A dead woman returns to life as guardian angel for Mary Murphy in order to sort her life. Mary is in a state, her fiancé dropped her for another woman, she lost her job, and her adoptive mother died in mysterious circumstances.

“Do you believe in magic, miracles and guardian angels? If so, you’ll enjoy Ballard’s third cozy to feature ethereal Augusta Goodnight.” —Publishers Weekly After the sudden death of her husband, Minda Hobbs returns to Angel Heights, S.C., the home of her forebears, to seek peace and purpose in her life. Instead, she finds her n’er-do-well cousin Otto as cold and stiff as yesterday’s grits in the ladies’ room at the historic Minerva Academy. Shocked by her cousin’s murder and still grieving over the loss of her husband, Minda has mixed emotions when she’s greeted by her guardian angel, Augusta Goodnight. Shimmering with church window radiance, and smelling of strawberry jam, Augusta is a temp who’s come on a double mission-to help Minda solve Otto’s murder and to take care of unfinished business from an assignment in 1916. Even though Otto could be unbearable at times, an annoying laugh is hardly cause for murder. Minda’s only lead is a tiny gold pin, found wedged in a Minerva Academy bathroom stall, and its connection to a club called the Mystic Six. Together, Minda and Augusta trace the descendants of this secret society, piecing together clues that lead to a special quilt and the mystery behind Cousin Otto’s unfortunate demise.

RECOMMENDED BY DOLLY PARTON IN PEOPLE MAGAZINE! A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A USA TODAY BESTSELLER A LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER The bestselling historical fiction novel from Kim Michele Richardson, this is a novel following Cussy Mary, a packhorse librarian and her quest to bring books to the Appalachian community she loves, perfect for readers of William Kent Kreuger and Lisa Wingate. The perfect addition to your next book club! The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything—everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome's got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter. Cussy's not only a book woman, however, she's also the last of her kind, her skin a shade of blue unlike most anyone else. Not everyone is keen on Cussy's family or the Library Project, and a Blue is often blamed for any whiff of trouble. If Cussy wants to bring the joy of books to the hill folks, she's going to have to confront prejudice as old as the Appalachias and suspicion as deep as the holler. Inspired by the true blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the brave and dedicated Kentucky Pack Horse library service of the 1930s, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a story of raw courage, fierce strength, and one woman's belief that books can carry us anywhere—even back home. Look for The Book Woman's Daughter, the new novel from Kim Michele Richardson, out now! Other Bestselling Historical Fiction from Sourcebooks Landmark: The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict The Engineer's Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

Things in the town of Stone's Throw, South Carolina, rarely get much spicier than the extra red pepper Lucy Nan Pilgrim sprinkles into her homemade cheese straws. So when an elderly but surprisingly childlike woman calling herself Shirley shows up on Lucy's doorstep looking for her mama, Lucy thinks it must be another of her friend Ellis's pranks. But Ellis doesn't know a thing about it, and what's more, the two suspect the woman might be Ellis's cousin, Florence, who disappeared as a child more than fifty years earlier. When the mysterious woman vanishes from Lucy's house, she and Ellis don't know what to think. And considering that Calpernia Hemphill, the town's theater and music aficionado, has just been found dead of an apparent fall from the tower at Bertram's Folly, life in Stone's Throw suddenly seems less safe than sinister. Luckily, guardian angel Augusta Goodnight shows up to calm Lucy's nerves (with a basket of strawberry muffins, of course). And not a moment too soon, because Shirley/Florence is found dead at the bottom of a steep flight of steps in the parking lot behind the Methodist church. She is not the last victim, and Ellis, whose inheritance could be threatened by the reappearance of her long-lost cousin, remains the number-one suspect. Augusta, Lucy, and the Thursday Morning Literary Society (which now meets on Monday afternoons) must use their heads---and a little bit of home cooking---to solve the mystery.

"Angie has always wanted to travel. But at 29, she has still never left her small mining town in the Australian outback. When her grandmother passes away, Angie finally feels free to see the world - until she discovers a letter addressed to the father she never knew and is forced to question everything. As Angie sets off on her journey to find the truth - about her family, her past and who she really is - will enigmatic stranger Alessandro help guide the way?"--Provided by publisher

Ronan was a legend among men... and the last thing he needed was a troublesome woman. Yet this fierce Irish warrior took a deathbed oath to protect a chieftain's rebellious daughter. Triona was a hellion of a woman...who would let no man rule her. Raised in the ways of a warrior, she defied Ronan's every command. So he planned to marry her off, to be rid of the wild lass forever. But in the heat of battle--enflamed by her passionate spirit--Ronan decided he wanted this beautiful, impossible woman for himself!

"October, 1944 ... When Dimple's librarian friend Virginia finds a young woman, Dora, on the library porch looking for a place to spend the night, soft-hearted Dimple brings her back to Phoebe's and offers her food and a warm coat. But when Dimple is trying to find her a place to sleep, the young girl disappears. The next morning, Miss Dimple answers a knock on the door expecting it to be the girl. Instead, she is greeted by a somewhat disheveled young woman ... who claims she has been assigned to fill in at the house. Augusta Goodnight, a guardian angel who has been summoned from a well-deserved rest after a series of troublesome earthly duties, has taken up at Phoebe's. When Dora is discovered dead--murdered--the real reason for Augusta's 'assignment' becomes clear"--

It's Christmastime in the seemingly tranquil town of Stone's Throw, South Carolina, but amid all the caroling, cookies, and cheer, a murderer casts a not-so-jolly pall on the holiday season. Augusta Goodnight, guardian angel, sometime sleuth, and welcome boarder with longtime resident Lucy Nan Pilgrim, comes to the aid of her friends when, as Lucy Nan is searching for the perfect Christmas tree on her grandmother's abandoned estate, a mysterious stranger plummets to his death from the mansion's balcony. Lucy Nan can't shake off childhood stories of the ghost of a girl who fell from the same spot long ago---has the ghost come back to haunt the living, or is there an all-too-human murderer at work? Mysterious events are soon heating up faster than spiced punch left on the burner, and it will take Augusta's help, not to mention some celestial Southern cooking, for peace to be restored and Christmas lights to shine once again in the little town of Stone's Throw.

Augusta Goodnight, heavenly sleuth and guardian angel, is a welcome boarder with longtime resident Lucy Nan Pilgrim in the seemingly tranquil town of Stone's Throw, South Carolina. And Augusta's divine intervention is needed now more than ever. The local college is the kind of safe place where students don't even lock their doors. At least it used to be, until girls started mysteriously disappearing. When the body of another student, D. C. Hunter, is found in a shed by the lake, Lucy and Augusta must race to figure out if her murder is connected to the deaths of two other girls. Should Augusta focus on the English professor who was having an affair with D.C.? Or on the seemingly cheerful caretaker who happened to discover two of the bodies? And what is the meaning of the "Jabberwocky" clues that keep turning up around campus? It will take some heavenly help---and a little home cooking---to restore the peace of the town.

It's the summer of 1944 and the world seems mired in a war that will never end. On the home front, the people of Elderberry, Georgia, are doing everything they can to support the troops. Even with a war on, the peaches are ripe for picking. As veteran teacher Miss Dimple Kilpatrick and her colleagues work in the orchard, they hear frantic calls for help: An eighteen-year-old girl, Prentice, has been missing—and is later found murdered. Miss Dimple and her fellow teachers-turned-sleuths are determined to find the killer. Although Prentice had recently broken up with her boyfriend, the most obvious suspect isn't always the right one: Prentice may have been keeping some secrets; and a local woman claims to have witnessed the whole abduction—except she also believes she is Scarlett O'Hara, that Nazi spies are pursuing her, and that she knows where the Confederate gold is buried. Figuring out what really happened to Prentice is sure to be a challenge. But Miss Dimple, who has taught the town's first graders for decades, has never been daunted by a challenge. Mignon F. Ballard's newest edition to her Miss Dimple mystery series, Miss Dimple Picks a Peck of Trouble, is filled with period charm and a wonderfully brave band of amateur sleuths.