Award-winning author Valerie Wilson Wesley launches a thrilling new mystery series set in New Jersey, featuring a multicultural cast, and starring a caterer-turned-realtor with the gift of second sight... In the first of a thrilling new series, one woman's extraordinary psychic gift plunges her already-troubled present into chaos--and puts her future in someone's deadly sights... Until now, Odessa Jones' inherited ability to read emotions and foretell danger has protected her. But second sight didn't warn her she would soon be a widow--and about to lose her home and the catering business she's worked so hard to build. The only things keeping Dessa going are her love for baking and her sometimes-mellow cat, Juniper. Unfortunately, putting her life back together means taking a gig at an all-kinds-of-shady real estate firm run by volatile owner Charlie Risko... Until Charlie is brutally killed--and Dessa's bullied co-worker is arrested for murder. Dessa can't be sure who's guilty. But it doesn't take a psychic to discover that everyone from Charlie's much-abused staff to his long-suffering younger wife had multiple reasons to want him dead. And as Dessa follows a trail of lies through blackmail, dead-end clues, and corruption, she needs to see the truth fast--or a killer will bury her deep down with it.
PI Tamara Hayle of New Jersey is hired to learn who is sending threatening notes to black talk-show hostess Mandy Magic. The novel looks at the process by which blacks rise from teh ghetto.
A trio of single women have one thing in common: Randall Hollis, a successful art dealer at the top of his game. Randall is the true-to-life dream lover of these smart, independent women who all find themselves passionately involved with him during the same seven-month period.
Sometimes even good luck can mean bad fortune. For Odessa Jones—reluctant psychic, part-time caterer, full-time realtor—an elegant affair turned deadly threatens her reputation, and her life . . . Recently widowed Odessa Jones is sure the exclusive catering job she’s scored from wealthy businessman Casey Osborne will propel her catering career into the big leagues. So when Dessa’s pesky second sight warns her that Osborne is bad news, she ignores it. She wishes she hadn’t when he drops dead at his brunch after sampling her homemade preserves. Osborne’s death is declared a homicide. Dessa and the friends who helped her cook are considered suspects . . . To clear her name and find the truth, Dessa delves into Casey Osborne’s life. Everyone from his sinister business partner to his tormented ex-wife has reason to kill him—and the opportunity to do it. With the help of her spirited aunt, loyal co-workers and mischievous cat Juniper, she desperately searches for answers. Until a second murder leads Dessa down a frightening path filled with insidious hidden agendas—and someone poised to change her life forever. Praise for A Glimmer of Death “There's crispness in Wesley’s plotting and sparkle in the supporting characters.” —Los Angeles Times “Wesley perfectly captures her protagonist’s emotions, including the lingering melancholy she feels for her late husband. . . . Readers will hope to see a lot more of kind, empathetic Odessa.” —Publishers Weekly
Private investigator Tamara Hayle's friend Wyvetta is charged with the murder of the rude and wealthy Lincoln Storey, but when Tamara sets out to prove Wyvetta's innocence, she quickly learns that there are not too many people who didn't want Storey dead.
Twenty years after their mother abandons them, Dani and Rose, both in dysfunctional relationships that make them fear they are following in their mother's footsteps, must come to terms with the past when their mother re-enters their lives.
Eva, left alone at the age of forty when her husband of ten years leaves in search of the joy that he feels is missing from his life, takes refuge in the arms of her daughter's ex-boyfriend, a handsome, twenty-eight-year-old jazz musician.
Darnella Desmond is disturbed to learn that her former roommate has been murdered by a serial killer who is stalking Atlantic City's runaway population, but when her mother hires Tamara Hayle to catch the murderer, she uncovers extremely perverse truths about the deceased's family.
When her young co-worker, Anna Lee, is killed in a hit-and-run, realtor Odessa Jones uses special talent, and the help of family, friends and a feisty cat named Juniper, to find answers-and draw out a killer hiding in plain sight.
In just three Tamara Hayle mysteries, Valerie Wilson Wesley has created one of the most memorable private investigators to hit urban streets in years. As the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel has proclaimed, "Tamara continues to emerge as a strong, decisive woman." When the grieving mother of a slain hoodlum begs the Newark p.i. to look into the unsolved murder, Tamara initially refuses, but then discovers a connection between the victim and her late policeman brother. Her search for the truth takes Tamara from the grittiest sections of the city to its middle class neighborhoods where family secrets are preserved at any cost. However, as the case creeps into her personal life, Tamara learns that when it comes to murder--there is no hiding place.
When eight-year-old Willimena spends all the money she earned selling Girl Scout cookies, her big sister Tina helps her come up with a plan to earn the money back.
Valerie Wilson Wesley’s Tamara Hayle mystery series featuring Newark, New Jersey’s number one private investigator are loved for their smart, sexy protagonist who “has a way with a wisecrack that is positively lethal” (Washington Post). Now in Dying in the Dark, Hayle is entrenched in a sinister investigation that will demand her best detective work yet. Tamara Hayle’s past has come back to haunt her–literally. She’s been plagued by terrifying dreams about Celia Jones, an old friend whose walk on the wild side led her to a horrible death. Celia’s teenage son, Cecil, begs Tamara to find his mother’s killer . . . only to end up dead himself, stabbed through the heart. The search for Celia and her son’s killer pulls Tamara deep into her friend’s troubled love life, where everyone adored her but somebody held a murderous grudge. There’s her bullying thug of an ex-husband; a handsome ex-lover who woos Tamara with charm and lies; and an angry, jealous woman who claims that Celia broke her heart. And those were just the obvious people with axes to grind. Despite her better judgment and the admonitions of the police department, Tamara refuses to back away from the mystery surrounding her old friend’s death and the tragedy that met her son. All clues lead to the past Tamara shared with Celia Jones, and Tamara fears that that past will threaten her own son. But she uncovers more than she bargained for–and unearths secrets someone would kill to keep in the shadows.
In just three Tamara Hayle mysteries, Valerie Wilson Wesley has created one of the most memorable private investigators to hit urban streets in years. As the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel has proclaimed, "Tamara continues to emerge as a strong, decisive woman." When the grieving mother of a slain hoodlum begs the Newark p.i. to look into the unsolved murder, Tamara initially refuses, but then discovers a connection between the victim and her late policeman brother. Her search for the truth takes Tamara from the grittiest sections of the city to its middle class neighborhoods where family secrets are preserved at any cost. However, as the case creeps into her personal life, Tamara learns that when it comes to murder--there is no hiding place.
Valerie Wilson Wesley’s private investigator, Tamara Hayle, whom the Houston Chronicle calls “smart, sexy, tough but tender,” has earned enthusiastic acclaim from reviewers and readers alike. Now Newark, New Jersey’s savviest detective confronts the one case she never saw coming–and discovers how ties that bind can easily become a noose. Tamara Hayle can’t believe that her life is this good. New York’s most powerful businessman wants her to work for him, her new lover seems caring and supportive, and her son, Jamal, is thriving. But as Tamara sardonically observes, “When things stir that easy, there’s always something lumpy at the bottom of the pot.” Enter Lilah Love, an old acquaintance who begs Tamara to find her missing child. Tamara, however, is wary of Lilah, who attracts mayhem and murder like an alley cat attracts fleas. Next up is Basil Dupre, Tamara’s outlaw ex-lover, who always brings passion–and chaos–when he strolls into Tamara’s life. Suddenly Tamara’s safe world isn’t so secure, especially when Jamal witnesses a brutal murder and becomes the prime suspect. As the body count rises, Tamara and Jamal will follow a long-forgotten secret into a terrifying confrontation with love gone bad, trust turned lethal, and a past hungry to claim more lives.
“Snappy dialogue, a well-drawn supporting cast and an irresistible canine companion all add delicious flavor. Gulp this book down or savor it, but consuming it will guarantee a sustained sugar high.”– The New York Times Book Review In a brand-new culinary cozy series with a fresh edge and a delightful small-town setting, the acclaimed author introduces Maddy Montgomery, a social media expert who’s #StartingOver in small town Michigan after inheriting her great-aunt’s bakery…and a 200-pound English Mastiff named Baby. A CrimeReads Most Anticipated Book Of 2022 When Maddy Montgomery’s groom is a no-show to their livestream wedding, it’s a disaster that no amount of filtering can fix. But a surprise inheritance offers a chance to regroup and rebrand—as long as Maddy is willing to live in her late, great-aunt Octavia’s house in New Bison, Michigan, for a year, running her bakery and caring for a 250-pound English mastiff named Baby. Maddy doesn’t bake, and her Louboutins aren’t made for walking giant dogs around Lake Michigan, but the locals are friendly and the scenery is beautiful. With help from her aunt’s loyal friends, aka the Baker Street Irregulars, Maddy feels ready to tackle any challenge, including Octavia’s award-winning cake recipes. That is, until New Bison’s mayor is fatally stabbed, and Maddy’s fingerprints are found on the knife . . . Something strange is going on in New Bison. It seems Aunt Octavia had her suspicions, too. But Maddy’s going to need a whole lot more than a trending hashtag to save her reputation—and her life.
When good-hearted third-grader Willimena spends her Girl Scout cookie money on lunch for some friends in need, she tries to creatively earn back the money she spent; ultimately she must face the consequences of not being responsible with the money.
P.I Tamara Hayle and her latest client, popular radio personality Mandy Magic, share the same roots -- both grew up in the hardscrabble projects on one of the meanest streets in Newark. But that's what brings her to Tamara Hayle. Mandy Magic knows that each act of vandalism and seemingly random murder brings the demons of her yesterdays closer -- and each day that passes makes her easier to kill.
I was putting the final touches on my Kwanzaa set and list for Santa when my dad said that there were going to be some big changes this year. How come grown-ups always say big changes when what they really mean is really bad news? I was happy when Dad said cousin Teddy was coming. Boy, was I in for a surprise! I expected happy, funny Teddy-not mad, sad Teddy with a bad attitude. And guess who he took his angry feelings out on? My sister Tina and me!/DIV DIVSo it was up to us to cheer Teddy up-and teach everybody in our family the true meaning of holiday spirit, Willimena style.
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