Country Club Murders

Swimming into the lifeless body of her husband's mistress tends to ruin a woman's day, but becoming a murder suspect can ruin her whole life. It's 1974 and Ellison Russell's life revolves around her daughter and her art. She's long since stopped caring about her cheating husband, Henry, and the women with whom he entertains himself. That is, until she becomes a suspect in Madeline Harper's death. The murder forces Ellison to confront her husband's proclivities and his crimes-kinky sex, petty cruelties and blackmail. As the body count approaches par on the seventh hole, Ellison knows she has to catch a killer. But with an interfering mother, an adoring father, a teenage daughter, and a cadre of well-meaning friends demanding her attention, can Ellison find the killer before he finds her? "The Deep End is an enjoyable, frequently amusing mystery with a mixture of off-beat characters that create twists and turns . . . A fine start to this mystery series, one that is highly recommended." ---Mysterious Reviews

Frances Walford's daughter, Ellison Russell, has developed the truly deplorable habit of finding bodies. And Frances can't help but scold her about it. But when Ellison goes to Europe, Frances finds a corpse of her own. Can she help catch a killer and keep her involvement a secret? This is a short novella told from Frances's point of view. Chronologically it falls between The Deep End and Guaranteed to Bleed.

With his dying breath, Bobby Lowell begs Ellison Russell, "Tell her I love her." Unable to refuse, Ellison struggles to find the girl the murdered boy loved. Too bad an epically bad blind date, a vindictive graffiti artist, and multiple trips to the emergency room keep getting in the way.Worse, a killer has Ellison in his sights, her newly rebellious daughter is missing, and there's yet another body in her hostas. Mother won't be pleased.Now Ellison must track down not one but two runaway teenagers, keep her promise to Bobby, and elude the killer-all before her next charity gala committee meeting.

When Ellison Russell is nearly killed at a benefactors' party, she brushes the incident aside as an unhappy accident. But when her house is fire-bombed, she's shot at, and the person sitting next to her at a gala is poisoned, she must face facts. Someone wants her dead. But why? And can Ellison find the killer before he strikes again? Add in an estranged sister, a visiting aunt with a shocking secret, and a handsome detective staying in her guesthouse, and Ellison might need more than cream in her coffee.

Haunted houses are scary enough without knife-wielding clowns. Especially murderous knife-wielding clowns. So thinks Ellison Russell, single mother, artist, and reluctant sleuth. Now death wears a red nose and Ellison is up to the blood-stained collar of her new trench coat in costumes, caffeine, and possible killers. Who stabbed Brooks Harney? And why? Money? Jealousy? Drugs? With Mother meddling, her father furious, and her date dragged downtown for questioning, turns out Ellison's only confidante is Mr. Coffee.

Ellison Russell wanted a decorator, not a corpse. Too bad she finds Mrs. White in the study killed with a revolver. Things go from bad to worse when she finds Mr. White in the dining room killed with a candlestick. With so many bodies, is it any wonder Detective Anarchy Jones' new partner considers Ellison a suspect? With the country club gossips talking a mile a minute, an unexpected cocktail party, a visit from Aunt Sis, and a romantic decision, Ellison hardly has time to think about murder. Unfortunately, the killer has plenty of time to think about her.

Ellison Russell's life resembles a rollercoaster ride. And rollercoasters make her ill. Her daughter Grace has a crush on a boy Ellison doesn't trust and she's taken to hosting wild parties when Ellison goes out for the evening. Worse, the bank which represents Grace's inheritance from her father may be in trouble. When a meeting with the chef at the country club leads to the discovery of a body, Ellison can't afford cold feet. She must save the bank, find the killer, and convince Grace (and herself) that powerful women don't need men to rescue them.

Visiting a psychic is outside the norm for Ellison Russell. Finding bodies is not. Unfortunately, the psychic's crystal ball says she'll soon be surrounded by death. Again. Drat. Now there's a corpse in the front drive, a witchy neighbor ready to turn Ellison and her (not so) little dog into toadstools, and a stripper named Starry Knight occupying the guest room. How did 1975 go so wrong so quickly? Ellison must handle Mother (who's found a body of her own), make up with a certain handsome detective, and catch a killer, or the death surrounding her might be her own.

All Ellison Russell wanted was an update on her stock portfolio. Instead, she found her broker dead. With an unexpected out-of-town guest at her house, Ellison is too busy for a murder investigation. Only this time, Detective Anarchy Jones wants her help, and she can't deny the handsome detective. Can Mr. Coffee supply her with enough caffeine to keep her brain sharp and everyone else happy? Juggling bodies (one, two, three, four), two-faced friends, her social calendar, and a cat (yes, a cat) is taxing but Mother might be the biggest challenge of all. With a killer drawing closer, can Ellison put together the pieces or will she be the one getting stabbed in the back?

A killer is calling, and Ellison's life is on the line.Ellison Russell is planning the event of the season--and she's stressed. Why not yoga?Because the yoga instructor gets murdered during class--and Ellison's stress level rises exponentially. Now, in addition to raising a ridiculous amount of money, she's babysitting a deranged cat (named after the devil himself), taking ten million phone calls (most of them from Mother), and finding more bodies (they're popping up like dandelions after a spring rain).There's no such thing as balance when the killer makes it personal. Can Ellison catch a murderer or will her next namaste be her last?

Springtime. Love is in the air. So is murder.When Ellison Russell, reluctant finder of bodies, chairs a gala in conjunction with the museum's Chinese funerary exhibit, she expects disaster. So, she's not remotely surprised when a body turns up.Ellison is willing to leave the investigation to the police till an attempt is made on her life.Now she's juggling evading a killer, her aunt's overly-amorous beau, her dog's new love interest, and Mother's displeasure.With bodies piling up, if Ellison's not careful, staying alive might be impossible.

Another day, another dead woman in Ellison Russell's study.Only this one claimed to be Mrs. Anarchy Jones.As Ellison juggles mothers, daughter, unhappy wives, and near-miss murder attempts, one thing is clear-someone will go to any lengths to hide the truth.Can Ellison and Anarchy catch a killer before the body count rises? Or will Ellison be the next corpse in the study?

Spring is in the air, and Ellison Russell has places to go, people to see, bodies to find. Strike that. For once, Ellison doesn't discover the body. When Detective Anarchy Jones investigates a friend's husband's murder, Ellison can't help but get involved. Now she's waist-deep in toxic gossip, struggling with the soaring heights and nocuous lows of her teenager's mood swings, fending off the advances of her first love, planning a wedding, and (of course) tripping over fresh corpses. With her life a whirlwind of conflict, can Ellison unmask a devious killer, or will death poison her future?

Get me to the church on time! Not so much the church, as the patio. And not if Ellison can't stop finding bodies. She's finding corpses in pairs now, and planning a wedding, and trying (truly, she is) to steer clear of the murder investigation. But when she finds a third body, Ellison becomes a suspect. Will Ellison get her happily ever after or will a devious killer turn her wedding into a funeral?

When Ellison Russell Jones returns from her honeymoon, she's ready for a restful summer. But while she was away, an older woman was murdered in her bed. And the police have questions only Ellison and her friends can answer. She gets to be a sleuth. A real one! But with a new husband, her mother in the hospital (targeted by the murderer?), her sister as a house guest, one too many animals, and a full social calendar, Ellison can't catch a break, much less a killer. She'd better focus, or she may be the next victim.

Ellison and Anarchy Jones are looking forward to a relaxing weekend in the country. Time spent skeet shooting, fishing, and horse-back riding with friends. Hours spent swaying in a shady hammock without friends. But when Ellison walks into a murder scene, her friends become suspects. And each of them has an excellent motive for murder. Can Ellison sift through the lies and unmask a killer, or will a weekend away cost her everything she holds dear?

Ellison Jones is used to sirens in the night (unfortunately, they're usually coming to her house). So, it's a surprise when the sirens that wake her from the dead come from across the street. Nosy neighbor Marian Dixon's house is on fire. Luckily, the Dixons are out of town. Unluckily, there's a body found in the ashes-a body not killed by the fire. With Ellison's husband, Detective Anarchy Jones, investigating, the neighbors are eager for a quick resolution. But a cunning killer has other plans.Can Ellison and Anarchy uncover the truth, or will their lives (and the rest of the block) go up in flames?

Ellison Russell Jones' best friend Libba has a questionable track record when it comes to men. But finally-finally-she's selected a good one.Charlie Ardmore hales from a fine family, plays a mean game of golf, and is a cardiologist. Even Mother approves. But when Charlie's patients start dying, the whispers begin. Is Charlie a killer? Could Harrington Walford, Ellison's beloved father and one of Charlie's patients, be the next to die? Can Ellison stop a killer in time?

When Ellison's friend Kay Morrison visits Kansas City from New York, there are certain women who turn green with envy. After all, Kay works in the fashion industry, she actually attended the Battle of Versailles, and her clothes are to die for. But Ellison is happy to host a luncheon for her oh-so-chic friend. Too bad murder crashes the party. Ellison is immediately drawn into two investigations. One, the murder. The second, a cruel theft. With friends as suspects and two funerals to plan, Ellison's mood is black. And, if she's not careful, the next funeral she attends may be her own.

A dead body in the trunk of a car. It's the Kansas City mob's signature.So why is a member of Ellison's circle found shot in his sedan at the country club?Did Baxter Phelps have ties to the mafia? Did they make him an offer he couldn't refuse? Is Baxter's widow Helen in danger?As Ellison is drawn into a dangerous investigation, she can't help but think maybe this time Mother is right. She should mind her own business.