Dying On Edisto

One death. Two detectives. And unexpected backup. A Callie Morgan and Carolina Slade crossover! (A standalone mystery) When a renowned--and now dead--travel blogger washes ashore on the banks of Indigo Plantation, Police Chief Callie Morgan of Edisto Beach agrees to head the investigation as a favor to the county sheriff, whose reasons are as questionable as the death itself. When death turns to murder and a watchdog from the county makes her investigation difficult, Callie reluctantly turns to Carolina Slade and Wayne Largo, vacationing agents with the Department of Agriculture. Because poison is growing on this plantation, and someone knows how to use it well. "Page-turning...[and] edge-of-your-seat action...crisp writing and compelling storytelling. This is one you don't want to miss!" --Carolyn Haines, USA Today bestselling author "Her beloved protagonist, Callie, continues to delight readers as a strong, savvy, and a wee-bit-snarky police chief."--Julie Cantrell, NY Times and USA Today bestselling author C. HOPE CLARK has a fascination with the mystery genre and is author of the Carolina Slade Mystery Series as well as the Edisto Island Mysteries, both set in her home state of South Carolina. In her previous federal life, she performed administrative investigations and married the agent she met on a bribery investigation. She enjoys nothing more than editing her books on the back porch with him, overlooking the lake, with bourbons in hand. She can be found either on the banks of Lake Murray or Edisto Beach with one or two dachshunds in her lap. Hope is also editor of the award-winning FundsforWriters.com.

In the blink of an eye... Quinn Sterling—part-time investigator and owner of Sterling Farms—expected the day to go well. Expected all of Craven County to put in an appearance at the much-anticipated, annual Fourth of July celebration on the farm grounds. Expected the temperature would hit hot-enough-to-peel-the-paint-off-a-pickup-truck. What she did not expect was the appearance of a long-lost uncle and new cousin. And she certainly never expected the county sheriff to seriously question her childhood friend, deputy Ty Jackson, as a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife Natalie in the next county over. When Ty is carted off mid-celebration by his boss and in front of his eight-year-old son Cole, Quinn realizes that she may be the only one willing to believe in his innocence regardless of damning evidence to the contrary. With the murder out of her county, Quinn has no contacts to lean on. She has no standing in the investigation. What she can do is make sure Ty has the best defense attorney in the state while she finds a way to prove what her heart knows. Even if that means crossing every line she's ever drawn for herself in pursuit of the real killer. Praise for C. Hope Clark: "Plot twists with grit, and a little fried okra on the side. Truly an excep¬tional mystery writer."—Cindy Ervin Huff, BookBub Reviews on The Craven County Mysteries "Badge of Edisto further establishes Clark's well-earned reputation as a master of the mystery genre."—Jonathan Haupt, coeditor, Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy Hope Clark's books have been honored as winners of the Epic Award, Silver Falcion Award, the Imaginarium Award, and the Daphne du Maurier Award. "The ending is explosive and wild. More great Lowcountry crime fiction from Clark."—C. Brad Cox, Amazon Vine Voice Reviewer on Badge Of Edisto About the author: C. HOPE CLARK is author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, and The Craven County Mysteries as well as The Edisto Island Mysteries, all set in her home state of South Carolina. In her previous federal life, she performed administrative investigations and married the agent she met on a bribery investigation. She enjoys nothing more than editing her books on the back porch with him, overlooking the lake, with bourbons in hand. She can be found either on the banks of Lake Murray or Edisto Beach with one or two dachshunds in her lap.

A missing woman. An unidentified body. Summer is just getting started... Police Chief Callie Jean Morgan's hope for a day of nothing but traffic tickets is shattered when one of five women who regularly vacation together on Edisto Island is reported missing. Hours later, a body washes up on the sand—but not the body of the missing young lady. Unable to identify the dead woman, leaving her with a possible murder on her hands, Callie worries the clock might be ticking down to yet another tragedy. She has no choice but to dig into the secrets of the women's group, who now seem unconcerned about their missing member. Tracking down information on the ladies is like chasing air. Even the older residents of Edisto are unwilling to talk about the well-established, yet evasive group known as "The Summer Ladies." Edisto is heating up, and so is Callie Jean Morgan. Praise for the Edisto Island Mysteries: "Another page turner."—Brenda Burke, Amazon Vine Reviewer on Edisto Bullet "A great series."—Lynn Simmons, bookseller, Books-A-Million Hope Clark’s books have been honored as winners of the Epic Award, Silver Falcion Award, the Imaginarium Award, and the Daphne du Maurier Award. About the Author:C. HOPE CLARK has a fascination with the mystery genre and is author of the Carolina Slade Mystery Series, and the Craven County Mysteries as well as the Edisto Island Mysteries, all set in her home state of South Carolina. In her previous federal life, she performed administrative investigations and married the agent she met on a bribery investigation. She enjoys nothing more than editing her books on the back porch with him, overlooking the lake, with bourbon in hand. She can be found either on the banks of Lake Murray or Edisto Beach with one or two dachshunds in her lap. Hope is also editor of the award-winning FundsforWriters.

A big city detective. A lowcountry murder. Peace, safety, a place to grieve and heal. After her husband is murdered by the Russian mob, Boston detective Callie Jean Morgan comes home to her family's cottage in South Carolina. There, she can keep their teenage son, Jeb, away from further threats. But the day they arrive in Edisto Beach, Callie finds her childhood mentor and elderly neighbor murdered. Taunted by the killer, who repeatedly violates her home and threatens others in the community, Callie finds her new sanctuary has become her old nightmare. Despite warnings from the town's handsome police chief, Callie plunges back into detective work, pursuing a sinister stranger who may have ties to her past. He's turning a quiet paradise into a paranoid patch of sand where nobody's safe. She'll do whatever it takes to stop him.

Hope Clark's books have been honored as winners of the Epic Award, Silver Falchion Award, the Daphne du Maurier Award, and the Imadjinn Award for mystery "Never short of rich characters and timely twists, this new series will keep the pages turning." —Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Perennials "Murder, corruption, and page-turning intrigue… characters that bring a vivid literary element… and create a strong emotional response to their tangled lives." —Susan Cushman, author of Cherry Bomb and editor of Southern Writers on Writing Quinn Sterling's father was murdered, and the Craven County sheriff—her uncle—botched the investigation. Now too many troubling questions remain for Quinn to walk away. Instead, she leaves her career at the FBI to take on her inheritance—a 3,000-acre pecan dynasty in the South Carolina Lowcountry. As the only heir she assumes the reins of the family business—while keeping an eye on her father's cold case, and her toe in the old game as a private investigator. With her two childhood friends, one now a caretaker of Sterling Banks, and the other a deputy sheriff, she managed to hold everything together until a blind client and a mentor from her early days pull her into a case that will jeopardize her friends, her farm, and her legacy, not to mention her life when her past meets her present. Author Bio: C. HOPE CLARK has a fascination with the mystery genre and is author of the Carolina Slade Mystery Series, the Edisto Island Mysteries, and now the Craven County Mysteries, all of which are set in the Lowcountry and her home state of South Carolina. In her previous federal life, she performed administrative investigations and married the agent she met on a bribery investigation. She enjoys nothing more than editing her books on the back porch with him, overlooking the lake, with bourbons in hand. She can be found either on the banks of Lake Murray or Edisto Beach with one or two dachshunds in her lap. Hope is also editor of the award-winning FundsforWriters.com.

"A phenomenal read."--Sharon Sala, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Is it a flesh and blood killer--or restless spirits? According to Sophie the psychic, beautiful Edisto Beach becomes a hotbed of troublemaking spirits every August. But when a visitor dies mysteriously during a beach house party, former big-city detective Callie Morgan and Edisto Beach police chief Mike Seabrook hunt for motives and suspects among the living. With tourists filling the beaches and local business owners anxious to squelch rumors of a murderer on the loose, Callie will need all the help she can get--especially once the killer's attention turns toward her. Edisto Jinx is a phenomenal read from beginning to end. The psychological twists are as intriguing as the vivid imagery of Ms. Clark's writing. From characters with just the right amount of flaws to make them realistic, to the eerie peek into a madman's mind, it is a gem of a story I didn't want to end.--Sharon Sala, author of Cold Hearts, book two of the Secrets and Lies trilogy. August 2015 from Mira Books Edisto Jinx has everything you want in a good island read: sand, food, drinks, people you care about, beautiful sunsets, secrets, murder, and page-turning suspense. C. Hope Clark took me to one of the most unspoiled South Carolina islands and gave me plenty of reasons to want to stay with Callie Morgan and a richly drawn cast of beach-town regulars. Pull up a beach chair, dip your toes in the gentle waves, and enjoy!--Cathy Pickens, author of the Southern Fried mysteries and Charleston Mysteries: Ghostly Haunts in the Holy City C. Hope Clark is the award-winning author of the Carolina Slade Mysteries and now the Edisto Island Mysteries. During her career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, she met and married a federal agent--now a private investigator. Together they plot murder mysteries at their lakeside home in South Carolina. Visit Hope at chopeclark.com.

Warren was aroused back to reality from his slightly inebriated state lying on the beach to a gruesome sight. The single right arm nestled in the water-soaked reeds brought him back to sober real quick. There was no need for DNA testing to determine who it belonged to. The big Citadel ring and the missing top half of the middle finger were enough to identify the lower part of Cecil LaRoche's right arm. He always used that finger with the missing part to express his discontent with his fellow Edistonians. Blame the missing digit on a Copperhead snake that got him when he was stealing lumber from a construction site on Bailey Island in his younger days. But where was the rest of him? Cecil LaRoache did have some removable parts, most of his top teeth and his left eye. On occasion, he would take out his glass eye and hand to his son and say to the boy, "Go give this to your Mom and tell her I'm looking for her." But there was no glass eye, false teeth or any more of him to be seen this late afternoon. On a small, sleepy little Sea Island 45 miles South of Charleston South Carolina, a mystery unfolds that opens the door to one more strange occurrence. The little village of Edisto and the residents were known to hide its secrets well. In this book some parts are fiction and some are real and unimaginable!

The Civil War hit Edisto Island hard. Between the mandated evacuation, Union occupation and the eventual emancipation of the slaves, the cotton plantation economy that had sustained the island fell to ruin. But this phoenix was to rise from the ashes of war to become one of the premier destinations for fun and sun on the South Carolina coast. Charles Spencer, in his second volume of Edisto history, recounts the events of the Civil War, the struggles of Reconstruction, the effects of the new freedman class and the island’s rebirth as a favorite vacation spot and modern community in the twentieth century. Each chapter offers an enjoyable excursion into the past and a detailed look at the remarkable history of Edisto.