Appalachian Mountain Mysteries

"I absolutely devoured this book! " ~Cynthia WilliamsLaurel Falls, N.C. 1989: I couldn't believe I was in trouble again. I'd finally got what I'd always wanted ... then lost it.The trouble started when this family-a mother and two almost-grown kids-came to my school, the Hickson School of American Studies in Boone, N.C., to ask for shelter. The mother said she was dying, and they had nowhere else to go after they'd been evicted 'cause she was too sick to work. What her son earned just wasn't enough to live on.But that was all lies. They were just a bunch of mean-spirited, sorry con artists who stole our money and good intentions. And when they fleeced the school, they made it look like I did it! Next thing I knew, the director threw me outta school.I snuck home to get help from my neighbor and friend, Della Kincaid. She used to be a crime reporter in Washington, D.C., and I knew she'd know what to do. She did-only she told me I had to do it alone.Trying to find them again took everything I had-and then some. Along the way, I plowed through those mountains, sometimes meeting fellow victims who were yearning for justice too, but mostly tangling with bad men trying to stop me-permanently! I faced more twists and turns than the road to Damascus, Virginia.There was no telling who I could trust on that long road to justice, but I ask you: at some point, don't you have to believe in something or someone? ~Abit BradshawYou'll enjoy this suspenseful mystery because who can resist rooting for the underdog?If you love Jacqueline Winspear, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you're sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series.Get it now-for the rich natural setting, colorful characters, and suspenseful investigations.The Roads to Damascus is the second novel in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series by award-winning author Lynda McDaniel and can be read as a standalone novel."The suspense and plot twists were riveting and the characters and relationships made the book so compelling." ~M. GlaznerInterview with the AuthorQ: What's next for Abit and Della? What can readers expect?A: In this book, I take Abit on a hero's journey, something he must do alone. Of course, Della helps him, especially at the beginning and end of the story. On his long road trip, he searches for the mother and two children who ripped him off, fleeced his beloved school, and laid the blame on him. He also experiences his first love--and heartache. Friendship, family secrets & lies, a touch of romance--they're all woven together into a suspenseful crime mystery."Though there's a crime plot that drives 'The Roads to Damascus' forward, at its heart it's very much a character piece & a coming of age tale." ~LizTiptoftQ: In what order were these books written?A Life for a LifeThe Roads to DamascusWelcome the Little ChildrenMurder Ballad BluesDeep in the ForestUp the CreekUnwrappedAfter DuskWaiting for You (free prequel)

THE PREQUEL NOVELLA TO THE POPULAR APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN MYSTERIES SERIES"LYNDA McDANIEL WRITES WONDERFUL BOOKS about human kindness in this series featuring Abit and Della, originally neighbors, but now family. Totally heartwarming and inspirational."Laurel Falls, N.C., 1981-1984Waiting for You isn't quite a mystery, though it does solve the mystery of how the two distinctly different protagonists in the series ever found one another.Della Kincaid, a crime reporter in Washington, D.C., has grown weary of covering all the violence in the nation's capital. Not to mention she's split from her philandering husband and lost a friend to suicide. Put another way, her life is falling apart.She takes a journey to a log cabin in the Black Mountains of North Carolina, a place she'd written about years ago. One of those idyllic stories about getting away from it allwritten from the confines of her desk in D.C. Now she wants to see it in person. Little does she know the journey she is imparting on takes her well beyond that cabin.Abit Bradshaw, a teenager struggling to find his rightful place in the world, can't see how he'll ever make anything of himself. It doesn't help that everyone tells him he's a no count, and he's beginning to believe it. But a fateful spell in front of his father's failing storeCoburn's General Storeand a wave he can't take back set in motion a life he could never have imagined.If you love Elly Griffiths, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you're sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series.Get it nowfor the rich natural setting, colorful characters, and suspenseful investigations."TERRIFIC SERIES! The characters are awesome. I can't stop reading. I don't want these books to end!""AFTER READING THE FIRST BOOK, I read all the others as quickly as possible.""REMINDS ME OF 'TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD' ... finding your books is like finding a rare jewel. I don't want them to end. You are a treasure as a writer.""THE CHARACTERS HAVE SUCH DEPTH, the stories are unique, and they keep your attention from start to finish."

"Readers will relish this story's superior tension ... A riveting mystery designed to keep readers on their toes." ~Midwest Book ReviewLaurel Falls, N.C. 2005: "Our small town is in an uproar-there's a serial killer on the loose in the mountains of North Carolina. At first we thought it was just one tragedy, but by the third murder, the FBI finally got involved. Trouble is, I know they're looking in all the wrong places.I have a keen sense of what's really going on, but of course the FBI won't take me serious. I'll keep at it-too much at stake not to. I'm working with Wallis Harding, a well-known musicologist, and we've got a theory we'll keep at till they can't ignore us. Bluegrass music may sound like something to practice and perform, but we know it's the key to finding the killer. And keeping our families safe.Usually Della Kincaid, my longtime friend, helps me out when I get into something like this. But she's too busy with troubles of her own. A former crime reporter in Washington, D.C., she's investigating some kinda fraud case that a whistleblower laid in her lap. She can't let a good story pass, but the deeper she goes, the darker it gets.Turns out we both have information that could help the FBI, if they'll just listen to us … before the culprits strike again." ~Abit BradshawYou'll enjoy this suspenseful standalone mystery because who doesn't long to find justice in this crazy world?If you love Jacqueline Winspear, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you're sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series.Get it now-for the rich natural setting, colorful characters, and suspenseful investigations.Murder Ballad Blues is the fourth book-and a standalone novel-in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series by award-winning author Lynda McDaniel.Interview with the AuthorQ: Where does this fourth book pick up in the lives of Abit Bradshaw and Della Kincaid?A: It's a year after the last scenes in Welcome the Little Children, but eight years after they solved the family secrets and lies surrounding Astrid Holt's mother. Life has been reasonably quiet for the two. Abit, Fiona, and their 8-year-old son, Conor, perform regularly with the Ramblin' Rollers, and Della has settled into a natural rhythm at Coburn's General Store. Then everything goes crazy with murder and money-laundering crimes.Q: What's new in the series?A: New crimes, of course--especially the murders across Western North Carolina. Abit and Della get involved, working with new characters like Wallis Harding, a self-taught expert on mountain music, and Ezra Stoltz, an FBI agent. I am especially smitten with Wallis Harding. I named him after Phil Harding, archaeologist with the British television show "Time Team." Phil is such a live wire, and his namesake doesn't let him down. Wallis' physical appearance is modeled after Mick Aston, fellow archaeologist on "Time Team."Q: In what order was this series written?A: Murder Ballad Blues is a standalone, so readers won't be confused if they start with this book. Actually, I worked to make all the books in the series easy to understand, wherever readers started in the series. Other books in the series: A Life for a Life, The Roads to Damascus, Welcome the Little Children, Deep in the Forest, Up the Creek, Unwrapped, After Dusk, and Waiting for You (free prequel).

* THREE SUSPENSEFUL MYSTERIES* TWO BELOVED CHARACTERS* DOZENS OF TWISTS & TURNS* 2500+ FIVE-STAR SERIES REVIEWS MEET ABIT BRADSHAWHe's been stealing hearts since he debuted in 2016. Originally a supporting character, Abit shot to top billing when readers demanded to spend more time with him. Challenged at home and school, he finds hope again when Della Kincaid buys the store next door. The three books span 20 years of his life.MEET DELLA KINCAIDA crime reporter in D.C., Della grows tired of all the violence and escapes to the mountains of North Carolina. But somehow murders, missing persons, and other misdeeds keep finding their way to her doorstep.A LIFE FOR A LIFE "The most satisfying mystery I've read in ages." ~Joan Nienhuis, Top Reviewer GoodreadsLaurel Falls, N.C. 1985 The past is the past, right? Not for Della Kincaid. After decades as a crime reporter in Washington, D.C., Della thinks she's settling in a quiet, idyllic town in the N.C. mountains ... but a walk in the wilderness-and what she finds-change everything. When the sheriff takes the easy way out and declares the death a suicide, Della teams up with her new friends and neighbors to get at the truth. As they travel through Western North Carolina, they encounter a fascinating cast of characters, including the best one of all-the lush natural setting of the mountains.Will they find the killer before they become the next victims? Can Della make peace with her past? You'll love this suspenseful mystery because who doesn't dream of second chances?THE ROADS TO DAMASCUS"I absolutely devoured this book! " ~Cynthia WilliamsLaurel Falls, N.C. 1989 He got what he'd always wanted ... then lost it. Trying to find it again could cost him everything. Abit Bradshaw finally made it back to school-only to be thrown out when a trio of con artists fleeced his school and blamed him. His neighbor Della Kincaid can help. A former crime reporter, she knows how to chase down leads ... but she can't chase these crooks. Only one person can do that.Will Abit find the courage to fight for the one thing that really matters to him? Follow him along the twists and turns of the Virginia mountains as he seeks payback from the desperate trio.You'll love this suspenseful mystery because everyone loves a battle against all odds.WELCOME THE LITTLE CHILDREN "I've come to think of these characters as cherished friends." ~L. G. YaldezianLaurel Falls, N.C. 1994 A mother disappears ... Is she lost in the woods? Kidnapped? Murdered?When Astrid Holt's mother goes missing from their isolated log cabin, Abit Bradshaw and Della Kincaid join the search. But it's a slippery slope that takes them from the mountains of N.C. to the streets of Washington, D.C. ... and into dark places in their own hearts. Can Della and Abit save a splintered family? Will their own families survive the search? Can Abit ever find someone to love?You'll enjoy this suspenseful mystery because who doesn't long to see wrongs righted?If you love Jacqueline Winspear, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you're sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series. Get all three books now!

Laurel Falls, N.C., 2009: Life on the farm was pretty much one day the same as the next-until that stranger showed up. I'll never forget the first time I saw him and how everything changed after that. It might not have turned out so crazy if he'd known who he was. We figured that big gash on the back of his head stole his memory. But how did he get that wound? And who was after him? It had seemed wrong to turn him away, especially since you might say I saved his life. But what he wrought on my life … well, you can't imagine how much havoc a man without a past can wreak. It wasn't 'til my friend Della Kincaid put her crime-reporter skills to work that we got to the bottom of everything. And I do mean bottom. Things sunk pretty low before we started getting at the truth. ~Abit BradshawYou'll enjoy this suspenseful standalone mystery because who hasn't wished someone would show up and change their lives (for the better)?If you love Jacqueline Winspear, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you're sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series.Get it now-for the rich natural setting, colorful characters, and suspenseful investigations.Up the Creek is the sixth book-a standalone novel-in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series by award-winning author Lynda McDaniel.