Nothing takes a detective’s mind off Christmas like a murder. Embroiled in a generations-long feud, an oil baron is convinced someone in his family will die soon—and it will probably be him. When blind PI Steve Smiley is called in to find answers, it seems like the perfect opportunity to avoid another bleak Christmas. After a body is discovered in the tycoon’s home, the man is convinced someone’s picking off his family one by one. With the clock ticking and the feuding families closing ranks against Smiley, the wily detective must get creative with his investigation. As he digs deeper, generations of intrigue rise to the surface. Lies and coverups swirl around him like snowflakes. Can Smiley stop the killer before he strikes again, or will this be one case he can’t put a bow on? The seventh book in the popular whodunit Smiley and McBlythe Mystery series, Mistletoe, Malice And Murder will take you on a wild sleigh ride of family secrets, suspects and clues! Like all the books in the series it contains no graphic violence, sexual scenes or foul language. Just a great mystery waiting to be solved!

Liars at every turn… but which one is the killer? It’s up to the blind detective to find out. When blind PI Steve Smiley accompanies his nervous partner to the optometry office for her first eye exam, screams coming from the exam room aren’t exactly reassuring. Turns out the drops used to dilate the patient’s eyes were tainted, and just like that, Smiley and McBlythe have their next case. But who has motive to sabotage the doctor’s practice? Before the duo can solve the case, a body is found in the office of the doctor’s ex-wife, also an optometrist. In spite of multiple claims of innocence, Smiley knows something’s not right with the two doctors and their employees. One after another, the lies stack up. Then McBlythe is called out of town on an emergency, leaving Smiley on his own to solve both cases. Can he discern the truth without her, or will a liar get away with murder? Smiley and McBlythe deliver a great mystery with no foul language, sex or graphic violence… You won’t be able to put it down until you’ve solved ‘whodunit’!

A dysfunctional family reunites for the Christmas holiday from hell in this rediscovered festive classic with fangs for fans of Barbara Pym, Dodie Smith, Nancy Mitford, Elizabeth Taylor and Stella Gibbons. 'Literary comfort and joy. It got me out of mourning for the Cazelet Chronicles.' Meg Mason (author of Sorrow and Bliss) 'A stylish and penetrating comedy of manners. My favourite Christmas book by far - and you can read it all year round.' Rachel Joyce (author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) 'A horribly delicious snapshot of post-war family life, in which tensions ensnare the reader in tinsel-covered barbed wire.' Janice Hallett (author of The Appeal) The fire is on, sherry poured, presents wrapped, and claws are being sharpened. In a seaside cottage perched on a cliff, one family reunites for Christmas. While snow falls, a tyrannical widowed matriarch presides over her unruly brood. Her niece tends to her whims, but fantasises about eloping; and as more guests arrive, each bringing their secret truths and dreams, the Christmas tree explodes, a brawl erupts, an escape occurs - and their 'midwinter madness' climaxes ...

Three riveting investigations. Two relentless detectives. One shocking truth at the heart of each case. Dive into the world of the legendary duo, Smiley and McBlythe, as they unravel a decades-old vendetta when ancient feuds collide with a fresh corpse, expose a calculating saboteur and untangle a web of generational secrets before a killer's deadly endgame reaches its conclusion. Books included: Murder Down The Line Blind PI Smiley is helping his former homicide partner solve an eighty-year-old cold case involving three feuding families, when another murder rocks their world. It's up to Smiley to connect the dots and solve the two cases before his old partner is put out to pasture. Vision Of Murder Blind PI Steve Smiley's routine visit to the optometrist with his partner McBlythe turns sinister when tainted eye drops are discovered. Before they can solve the sabotage, a body surfaces in a rival doctor's office. With McBlythe called away and suspects lying at every turn, can Smiley uncover the truth alone? Mistletoe, Malice And Murder Murder in an oil tycoon’s family gives blind PI Smiley a Christmas escape as generations of secrets rise to the surface. When family members close ranks against him, Smiley has to get creative. With lies and cover ups swirling like snowflakes, can he identify the killer before he strikes again? Or will this be one case Smiley can’t put a bow on? From the treacherous streets of Houston to the high seas of the Atlantic, each compelling investigation tests their renowned deductive skills and iron-clad partnership. With red herrings at every turn, buried clues from the past, and a mounting body count, these page-turning whodunits will keep you guessing until the twisted final reveal. Perfect for fans of intricate plots, compelling suspects, and the classic art of detection. Warning: Late nights of "just one more chapter" ahead.

One body in the river. A flood of suspects on shore. Artist and part-time private investigator Fen Maguire's peaceful location scouting takes a dark turn when kayakers pull a corpse from the Colorado River. The grisly discovery sets off a chain of events that plunge Fen into a web of small-town intrigue. Weeks later, with the wrong man behind bars and threatening a lawsuit against the city, Fen is recruited to find the real killer. Under the guise of teaching an art class, he's tasked with uncovering the truth and preventing a costly legal battle. As Fen delves deeper, he finds the victim had no shortage of enemies. Long-standing feuds and small-town politics muddy the waters, making potential suspects as numerous as the trees lining the river. Can Fen navigate the currents of deceit to expose the real killer? Join Fen Maguire in this gripping whodunit as he sketches out the clues and paints a picture of deadly secrets. The twists and turns in this Texas small-town mystery will keep you turning the pages long into the night. With no graphic violence, strong language, or explicit scenes, you can recommend the Fen Maguire mysteries to anyone, from a teen to your grandma!

Fraud, deception, murder… what else awaits this detective along the banks of the muddy Wichita? Substituting for an art teacher on medical leave, artist and private detective Fen Maguire is asked to investigate a long-standing cold case. Seven years ago, a realtor swindled local residents out of millions, then disappeared without a trace. Her victims want their money and they want justice. With the police no longer interested in solving the case, Fen agrees to investigate. The police are suddenly plunged into a new case—the reporter who wrote exposé articles on the fraud victims is dead. The waters surrounding his case get murky when Fen discovers the paths of the missing realtor and the dead journalist intersect. With the senior police detective refusing to believe there’s a connection, he’s on his own. Digging deep into the past, Fen finds a long list of people with reason to kill both the reporter and the realtor. With no help from the police, it’s up to him to follow the trail to the money… and the killer.

It was the perfect murder… until the truth refused to stay buried. With no active murder case to solve, private investigator Steve Smiley is enjoying a week of peace and quiet. Meanwhile, his partner is preoccupied with her latest real estate project. However, their tranquility is short-lived when a dead body is unearthed at the construction site. Suspicion falls on a young construction worker and brings the project to a standstill. When the boy's lawyer hires them to prove his innocence, Smiley must navigate the complicated dynamics of high school friendships and broken relationships. Tight-knit loyalty and deception among the teenagers challenge Smiley’s investigative skills. He’ll have to dig deep to uncover the truth and set an innocent young man free while stopping a killer from getting away with murder. Smiley and McBlythe deliver a page-turning mystery that will keep you up way past your bedtime, all with no graphic violence, sex or foul language.

An inheritance worth millions. A killer with a list… and Smiley’s on it. Blind PI Steve Smiley unexpectedly becomes the executor of a large Texas estate after the rancher dies under suspicious circumstances. His task becomes even more complex when the ranch’s foreman is found murdered. As Smiley delves into his executor duties, he realizes there is no shortage of suspects in the dysfunctional family. Any one of the four siblings could be responsible for one or both of the deaths. But which one wanted the land bad enough to kill for it? Or was it a conspiracy? Hired by the foreman’s family to find his killer, Smiley's investigation unearths a long-buried family secret that could solve the mystery, but will it lead to more bloodshed? If Steve doesn’t stop the killer, the next funeral could be his. Escape to South Texas with Smiley and McBlythe as they seek to untangle the web of intrigue, mystery and murder surrounding the last undeveloped lakefront property in the state. Smiley and McBlythe deliver a page-turning mystery that will keep you up way past your bedtime, all with no graphic violence, sex or foul language.

Exercise Is Murder introduces you to blind former homicide detective, Steve Smiley and his new partner in this classic private detective mystery series readers describe as "a multi-layered whodunit" and "briskly paced with lots of clues and suspects." Accidental drowning… or murder? It’s up to the blind detective to find out. Found at the bottom of his exercise pool, police believe the death of Steve Smiley’s friend is an accident. Smiley doesn’t buy it. There are a lot of things a blind man can do, but solve a murder alone isn’t one of them. He needs a partner… one who knows their way around a crime scene. In walks Heather McBlythe. She can help him solve the crime, but can she keep him out of danger? Steve doesn’t have a choice. Without her help someone will get away with murder. Armed with years of experience as a homicide detective and his new partner, Smiley sets out to find a killer. He knows he’s on the right trail when a bullet whizzes past his ear. Will Steve resurrect his life as a master crime solver, or will his sleuthing get them both killed? The suspense and action in the Smiley and McBlythe Mysteries will keep you turning the pages to find out whodunit! No foul language, sex scenes or graphic violence—just a great mystery waiting to be solved.

A fortune in Texas land… and a ruthless killer who wants it. A wealthy rancher’s death in a house fire is ruled accidental, but his suspicious son doesn’t believe it. After PI Fen Maguire is called in to investigate, he’s on the verge of agreeing with the official ruling… until the rancher’s body is discovered in a shallow grave along the San Gabriel River. With a prime inheritance at stake, any member of this fractured family could have motives to hurry the patriarch’s demise. Fen zeroes in on the rancher's son and primary heir as the most likely suspect—until the son narrowly survives a bullet meant to kill him. Now Fen must peel back the layers of jealousy, greed, and bad blood to expose who stood to gain from eliminating both father and son. With time running out, the wily PI must rely on his final, meticulously crafted plan to unravel this tangle of deception and stop the killer before he strikes again. In the fifth book of the series, Fen Maguire seeks justice along the San Gabriel River in this page-turning mystery delivered with no graphic violence, foul language or sex scenes.