Zukie Merlino Mysteries

Having lost both her husband and her job, Zukie Merlino has time on her hands and a mystery to solve. Night after night, someone is searching the empty house next door, whose elderly owner died following an unusually explosive Fourth of July. A second death in the house brings out all Zukie's detective instincts and with the help of her reluctant accomplice Lou, she launches her own investigation using her wits, her wigs and a coffee cake or two. Cynthia E. Hurst is also the author of the R&P Labs Mysteries series. Zukie first appeared in the R&P short story 'Halfbaked' and promptly insisted on being featured in her own full-length novels. 'Zukie's Burglar' is the first in the series.

When Gabriel Webb volunteered for a sleep lab experiment, he didn't expect to find himself pursued by the Grim Reaper on a racing bike. And when, on a cold October morning, Rob Mangan offered a cup of hot coffee to a shivering stranger in the R&P Labs parking lot, he never dreamed what the consequences of his act of kindness would be. In the seventh R&P Labs Mystery, the scientific quintet - Rob, Phil, Ellis, Virginia and Mitch - dodge homicidal cyclists and explore the thin line between dreams and reality as Virginia contemplates retirement, Mitch contemplates fatherhood and Ellis gets in touch with his inner lumberjack.

Everybody liked good-natured Jimmy Battista, so when he died of a heart attack, no one suspected foul play. No one, that is, except his elderly sister-in-law, who confided her suspicions to her niece Zukie. Being seriously snoopy and a magnet for trouble, Zukie is soon up to her multi-colored wigs in a mystery involving Italian relatives, a German shepherd and a Canadian corpse.

A chance to win $10,000 by writing a fast food slogan seems like a no-brainer to Zukie Merlino, but things go disastrously wrong when one of her co-competitors is murdered at the hotel where they're all staying for the final round. Confined to quarters but still able to cause chaos, Zukie discovers something nasty in the fish pond, shares her bedroom with a strange man and worst of all, is forced to eat someone else's cooking.

Zukie Merlino finds it hard to settle back into her daily routine after the trip of a lifetime, so she's pleased to receive an invitation to her high school reunion. Not only will it break the boredom, but also give her the chance to confront Sylvia, a woman she's hated for years. Away from her cousin Lou's disapproving eyes for once, Zukie is enjoying herself greatly at the reunion, right up to the point where Sylvia's body is discovered. Zukie knows she's not the guilty party — but the only way of clearing her name is to provide an alibi she doesn't want to give.'Zukie's Alibi' is the fifth novel in the Zukie Merlino Mysteries series. Cynthia E. Hurst is also the author of the R&P Labs Mysteries series of novels and short stories.

A young woman falls to her death in a crowded shopping mall during the Black Friday sales frenzy. Her family think it must have been a tragic accident. The police suspect it was suicide. But Zukie Merlino thinks Mimi Carr was murdered, and she sets out to prove it, with the reluctant assistance of her cousin Lou. Will some leftover turkey, a parking ticket and a pair of high-heeled boots be convincing enough evidence? 'Zukie's Evidence' is the sixth novel in the Zukie Merlino Mysteries series.

Zukie Merlino's daughter Carol is (finally) getting married, and Zukie has been told in no uncertain terms that her role at the wedding is to show up, shut up and keep smiling. That's hard enough, but when a body turns up at the rehearsal, she faces an even tougher challenge. The wedding's in two days; the bride and groom are suspected of murder and everyone involved seems to be hiding a secret. But Zukie has promised herself nothing will ruin Carol's wedding, and Zukie always keeps her promises, no matter whose toes she has to step on along the way. Zukie's Promise is the seventh book in the Zukie Merlino Mysteries series.

Most people would jump at the chance of a free, relaxing vacation on a picturesque island, but not Zukie Merlino, to whom 'rest' is a four-letter word. Her outlook improves, however, when there's a death at the rustic inn where she's a reluctant guest. Despite the best efforts of her cousin Lou and the local law enforcement officers, Zukie is soon hot on the trail of a murderer, a task that sees her commandeering the inn's kitchen, stealing a boat and getting a lot closer to the great outdoors than she ever anticipated. 'Zukie's Trail' is the eighth book in the Zukie Merlino Mysteries series. Cynthia E. Hurst is also the author of the R&P Labs Mysteries series of novels and short stories.

Twenty years ago, Gus Novak committed a crime and fled the country, only to die in the Mexican desert. But Zukie Merlino thinks she's just seen him on a downtown Seattle street, and being perpetually curious, she wants to know what he — or his ghost — is doing there. With her cousin Lou temporarily sidelined she's on her own, but whether it's tracking down Novak's ghost or dealing with a more personal emergency, Zukie can be counted on to deliver the goods.'Zukie's Ghost' was the mystery/suspense category winner in the 2018 eFestival for Words Awards for independent e-books, and is the ninth book in the Zukie Merlino Mysteries series. Cynthia E. Hurst is also the author of the R&P Labs Mysteries series of novels and short stories and the Silver and Simm Victorian Mysteries series.

The police are chasing a ring of art thieves. The thieves are chasing Zukie Merlino's cousin Lou, who's accidentally interrupted a handover of stolen goods. And Zukie? She's causing chaos as only she can, in between baking lemon meringue pies, thwarting burglaries and trying not to end up as fish food.'Zukie's Thief' is the tenth book in the Zukie Merlino Mysteries series.

All sorts of things had been donated for St Augustine's Christmas bazaar - books, second-hand clothes, cookies, murder weapons ...'Zukie's Gift' is a Zukie Merlino Mysteries short story for the holiday season.

Trick or treat' takes on a whole new meaning when Zukie's at the door in this Zukie Merlino Mysteries short story.

Holidays are never the same when Zukie Merlino is around. Totally tactless and seriously snoopy, Zukie celebrates her way through the year in this collection of holiday-related short stories. 'Zukie's Holidays' contains six new stories, plus 'Zukie's Witch' and 'Zukie's Gift,', which were previously published under their individual titles in e-book format.