GET HER MAN, Suzanne Gray dresses herself in white, ties a blue ribbon in her hair, gathers a bouquet of white roses, types a suicide note, lies down on her lover’s grave on the coldest day in Macon, Georgia’s recent history, and freezes to death. Or does she? Is it suicide? Is it murder? Jennifer is determined to find out even as Sam seems determined to ask Jennifer to marry him—at least until his old college flame shows up. Jennifer’s writers’ group is back in each volume to offer their questionable help as they continue their journey toward getting published. Jennifer’s reporter boyfriend Sam is there, as well, to lend his assistance. And Jennifer's faithful greyhound, Muffy, offers plenty of love and support.

Judy Fitzwater

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