It’s a bad case of stage fright for a stand-up comic with killer material and blood on his hands. Lawrence Lariar was one the most popular cartoonists of the twentieth century. But from the 1940s through the 1960s, he also crafted a line of lean and mean detective and mystery novels under his own name as well as the pseudonyms Michael Stark, Adam Knight, Michael Lawrence, and Marston La France. Lariar now gets his due as a leading artist in hardboiled crime fiction. Manhattan PI Steve Gant is on a busman’s holiday at The Glades, a beachfront cabaret for the rich and famous. The joint is a big break for his childhood buddy Chuck Bond, a rising comic emceeing opening night. Unfortunately, the gagman’s got the sweats. A tabloid rag is ready to kill his career with one story: Chuck’s past as a member of the Kings Highway Kings, a notorious Flatbush wolf pack that terrorized the city years ago. But Chuck’s got an even bigger problem here and now. Headlining songbird Gloria Clark is in his cabana with a knife in her back. Now he wants one small favor from Gant: help him hide her body. Is Chuck being framed? Is Gant a dupe? As bad as it looks, it’s going to get worse. No joke.

Successful author Viola Roberts is headed to a writers’ conference at an exotic Florida resort complete with white sand beaches and swaying palm trees. She plans to lounge in the shade, drinking frosty beverages with little umbrellas while catching up on her never ending to-be-read pile. And, of course, no sojourn to tropical climes would be complete without her wise-cracking best friend and fellow author, Cheryl. All is going well until Viola discovers the diva of the author world dead (as a doornail) of unnatural causes. The police immediately consider her their prime suspect, a fact which irritates her no end. But when the head detective turns a gimlet eye on Viola’s best friend, the author has had enough! Along with help from hunky fellow writer, Lucas Salvatore, Viola is determined to ascertain who killed the corpse in the cabana before she, or Cheryl, wind up in jail. Or worse. The Corpse in the Cabana is the first in the contemporary bookish cozy mystery series, Viola Roberts Cozy Mysteries, set (mostly) in the seaside town of Astoria, Oregon. Read what others are saying about USA Today bestselling author Shéa MacLeod's Viola Roberts Cozy Mystery series: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Fun and fresh, with a twisty, clever plot that will have you turning pages right to the end." -Cheryl Bradshaw, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Sloane Monroe mysteries. Books in the Viola Roberts Cozy Mystery series: The Corpse in the Cabana The Stiff in the Study The Poison in the Pudding The Body in the Bathtub The Venom in the Valentine The Remains in the Rectory The Death in the Drink The Victim in the Vineyard The Ghost in the Graveyard The Larceny in the Luau Topics: Shéa, Shéa MacLeod, midlife, middle aged, cozy mystery, murder mystery, whodunnit, tarot, humor, single woman, contemporary woman, later in life romance, funny mystery, humor, beach town, small town mystery, action and adventure, haunted house, friendship, romantic subplot, small town romance, mystery, amateur detective, writer mystery, bookish mystery, culinary mysteries, free mystery book, suspense Other readers of this book enjoyed books by: Renee George, Patti Larsen, Sam Cheever, Kirsten Weiss, Elise Sax, London Lovett, Carly Winter, Stephanie Damore, Molly Fitz, M.C. Beaton, K.J. Emerick, CeeCee James, Laney Monday, Donna Andrews, Harper Lin, ACF Bookens, Piper Glendale, Wendy Meadows, Anne R. Tan, H. Y. Hanna, Nina Cordoba, Christy Murphy, Lois Lavrisa, Angela M. Sanders, Emily Page, Traci Tyne Hilton, Celia Kinsey, Abby Byne, Vikki Walton, Di Davis, Jessica Fletcher, Janet Evanovich, Jenn McKinlay, Alexis Morgan, Ellie Alexander, Olivia Blacke, Vicki Delaney, Joanne Fluke, Terrie Farley Moran, Krista Davis, Sherri Bryan, Jaqueline Vick, Eileen Brady, Kathleen Bridge

Before the Rift, Veronica Wolffe and Verity Bane struggled to eke out a living as paranormal investigators. But with the veil between dimensions ripped open and demons from beyond running amok, their preternatural powers are suddenly in high demand. From haunted teapots to rampaging poltergeists, these women’s work is never done. When a logger dies a horrific and unnatural death, Wolffe and Bane are pulled into the terrifying world of mystical murder. A killer from beyond the Rift is hunting those he finds guilty of crimes against the environment and he won’t stop until the world is rebuilt in his image, and humanity is destroyed. The Talisman Killer introduces an addictive new urban fantasy series with two kick-ass heroines and a touch of romance. Welcome to the world of Wolffe and Bane.

As if helping the living isn't enough of a pain in her divine hindquarters, Branwen (former Welsh goddess of love and beauty, cupcake addict) is stuck helping the dead on All Hallow's Eve.

A Viola Roberts Cozy Mystery Collection Books Seven - Nine contains the three complete Viola Roberts Cozy Mystery books: The Death in the Drink (Book 7) A local costuming guild has arrived in Astoria for a long weekend of recreating their favorite time period–the Regency. Think Jane Austen, sailing ships, high tea, a costume ball, and…a dead body. When the guild's nastiest member winds up dead in the drink, Viola is convinced it's no accident. And after the husband of the deceased gets into a brawl on the front lawn of the town's most well-known landmark, she knows something's up. Armed with nothing more than a folding fan and her wits, she sets out to unveil the killer before somebody else winds up in Davy Jones's locker. The Victim in the Vineyard (Book 8) Viola Roberts and her boyfriend Lucas Salvatore are off to Oregon wine country for a fun and romantic getaway. A weekend of sunshine and wine tasting is just what the doctor ordered. Everything is going smoothly until an invitation to a swanky party results in one of the guests keeling over dead. One murder leads to another, and one of their friends winds up behind bars. With the police on a wild goose chase, it's up to Viola to figure out who the real culprit is before someone from her past takes their final revenge. The Ghost in the Graveyard (Book 9) Viola Roberts is attending a wedding! Her best friend, Cheryl, is finally marrying the swoony Detective Battersea. And since it's Halloween, they've decided to have a themed wedding, complete with a ghost and a spooky cemetery next door. The party is in full swing when a bloodcurdling scream interrupts the revelry, leading to the discovery of a body. With a house full of suspects with perfect alibis, who could have killed the interloper? Viola is determined to find out before her BFF's special day is ruined…or worse.

American agent Harry Latham has penetrated the fortresslike mountain hideaway of the Brotherhood of the Watch, a neo-Nazi organization that was born in the days after the fall of the Third Reich. But on the eve of his most spectacular success, after three years in deep cover, Harry disappears. Drew Latham, Special Officer for Consular Operations in Paris, is frantic to discover his older brother’s fate. But when Drew receives the good news that Harry has surfaced, gut-twisting doubts arise. For Harry has emerged with an explosive document: a list of secret supporters of the Brotherhood, among them high-ranking officials of the United States and its allies. But is it legitimate? The search for the truth about Harry and the growing Nazi threat will plunge Drew into a labyrinth of deceit and death. And whoever makes it out alive will hold the fate of the free world in his hands. Praise for Robert Ludlum and The Apocalypse Watch “A powerful, exploding novel . . . vintage Ludlum in fine form.”—Booklist “If a Pulitzer Prize were awarded for escapist fiction, Robert Ludlum undoubtedly would have won it. Ten times over.”—Mobile Register “Bloody great fun.”—Kirkus Reviews

Tired of the rain in Granite Falls, Branwen (former goddess of love and beauty) swaps places with a fellow goddess and finds herself in San Antonio. Unfortunately, she also ends up next to yet another annoying neighbor and meets another person unhappy with her body image. Kate is convinced that being skinny will fix all her problems. She's about to find out that the frosting isn’t always sweeter on the other side.