The Malford Police have identified a mentally unstable homeless man as the killer, but Rosaria wasn’t trained to settle for the easy answer. With help from a close childhood friend, Nuncie DiStephano, now losing the struggle with an aggressive cancer, her investigations unravel a much larger, more sinister story.
Working sometimes as an adversary, sometimes as a partner with Malford Police Detective Leo Gelenian, she pieces together the motive, method, and identity of the murderer through confrontations with a powerful real-estate developer, a vicious Boston crime boss, and an autocratic monsignor with passionate ambitions for his prestigious Catholic high school.
The Immaculate is a complex murder mystery with a deep sense of place, a compelling storyline, richly developed characters, and a satisfying surprise ending.
“Marian McMahon Stanley’s The Immaculate draws the reader in with a haunting murder victim, Sister Mary Aurelius, who is as widely beloved as she is feared. A taut, character-rich whodunit.” — Hallie Ephron, New York Times bestselling author, Night Night, Sleep Tight
“Marian McMahon Stanley leads us deep into a well-written web of secrets, past transgressions, and interwoven relationships in her debut Boston-based mystery. Protagonist Rosaria O’Reilly is a smart amateur sleuth determined to unearth the true killer of her beloved Sister Mary Aurelius.You’ll be a faithful fan of Stanley’s work when you finish this tale of ambitions and betrayals, powerful figures with something to hide, and enduring childhood friendships. This is a story which grows more compelling page by page.” — Edith Maxwell, Agatha-nominated author of the Quaker Midwife Mysteries and the Local Foods Mysteries
“Each discovery is linked to the next until an edifice of lies and deception crumbles, leaving nothing for the villains to hide behind. Tightly plotted with satisfying twists, the story ends with an unexpected revelation.” — Susan Oleksiw, author, Mellingham Mysteries
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Never Again
by Heather Starsong
Print ISBN: 978-1-941295-26-7
eBook ISBN: 978-1-941295-27-4
Struck by lightning on her annual birthday hike to a favorite mountain meadow in Colorado, 80-year-old Clara Norwood closes her eyes, expecting to die. Instead, she wakes up on an Elirian spaceship. When she is returned to Earth, however, Clara realizes that the Elirians did more than simply heal her injuries. They also reversed all the ravages of aging, and she is once again a beautiful young woman.
At first Clara rejoices in her newfound strength and energy, but before long her 80-year-old spirit begins to feel at odds with her youthful body. She is uncomfortable with the all the electronic gadgets of the 21st century and dreads the prospect of outliving her friends and family. She is also mystified by the unexpected attention she receives from men who are younger than her own adult children — and completely unprepared for the new realities of modern dating and romance.
Faced with the prospect of living her life all over again in another era, Clara wonders if the Elirians would be able to return her to her old body—and what her choice would be if they could…
“Original, deftly crafted, absorbingly entertaining from beginning to end, Heather Starsong’s Never Again is a compelling read and clearly establishes this author as an impressively talented storyteller who will leave her readers looking eagerly toward her next novel. Very highly recommended for community library Science Fiction collections.” — Midwest Book Review
“A delightful, thought-provoking, and mesmerizing tale. From its opening in the beauty of the mountains to its final page, this fresh and remarkable story engages with a new perspective on extra-terrestrial beings, cross-generational relationships, the tenderness of aging, the lure of beauty, the folding of time, and the essence of love. I see life through a different lens now.” — Cedar Barstow, author, Right Use of Power: The Heart of Ethics
“Treat yourself to a vision of a new world. Never Again is one of those rare books that is both magical and wise. As well as delighting you, it will teach you unexpected lessons about youth and old age. In fact, it will stand many of your unquestioned ideas upside-down and cause you to look at aging in new ways. ” — Sam Keen, author, Fire in the Belly
“I read the book in one session and reread it the following day. The full life experience — and beyond — is captured within these pages. Read it once and like myself, you may read it again to arrive at a new perspective on your view of the world, love, getting older… and beyond.” — P.S. Gifford, author, Curiously Twisted Tales
“Never Again is not your ordinary alien abduction novel. It is a touching story of self-discovery and second chances. Ms. Starsong crafts a tale of what it might really be like to have a second chance at life and love, and how it may not be what you might expect. It is science fiction that even non-science fiction fans will enjoy.” — Steve Bellinger, author, The Chronocar
Preview the first four chapters for free at
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Padre: The Narrowing Path
by Jennifer Leeper
Print ISBN: 978-1-941295-09-0
eBook ISBN: 978-1-941295-10-6
Russell Capshaw is a successful New York advertising executive who tries to stave off his mid-life crisis with an extended drug binge in the Far East. After treatment in a detox facility in Dublin, Ireland, he pays a visit to his estranged uncle, who has recently experienced a spiritual reversion to Catholicism—a faith that Russell himself left behind in childhood. Caught up in the spell of his uncle’s quiet devotion and the lush Irish landscape, Russell finds himself drawn to a new and very different life.
After joining the priesthood and taking the name Father John, he is sent to serve the parish of the Raramuri tribe in the canyons of the Sierra Madre in Mexico. There he learns that the tribesmen are being kidnapped by the local narcotrafficantes as forced labor for their drug fields.
As the Raramuri leaders carry out raids on the drug camps to rescue their enslaved people, Father John strives to keep from getting involved by focusing on restoring the parish church and ministering to the people. But as the violence escalates, the lines between spiritual and worldly matters are stretched to the breaking point in a final, bloody showdown between the villagers and the narcotrafficantes.
“A perfect blend of fast-paced action and thoughtful introspection. From the very beginning, Leeper’s voice captivated me. This is a tale that spans the cultures of the globe and the intricacies of the human heart." — Val Muller, author, The Scarred Letter
“Jennifer Leeper transports the reader from the failings, temptations, and sin that we all experience, to the joy of new life. Russell is the uncommon man turned priest, one who prays and saves not in the comfortable and secure pews of Ireland, but in the rough-edged, harsh and cruel Sierra Madre canyons where the Raramuri tribe attempts to survive amidst the challenges of an unforgiving environment of history, poverty and violence wedded to criminality and terror. Highly recommended.” — CatholicFiction.net
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Requiem in Red
Cressa Carraway Musical Mysteries, Book 2
by Kaye George
Print ISBN: 978-1-941295-43-4
eBook ISBN: 978-1-941295-44-1
Aspiring conductor and amateur sleuth Cressa Carraway returns for a second installment of music and murder in this fast-paced mystery from author Kaye George.
Fresh out of grad school, Cressa lands her dream job as conductor of a fledgling ensemble in Minnesota that aspires to grow into a major orchestra. Leaving her psychic friend Neek, boyfriend Daryl, and DePaul University behind, she quickly starts to wonder what she’s gotten herself into.
Cressa’s new friendship with the first chair violinist of the ensemble, Maddy Streete, gives her an opportunity to sing in a
dysfunctional church choir, and also leads to an organist gig in the church across the street. While playing the organ helps supplement her meager conducting salary, it places her in empty churches more often than she’d like, forcing her to deal with homeless vagrants, drug paraphernalia—and corpses.
As she tries to make sense out of everything, Cressa digs deeper into the lives of her fellow musicians and newfound friends to uncover swirling currents of hatred, old wounds, bitter resentments—and unexpected information about the suspicious deaths of her own musician parents so many years ago.
Can Cressa sort out the clues before she becomes the next victim?
“Kaye George plays a twisting score in Requiem in Red, conducting us through intrigue and murder in two church musical communities to a surprising and suspenseful climax. You’ll love this new Cressa Carraway mystery.” — Edith Maxwell, Agatha-nominated author, Quaker Midwife Mysteries and Local Foods Mysteries
“A standing ovation for Requiem in Red! Conductor Cressa Carraway’s musical journey continues with a move to Minnesota, intrigue, and murder. Kaye George hits all the right notes as she deftly pits Cressa’s experience as the new kid on a very dysfunctional block against a mostly new cast of characters. Everyone is viewed with equal suspicion in a plot where nothing is exactly as it appears to be on the surface.” — Judy Penz Sheluk, author, The Hanged Man’s Noose
“Kaye George weaves music and murder into a gripping combination. Intimately familiar with the world of classical and ecclesiastical music, her loving look at the way churches work and familiarity with the landscape makes readers feel like they are looking over Cressa’s shoulder the whole time.” — KB Inglee, author, The Case Book of Emily Lawrence
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The Revolving Year
Imogen Hearne series, Book 1
by Vanessa Furse Jackson
Print ISBN: 978-1-935460-60-2
eBook ISBN: 978-1-935460-61-7
Devonshire, England—1999. It just might be the end of the world for 35-year-old Imogen Hearne. First, she learns that her beloved older sister has breast cancer, followed by the news that the lease on the small cottage that has been her home for the past ten years will be cancelled in January 2000. The only bright spot on the horizon seems to be an extended visit from her niece Celia, who has recently dropped out from university.
But Celia’s visit may turn out to be the cruelest blow of all. For in the midst of Millennium fever, Immy falls unexpectedly—and mutually—in love with Celia’s fiancé. As the year 2000 looms ever closer, Immy will soon be forced to make a life-altering decision. Should she accept this once-in-a-lifetime gift of love, or deny it for the sake of holding together the small, fragile family she treasures?
“Engrossing exposé of the twists and turns of family dynamics, all in the name of love. Ms. Jackson draws the relationships between her characters in such fine detail that the reader is charmed and appalled by turns on the affect that each one has on the life of the others.” — Adele Abbot, author, Postponing Armageddon and Of Machines & Magics
“A fascinating character study of unintended consequences set lose in a disparate family circle.” — Sean Mulcahy, author, Slip Sliding Away
Preview the first four chapters for free at
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