MARY ELLEN HUGHES SERIES:

A Curio Killing

A Curio Killing

Mary Ellen Hughes

Mary Ellen Hughes

Callie finds treble in Keepsake Cove when her ex-boyfriend is framed for murder Callie Reed is looking forward to her first Keepsake Cove spring festival. But her excitement dims considerably when she learns that her ex-boyfriend, Hank, will be performing with one of the hired country-western bands. Callie vows to keep her distance, but that changes when the band's manager, Bobby Linville, is found dead, killed with the music box Hank bought at Callie's shop. Hank is soon singing a sad tune in a detention center with Callie his only lifeline. Though thoroughly aware of his many faults, she knows violence and murder aren't in his blood. But that means one of her fellow Keepsake Cove residents must be hiding a dark secret—something Callie desperately needs to uncover.
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Paper-Thin Alibi

Paper-Thin Alibi

Mary Ellen Hughes

Mary Ellen Hughes

With her craft shop business going well, owner Jo McAllister takes off for the weekend, having snagged a spot at the prestigious Michicomi Craft Festival to show her wares. Jo's excitement dims, however, when she learns her booth is directly across from an old nemesis, the conniving Linda Weeks.Linda aggravates Jo continually during the festival, eventually goading her into a public argument, which puts Jo in a very bad light after Linda drops dead – from candy unwittingly delivered by Jo.With her reputation in doubt, Jo sees sales at the Craft Corner slump badly enough to put her business in serious jeopardy. But her good friends stick by her, working out motives and means during Jo's paper-craft classes. As paper flowers are folded and collages layered, Jo works to track the twisted trail of a killer, before another life is ripped to shreds.Originally published by Berkley Prime Crime
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Wreath of Deception

Wreath of Deception

Mary Ellen Hughes

Mary Ellen Hughes

It's opening day at Jo's Craft Corner, and Jo is wired more tightly than the wreath on her store's front door. The entertainment she's hired, Cuddles the Clown, is little help, grumbling and complaining until Jo is ready to strangle him. Someone else does silence him, though – for good. With a dead clown in her storeroom and murdered with one of her craft items, Jo becomes the prime suspect. She works to clear her name, unaware that the crafty killer is ready to do anything it takes to stop her – and won't stop at murder!Includes directions for a craft project!
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String of Lies

String of Lies

Mary Ellen Hughes

Mary Ellen Hughes

Parker Holt has started gobbling up properties housing small businesses in town, and Jo worries that her Craft Corner shop will be next. But when she arrives at Holt's home to learn his intentions, she finds him dead – the victim of an insidious electrical trap.The police draw a bead on the construction crew working on the house, led by Jo's good friend, Dan. Anxious to clear him and his workers, Jo and her beading crafters set to work. Motives are dissected as necklaces are created, and Jo follows a chain of clues back into the past, hoping to unknot the current crime – and catch a murderer before he pulls any more deadly strings.
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A Vintage Death

A Vintage Death

Mary Ellen Hughes

Mary Ellen Hughes

"A satisfying mystery. ... Suggest for fans of other mysteries set in cute tourist areas, such as Lorna Barrett's Booktown mysteries."—Library Journal Callie Reed has put together a special event, but a killer is ripping it apart at the seams As the new owner of a music box store in Keepsake Cove, a quaint town full of collectible shops on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Callie Reed is eager to get more involved in her community. So she volunteers to plan the fall street decorations and welcome a visiting author who's come for a special book signing. But the celebratory mood is cut short when the local B&B owner is found dead, killed with a pair of vintage scissors. Suspicion is cast on the victim's estranged wife, Dorothy, who owns Keepsake Cove's vintage sewing shop. Callie is sure Dorothy is innocent, and the visiting author agrees. Together, they begin their own investigation, only to discover that many people in Keepsake Cove have secrets....
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A Fatal Collection

A Fatal Collection

Mary Ellen Hughes

Mary Ellen Hughes

Callie Reed makes a long overdue visit to her aunt Melodie, who lives in a fairy-tale cottage in quaint Keepsake Cove, home to a bevy of souvenir and collectible shops on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Just as they’re beginning to reconnect, Callie discovers her aunt’s body on the floor of her music box shop. Grief-stricken, Callie finds she can’t accept Melodie’s death being called accidental. How could her strong and healthy aunt take such a fatal fall? And why was she there in the middle of the night? As Callie searches for the truth, signs seem to come from her late aunt through a favorite music box, urging Callie on. Or are they warnings? If Callie isn’t careful, she could meet a similar deadly fate amid Melodie’s collection.
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Scene of the Brine

Scene of the Brine

Mary Ellen Hughes

Mary Ellen Hughes

The national bestselling author of License to Dill returns with a dilly of a pickle. Piper Lamb has to take a break from jarring her delicious pickles and preserves to blow the lid off a poisoner.... Business is booming at Piper's Picklings in Cloverdale, New York. But not all is sweet in the life of Piper's number one customer and friend, local caterer Sugar Heywood. Sugar is dating wealthy realtor Jeremy Porter, but his family doesn't approve. After their unscrupulous accountant finds some dirt on Sugar, the family quickly urges Jeremy to throw her out like rotten fruit. Things are further spoiled after the accountant is found poisoned, and all evidence points to Sugar's son, Zach. With the Porter family determined to avoid scandal, it won't be easy for Piper to preserve Zach's innocence. And after someone falls victim to a poisoned jar of some of her brandied cherries, Piper's got a peck of trouble to deal with herself...
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Mary Ellen Hughes - Maggie Olenski 01 - Resort to Murder

Mary Ellen Hughes - Maggie Olenski 01 - Resort to Murder

Mary Ellen Hughes

Mary Ellen Hughes

Maggie decides she needs a break. Teaching high school geometry has her burned out, so she plans a week vacation at Highview Inn, a mountain resort in Maryland. The peaceful, idyllic surroundings are the perfect antidote, and she looks forward to long days of playing tennis and swimming.But on her first day she discovers the body of a hotel employee in the woods. The young waitress was also a former student of hers, and the murder disturbs Maggie in more ways than one. Unlike most math problem she encounters, this mystery has no easy answers.As the list of suspects gets longer, she finds herself distrusting everyone. With clues from the girl's diary and inquiries into her suspects' histories, Maggie moves closer to the truth. Then she learns of other puzzling "suicides" and accidental deaths in the resort's past which seem too coincidental to her. But the killer knows what she is up to, and Maggie will have to outwit this cold-blooded murderer or die trying.
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