Mystery

Fatal Fiction

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Snug Harbor Mysteries #4
June 30, 2024, Gray Whale Press

Old bones and a twisty new mystery make for a delicious pageturner from USA TODAY bestelling cozy author Karen MacInerney!

The air at Seaside Cottage Books is tinged with autumn, and bookseller Max Sayers is helping her friend Denise Wilmington start a new chapter by turning the abandoned shop next door into a cozy coffee house. But when the two women dig up a decades-old rhododendron by the front walk, they uncover a grisly secret entwined with the bush’s roots: a woman’s skeleton, buried with a gold ring.

But Max doesn’t have time to dig up dirt on old bones. The next day, a famous Maine author’s bequest to the Snug Harbor library vanishes within hours of arriving. Then Max’s assistant Bethany and her boyfriend Devin discover the head librarian—and Devin’s new boss–strangled with a phone cord behind the circulation desk.

Suspicion quickly darkens the crisp fall air. Was Bethany’s boyfriend, who had no love lost for his new boss, behind the library director’s untimely death? Or is a darker, older plot hidden in Snug Harbor’s leafy streets? When a curious Max finds herself the subject of the next attack, the plot arc becomes terrifyingly clear. It’s up to Max to find the villain, and fast… or her next chapter may be her last.

Reel Trouble

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Gray Whale Inn Mysteries #11
September 30, 2024, Gray Whale Press

Sea breezes, Hollywood starlets, and secrets at the Gray Whale Inn…

Innkeeper Natalie Barnes has her hands full helping her niece Gwen adjust to her new baby girl–and managing the arrival of her opinionated sister Bridget–when a star-studded film crew descends on the Gray Whale Inn to film a historical murder mystery. Between her troublesome sister and an inn full of demanding guests, Natalie feels like she’s barely treading water. Then she finds a nosy crewmember floating belly-up behind the inn, and Natalie realizes that the film’s fictional murder plot isn’t the only one afoot.

The next day, a cast member crumples to her knees on set. The culprit? Poison. Now, the heat is on as news reporters and nosy islanders start speculating about the murderer… and the inn itself. Will Natalie manage to crack the case before she–and the Gray Whale Inn–both wind up dead in the water?

Inked Out

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Snug Harbor Book 2
February 2021, Gray Whale Press

When fledgling bookseller Max Sayers agrees to host Snug Harbor, Maine’s new mystery writers’ group, she envisions filling Seaside Cottage Books with literary conversation, warm, fresh-baked cookies, and a community to support her assistant Bethany’s mystery writing dream. But the group has barely begun its second meeting when local author Reginald Blakely accuses young Bethany of plagiarizing his novel.

The next morning, Reginald turns up dead in the bookstore, a letter opener plunged into his chest and the store’s antique inkwell smashed. When police learn that Reginald threatened Bethany just the night before, Max’s beloved assistant rockets to the top of the suspect list.

As Max struggles to clear Bethany’s name, she discovers that some old roots in Snug Harbor run deeper–and are more twisted–than she ever dreamed possible. And the murder in the bookstore is eerily similar to an unsolved murder that happened almost 100 years ago.

Can Max clear her assistant’s name in time? Or will she–and Seaside Cottage Books–be the killer’s next victim?

A Killer Ending

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Snug Harbor Book 1
June 2020, Gray Whale Press

Books, beach roses… and bodies.

Bookseller and recent divorcée Max Sayers has risked her life savings to start a fresh chapter with the purchase of Seaside Cottage Books in cozy Snug Harbor, Maine. But she’s barely opened the shop’s doors when her new storybook life takes a dark turn. The morning after the grand opening–featuring a famous author who shows up at the store on the arm of Max’s ex-husband–Max’s rescue dog Winston finds a dead man on the beach behind the shop. The murder weapon? One of the bookstore’s doorstops, an antique flatiron.

Will Max solve the case before the murderer strikes again?

Or will her bright new beginning turn into a killer of an ending?

“Loved the book!” — Vicki H.

“This is a great book! Max is someone I want to get to know better. She’s on her way forward and she has an interesting cast of characters to travel with her. And I love Snug Harbor, Maine!” — Karen E.

“I really loved this story and am definitely looking forward to the next!!” — Federica D.

“I love the book… I feel like I know Max already and I’m really rooting for her.  And I love that it’s in Maine… it’s a little mental vacation there reading!” — Tyna D.

Anchored Inn

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Gray Whale Inn Mysteries #10
March 2020, Gray Whale Press

Tea, scones, and old bones…

It may be autumn on Cranberry Island, Maine, but things are heating up for innkeeper Natalie Barnes—and not just because of the cranberry scones in the oven. When a research team discovers the remains of a long-missing German U-Boat just offshore, the Gray Whale Inn becomes the center of operations for the eccentric multimillionaire funding the team. But the excitement over the discovery is soon dampened when something else turns up next to the long-lost sunken vessel: the body of a young woman who went missing twenty years ago, tied to an antique anchor that vanished at the same time. Soon, a second, more recent body, that of a local handyman, turns up next to the inn, a knife from friend and island selectman Tom Lockhart’s kitchen in his back.

Natalie is dismayed to learn that several people close to her—including her husband, John, best friend, Charlene, and Tom himself—were connected with the missing girl, and may now be suspects in her long-ago disappearance. When Charlene’s young niece Tania disappears without a trace, Natalie fears that history is about to repeat itself.

Can she find the culprit—and the missing young woman—before tragedy strikes Cranberry island again?

Wicked Harvest

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Dewberry Farm Mysteries #6
September 2019, Gray Whale Press

It’s Oktoberfest in Buttercup, Texas, and homesteader Lucy Resnick is taking a break from her chores to enjoy a day of bratwurst, craft beer, and German gingerbread at Sweetwater Brewery. But the day takes a bitter turn when one of the brewery owners turns up dead, crushed by a giant sack of barley.

It doesn’t take long for Sheriff Rooster (not the sharpest tool in the garden shed) to finger the victim’s brother and co-owner, Simon Gustafson. But former investigative reporter Lucy senses that the blighted plants in her pumpkin patch aren’t the only things rotten in Buttercup. Will she find the killer in time?

Or will she be next in line for canning?

Scone Cold Dead

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Gray Whale Inn Mysteries #9
June 2019, Gray Whale Press

Innkeeper Natalie Barnes is living her dream life, creating scrumptious scone recipes and relishing cool summer days on quaint Cranberry Island, Maine… until she stumbles across a dead body tucked under the blueberry bushes.

Could the killer be one of her artsy out-of-town guests?

Or will the murderer turn out to be uncomfortably close to home?

Click here to read Chapter One!

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Iced Inn

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Gray Whale Inn Mysteries 8.5 (Short Story)
December 2018, Gray Whale Press

It’s Christmastime at the Gray Whale Inn.

The inn’s kitchen smells like ginger and spice, the ground is frosted with snow, and wedding bells are about to ring out for innkeeper Natalie’s favorite niece, Gwen. It’s a joyous time… until the families of the bride and groom descend on the island, bringing nasty tempers and a wicked winter storm with them. Add a baffling rash of thefts, a dash of romantic intrigue, and an unexpected power shutdown, and Natalie’s plans for a magical season are looking more like a recipe for disaster. Can Natalie find the missing gifts before the big holiday? And will the happy couple make it to the altar… or will the wedding go up in flames?

Praise for Iced Inn, a Gray Whale Inn Short Story…

“Well this was a wonderful Christmas surprise. I had forgotten that I had ordered this short story in the Gray Whale Mystery series and it arrived in my Kindle today. Perfect timing!! I just finished it and loved it as I do all the stories in this charming series that takes place on Cranberry Island.” — Amazon Reviewer 

“I love the Gray Whale Inn and had been missing all the characters and the inn itself! I love this series! Karen’s stories are some of my favorites. The descriptive scenery, the food references, the characters that I love, all contribute to the great story! Can’t wait for the next!” — Amazon Reviewer

Two holiday treats!

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It’s the holiday season, and I’ve got two Christmas treats for you! (Calorie-free, even.  As long as you don’t make the recipes, that is.)  Mistletoe Murder, a Dewberry Farm Christmas mystery, is only ninety-nine cents in the US market only through the end of Tuesday, December 4… grab it while you can!

And if you’re in the mood for a little Maine Christmas cheer (and a wedding!), Iced Inn, a Gray Whale Inn Christmas story, is available for pre-order and will be out December 17, just in time for a little holiday reading (and baking… there’s a scrumptious gingerbread recipe as well as one for hot chocolate at the end).

Thank you so much to everyone who follows me on Facebook for helping me choose a cover… I love what we picked!

In other news, Deadly Brew is now out on audiobook, with Mistletoe Murder on its way soon.  For 2019, I’m currently working on two new Dewberry Farm mysteries, a new Gray Whale Inn mystery, the first book in a new series… watch this space! (What would you like to see happen at the Gray Whale Inn? The suggestion box is open!)

On the home front, Child #1 is finishing up exams and will be home soon, and Child #2 is busy starting the college admissions process.  Please send chocolate.  And coffee. 🙂

I won’t keep you long—I’ve got to put the finishing touches on Iced Inn—but I wanted to send you all a few holiday treats and wish you a wonderful, festive season.  And before I go, here’s one last treat… a recipe for Peppermint Christmas Fudge to enjoy this holiday season.  It’s quick, easy, and delicious.  I hope you enjoy it!

As always, please feel free to join me on Facebook to help me pick future covers, chat, and find out what’s going on in the writing world chez MacInerney.  And to get updates about new releases, “follow” me on Bookbub.  Hope you’re enjoying the holiday season… and I’ll be in touch soon!

XOXOXO
Karen

Claws for Alarm

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Gray Whale Inn Mysteries #8
May 2018, Gray Whale Press
ISBN: 978-0425270219

It’s summer on Cranberry Island, and murder is in the air!

Get ready for another cozy visit with Natalie Barnes and the gang at the Gray Whale Inn.  There’s a brouhaha about the local lighthouse again, marauding goats, a troublesome yoga retreat, romantic entanglements galore… and, of course murder.