Whispering Pines Mystery

Welcome to Whispering Pines, Wisconsin. A place for those who don't belong. Sixteen years after a family feud drove her from the cozy Northwoods village of Whispering Pines, Wisconsin, former detective Jayne O'Shea returns to prepare her grandparents' lake house for sale. Once there, not only does she find that the house has been trashed, her dog discovers a dead body in the backyard. Jayne intends to stay out of it, but when it becomes obvious the sheriff isn't interested in investigating the death, Jayne can't stop herself. Her list of suspects grows faster than the plants in the commons' pentacle garden. Could it be the local Wiccan green witch with her stash of deadly plants? The shopkeeper who slips into trances and foretells death? The visitor determined to practice black magic? What Jayne knows for sure is that the closer she gets to solving this crime, the more the sheriff wants her to back off. And when a local fortune teller provides a crucial clue, Jayne knows it's up to her to solve this murder.

Tucked next to a pristine lake, the part-Medieval Europe, part-Renaissance Faire hamlet of Whispering Pines is a utopia . . . except for the recent murders. One month after arriving in the Northwoods, former detective Jayne O'Shea has settled comfortably into small-town life and is making good progress with her task of getting her grandparents' house ready for sale. Then the shocking death of one of the carnies rocks the community, and the villagers look to Jayne for help, placing her in an impossible middle ground of not wanting to get involved and needing to ensure justice is served. When a second carney turns up dead, and the newly hired sheriff--more concerned with ticketing tourists than catching the killer--dismisses the death as an accident, Jayne has no choice but to step in. Can she uncover the truth before the murderer strikes again?

The Northwoods village of Whispering Pines used to be a safe haven for outsiders, but after three deaths in two months, it's become a hotbed of murder. Exhausted from being the only law enforcement official on duty, while also trying to open a bed-and-breakfast, Jayne O'Shea welcomes the escape she finds in her grandmother's journals. Each entry gives her a deeper understanding of why her grandparents moved to the secluded spot so long ago. But as questions are answered, deeply hidden secrets are unearthed. If Jayne can put all the pieces of this puzzle together, she'll not only learn the truth behind her grandmother's death, she'll catch a killer whose been wandering the village for forty years.

With renovations on the house finally complete, Jayne and Tripp are ready to open their B&B. Villagers and tourists gather for their grand opening barbecue. Close friends check in as their first guests. Aside from a minor glitch or two, everything is going to plan,,, and then someone turns up dead on the side of the road. Unsure if she's looking for a murderer or a hit-and-run driver, Jayne jumps headlong into figuring out what happened. Her confidence is shaken, though, when some of the locals point out that the rash of murders started when she arrived in the village, insinuating that she brought the darkness hovering over Whispering Pines.

As the weather turns crisp, Jayne O'Shea and the other villagers prepare for the last big tourist draw of the season: the autumn equinox festival. It's a time to enjoy a bounty of food, the company of others, and the ever-popular cooking competition. Events in the baking division, however, turn from friendly to fatal when one of the contestants, a beloved nationally known chef, is found dead in the woods. As all eyes turn to one of the villagers as the killer, Jayne knows that what's seen on the surface isn't always the truth, especially in Whispering Pines, and digs deep to clear the name of one of their own.

With only a smattering of tourists visiting the village for the Samhain feast, Jayne is excited … no. She's looking forward to … no. Jayne is guardedly optimistic about spending a few days with her demanding sister. Then a boy goes missing during trick-or-treating and everything changes. The parents aren't worried. Their son does this, they say. With a storm bearing down on the village, though, Jayne isn't content to dismiss this as a case of a curious kid off exploring the woods. Organizing a search-and-rescue mission gives her plenty to deal with but then the word "kidnapped" is mentioned and brings her sister's long-buried nightmare into the light, forcing Jayne to divide her attention at the worst possible time.

The quiet time of year as settled over Whispering Pines. For months, Sheriff Jayne O'Shea had been looking forward to a little R&R but now she's not so sure. What's she supposed to do with herself? Take up knitting? When a brawl breaks out at the local pub during the Thanksgiving gathering, a patron is critically wounded. Not the kind of distraction Jayne was looking for. There's a long list of suspects, but she's fairly certain it was one of the vigilantes who came to save the village from "that lady sheriff who doesn't know her job." But it might be someone from the growing group of villagers who aren't happy with their sheriff's performance. Or maybe it's someone who's not even on her list. The one thing Jayne knows for sure is if she doesn't get a handle on things, it could be time for her to turn in her badge.

Preparations for the Yuletide festival are in full swing, and so is the gossip about a blackmailing villager. Sheriff Jayne O'Shea doesn't have time or patience for small-town rumors. After two long years overseas, her father is coming for a visit and everything has to be perfect. Then, just as everything is falling into place, the blackmailer is found dead. Adding even more tension, strange packages start showing up on doorsteps around the village, each containing a clue as to how the giver intends to kill the receiver. Now, Jayne has to decide what's more important. Focusing on a murder that's already happened or trying to prevent six more.

A monster of a blizzard is on the way, but the hardy folks of Whispering Pines aren't bothered by the weather. Not when there are supplies to gather and neighbors to catch up with. As everyone finally settles in to ride out the storm, Sheriff Jayne O'Shea gets a phone call. A stranger has stumbled into the village. She's covered in bruises and mumbling about a car crash. Determined to figure out what happened to her, and to rescue any other potential victims still out there, Jayne braves the howling winds and arctic temperatures. Then another call comes in. An elderly villager is missing in the storm. Jayne can handle this. She can handle pretty much anything. But when a ghost from her past shows up at the bed-and-breakfast and tries to uncover Jayne's long-buried secrets, she may have reached her breaking point.

As the vernal equinox brings welcome warmth and the promise of the coming tourist season to Wisconsin's Northwoods, it also brings an invading Wiccan coven. Sheriff Jayne O'Shea isn't worried about the witches. It's the fact that her mother is coming for her first visit in nearly twenty years that has her on edge. Their reunion goes well, better than expected, and then a coven member disappears. The other members don't seem concerned. In fact, they're so indifferent to the disappearance, Jayne is sure she's searching for a body, not a missing person. The possibility of another death in the village is bad enough, but this one could mean the end for Whispering Pines. If Jayne can't get her mom to see the lakeside community's charming appeal, it will go up for sale.

Sheriff Jayne O'Shea is on edge. Hopeful applicants have taken over the commons area, all of them begging to become residents. Villagers who left long ago have returned, causing an uproar among the locals. The slow burn feud between the sister witches has reached the boiling point. And her parents are acting just plain weird. Fortunately, it's time for the annual Beltane celebration, the last opportunity for everyone to gather before tourists invade the village for the summer. Attendees dance around the Maypole, decorate fairy chairs, weave witch ladders, and nibble Green Man cake. Good, innocent fun. Except, this year's fire festival is being held during the driest spring the Northwoods has seen in a decade. And like bees to honey, the event has attracted an arsonist intent on burning the place to the ground one little fire at a time.

It's been almost a year since Sheriff Jayne O'Shea arrived in Whispering Pines. Deciding to stay was the best decision she ever made, but the closer the anniversary gets, the gloomier she feels. It doesn't help that she and Tripp have been arguing. Neither does the dense fog blanketing the village. Or the group of cranky wedding planners staying at the B&B. Trying to organize an outdoor event when the weather won't cooperate is understandably stressful, but their constant bickering is pushing everyone to the edge. Then, as the fog grows impossibly thicker, things take a turn for the worse when a villager becomes gravely ill. The cause is a mystery, but the rumor going around is that she was hexed or cursed. Considering half the residents are witches, that isn't surprising. While Jayne doesn't believe magic is involved, she's positive about her suspect. Now, all she needs is proof.

The new tourist season is about to start. The witches, carnies, fortune tellers, and other lovable outcasts of Whispering Pines are abuzz with excitement. Sheriff Jayne O'Shea, however, is nervous. After their tragic last season, the lakeside hamlet became known as the Murder Capital of Wisconsin, and she would love to redeem their reputation. Everyone has assured her they're ready and that it's going to be a great opening weekend, but Jayne can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. Then, just as waves of happy tourists start to arrive, villagers go missing one by one. This is the showdown Jayne has been preparing for. She knows who's responsible, but before catching the kidnapper, she first needs to save the victims. That means releasing control and letting others step up because this time she's too close. Failure could mean the end for those she loves most.