Never Sorry - Book 2

Saints, sinners, and snoops!

Leigh Koslow's thrice-married Aunt Bess always was the black sheep of the family. That's why when Bess breaks her ankle falling down a flight of stairs in the middle of the night, Leigh isn't too surprised to discover that the stairs were someone else's. But when she discovers that the stairs belonged to Bess's happily wedded pastor, and that his house was burning down at the time, she can't help but be concerned.

The First Church of the New Millennium has problems—and Bess, with Leigh as her reluctant aide, is intent on solving them. Is the charismatic reverend Reginald Humphrey a saint among men, or a soulless con artist? With arson, burglary, and a possible abduction on the bulletin, Leigh enlists the aid of her favorite detective, Maura Polanski, to keep her aunt from becoming the next offering. But Bess isn't one to give up on a good cause, even when the postlude is murder.

"Edie Claire is a bright new mystery writer who appears already to be a master of characterization...The fast-paced story line retains a serious tone with humorous interludes to ease the tension and turn the sleuthing relatives into real people. NEVER PREACH PAST NOON is a winning amateur sleuth tale that showcases a new talent."—Midwest Book Review

"This is a tough one to put down."—Pittsburgh Magazine

"A very well told story with a great deal going on...if you enjoy light mysteries with lots of puzzles, you will enjoy this book."—I Love a Mystery

"The slightly cynical Leigh and her persistent Aunt Bess are engaging characters that add to the charm of the book."—Romantic Times

Originally published in mass market paperback by NAL/Penguin, Putnam, Inc. in 2000. Large-Print Edition published by Thorndike, 2001.

No one told Cara why her father abandoned her when she was a baby.

They had their reasons.

Gil March is lying, he's sneaking around, and he's certainly not acting like his usual too-perfect self. But could he really be cheating on Leigh's cousin Cara? Leigh doesn't think so, but when Cara shows up in the middle of the night with tears in her eyes, Leigh is determined to find out. Little does she know that what Gil is hiding is only the tip of an iceberg. There are more than a few things her family hasn't told her about the circumstances of her cousin's birth—and the reality is chilling.

When the father who abandoned Cara as a baby suddenly reappears in her life, everyone's world is turned upside down. Can this man stop the sudden blackmail, kidnapping, and threats to the family--or is he behind them?

"A well-paced, solidly plotted mystery...All the answers are not immediately apparent, keeping the tension high throughout...Leigh is a very likable character...Charming."—The Mystery Reader

"A nicely twisted tale...light reading for a quiet evening."—I Love a Mystery

Originally published in mass market paperback by NAL/Penguin, Putnam, Inc. in 2001. Large-Print Edition published by Wheeler Publishing Inc., 2001.

A Leigh Koslow Mystery Short Story
[6673 words]

Newlywed Leigh is only too happy to tag along when her new husband's career takes him to a weekend convention in Niagara Falls. But true to her typical luck she quickly finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, with potentially deadly--and almost certainly watery--results!

Originally published in the anthology AND THE DYING IS EASY: All New Tales of Summertime Suspense, by the Signet/NAL division of Penguin Putnam, Inc., in June 2001.

(Note: Chronologically, this story occurs between NEVER PREACH PAST NOON and NEVER KISSED GOODNIGHT.)

Lilah Murchison never cared about anyone besides her prize-winning cats. Unfortunately, the feeling was mutual...

When wealthy socialite Lilah Murchison dies in an airplane crash, the locals in Pittsburgh’s North Boros shed no tears. The reclusive millionaire and rumored black widow was detested by almost everyone, including her own son, who expects to share his inheritance with the throng of Siamese that inhabit his mother’s dreary mansion. But when Lilah’s latest will delivers the bulk of her cash to another, unidentified heir, the cat litter flies.

The only local who seems genuinely sorry about Ms. Lilah’s passing is Leigh Koslow’s veterinarian father, who hasn’t a clue how the death of his long-term client could be connected to the bizarre series of break-ins and threats now plaguing his clinic. But daughter Leigh has a hunch that Lilah’s mystery heir may be hiding right under their noses, and wishes she could prove it before the entire staff runs screaming out the door. Because someone wants the past to stay buried—even if it means adding a little extra to the grave.

"NEVER TEASE A SIAMESE is the fifth installment in this excellent series, and perhaps Ms. Claire's best yet. The characters and relationships are superior, written with heartfelt compassion and wry wit."—Romantic Times

"Edie Claire always writes an entertaining amateur sleuth novel...NEVER TEASE A SIAMESE is her best work to date."—AllReaders.com

"Fans will enjoy Claire's solid plot with its many twists and turns as well as the snappy dialogue of her well-rounded characters. This is a clever mystery written with a dash of humor and concluded quite logically. Altogether, a satisfying read."—ReviewingtheEvidence.com

Originally published in mass market paperback by NAL/Penguin, Putnam, Inc. in 2002. Large-Print Edition published by Thorndike, 2003.

New in 2012… Leigh's back!

In this first new addition to the "Never" Mystery Series in a decade, hapless advertising copywriter Leigh Koslow, who was last seen joyfully announcing to her politician husband that she was pregnant, is now a middle-aged mom who is more than happy to leave the macabre pandemonium of her thirties behind. Unfortunately, Leigh's killer karma hasn't really deserted her... it's only been biding its time.

When an innocent walk in the woods with her dog turns up yet another corpse, Leigh begins to get worried. It's bad enough that the victim is a client of her agency. It's even worse that he is the same unscrupulous real estate developer who's been conniving to bulldoze her Aunt Bess's homestead. And it would be a whole lot better for everyone in Leigh's family if her cousin Cara's husband hadn't brawled with the man in front of a churchful of witnesses an hour before the murder. But fate is what it is, and as Leigh's beleaguered friend, Detective Maura Polanski, sets out once again to save the Koslow clan from self-destruction, the women face their toughest battle yet. Because not only has Leigh failed to grow out of her inborn talent for trouble, she's bestowed it on the next generation...

Praise for the Leigh Koslow Mystery Series:

Never Buried
"A funny, fast-paced, clever, and unusual mystery that will have readers clamoring for more. Edie Claire writes with style and dash. Sheer delight."--Carolyn Hart

Never Sorry
"Edie Claire is a bright new addition to the mystery world. Along with appealing characters and a blessedly lucid writing style, she delivers a solid plot that keeps the pages turning."--Margaret Maron

Never Tease a Siamese
"The fifth installment in this excellent series, and perhaps Ms. Claire's best yet. The characters and relationships are superior, written with heartfelt compassion and wry wit."--Romantic Times

Sabine LaVeche needs to locate a blood relative fast – her life depends on it. When Helena Henry shows up offering help, Sabine knows she’s really in for trouble when it’s the best idea she’s heard in a while. When private investigator Beau Villeneuve takes on her case, things heat up in more ways than one, but as they begin to uncover the secrets of Sabine’s past, the one thing that becomes clear is that someone doesn’t want Sabine to get the answers she seeks. 

Eleanor figures somebody must have been really mad at Richard Olsen to bury that kitchen knife in his chest. But when Kevin Hurley--her ex-boyfriend and Timber Ridge's police chief--starts eyeing her as a prime suspect, Eleanor knows she better get to the bottom of things before the gossipy townspeople decide to stop ordering her specialty pies.

With her sassy and occasionally married sister Maddy by her side, Eleanor finds the list of suspects begins to outnumber the ingredients on the Slice's famed Smorgasbord Special pizza. Like Richard's eccentric sister, who appears out of nowhere to learn she's the heir to 100 grand . . . in what looks like dirty money. Richard worked for a shredding business--and it seems he read before he shred, and very well could've been a blackmailer. What about Richard's boss, who now stands to lose his shredding company? And then there's that steamy scented letter from none other than the mayor's wife . . .

But when someone takes a shot at Eleanor on a late-night delivery run, she and Maddy know time is running out. To find the killer--and keep the pizzas rolling out of A Slice of Delight's ovens--she'll need to put it all on the line and hope that her search for the truth doesn't end in an unmarked grave . . .

The novel is set in England during World War I at Styles Court, an Essex country manor (also the setting of Curtain, Poirot's last case). Upon her husband's death, the wealthy widow, Emily Cavendish, inherited a life estate in Styles as well as the outright inheritance of the larger part of the late Mr. Cavendish's income. Mrs. Cavendish became Mrs. Inglethorp upon her recent remarriage to a much younger man, Alfred Inglethorp. Emily's two stepsons, John and Lawrence Cavendish, as well as John's wife Mary and several other people, also live at Styles. John Cavendish is the vested remainderman of Styles; that is, the property will pass to him automatically upon his stepmother's decease, as per his late father's will. Lawrence Cavendish would also come into a considerable sum of money. The income left to Mrs Inglethorp by her late husband would be distributed according to Mrs. Inglethorp's own will, which she changed at least once per year. If she had not changed her will since her marriage this would go to her husband. Late one night, the residents of Styles wake to find Emily Inglethorp dying of what proves to be strychnine poisoning. Hastings, a houseguest, enlists the help of his friend Hercule Poirot, who is staying in the nearby village, Styles St. Mary. Poirot pieces together events surrounding the murder. On the day she was killed, Emily Inglethorp was overheard arguing with someone, most likely her husband, Alfred, or her stepson, John. Afterwards, she seemed quite distressed and, apparently, made a new will — which no one can find. She ate little at dinner and retired early to her room with her document case. The case was later forced open by someone and a document removed. Alfred Inglethorp left Styles earlier in the evening and stayed overnight in the nearby village, so was not present when the poisoning occurred. Nobody can explain how or when the strychnine was administered to Mrs. Inglethorp. At first, Alfred is the prime suspect. He has the most to gain financially from his wife's death, and, since he is so much younger than Emily was, the Cavendishes already suspect him as a fortune hunter. Evelyn Howard, Emily's companion, seems to hate him most of all. His behaviour, too, is suspicious; he openly purchased strychnine in the village before Emily was poisoned, and although he denies it, he refuses to provide an alibi. The police are keen to arrest him, but Poirot intervenes by proving he could not have purchased the poison. Scotland Yard police later arrest Emily Inglethorp’s oldest stepson, John Cavendish. He inherits under the terms of her will, and there is evidence to suggest he also had obtained poison. Poirot clears Cavendish by proving it was, after all, Alfred Inglethorp who committed the crime, assisted by Evelyn Howard, who turns out to be his kissing cousin, not his enemy. The guilty pair poisoned Emily by adding a precipitating agent, bromide (obtained from Mrs Inglethorp's sleeping powder), to her regular evening medicine, causing its normally innocuous strychnine constituents to sink to the bottom of the bottle where they were finally consumed in a single, lethal dose. Their plan had been for Alfred Inglethorp to incriminate himself with false evidence, which could then be refuted at his trial. Once acquitted, due to double jeopardy, he could not be tried for the crime a second time should any genuine evidence against him be subsequently discovered, hence prompting Poirot to keep him out of prison when he realized that Alfred wanted to be arrested.

After Hudson Savage betrayed her, Dana Cardwell hoped never to lay eyes on the seductive cowboy again. Until a bunch of old bones showed up on her family ranch. Suddenly her former lover was back in her life in a big way-to investigate a decades-old crime.

Five years ago, Hud left town with a heartload of regrets. But now, as acting interim marshal, he had a job to do. And this time he wasn't walking away. Because now Dana's life was on the line-as the unsuspecting target of a killer who still walked the canyon. Hud would do whatever it took to keep Dana close. Even if it meant risking his own heart for a second chance for both of them….