Southern Fiction Mystery

The old Beaumont mansion is a rotting shell of its once-grand self, especially after a disastrous hurricane sweeps through Georgia. The storm does more than dislodge shutters and shingles. It leads to a grisly find in the cellar. Three graves. But only two skeletons… For Nikki, the discovery is a gift, the perfect subject for her next crime book—though Reed has made her promise not to keep involving herself in dangerous police business.

When Pepper Dunn purchases a cat figurine at a yard sale, she has no idea what she’s in store for. First, a crazy woman tells Pepper that owning the item will get her killed, then Pepper discovers the item is haunted by the spirit of a dead cat. As if things couldn’t get worse, when a murder is traced back to the cat figurine, it looks like owning the object may in fact, get Pepper killed. But Pepper is no coward—she won’t back away from a situation simply out of fear.

"Reader Vacker does a remarkable job voicing the main characters and keeping the tension high....Mystery and true crime fans will be drawn in and ultimately satisfied by this complex, tense tale read expertly by a talented narrator." - Booklist "[Karissa] Vacker switches easily between the...

Following in the path of her blockbuster Kay Scarpetta thrillers, Patricia Cornwell's novel is a testimony to the singular versatility and narrative power of one of the country's best-read storytellers. In Southern Cross, she casts her shrewd and knowing eye at the men and women in blue, in a...

Marci thinks mouthwatering pastries are just what her small Southern hometown needs. Most residents agree, saying that her baked goods are magical, creating love and good fortune all over town. When Kelly Lowry is shot in front of the shop, it gives the pastries a new meaning behind “to die for.” Who killed her, and why was her murder followed by a strange Frenchman’s appearance? When Antoine Dubois wanders into her quaint shop, Marci is smitten immediately. But soon, more questions arise than answers: How did Antoine end up in Kentucky? And what was his connection to the dead woman?

Life just won’t settle down for Pepper Dunn. The Head Witch Order has arrived with one mission—secure Pepper’s powers for themselves at any cost. The entire Craple household is on deck to save Pepper. Grandma Betty has formed her own resistance, and even though they’re groaning about it, Amelia and Cordelia jump in to assist her. In order for Pepper to fight the Order successfully, she must tap the very depths of her power. But Pepper also needs allies.

Readers will flock to NYT bestselling author Donna Andrews' latest installment in the award-winning Meg Langslow series. Two of Meg’s cousins, members of Mother’s vast Hollingsworth clan, are getting married, and both have chosen Caerphilly for their Christmas destination wedding . . on the...

Returning to her hometown after years of practicing law in Chicago, Maggie Gallagher is determined to put her family first—no more cases that could put her or her loved ones in danger. But when her childhood friend is arrested for the murder of a high school football coach, Maggie has to take the case. She knows Troy better than anyone, and she’s certain he wouldn’t hurt a fly.

Ever since their on-again, off-again college romance, Erin hasn’t been able to set a single boundary with charismatic but reckless Silas, who has been chasing the next big high since graduation. When he texts her to spring him out of rehab, she knows enough is enough. She is ready to start a career, make new friends, and meet a great guy—even if that means cutting Silas off. But when Silas turns up dead from an overdose, Erin’s world falls apart.

When a music festival rolls through the sleepy town of Hesterville, Georgia, the Dixon family’s lives are forever changed. On the final night, a storm muffles the sound of the blaring music, and Rachel tucks her baby into bed before falling into a deep sleep. So deep, she doesn’t hear the kitchen door opening. When she and her husband wake up in the morning, the crib is empty. Emily is gone. Vicki Robart is one of the thousands at the festival, but she’s not feeling the music. She’s feeling the emptiness over the loss of her own baby several months before.

Sinister in Savannah is a fictional podcast exploring the city's most nefarious crimes with Southern-fried snark. The best-selling trilogy is now available in one collection. When the Sinister in Savannah team delves into the thirty-eight-year-old murder of a drag queen, they quickly discover that the story doesn't end with the alleged killer's confession in 1995. In Mr. Perfect, the podcast is back to investigate allegations that a local businessman is dabbling in money laundering. Pretty Poison follows Tess, a woman accused of killing her three husbands.

First a dead stranger. Now a missing police chief. Did Chief Cade run off to elope? Or has he met with foul play? No one knows who the victim was, where he came from, or why he staggered out in front of Chief Cade’s car. Guilt overwhelms him that he killed the mysterious stranger, until Cade...

Framed. Imprisoned. Now free and out for blood. Avery Collins spent seven years behind bars for a murder she didn't commit. Now she's hell-bent on exposing the truth and making her enemies pay. With her best friend and relentless PI Regina Baldwin at her side, Avery peels back layers of corruption reaching to the highest levels of power. As they dig deeper, a sinister web of greed, deceit, and murder unravels—revealing the shocking truth behind Becky Whitfield's death.

Aidan Collins has his very first large case when his client, Marina Vasiliev, a drop-dead gorgeous mental patient, is accused of killing her wealthy husband. Marina insists that she didn't do it, but Aidan can't trust her. After all, he met Marina in the mental hospital–he originally obtained her as a client when she was involuntarily committed, and he assisted her with getting out. Diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, Marina's view of reality shifts from day to day. Marina has no memory of what happened the night that her husband died.

Kevin, Meg's cyber-savvy nephew who lives in the basement, comes to her with a problem. He's become involved as the techie for a true-crime podcast, one that focuses on Virginia cold cases and unsolved crimes. And he thinks their podcast has hit a nerve with someone...one of the podcast team has had a brush with death that Kevin thinks was an attempted murder, not an accident. Kevin rather sheepishly asks for Meg's help in checking out the people involved in a couple of the cases.

As Pepper's wedding day quickly approaches, the entire town is excited to celebrate the big event. But when one witch is overlooked as a wedding guest, she takes her anger out on the town—cursing them. Now, people's nightmares are coming to life—literally. The consequences are potentially devastating. Now, it's up to Pepper and the gang to squash the curse and stop their dreams from becoming reality. Can she do it? Or will Magnolia Cove succumb to the curse?

Novelist Anne George injects murder, mayhem, and laughs into her popular mysteries. Nominated for an Agatha Award, this hilarious tale of two “60 something” sisters reveals the deadly consequences of a hasty real estate purchase. Retired Alabama school teacher Patricia Anne thinks her older sister, flamboyant Mary Alice, has lost her cotton-pickin’ mind. On a whim, Mary Alice bought the Skoot ’n’ Boot, the local country western night spot where she and her boyfriend hang out. Mary Alice insists it will be easy to run the club - until the previous owner is found executed.

Southern California is where dreams come true—or so Scarlett Gardner thought. When she moved there and opened the Palm Trees and Page Turners bookshop, she thought her boyfriend and business partner would be part of the story. When he leaves her for a better job, Scarlett finds herself struggling to keep her new business afloat. And that’s not the only thing she has to worry about—she discovers something underneath the pier by her bookshop that she didn’t outline for her life’s story: the dead body of a book-buying customer.

A white woman has been bludgeoned to death with an altar cross in a rural church on Cicada Road in Walterboro, South Carolina. Sam Jenkins, a Black man, is found covered in blood, kneeling over the body. In a state already roiling with racial tension, this is not just a murder case: it's a powder keg. Two young women are murdered on quiet Edisto Beach, an hour southeast of Walterboro, and the killer disappears without a trace. Thirty-four years later, the mystery remains unsolved. Could there be a connection to Stander's case?

In 1919, Delano, Georgia, appoints its first chief of police. Honest and hardworking, the new chief is puzzled when young men start to disappear. But his investigation is ended by the fatal blast from a shotgun. Delano's second chief-of-police is no hero, yet he is also disturbed by what he sees in the missing-persons bulletins. In 1969, when Delano's third chief takes over, the unsolved disappearances still haunt the police files.