Service dog trainer Marcia Banks is about to pull her hair out. First, construction of the new Mayfair Riding Stable has taken forever, and no sooner has she moved her horse there than Edna Mayfair, the stable’s owner and town matriarch, decides to turn the barn into a haunted house for Halloween. Meanwhile, an anonymous prankster is haunting Mayfair, disrupting its small-town tranquility. Add to that the local postmistress’s strange request to track down the parents of her visiting nephew, and Marcia is juggling way too many roles, including her newest one, godmother to adorable twins. But all that is nothing compared to what is coming. As Halloween approaches, the evil lurking in the shadows will threaten what is most precious in Marcia’s life and her beloved town. 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

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

A Halloween romp with a seriously scary twist!Her adopted town is once again driving service dog trainer Marcia Banks a little nuts. No sooner has she moved her horse into the new Mayfair Riding Stable than its octogenarian, muumuu-wearing owner decides to turn the barn into a haunted house for Halloween. Meanwhile, an anonymous prankster is haunting Mayfair, disrupting its small-town tranquility, and the local postmistress has a strange request for Marcia. All this, along with her new role of godmother to adorable twins, is a bit overwhelming.But it's nothing compared to what's coming. As Halloween approaches, the evil lurking in the shadows will threaten what is most precious to Marcia and her beloved town.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot… The last year has been eventful for Marcia and husband Will. They've successfully launched their private investigation agency and completed their family with an adorable but creatively energetic baby girl. Now, they're about to ring in the New Year with friends and neighbors, but there's something more than champagne bubbling in Mayfair, Florida. The octogenarian matriarch of the town is always looking for ways to boost the community's economy. Her latest scheme is the addition of a row of shops along Main Street. But a few of her new tenants have something more nefarious in mind than simply selling their wares. When old hostilities set off New Year’s fireworks, a shopkeeper ends up dead, and two friends of Marcia’s are prime suspects. Determined to clear them, Marcia and Will—with Buddy’s help, of course—set out to uncover the real Grim Reaper.

On the 10th anniversary of 9/11 the media replays the videos of that day’s devastation, and a national hero’s life begins to unravel. When the first responder–already struggling with delayed PTSD and addiction–is accused of murdering his former drug dealer, psychotherapist Kate Huntington finds herself going above and beyond to help him. As she and her P.I. husband set out to clear him of the charges, they are thrust into a deadly world of drugs, prostitutes and hired killers, and end up questioning who they are and what it means to be brave. Women sleuths, amateur sleuth, mystery, suspense, September 11th, first responder, ptsd, mystery series, private investigator, psychological disorders, psychotherapy, Kate Huntington

Nothing about her new client is what service dog trainer Marcia Banks expected—from the posh house that says family money to his paranoid preoccupation with his sister’s love life—but when he dangles a thousand dollar retainer under her nose, she can’t resist playing private detective. In between training sessions, Marcia digs into the sister’s boyfriend’s sketchy past. But the deeper she digs, the more questions arise. How is a disastrous fraternity party five years ago linked to blackmail, prostitutes, and murder today? And who’s driving the black SUV that keeps trying to turn Marcia and her dog Buddy into roadkill? She can’t let it go, not when there are innocents at risk who are depending on her to find the truth. But the deepest, darkest truth is the one she wishes she never uncovered. 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.

A tropical paradise turns deadly. Service dog trainer Marcia Banks had thought it was the perfect arrangement—stay on her client’s private Gulf-coast island and get the human phase of the training done more quickly, while enjoying a much-needed break from the chaos of house renovations back home. This certainly wasn't the tranquil getaway she’d envisioned, however. Two resident ghosts, a sour-puss housekeeper and bearing witness to her client’s shaky marriage are bad enough. But within days, she’s discovered even deeper and darker layers of dysfunction. Via emails and static-filled phone calls, fiancé Will Haines convinces her to get herself and her dog Buddy out of there, but before Marcia can accomplish this, a late-season hurricane abruptly changes course and strands them on the island... with a murderer. 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, tropical island beach read, service dog trainer, military veteran, Golden Retriever dog, hurricane, female protagonist

What could be more innocent than a country flea market? When service dog trainer Marcia Banks takes up temporary residence with her best friend in Williston, Florida, her goals are simple: spoil her toddler godchildren and train her newest dog’s veteran owner, a vendor at a local flea market. Ha, the universe has other plans. When the owner of the flea market is found dead and her client is a prime suspect, she discovers that nothing is as it seems—from the flea market owner himself, to the ornate dragonhead cane he gave to her client, to the beautiful but not very bright young woman whom her client has a crush on. The only true innocent in the bunch seems to be her guileless client. But when he shares a confidence that puts her in a double bind with local law enforcement, she’s not sure she can even trust him. Despite her promises to her new husband to not "poke around" in the investigation, the only way out of her no-win dilemma seems to be to find the real killer. The flea market, however, is hiding more secrets, and at least one of them could be deadly.

A newcomer to Mayfair charms the socks off of Susanna Mayfair, the sheltered niece of the town's elderly matriarch. In a panic, the aunt turns to service dog trainer Marcia Banks to dig into the man's past. What Marcia finds, with her detective husband Will’s help, is disturbing—a trail of broken hearts and outstanding warrants. But when the older gentleman is arrested, he claims it’s a case of mistaken identity. While Will attempts to untangle the truth and Susanna struggles with her feelings, Marcia is worried about her friend’s mental health, unaware that Susanna may be in physical danger as well. Will Marcia figure it out in time to protect Susanna...and herself?