Something Prowling in Paradise Park is out now!
Former international war correspondent Kate Tessler never imagined she’d become an amateur sleuth, much less be pursuing her PI license with her sister. But now that she’s home in Arizona, she can’t resist employing her investigative skills to untangle the next small-town mystery with an unusual cast of friends.
This time, her senior pals introduce her to the Standishes, snowbirds who came home early only to find strangers living in their house—with forged lease papers and a lot to hide. With legal eviction requiring months and money, Kate and her found family start digging into the squatters’ pasts to find any dirt they can use.
Meanwhile, her boyfriend’s teenage sons bring her a case of their own: a rash of dog thefts sweeping the neighborhood. Then a late-night stakeout ends in a shocking discovery—a dead body. Was it a freak accident… or a murder?
Filled with twists, humor, and heart, Something Prowling in Paradise Park delivers the perfect blend of cozy mystery, female sleuth suspense, and found-family crime solving. Fans of J.A. Jance, Elly Griffiths, and Ann Cleeves will love this page-turner set against Arizona’s sunbaked secrets.
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In The Accidental Detective humorous mystery series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. These quirky, cozy mysteries with a women sleuth are perfect for fans of suspenseful whodunit murder mysteries with high stakes and humor. Book 1 has a 4.2-star rating on Goodreads with over 600 ratings.
Readers say: “This is a terrific series and I enjoy both the mystery storyline as well as the characters and their interactions.”
“I always enjoy reading about Kate and her team of family and friends who work together to solve crimes. They might not always play by the rules, but they can solve the crimes just as good as the police.”
“What's terrific is the cast of really nice people, the sense of home and community.”
Quick Excerpt:
We reached a large park that had athletic fields and a big playground. Ramadas provided shade for dozens of picnic tables. We headed toward the dog park, a section surrounded by a waist-high fence, with at least a dozen dogs and people inside.
People clustered in the parking lot beside the dog park, a few with dogs on leashes. We joined the crowd, which centered around a male police officer in a dark uniform and a woman in a khaki animal control uniform. They were talking to a woman in her thirties with black hair and olive skin.
Todd lifted a hand to attract attention.
The animal control officer gestured us forward and interrupted the conversation. “One moment. Mayor Paradise, this is Denise Underwood, whose dog was stolen, and Officer Newman.”
Denise Underwood gave a huff like a surprised laugh. “The mayor is interested in the theft of my dog?”
“We’ve been looking into an uptick in dog thefts,” Todd said. “I’m very sorry yours was one of them, but I’m glad we can talk to you right away.”
The boys stayed a few feet back with Whiskers while Todd shook hands and introduced me. The animal control officer was Henrietta, “Call me Hen.” That was almost comical for an animal control officer, but I’d remember her name.
“I was just getting a description of the suspects,” Officer Newman said. “Maybe you should start at the beginning for the mayor.”
“I was training my French bulldog, Frito Pie.”
“Light brown with a dark muzzle and white chest,” Newman added.
“When I came back to my car, two men got out of a car parked right there.” Ms. Underwood pointed to a now-empty spot. “One of them had a gun and said, We’re taking your dog. I said, No! and scooped up Frito Pie. He said, There isn’t going to be any trouble. Give us the dog and no one gets hurt.”
She paused, her breath rasping in and out.
Todd gave her a sympathetic look. “That sounds very scary.”
She nodded. “He took the dog out of my arms. I just stood there frozen and let them take my baby!”
“You did exactly what you should’ve done,” Newman said. “What did the men look like?”
“The one with the gun had black hair and tan skin. He was about thirty. Taller than me but not too much, maybe five foot seven inches. He had tattoos up both arms—full sleeves. Very colorful so it was hard to pick out specific images, but I saw something that looked like an octopus, or maybe a spider—lots of legs. He wore jeans and a black T-shirt, with a brown ball cap and sunglasses.”
She paused while Newman scribbled notes. I wished I had Jen to take notes for me, but Todd could probably get a copy of the report.
“The driver didn’t get out of the car, so I don’t know how tall he was,” Ms. Underwood went on. “He was also wearing sunglasses. Dark hair, tanned skin, dark T-shirt. I didn’t notice tattoos on his arms but he might have had one on his neck. I saw something dark there.” She touched the right side of her neck.
“That’s impressive,” I told her. “Most people are too panicked to remember so many details.”
“I grew up in a bad neighborhood. I know what to do when I see a gun.” She laughed weakly. “Let them take whatever they want, as long as it’s not me. And try to remember details for later. I wish I could’ve gotten the license plate, but the car didn’t have a front plate. Once they backed out, I ran after them, but they went too fast for me to read the back license plate.”
“Chances are either the car was stolen or the license plate was stolen or covered,” the officer said.
Ms. Underwood sniffled and rubbed her nose. “What are the chances of getting my baby back?”
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In the Reluctant Psychic Mystery series, a quirky loner who can read the history of any object with her touch gets drawn into mysteries at the museum of oddities where she works. In the Accidental Detective humorous mystery series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. Kris’s romantic suspense novels include treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue. Readers have called these novels “Smart romance with an Indiana Jones feel.” She is also the author of the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series and the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series.
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