Murder On The Rocks

Trading in Texas heat for Maine's tangy salt air, Natalie Barnes risked it all to buy the Gray Whale Inn, a quaint bed and breakfast on Cranberry Island. She adores whipping up buttery muffins and other rich breakfast treats for her guests until Bernard Katz checks in. The overbearing land developer plans to build a resort next door where an endangered colony of black-chinned terns is nesting. Worried about the birds, the inevitable transformation of the sleepy fishing community, and her livelihood, Natalie takes a public stand against the project. But the town board sides with Katz. Just when it seems like things can't get any worse, Natalie finds Katz dead. Now the police and much of the town think she's guilty. Can Natalie track down the true killer before she's hauled off to jail...or becomes the next victim? Murder on the Rocks is an Agatha Award nominee.

Mack's Bar is one of those nice, friendly places where everybody knows your name. That's great when someone's buying you a round - but not so hot when you find yourself at the top of a list of murder suspects with your fingerprints on the bloddy knife!

It's springtime on Cranberry Island—and love is in the air. It seems like every woman has the hots for buff trainer Dirk De Leon. He and his equally-gorgeous business partner, Vanessa Black, are leading a weight-loss retreat at the Gray Whale Inn—forcing innkeeper Natalie Barnes to lighten up her butter-laden breakfast menu. The mood on the island darkens when two grisly discoveries are made. The first is a skeleton walled up at the island's lighthouse. The second is a corpse of the fresh variety—the handsome Dirk! Could the spirit that once embodied the skeletal remains—perhaps the lighthouse keeper who disappeared a century ago—be responsible for Dirk's death? The police pin the blame on Natalie's boyfriend who—to her dismay—had a long-ago fling with Vanessa. To find the true killer and ease her own aching heart, Natalie must untangle the knot of jealous girlfriends and spurned admirers that once surrounded the hunky trainer. Praise: "MacInerney adds a dash of the supernatural, throws in some touristy tidbits and finishes with some tasty diet-right recipes."—Publishers Weekly "All thumbs up for Murder Most Maine, another in the engaging series of Cranberry Island mysteries. Karen MacInerney writes with verve and vitality, and her Natalie Barnes is a Maine original. I'm ready to book a room at the Gray Whale Inn!"—Susan Wittig Albert, bestselling author of Nightshade and other China Bayles Herbal Mysteries

New York City, 2004. Shortly after New York City rocker Tommy Peterson of The Winding Roads accepts an award at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame gala at The Waldorf-Astoria, the guitar legend is found brutally murdered the next day inside his recording studio apartment in the West Village. Nothing is taken but the way in which Peterson was murdered raises questions as to what the killer's motives were. Veteran rock journalist Tony Russo is devastated after hearing the tragic news of his friend of thirty years. But after NYPD detective and rock fan Caitlin O'Connell discovers Russo was Peterson's 'ghost writer' for his autobiography, O'Connell asks the experienced rock and roll expert to help the police with their case. With rock music and an endless list of suspects as their common bonds, the unlikely duo team up in The City That Never Sleeps to find out who murdered this American rock and roll legend and bring his killer to justice.

In this delicious follow-up to Murder on the Rocks, developers have returned to Cranberry Island. This time, they're planning to wipe out a natural cranberry bog, along with the island's namesake berries, to build a luxury subdivision. Natalie Barnes isn't sweet on the idea of commercial interests souring their cozy oasis, but the single innkeeper has other problems on her plate: a withering relationship with her best friend Charlene, the sudden appearance of her ex-fiancé with a tempting proposal, and eerie bumps in the night suggesting the Gray Whale Inn is haunted. Worst of all, there's a killer on the loose, picking off people like ripe fruit. When Charlene's lover—the handsome chaplain with a stake in the development— is stabbed to death, Natalie promises to find the murderer for her griefstricken friend, who's also the number-one suspect. Praise: "A delicious sequel to Murder on the Rocks . A developer wants to destroy a cranberry bog on the island but that's not the only problem as a murderer strikes and Natalie's best friend becomes the prime suspect."—Mystery Scene "A truly smart and gripping cozy mystery."—OnceUponARomance.net "Deliciously clever plot. Juicy characters. Karen MacInerney has cooked up a winning recipe for murder. Don't miss this mystery!"—Maggie Sefton, author of Knit One, Kill Two; Needled to Death; and A Deadly Yarn

A Nic & Nigel MysteryIn New York to attend a cousin's birthday gala, Nic and Nigel Martini look forward to cocktails with old friends and a pampered stay at the Ritz. Then the birthday girl's gold-digging husband goes missing, and Nigel's condescending aunt begs former detective Nic to find sleazy Leo, despite the fact that it would be better for everyone if he just stayed lost. Now, assisted by Nigel and their Bullmastiff, Nic must hunt down the dirtiest Martini.

Maggie Stewart and her childhood friend, Hannah Graham, from the upstate town of Rosemont, want to start their own design firm on Seaward Island. They are about to land their first client when Maggie finds the carpenter who is building her porch floating face down at the Palmetto Bluff Marina. He has been stabbed and tied to the pier. Maggie wants to concentrate on her fledging business and her new life on the island, but a killer has other plans to rock her boat.