Jolie Gentil cozy mystery box set. After rekindling friendships, Jolie has gotten readjusted to life in Ocean Alley and manages to balance appraising real estate with chairing the Harvest for All Food Pantry. What she can't quite do is mind her own business. This boxed set puts together books five through seven of the Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Series. They are Trouble on the Doorstep, Behind the Walls (short-listed for the 2014 Chanticleer Mystery and Mayhem Awards), and Vague Images. Join Jolie and friends as they figure out if the two deaths relate to contracts for Hurricane Sandy repairs, determine who is willing to kill for a stash of jewels behind the walls of the house Jolie just bought, and find out who killed the hospital budget cutter. And the food pantry? The fundraisers have a worthy purpose, but it's the laughs you'll remember. Can you say liquid string contest? What are readers saying? Trouble on the Doorstep: There's something for everyone in these stories- plenty of mystery and intrigue, loyal friendships and a spark of romance--and it's fun to reacquaint with the old friends from volumes 1-4. I'd love to see more stories from this series! Vb Behind the Walls: “I like the way the stories are tied together from the first book to the most recent. This author is spending a lot of time carrying the continuity forward.” Vague Images: This is the most exciting in this wonderful series…I look forward to every addition. Not sure how Jolie always end up in the middle of all these murders, but it's fun to see how she muddles her way through.

“You're fired!” Grouchy news publisher Hal Morris sends reporter Melanie Perkins packing for taking too many photos of flowers. Panicked at being unemployed, she lands a job as a landscaper, but an ugly surprise greets her on her first day. A pile of mulch, a tangerine, and a stolen hoe cast suspicion on Melanie. Melanie’s efforts to find a murderer instead put a target on her back. Some of the aim is coming from law enforcement, but they aren’t the ones who want to silence her permanently. Life along the Des Moines River in Iowa can be peaceful, but a murderer has no problem disturbing her tranquility.

Life for Melanie has returned to normal. She works as a gardener with friend Stooper, eats at Mason's Diner, and sits on her farmhouse porch with friends Syl and Sandi. Her biggest challenge is helping Mr. Tibbs get used to the still-unnamed black cat that sauntered into the household. And then she finds a body in the coat closet at the Farm Bureau dinner. The local grain operator had angered farmers with increased prices, but who kills for an extra few cents per bushel of corn? Tired of fingers pointing toward her and curious about why someone burned some of her late father's files, Mel does some poking on her own. The kidnapping of a local woman raises the stakes. With pets who have a nose for trouble, Melanie seeks a devious suspect. * * * * Melanie isn't much of a cook, but her mom was. Check out the recipes for banana bread and the Spaghetti and Chicken Casserole. Yum!

City Clerk Donald Dingle is a pest. He's a tightwad with the city budget and criticizes the police department to the point that Police Chief Elizabeth Friedman would love to see him retire. And she did mean retire, not expire. When he dies soon after having stents implanted, it's natural to wonder why he didn't recover. When the reason becomes apparent, people in town wonder if they're safe in the hospital. Then some of the pointing fingers aim at Medical Examiner Skelly, a good friend of the police department Dingle wanted to abolish. Chief Elizabeth Friedman has her hands full. She has to tread on some important toes to find the answers. Even if her department survives, can the hospital and her friends there do the same? And how long does a small town survive without its hospital? Join the quirky characters of Logland, Illinois in this police procedural with a cozy feel.

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 from her embezzling ex-husband, just a smart change. She had no idea her life was about to get even more complicated. Jolie finds work as a real estate appraiser, but a low-life named Joe Pedone demands that Jolie repay some of her husband's gambling debts and she runs into Michael Riordan, her high school crush. She's not sure which one is more trouble. Jolie appraises his mother's house and finds his mother dead in bed. Soon the mundane work of appraising real estate and dodging suggestions that she go to the ten-year high school reunion are mixed with calls from reporters, scary suggestions from Pedone, and requests that she help the local busybody with First Presbyterian's social services work. Jolie balances her fear of Pedone, conviction that Michael is innocent, and sometimes uneasy friendship with long-ago friend Scoobie.