Mistletoe, Merriment, And Murder

If you enjoy Elizabeth Peter’s Vicky Bliss series or Romancing the Stone, Elusive has the same mix of mystery, international travel, and light romance. 

Zoe Hunter loves living on the edge. Free-spirited and spontaneous, she’s built a life stringing together various freelance gigs that keep her bank account barely in the black.

But when her ex, Jack, goes missing along with several million dollars from his business and the FBI zeros in on her as a person of interest, Zoe’s life goes from delightfully unpredictable to downright frightening.

Plunged into a world of fake identities, deception, and murder, she’s afraid to trust anyone. Zoe impulsively skips town in a search for answers that takes her from Las Vegas to Italy, but instead of tracking down answers, she only uncovers more questions.

Who was Jack? Is he dead or did he fake his disappearance? And, what was he mixed up in—art theft, the mafia, espionage, or all three?

SERIES NOTES: On the Run Series
Book #1:  Elusive
Book #2:  Secretive
Book #3:  Deceptive (coming summer 2013)
 

"A winning mystery." --Publishers Weekly

Don't miss Ellie Avery's great tips for preserving family treasures!

"Charm, Southern sass, and suspense abound…delightful." --Fresh Fiction

"What fun is a funeral without a corpse? Ellie Avery steps into snooping mode, and not a moment too soon." --Kirkus Reviews

Fans of TVs Air Force Wives will appreciate Ellie, a smart crime solver who navigates the challenges of military life. --Publishers Weekly

Some cozies just hit on all cylinders, and Rosetts Ellie Avery titles are among the best. --Library Journal

Flows like a country creek after an all-day rain. --Shine

Single mom Hayley Powell is barely keeping her leaking roof over her head when her boss at the Island Times gives her a new assignment--taking over the paper's food column. Hayley's not sure she has the chops--she's an office manager, not a writer, even if her friends clamor for her mouth-watering potluck dishes. But the extra income is tempting, and Hayley's chatty first column is suddenly on everyone's menu--with one exception.

When rival food writer Karen Appelbaum is found face-down dead in a bowl of Hayley's creamy clam chowder, all signs point to Hayley. To clear her name, she'll have to enlist some help, including her BFFs, a perpetually pregnant lobster woman, and a glamorous real estate agent. As she whips up a list of suspects, Hayley discovers a juicy secret about the victim--and finds herself in a dangerous mix with a cold-blooded killer.

Includes seven delectable recipes from Hayley's kitchen!

"What a delicious debut mystery!" Laura Levine

"A delicious read that I ate up in one sitting." Isis Crawford

More Mouth-Watering Praise For Lee Hollis And Hayley Powell!

"Sleuth Hayley Powell slides down as easily as one of her Lemon Drop Martinis (recipe included) and readers will be calling for a second round from author Lee Hollis." --Leslie Meier, author of Chocolate Covered Murder

Moving four times in five years has honed Ellie's considerable skills. But moving with a newborn daughter and husband Mitch in tow, a record-breaking heat wave, and the realization that their dream neighborhood is known as Base Housing East is enough to make her turn to chocolate for comfort. Now half of their neighbors are with the 52nd Air Refueling Squadron. Forget privacy.

Forget peace of mind, too. Driving home from her first squadron barbecue, Ellie finds neighborhood environmental activist Cass Vincent dead on the side of the road. The police call it an accident--Cass, fatally allergic, was stung by wasps--but Ellie's not so sure. And when it looks like Mitch's best friend might be a suspect in the murder, Ellie starts snooping in earnest. What she finds shocks her--and when suspicious "accidents" start happening in her own backyard, Ellie realizes she's getting closer to the killer. . .maybe too close!

"Armed with her baby and her wits, new mom and military spouse Ellie Avery battles to unmask a wily killer in this exciting debut mystery." --Nancy J. Cohen, author of the Bad Hair Day mystery series

Pepe may have soft white fur, big brown eyes, and mucho attitude--but he's no furry fashion fad. Pepe can talk--even if his new owner, Geri Sullivan, seems to be the only person who can understand him.

When Geri takes on her first assignment for a quirky investigator named Jimmy G and stumbles over a Seattle millionaire's corpse, Pepe proves to be worth his weight in liver treats. Suspicion falls on the not-so-grieving widow, who wants to finance a reality TV show, Dancing With Dogs.

Normally, Pepe wouldn't be caught muerte in a sparkly costume. However, he has to sniff out the real killer and keep Geri safe. Lesser dogs might flinch. But Pepe isn't the kind to turn tail and run. . .

"A fun and breezy mystery." Jennie Bentley

"A fun twist on the typical P.I. partnership." --Simon Wood

Ellie Avery balances motherhood, marriage, and her own business--Everything in Its Place--with cheerful efficiency. A maestro of organization, she sees her life as an easy checklist that does not include the untimely death of Penny Follette.

Unlike the police, Ellie isn't convinced Penny's death was suicide. But it's an uphill battle getting the officials to take her seriously. Then another spouse is strangled, and someone tries to poison an outspoken female Air Force pilot. Poking about in closets and peeking through drawers, Ellie hopes to find the common thread tying the crimes together. With her husband Mitch about to be deployed in the "sandbox" (that's the Mideast for us civvies), she wants some quality time with her significant other. As the schedule tightens and the mystery heightens, Ellie's out to prove that home is not for killers!

*Filled with Ellie Avery's Great Organizing Tips*

"Plenty of action and lots of suspects and clues...this is a mystery with a 'mommy lit' flavor. A fun read." --Armchair Interviews

"Thoroughly entertaining. The author's smooth, succinct writing style enables the plot to flow effortlessly until its captivating conclusion." --Romantic Times (four stars)