"It's time to celebrate. But a corpse just crashed the party.
Leta Parker is starting to feel comfortably at home. With life in the charming Cotswolds hills settling down and her boyfriend's book about to launch, the fifty-something American ex-pat loves seeing everything come together. But her man's publicity event ends disastrously when one of the guests is discovered dead.
With a trail of clues that don't line up and bitter rivalries causing tension, Leta and the Little Old Ladies Detective Agency struggle to find a clear path to the truth. And after a confession reveals yet more inconsistencies, the persistent woman's drive to uncover the facts could see her take a fatal fall.
Can Leta and her team discover the real reason a body was found at the bottom of the stairs?
Pawprints, Prose & Murder is the intriguing ninth volume in the Dickens & Christie cozy mystery series. If you like sharp-as-a-tack heroines, good-humored puzzles, and talking pets, then you'll adore Kathy Manos Penn's clever conundrum."
"The halls are decked with holly. But can anyone be jolly when a precious pet vanishes without a trace?
The Cotswolds. Leta Parker is happy the holidays are here again. Looking forward to a little relaxation after a harrowing murder case, the fifty-something widow can't wait to unwrap gifts with her beau. But the Yuletide cheer turns sour when her delightful doggo Dickens dashes out the door with a canine companion and doesn't return.
Distraught when none of her posted notices produces leads on the furry fugitives, Leta and the Little Old Ladies' Detective Agency turn their sleuthing skills toward sniffing out pooches. But with the trail going as cold as the late-December air and dastardly dognappers at large, she fears the only thing in her stocking this year will be coal.
Can Leta unravel the Christmas caper in time to make the season merry and bright?
Candy Canes, Canines & Crime is the entertaining eighth book in the Dickens & Christie cozy mystery series. If you like dedicated heroines, whip-smart seniors, and fabulously fun puzzles, then you'll love Kathy Manos Penn's splendid sleigh ride."
"A conference of crime-loving readers. A shocking discovery of a corpse. Can a sleuth and her charming four-legged sidekicks uncover the fatal twist?
Torquay, Southwest England. Leta Parker can't wait to reconnect with her boyfriend. After a year of long-distance, she couldn't be happier to join him at a literary crime festival. But on the event's second night, she gets embroiled in a real-life murder mystery when a dead body is found . . .
With a cloud of accusation hovering over Leta's best friend, not even she and her talking furry companions can untangle the confusing web of complex clues. Add a flirty and fiery redhead all over her boyfriend, and this super-smart snoop's nerves are bubbling to a boiling point.
Can Leta and the Little Old Ladies' Detective Agency expose the killer before another deadly page is turned?"
"A major cycling event. A high-profile murder. Can the Little Old Ladies' Detective Agency stop a killer from riding away scot-free?
Leta Parker's fit-and-fifty reinvention in the Cotswolds continues rolling along fabulously. Happy among her new friends and talking dog and cat, the sharp-minded expat is delighted to learn the prestigious Tour of Britain will pedal through the quaint village next year. But everyone's excitement quickly crashes when the news is accompanied by a dead body.
Unconvinced when the police park the crime as a random act of violence, Leta teams up again with the Little Old Ladies' Detective Agency to push the investigation into high gear. But with those who knew the victim remaining tight-lipped, the silver-haired sleuths could be stuck in the peloton as a callous killer sprints away.
Can the whip-smart women gain ground on a murderer before the trail goes cold?"
"It was supposed to be a relaxing vacation. Now this legendary location could be hiding a killer in its battlements.
Leta Parker's retirement in the Cotswolds' rolling hills has been a balm for her soul. And heading off with her friends and talking four-legged companions to a cat yoga retreat on the cliffs of Cornwall's Arthurian coastline seems like the perfect mix of relaxation and exploration. But when a fellow yogi's corpse pose nearly becomes permanent, Leta believes it's no stretch to suspect foul play.
Seeking the cause of the death-like pose, the Little Old Ladies' Detective Agency springs into action to hunt down the culprit. But with the poor woman's recent tragic history, the resort's grieving owners, and a doubtful local DI all conspiring to muddy the picture, this case could end up in ruins.
Will the crack team of senior sleuths unearth the evidence to throw a would-be murderer in the dungeon?"
"An unexpected inheritance. Missing bequests. Can these amateur detectives pen a satisfactory solution to a literary murder?
Leta Parker is both saddened and happy. Though the second anniversary of her husband's sudden death makes her wistful, her revitalized life in the Cotswolds and a long-distance boyfriend have brought her joy. But when her beau visits for a literature festival, she finds herself immersed in a book collector's suspicious demise . . .
Though she's thrilled to once again team up with the Little Old Ladies' Detective Agency and her precocious pets to crack the case, Leta fears her new love will worry about the danger. And with anomalies at the scene and the police not ready to declare a homicide, the clever sleuth may be following the clues to a dead ending.
With the game afoot, can Leta and the crew arrive at the truth?
Collectors, Cats & Murder is the gorgeous fourth book in the Dickens & Christie cozy mystery series. If you like sassy felines, clever canines, and spunky well-read women on a crime-solving spree, then you'll adore Kathy Manos Penn's tempting page-turner."
"If it were up to her, they'd be singing carols and baking cookies. Instead, they're stockings-deep in a murder investigation . . .
Leta Parker is looking forward to her first holiday season in the Cotswolds. Prepping for the town's tree-lighting ceremony, the village is enraged when the new American earl announces plans to develop his family's estate into a resort. And when the brash successor is found dead in a ditch, it's obvious this car crash was no accident.
Determined to unwrap the truth behind the tragedy, Leta enlists the help of the Little Old Ladies Detective Agency and her talking dog and cat. But with everyone in the charming hamlet a suspect, it'll be tough to discover who's not on Father Christmas's naughty list.
Will Leta and friends deliver the gift of justice?
Whiskers, Wreaths & Murder is the third book in the delightful Dickens & Christie cozy mystery series. If you like clever senior women, deep friendships, and animals of the talking variety, then you'll love Kathy Manos Penn's yuletide whodunit."
"The Fall Fête isn't very festive when an illusionist is discovered dead. Can an expat and her talking pets crash the killer's party?
Retirement in the Cotswolds has given Leta Parker a new lease on life. Growing close to her small-town pals, the former corporate trainer is thrilled to help them put on the village's annual autumn celebration. But the punch goes sour when a friend's estranged magician husband is found murdered.
With the newly widowed woman the prime suspect, Leta leaps into action with spunky friends and her talking dog and cat to clear her name. But when they trace the lecherous victim to England's picturesque southern coast, they discover a long list of past lovers who’d be happy to see the sleight-of-wandering-hands womanizer permanently disappeared.
Can Leta expose the truth, or will this investigation be her final trick?
Pumpkins, Paws & Murder is the second book in the lighthearted Dickens & Christie cozy mystery series. If you like compelling characters, talkative four-legged friends, and journeys full of action and humor, then you'll love Kathy Manos Penn's playful tale."
"She crossed an ocean to start her life over. Can she nab a killer before her quaint village becomes a graveyard?
Recently widowed Leta Parker desperately needs a change of scenery. Pursuing her lifelong dream of retiring to the Cotswolds, she leaves her soulless corporate hustle in Atlanta and moves to England with her talking dog and cat companions—Dickens and Christie. But she's barely begun making new friends when she stumbles across her housekeeper's body . . .
With several villagers pegged for the crime, Leta teams up with a retired English teacher and her sharp-as-a-tack octogenarian mother to track the killer before the trail goes cold. As the not-so-friendly local policewoman elbows them out and scandalous rumors plague the tight-knit community, it's left to the ladies and their pets to sleuth for the truth.
Can Leta, Dickens, and Christie sniff out the culprit before the cute little town loses more than its charm?
Bells, Tails & Murder is the delightful first book in the Dickens & Christie Mystery series. If you like spunky literary women, amusing animal sidekicks, and inviting cultural backdrops, then you'll love Kathy Manos Penn's engaging cozy mysteries."
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