Thistlewood Star Mysteries

Previously published as Jessa Archer

Black bear, black bear, what did you see?

When a crack of gunshot disturbs her morning birdwatching, journalist Ruth Townsend is certain it’s the neighbor she’s already warned twice about hunting on her property. She takes off through the woods to confront him, but stumbles upon more than she bargained for--a...

BURIED LEDES AND BURIED SECRETS
When Ruth Townsend’s job and marriage both end abruptly, she heads home to the mountains for a fresh start. She’s intent on reviving the local newspaper but with only two dozen subscribers it’s a struggle. What she needs is a good mystery...but nothing ever happens in sleepy little Thistlewood.

Then Edith Morton is...

A TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE ART?

When the rusted-out remains of a vehicle with a unique vanity plate are hauled out of the Freedom River, journalist Ruth Townsend and her best friend, Wren Lawson, think they’ve finally learned the truth about the disappearance of their high school friend, Tanya Blackburn. The rest of Thistlewood may have believed...

Previously published as Jessa Archer.
NOW YOU SEE HER...NOW YOU DON’T

When Ruth Townsend discovers Tessa Martin’s body in an abandoned factory, sprawled across a Ouija board, she does the responsible thing and calls 911. But by the time Sheriff Blevins arrives, the girl’s body has vanished.

Blevins is convinced that Tessa is playing an elaborate...

LIGHTS, CAMERA,...MURDER?

Thistlewood is all decked out as a picture-perfect Christmas village and the ideal backdrop for a holiday movie. The entire town is abuzz with excitement until one of the actors, Oscar-winner Audrey Shaw, turns up dead in her trailer on the set.

Ms. Shaw’s star faded decades ago, and her failure to show up for filming...

MURDER IN MUSIC CITY

A girls’ weekend in Nashville takes an unexpected turn when Ruth’s ex-husband vanishes, leaving behind a suicide note and the body of his business partner. It’s clear that Joe was involved in something highly illegal, but Ruth has a hard time believing he was capable of murder and Cassie refuses to accept that he’s dead.

...