Showing results by narrator "Susan Boyce" in All Categories

The quaint warehouse district of Hokes Folly, NC, is hopping despite the drizzly November chill. The occasion? The mountain town's beloved antiquarian bookstore, Twice upon a Time, is throwing a bash for its grand reopening. But bookseller Jenna Quinn's peace of mind is shattered when the local library's director of antique books turns up dead in the parking lot - his head bashed in by a glittering pair of vintage glass bookends.

Last summer, a storm blew the Benson family’s lives to bits. It’s been almost a year since that fateful day, since they learned that life at the beach isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. They are doing their best to pick up the pieces. Widow Mae Benson is running the Sweet Island Inn. Her daughter Eliza is learning what it means to be a mother. Sara is rediscovering her passion in the wake of heartbreak. Holly is searching for stability in her marriage. And her son Brent is—well, Brent isn’t doing so great. Despite these challenges, they might make it—if they stick together.

While Joe Grey has played tricks on Max Harper, Molena Point's head lawman, he's never had anything but respect for the dedicated sheriff. Now Harper's in trouble, suspected of murdering two friends, and the only witness, a young girl named Dillon, has disappeared. Both Dulcie and Joe know Harper is innocent, and Joe is hissing to prove it - and find Dillon. Their sleuthing, however, is hampered by something soft and small - their new "ward," a vivacious kitten whose curiosity could get them all killed.

Though the inheritance from her dearly departed Alexander was meant to set Sarah Kelling up for life, it vanishes quickly in the face of hounding from charitable organizations and the IRS. Facing the loss of her stately Back Bay brownstone, Sarah opens her home to lodgers - deciding she prefers a boardinghouse to the poorhouse. Soon she is cooking meals and serving tea for a cast of quirky residents, a cozy little family that would be quite happy were it not for the unpleasant presence of a certain Barnwell Augustus Quiffen.

Daisy Flattery is a free spirit with a soft spot for strays and a weakness for a good story. Why else would she agree to the outrageous charade offered by her buttoned-down workaholic neighbor, Linc Blaise? The history professor needs to have a fiancée in order to capture his dream job, and Daisy is game to play the role. But something funny happens on their way to the altar that changes everything.

Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More is almost out of Mother's Day cards. She has a few more in stock, but she's set them aside because she needs Greg's help choosing one for his mother. It'll be Jill's first time meeting her boyfriend's mother, and she's understandably nervous. Turns out Jill isn't the only one having feelings about mothers. Kyle, who works at the antiques store next door, needs to find the perfect card for a mother he hasn't seen since he was five - when she went away to jail.

Summer in Eastport means lobsters and blueberries, though tourists and locals alike always leave a little room for baked goods from The Chocolate Moose. This year’s arts festival, featuring food, games, and rollicking local musicians, means even more sweet-toothed customers. But it’s also bringing competition from a new rival, Choco’s, that’s trying to slice into the action.

Christmas in the charming seaside village of Molena Point, California, has always been a traditional affair - but not this holiday season. Instead of singing carols and climbing into Christmas trees, Joe Grey, feline P.I., is faced with his most difficult case yet - and that's saying a lot for a wily tomcat who for years has been solving crimes the police can't even crack. A stranger lies dead beneath the village Christmas tree, with a little child the only witness to the shooting.

Housed in a rustic red barn, the Simple Gifts crafts shop celebrates the talents of the Amish of Willow Ridge and the faith that inspires them. For the acceptance of simplicity opens the path to love. As far as Edith Riehl is concerned, the baby twins thrust suddenly into her arms are a heaven-sent gift. Unable to conceive, she longs to be a mother with a home of her own.

If you caught a glimpse of heaven, would you choose to comeback to life?

Investigative journalist Judy Bachrach has collected accounts of those who died and then returned to life with lucid, vivid memories of what occurred while they were dead, and the conclusions are astonishing. Clinical death - the moment when the heart stops beating and brain stem activity ceases - is not necessarily the end of consciousness, as a number of doctors are now beginning to concede.

After a tree falls on Tom Riordan's house, landing him in the hospital, the police discover a mountain of junk piled high in his home. Locals in Excelsior, Minnesota - including Betsy and her Crewel World Monday Bunch - offer to help with the cleanup while Tom recuperates. But when Tom is found murdered in his hospital bed, the sole heir to his property - his cousin, Valentina - becomes the number-one suspect.

With her husband Bernard two years in the grave, seventy-nine-year-old Harriet Chance sets sail on an ill-conceived Alaskan cruise only to discover through a series of revelations that she's been living the past sixty years of her life under entirely false pretenses. There, amid the buffets and lounge singers, between the imagined appearance of her late husband and the very real arrival of her estranged daughter midway through the cruise, Harriet is forced to take a long look back, confronting the truth about pivotal events that changed the course of her life.

Suzanne, Toni, and Petra lost their husbands but found independence - and, in each other, a life raft of support, inspiration, fresh baked goods, and their own business. But when the Cackleberry Club cafe opened its doors in the town of Kindred, who'd have guessed that the three women would be working a double shift as amateur sleuths?

Melanie and Angie are taking a gamble by opening their first franchise of the bakery, and where better to hit the jackpot than Vegas? Holly Hartzmark is a former showgirl who's looking to bring Mel and Angie's sweet treats to Sin City, but Mel isn't so sure she's ready to hand her recipes over to a complete stranger - especially one as brash as Holly. But after the potential bakery location gets blown up, Mel begins seeing another side to Holly.

Even the bright seaside village of Molena Point has been hit hard by the economic downturn. Sadly, former residents haven’t just left their homes; they’ve abandoned their pets, too. Luckily, Joe Grey’s human friends have joined together to care for the animals. But just as one problem is solved more arise. A suspicious fire leaves a twelve-year-old boy homeless when the body of his alcoholic elderly guardian is discovered in the smoldering ruins.

While new father Joe Grey is overjoyed to teach his three young kittens about the world, he misses his cop work - secretly helping solve crimes alongside his human friends at Molena Point PD. But when beautician Barbara Conley and one of her customers are found dead in the salon, Joe makes an exception and heads for the crime scene. He has no idea that the kittens are following him, or how they will complicate the investigation.

At Coffee, Books, & More, Jill's the boss. But as Amy's maid-of-honor, she can barely keep up with marching orders - and now she's in charge of organizing an epic bachelorette! Adding to Jill's party-planning panic, the South Cove Heritage Society just unceremoniously dumped her historic landmark bid. While vying proposals rush in from a loaded land developer and a pushy travel guide company, Jill finds an unexpected ally in Heritage Society expert, Frank Gleason.

Unlikely Friendships meets Marley and Me. In this heartwarming book, author Rebecca Ascher-Walsh presents a collection of inspiring dog stories - dogs who comfort veterans, dogs who learn to surf, dogs who detect cancer, and dogs who save the day: each one is devoted.

Study after study confirms that career development is the single most powerful tool managers have for driving retention, engagement, productivity, and results. Nevertheless, it’s frequently back-burnered. When asked why, managers say the number-one reason is that they just don’t have time - for the meetings, the forms, the administrative hoops. But there’s a better way.

When up-and-coming singing sensation Shelby Vaughn arrives in town for two weeks of concert dates, she hires her old friend Angie and the rest of the bakery crew to supply cupcakes for the VIP guest lounge every night. After overhearing Shelby in a heated argument with her manager, Mel is concerned, but she and the crew decide to make the best of their time working with the star. Just as the bakers fall into the rhythm of the job, Shelby’s manager is found dead, clutching a bit of fabric from a Santa suit and a cupcake.