Top Notch A Mia Murphy Mystery

Top Notch is the unpredictably fun and assassin-worthy whodunit starring the endearing and scrappy Mia Murphy and her purloined cat, back in action after the surprise bestseller Double Twist thrust them into the spotlight. No one liked celebrity portrait artist and sexy-times rich recluse Rutherford Callahan, but who would want to kill him? Certainly not Hattie Lawless, the blue-haired senior whose massive nude portrait is currently hanging in the dead guy's studio… But the cops disagree, and so does the evidence. Mia isn't about to let her new bestie spend her golden years behind bars, so once again, she must break her law-abiding promise to herself and get back in the game, dusting off long-buried skills from her criminal childhood. With bodies piling up and threats coming from all directions, Mia and her pals are soon ankle-deep in corpses, diamonds, pickpocketing schemes, celebrity wedding drama, and stolen cinnamon bun recipes. And when it looks like an enemy from Mia's past has targeted her, the stakes suddenly become much more personal. Not even her smoldering FBI handler or an irritatingly attractive bodyguard cop can keep Mia safe if she doesn't play by the rules. And since Mia and rules don't go together…well…things are about to get dangerous. And deadly. And cinnamon-bun delicious. "Mia Murphy is my new favorite character! She is fun, witty and slightly cracked." Five-star Goodreads Review (April M.) "Mia Murphy is reminiscent of Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich’s own book series. Gutsy, clumsy, and yet likable." Five-star Goodreads Review (OnceUponAMaggie) "THIS IS THE COZY SERIES TO READ AND FOLLOW!" Five-star Goodreads Review (LittleRead) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Rowe is the author of more than fifty novels. Notably, she is a Vivian® Award nominee, and a RITA® Award winner and a five-time nominee. She loves her puppies, tennis, and being as as sassy and irreverent as her heroines. She's pretty sure dead bodies are better in fiction than real life, but hey, never say never, right?

In this new mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Rowe, the irreverent, underappreciated, and alarmingly talented Mia Murphy risks it all to do the right thing…even if it means doing the wrong thing. A high-octane, feel-good romp starring women you'll wish were your best friends, an inconveniently attractive cop, a posse of gray-haired quilters with a fondness for margaritas, and an eccentric town with more secrets than Mia's con artist mom. "An enjoyable and suspenseful whodunit with a smart, captivating hero." ~Kirkus Reviews All Mia Murphy wants is an ordinary, law-abiding life. Accidentally marrying a drug kingpin? Easily fixed with an anonymous tip to the FBI…which resulted in a not-so-voluntary, surprisingly stressful stint as an undercover spy against him. But with her ex finally in prison and assassins in her rearview mirror, Mia is off to Diamond Lake in Bass Derby, Maine with King Tut, her rescue (aka purloined) cat, to start over. Upon arrival, Mia quickly finds a couple of soulmates in a blue-haired "I'll show you what old is" café owner and a baton-twirling mail carrier. Life is headed in the right direction...until the trio stumbles across a dead body during a slightly illegal but well-intentioned home invasion. When one of her new besties is arrested for the murder, Mia is the only one with the skills to ferret out the real killer…but she can't afford to resurrect her morally flexible past. Can Mia keep her life on the straight and narrow with so much at stake? Or will a homicidal, jet-skiing moose, a dead Mr. January firefighter, and an overzealous mayor take them all down? Mia has to step up, or she'll lose her chance for the life she's always wanted and the friends she's never had. Even worse, she might wind up dead… "A laugh-out-loud, nail-biting, page-turning read." ~Riding Reviewer "Double Twist is a delightfully witty, fast paced whodunit with incredibly likeable characters whose hair-raising schemes trying to solve a murder to prove their friend innocent are priceless." Lisa's Cubby, Five Stars "OMG, I love Mia Murphy…What a fun-loving, non-stop, action-packed whodunit that I could not put down." ~ Dru's Book Musings "The book is so funny (I mean SO funny!)…the twists and turns they get into, there's no predicting it! I loved the story." ~Five-star Goodreads review (Maureen W) "This is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time…I loved this book so much that I want to read the next in the series right now. Kudos to the author. Highly recommended." ~Joanna's Books Blog (Five Stars) "Strong early Stephanie Plum vibes, and that is certainly a compliment…I will absolutely keep reading this delightful series." Five-star Goodreads Review (Karen H.) "I want King Tut…because who doesn’t want a guard cat that looks like a bobcat? I love it and can’t wait for the second entry to hit. THIS IS THE COZY SERIES TO READ AND FOLLOW!" Five-star Goodreads Review (LittleRead) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Rowe is the author of more than fifty published novels. This is her first mystery, but it won't be her last (because it's just so freaking FUN to write!). Notably, she is a Vivian® Award nominee, a RITA® Award winner and five-time nominee, and Golden Heart® Award winner and two-time nominee. She loves her puppies, tennis, and being as sassy and irreverent as her heroines. She's pretty sure dead bodies are better in fiction than real life, but hey, never say never, right? For more info of Steph and her books, head on over to www.stephanierowe.com.

Top Notch is the unpredictably fun and assassin-worthy whodunit starring the endearing and scrappy Mia Murphy and her purloined cat, back in action after the surprise bestseller Double Twist thrust them into the spotlight.No one liked celebrity portrait artist and sexy-times rich recluse Rutherford Callahan, but who would want to kill him? Certainly not Hattie Lawless, the blue-haired senior whose massive nude portrait is currently hanging in the dead guy's studio?But the cops disagree, and so does the evidence.Mia isn't about to let her new bestie spend her golden years behind bars, so once again, she must break her law-abiding promise to herself and get back in the game, dusting off long-buried skills from her criminal childhood.With bodies piling up and threats coming from all directions, Mia and her pals are soon ankle-deep in corpses, diamonds, pickpocketing schemes, celebrity wedding drama, and stolen cinnamon bun recipes.And when it looks like an enemy from Mia's past has targeted her, the stakes suddenly become much more personal. Not even her smoldering FBI handler or an irritatingly attractive bodyguard cop can keep Mia safe if she doesn't play by the rules.And since Mia and rules don't go together?well?things are about to get dangerous. And deadly. And cinnamon-bun delicious."Mia Murphy is my new favorite character! She is fun, witty and slightly cracked." Five-star Goodreads Review (April M.)"Mia Murphy is reminiscent of Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich's own book series. Gutsy, clumsy, and yet likable." Five-star Goodreads Review (OnceUponAMaggie)"THIS IS THE COZY SERIES TO READ AND FOLLOW!" Five-star Goodreads Review (LittleRead)

Mia Murphy is about to face her biggest challenge yet when the famous Bass Derby Strawberry Shortcake Bake-Off turns deadly. Who kills over champion shortcake? Mia and her gang of sassy gals need to figure it out before one of their own goes missing forever… Local beauty queen Dee Dutch left plenty of carnage behind when she slunk away from Bass Derby years ago, so when she suddenly shows up in town to compete in this year's bake-off, rumors start flying. And when she winds up dead in the kitchen of one of Mia's friends, many folks are delighted…especially when Mia's friend is the only suspect. The competition must go on…but who stands to benefit the most from Dee's demise? Mia, Hattie, Lucy, and their oversized feline sidekick must unravel years of small-town gossip, secrets, and biscuits to find out the truth…even if it means crossing lines that Mia has sworn never to cross again. Even if it means risking her reputation…and her life. "OMG, I love Mia Murphy…What a fun-loving, non-stop, action-packed whodunit that I could not put down." ~ Dru's Book Musings "Mia Murphy is my new favorite character! She is fun, witty and slightly cracked." Five-star Goodreads Review (April M.) "Mia Murphy is reminiscent of Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich’s own book series. Gutsy, clumsy, and yet likable." Goodreads Reviewer (OnceUponAMaggie) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Rowe is the author of more than fifty novels. Notably, she is a Vivian® Award nominee, and a RITA® Award winner and a five-time nominee. When she's not hanging out with imaginary characters, she loves to hang with her dogs, play tennis, and bask in all the joy she can find in this life we have.

When a struggling mystery writer's accidental house swap sends her to the ranch of a sexy bull rider with a murderer on his tail, the sassy city girl finds herself in the middle of a high stakes romantic murder mystery where it's her own life and heart at risk. Bull riding is all Wyatt Parker has of the father who betrayed him, so when it's stripped from him by an attempted murder, Wyatt will stop at nothing to clear his name and reclaim the only thing that matters to him. But when a charming widow ruins his plans, he has to decide if he has been wrong all along about what really matters. Mystery writer Noelle Wilder wants only one thing: to recover her equilibrium and find the creative spark inside her that died the day her life fell apart. The last thing she wants or needs is to get involved with a man, but when a rugged cowboy saves her from an Oregon flash flood, she discovers that her heart needs more healing than she realized. Sparks fly when city girl meets rugged cowboy, but it takes a murder to make them both realize what they really want, and what they're willing to risk to get it. AUTHOR BIO: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Rowe is the author of more than fifty novels. She's a 2018 winner and a five-time for the RITA® award, the highest award in romance fiction.

In New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Rowe's new shifter series, an ice-cold billionaire assassin must save the woman he was assigned to kill. Driven by the need to avenge his family's murder, billionaire Slade Cross has become a deadly assassin who kills with his kiss. He lives in the shadows and trusts no one…until a hit gone wrong thrusts him into a role he can't afford: to protect instead of kill. Desperate for help saving her kidnapped sister, Anya Diaz refuses to allow her personal assassin-turned-guardian to retreat behind his cold mask. Her irreverent determination drags Slade out of his self-imposed isolation, forcing him to engage. Raw, explosive passion ignites between the two guarded souls as they race to save those they love, but a brilliant and ruthless enemy is closing fast, determined to finish what he began so long ago. AUTHOR BIO: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Rowe is the author of more than fifty novels. She's a 2018 winner and a five-time for the RITA® award, the highest award in romance fiction.

She's back in town with no time for the rebel who stole her heart long ago…but now he's playing for keeps. Fifteen years ago, Dash Stratton married the spunky girl next door to protect her, a secret they've both kept for a decade and a half. Now, she's back for the first time since that day, and she needs a divorce. Can Dash convince her that the man of her dreams is the one she's been hiding all this time? He has thirty days to change her mind, or lose her forever. When Leila Kerrigan inherits a sprawling lake house, the last thing she wants is to return to her hometown to sort out the will. But when she arrives and learns she must live in the house for thirty days before selling it, she realizes it's a chance to recover from the freefall her life is in. But all hopes of a quiet, restorative hideaway are ruined when Leila discovers that her co-heir and roommate for the next month is the town bad boy she married fifteen years ago…and hasn't seen since. Dash is tall, muscled, moody, and ridiculously attractive. A virtual stranger…who is much too tempting for a woman who has no heart left to share. Leila has thirty days to sell the house, persuade Dash to set her free, and heal secrets she has held for too long. But the accidental single dad has secrets of his own…and he's not willing to lose Lexi a second time.

"I wanted to luxuriate in this book forever as it strengthened my spirit and made my heart ecstatically happy.” ~Five-star Goodreads Review (BookAddict) Caleb Stockton has been missing for more than ten years. No one knows why he left. His brothers have no idea if he's even alive. After a decade of silence, Caleb's about to come home to the ranch, the family, and the town he walked away from so long ago. But his homecoming isn't going to be what anyone expects. Not his brothers. Not him. And definitely not Jenna Ward, a sassy single mom who long ago gave up on love. When danger follows Caleb, endangering Jenna and her daughter, he must choose between the secret life he's been living for so long...and the chance he suddenly has for everything he's ever wanted. “Wow, exciting, action-packed, and filled with love. Absolutely loved it.” ~Five-star Goodreads Review (Liz V.) “It is a masterpiece cleverly disguised as a simple cowboy romance.” ~Five-star Goodreads Review (Tammy M.) “Insta-attraction, forced proximity, babies, abandoned dogs, mystery and danger all wrapped up in one amazing package.” ~Five-star Goodreads Review (Nikki B.) “This author captured the essence of all the entire family and provided the perfect closure that has emotionally captured a piece of my heart.” ~Five-star Goodreads Review (Becky B.) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Rowe is "contemporary romance at its best" (Bex 'N' Books). The author of more than fifty novels, Stephanie is a 2021 Vivian® Award nominee, and RITA® Award winner and a five-time nominee. Stephanie has been touching readers' hearts and keeping them spellbound for more than a decade with her contemporary romances, romantic suspense, and paranormal romances.