A second collection of Books 5 to 7 starring service dog trainer, Marcia Banks and her four-legged best friend and mentor dog, Buddy—including a Halloween romp with a seriously scary twist and a visit to a tropical island that turns deadly. In Patches In The Rye, service dog trainer Marcia goes a bit off the rails for a while, as she’s tempted to try her hand at being a private detective. Nothing about her new client is what she expected—from the posh house that says family money to his paranoid preoccupation with his sister’s love life—but when he dangles a fat retainer check under her nose, she can’t resist. The deeper she digs, however, the more questions arise. The most pressing one being…who’s driving the black SUV that keeps trying to turn Marcia and Buddy into roadkill? In The Legend of Sleepy Mayfair, Marcia’s adopted town is once again driving her a little nuts. No sooner has she moved her horse into the new Mayfair Riding Stable than its eccentric owner, Edna Mayfair decides to turn the barn into a haunted house for Halloween. Meanwhile, an anonymous prankster is haunting Mayfair and the local postmistress has a strange request for Marcia. All this, along with her new role of godmother to her best friend’s adorable twins, is a bit overwhelming. But it’s nothing compared to what’s coming as Halloween approaches…. In The Sound and the Furry, a tropical paradise turns deadly. Marcia thinks it will be the perfect arrangement—stay on her client’s beautiful private island while conducting the human phase of the training. But a tranquil getaway this is not, thanks to two resident ghosts, a sour-puss housekeeper, and her client’s shaky marriage. Then Mother Nature ups the anté when a freak late-season hurricane traps her and her dogs on the island…with a killer. Each story is a complete mystery, but the characters are best understood and enjoyed if the stories are read in order.

Training service dogs shouldn’t be dangerous... Unless you are dog trainer Marcia Banks. She has two personality traits that represent both her best and her worst selves—she can’t let a “wrong” stand without at least trying to make it “right,” and she’s nosy. In To Kill A Labrador (no dogs die!), she’s reunited with her first trainee, a Black Labrador/Rottie mix named Buddy. When his former Marine owner is accused of murdering his wife, Marcia is called in to dog-sit. Outraged that his small town is assuming him guilty until proven innocent, she tries to uncover the real killer. Even after the hunky local sheriff politely tells her to butt out, Marcia keeps poking around...until the killer finally pokes back. In Arsenic and Young Lacy, Marcia deals with a challenging client, a neurotic former Army nurse who is being stalked. When Marcia receives a bizarre warning to stay away from her client and even sweet Lacy is caught up in the stalker’s maliciousness, Marcia is torn. The young woman needs her service dog, and Marcia needs the training fee to bolster her perpetually tight finances, but how can she put her dogs at risk? Not to mention herself... In The Call of The Woof, Marcia’s former client, a motorcycle enthusiast and traumatic brain injury sufferer, is accused of robbery and murder. Marcia and Buddy set out to clear his name, fighting misconceptions about bikers and TBI along the way. Her boyfriend isn’t very happy, though, that she’s putting herself at risk...again...and taking him along on her wild ride. In A Mayfair Christmas Carol, when Mayfair, Florida’s newly-minted Chamber of Commerce goes off the rails and decides to build an ice skating rink for a Christmas extravaganza, a decades-old skeleton is uncovered and its secrets threaten more than the town’s Christmas plans. Marcia is determined to help her police detective boyfriend solve the mystery—whether he wants her help or not. Can she and Buddy keep the ghost of Christmas past from destroying what is left of Mayfair’s founding family? (This is the first of several holiday novellas that are an integral part of the series. They focus more on the town where Marcia lives than on her veteran clients.)

Even small towns can harbor a killer! Another collection of Books 8 to 10 in this fun cozy series, starring service dog trainer, Marcia Banks and her four-legged best friend and mentor dog, Buddy. In A Star-Spangled Mayfair, an impulsive fiancé, a “Mob Killer” Roman candle, and a bison bull named Tarzan are a recipe for disaster for Marcia’s introverted friend Jess Randall, owner of the Mayfair Diner. When Dan, her fiancé, offers their farm for the Mayfair Independence Day Extravaganza, then ends up with a Roman candle through his chest, Jess is the prime suspect. Marcia feels compelled to investigate to clear her friend…and to make sure Jess isn’t the next target. In Lord of the Fleas, Marcia’s agenda while staying with her best (human) friend, Becky in Williston, Florida is simple: spoil her godchildren and train her newest dog’s veteran owner, a vendor at the local flea market. But when the flea market’s owner is killed, her client is among the suspects. Marcia believes he’s innocent, but she soon finds that the flea market is hiding dangerous secrets. In My Funny Mayfair Valentine, a charming newcomer makes a play for Susanna Mayfair, the sheltered niece of the town's matriarch, and Aunt Edna begs Marcia to investigate the man’s past. Turns out he’s a wanted criminal, but he claims it’s a case of mistaken identity. While Marcia’s detective husband attempts to untangle the truth, Marcia worries about her friend’s mental health, unaware that she may be in physical danger as well. Will Marcia figure it out in time to protect Susanna…and herself?

A flamboyant fiancé, a “Mob Killer” Roman candle, a yappy rescue dog, and a bison bull named Tarzan. A recipe for chaos and calamity for Marcia’s introverted friend, Jess Randall. When not serving up her to-die-for eggs and biscuits at the Mayfair Diner, Jess just wants to live quietly on their farm. But her fiancé Dan has impulsively offered to host the Mayfair Independence Day Extravaganza. The day of the big bash, Marcia and her dog Buddy witness a public fight between the couple, and just hours later, Dan is found with a Roman candle through his chest. Was it an accident, or was it murder? And is Jess a killer, as the sheriff’s department believes? Between dog-training sessions, Marcia feels compelled to investigate, especially when there are signs that the real killer may not be finished... Could Jess be the next target? (This Mayfair Holiday novella can be enjoyed as a stand-alone or as part of the Marcia Banks and Buddy series.) The Marcia Banks and Buddy Mystery Series: To Kill a Labrador Arsenic and Young Lacy Call of the Woof A Mayfair Christmas Carol Patches in the Rye The Legend of Sleepy Mayfair The Sound and The Furry A Star-Spangled Mayfair Keywords: cozy, mystery, mystery books, cozy mysteries, murder mysteries, dog mystery books, dog mysteries, cozy mystery books, female detective, amateur sleuth, female sleuth, good mystery books, murder mystery books, therapy dog, PTSD, veterans, fiction books, mystery novel, first in series, crime fiction, pet sleuth, animal mysteries, private investigator, series books, cozy mystery series, dog mystery series, service dog, combat veterans, dog training, dogs, beach read, service dog trainer, military veteran, Golden Retriever dog, female protagonist

A Christmas extravaganza in Mayfair, Florida, complete with an ice skating rink. What could go wrong? When excavation for the skating rink uncovers a decades-old skeleton, its secrets threaten more than the town’s Christmas plans. Worried about her friends in her adopted town and feeling responsible since the let’s-attract-more-tourists idea was hers initially, dog trainer Marcia Banks is determined to help her police detective boyfriend solve the mystery—whether he wants her help or not. Perhaps she can wheedle more out of the townspeople than he can. But will she and her Black Lab, Buddy, be able to keep the ghost of Christmas past from destroying what is left of Mayfair’s founding family, or will her meddling make matters worse? If you like books by Annie Bassett, B.R. Snow, and Mary Hiker, you may also enjoy the Marcia Banks and Buddy Mystery series! The Marcia Banks and Buddy Mystery Series: To Kill a Labrador Arsenic and Young Lacy Call of the Woof A Mayfair Christmas Carol Patches in the Rye The Legend of Sleepy Mayfair Keywords: cozy, mystery, mystery books, cozy mysteries, murder mysteries, dog mystery books, dog mysteries, cozy mystery books, female detective, amateur sleuth, female sleuth, good mystery books, murder mystery books, therapy dog, PTSD, veterans, fiction books, mystery novel, first in series, crime fiction, pet sleuth, animal mysteries, private investigator, series books, cozy mystery series, dog mystery series, service dog, combat veterans, dog training, ptsd, sexual assault in the military, dogs

Marcia Banks has an unusual first name (pronounced Mar-see-a, not Marsha) and an unusual vocation—she trains service dogs for combat veterans with PTSD. This prequel tells the story of how her first trainee, a Black Labrador service dog named Buddy, ends up back with her. And in the process, she picks up an unusual avocation…amateur sleuth. When Buddy's owner, a disabled Marine, is accused of murdering his wife, Marcia is called in to dog-sit, and she is outraged to discover that the small town is presuming the veteran guilty until proven innocent. With Buddy's help, she tries to uncover the real killer. Even after the hunky local sheriff politely tells her to butt out, Marcia keeps poking around. Until the killer finally pokes back. The Marcia Banks and Buddy Mystery Series: To Kill a Labrador Arsenic and Young Lacy Call of the Woof A Mayfair Christmas Carol Patches in the Rye Keywords: cozy, mystery, mystery books, cozy mysteries, murder mysteries, dog mystery books, dog mysteries, cozy mystery books, female detective, amateur sleuth, female sleuth, good mystery books, murder mystery books, therapy dog, PTSD, veterans, fiction books, mystery novel, first in series, crime fiction, pet sleuth, animal mysteries, private investigator, series books, cozy mystery series, dog mystery series. If you like books by Annie Bassett, B.R. Snow, and Mary Hiker, you may also enjoy the Marcia Banks and Buddy Mystery series!