Critters and Crimes

 

 

A quaint riverside town holds many secrets ... 

and the only ones who’ve seen it all are the critters.

Critters and Crimes

Magical Cozy Mystery Book Club #11

by Elizabeth Pantley

Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery 

A quaint riverside town holds many secrets ... and the only ones who’ve seen it all are the critters.

This book club dives (literally!) into the pages of a cozy mystery. The quirky group must solve the mystery to get out of the book. It’s so much fun - you’ll wish you had a book club like this!

In this journey, they choose a book set in a lovely riverside town. They land in a charming neighborhood and find they are part of a local book club. They are having a great time – and then a dead body shows up. (Of course it does!)

The clues to what happened come to them in a unique way – via the critters in the house.

As usual, the club finds plenty of time to enjoy the unique setting of their journey, as they solve the mystery – one critter at a time.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~


This book is part of a magical cozy mystery series of 11 books and growing.

Each book can be read as a standalone, but are much more fun in order.

Available in eBook, paperback, Kindle Unlimited, and audiobook.

 

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Chapter 1

  

“Hey!” Frank shouted the word as he landed with a thump on the deck right in front of me.

“Ack!” I jumped and grabbed the pillow beside me for protection. I nearly fell off the porch swing. “Don’t do that!”

Frank snickered. His tail flicked back and forth and his ears twitched.

“You startled me!”

“Really? It was so hard to tell.” He snorted with laughter.

I peeked from behind the pillow and shook a finger at him. “Bad cat!”

That just made him laugh harder. He rolled over on his back and waved his paws in the air.

He looked so silly that I relaxed and began to laugh, too.

“Good morning to you,” I said, as I smoothed out the pillow that had been my so-called protection.

Frank finally caught his breath and sat up. “What’cha doing out here all alone, Paige-o-roonie?”

“I was having a quiet, reflective morning. Did you catch the definitive word there? I ‘was’ having a quiet morning.”

“Are you implying that I interrupted you?”

“Not implying. Stating a fact.”

“For good reason.” He chuckled. “I see you have some coffee there.” He pointed his nose at my cup. “Want to go get this kitty a bowlful?” He crossed his front feet, tipped his head to the side and widened his eyes. Then to up his cuteness quotient, he batted his lashes. “Please?”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” I laughed, getting up from the swing. “I’ll be right back.”

I went into the kitchen to exchange my coffee for a cup of tea. Frank had jump started my heart, so I didn’t need any more caffeine. I fixed Frank a bowl of his favorite morning beverage: half-coffee, half-creamer. Any normal cat would be sick from the brew, but our magical library cat was not anything resembling normal.

The house was quiet as I grabbed our drinks and returned to the porch. I set Frank’s bowl on the table and sat on the swing. I took a big sip from my cup.

Frank took a leap over to the table and inhaled the aroma wafting from his bowl. He slurped greedily then gave a moan of delight. He tipped his head at me. “What were these reflective thoughts that I interrupted?”

I tapped a finger to my lips in thought, and glanced at my book, which lay quietly on the table beside me. For once, I didn’t have my nose in a cozy mystery. Instead, I had been rocking back and forth on the porch swing, enjoying the sounds of the birds and the quiet whisper of the wind through the trees as I had let my mind wander, until Frank had disrupted me.

“I’d been cycling through many topics, one after the other.”

“Maybe you were clearing your mind’s way for the upcoming new book adventure?”

“That’s probably true. Once we get inside a book, I won’t have time to ponder anything but the mystery we need to solve.”

 

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Elizabeth Pantley is a bestselling author of fiction and non-fiction books. She writes two well-loved cozy mystery series: The Magical Mystery Book Club, and the Destiny Falls Mystery and Magic series. She has also written the international bestselling No-Cry Solution parenting book series that is available in over twenty languages.

Elizabeth lives in the majestic Pacific Northwest and spends winters in the sunny desert of Arizona. While neither location is home to any paranormal beings (that she knows of) the vastly different yet equally lovely locations are the inspiration for the settings in many of her books.

 

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JuJu Justice

 

 

In the mystical world of voodoo culture, justice is not always black and white

JuJu Justice

by T.E. Lane

Genres: Supernatural Thriller

JuJu Justice is a gritty suspsense drama set in the belly of the New Orleans voodoo culture, pitting a juju priestess against her dangerous childhood nemesis in a war between good and evil. This much anticipated new drama is T.E. Lane's second novel, based on their award-winning screenplay. Fans of mystery, crime, paranormal, and action/thrillers will love this book!

 

Deep in the Louisiana river bottoms, the legendary "swamp witch" Mama Moo must decide who to share her juju with—the white light voodoo priestess or the black magic criminal mastermind. Her seemingly obvious choice is complicated by long-buried secrets that will determine who lives or dies.

June Mae, a white-light practitioner, faces off against her childhood nemesis, Mister—a well-connected criminal who practices the dark side of voodoo. When June’s straight-laced sister April drops into town for an unplanned visit, she quickly understands the dangerous world that June inhabits. As the sisters reconcile past traumas and reconnect, June must overcome her fears to face Mister in a voodoo battle to save their lives.  Their mentor, the “swamp witch” Mama Moo, faces a perilous choice which will determine who lives or dies.

 

The screenplay has won five script awards:

*Semifinalist Your Script Produced 4th Edition 2025

*Semifinalist Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards

*Official Finalist NYISA Best Feature Screenplay Award

*Second Rounder Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition

*Quarterfinalist Manchester Film Festival

 

What readers are saying:

“JuJu Justice spins a tale that is both intriguing and culturally rich . . . JuJu Justice enthralls viewers with a combination of magical intrigue and Southern Gothic drama."   - NYISA 

"JuJu Justice creates a supernatural stage filled with spirits, ghosts,murder, and deception . . . with a skillful blend of supernatural elements with deeper themes of family and responsibility."  -Austin Film Festival

 

**New Release on February 17!**

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Every T.E. Lane story begins with family at its core and spirals into mystery, action, and a touch of the supernatural. It’s a place where magic always feels possible, the coincidences may not be so coincidental, and the line between reality and something more is always worth crossing.

T.E. Lane writes screenplays and fiction. A fan of action, thriller, mystery, and literary fiction, the author enjoys blending aspects of many genres into a single work, creating a unique reading experience that will keep you turning the pages. Connect with the author on social media @telane_author.

 

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Toxic Love Series

 

 

Their past was painful,

Their love undeniable,

Their future unbreakable…

Toxic Attraction

Toxic Love Series Book 1

by Belle Ami

Genre: Dark Romantic Suspense

I knew the moment I saw her that she was mine. She just doesn’t know it yet.

Adelia Lindstrom is a rising star in the elite equestrian world, struggling to move forward after the devastating loss of her parents. When she meets billionaire banker Miles Bremen and his enigmatic twin sister, Karolin, her world takes an unexpected turn.

Miles is more than dangerous—he exudes a bold, unapologetic sensuality that pulls Adelia into uncharted territory. With him, she discovers a side of herself she never knew existed: passionate, daring, and irresistibly drawn to his magnetic allure. But behind his seductive charm lies a darkness that keeps her on edge, making her question whether surrendering to his world will set her free or destroy her.

Toxic Attraction is a steamy, edge-of-your-seat dark romance thriller that explores the intoxicating power of passion and the risks of losing control.

Tropes include: enemies to lovers, really dark romance, age gaps, obsessive anti-hero, possessive protector, morally gray hero, protective and stalking, kidnapping, forbidden love, revenge gone wrong.

Trigger Warnings: This series contains dark and mature themes, including an extremely possessive alpha hero with an "I will destroy anyone who threatens the heroine" intensity, emotional manipulation, kidnapping, and intense romantic conflict. Readers should be aware of potential triggers and are encouraged to review the detailed trigger warnings inside each book. Books 1 and 2 end in cliffhangers, but the series concludes with an HEA in Book 3.

Please note: Toxic Attraction is a revised and revamped version of The One by Belle Ami (published in 2014)

 

**Get it on sale - Kindle countdown deal Feb 3-10!!**

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Toxic Deception

Toxic Love Series Book 2

I failed her, and I’ll never forgive myself. But I’ll do whatever it takes to win her back—even if it costs me everything.

Adelia Lindstrom Bremen thought she had found her forever love in Miles Bremen. Their fiery connection gave her everything she thought she wanted, including Fallyn and Liam, their twins. But their passion burned too hot, and betrayal shattered their marriage, leaving her to rebuild her life.

When her children are abducted, Adelia turns to FBI Agent David Weiss for help. As they work together to bring her children home, David’s steady presence offers her a haven of calmness she never experienced with Miles. But Miles isn’t ready to let her go, and his bold, unrelenting desire for her reignites everything she thought she’d left behind.

Now caught between two men—one who offers safety and the other who awakens her soul—Adelia must navigate a high-stakes game where love, obsession, and danger intertwine.

Toxic Deception is a dark romance thriller that will grip you with its passion, betrayal, and heart-pounding suspense.

Tropes include enemies to lovers, really dark romance, age gaps, obsessive anti-hero, possessive protector, morally gray hero, protective and stalking, kidnapping, forbidden love, revenge gone wrong.

Trigger Warnings: This series contains dark and mature themes, including an extremely possessive alpha hero with an "I will destroy anyone who threatens the heroine" intensity, emotional manipulation, kidnapping, and intense romantic conflict. Readers should be aware of potential triggers and are encouraged to review the detailed trigger warnings inside each book. Books 1 and 2 end in cliffhangers, but the series concludes with an HEA in Book 3.

Please note: Toxic Deception is a revised and revamped version of The One and More by Belle Ami (published in 2014)

 

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Toxic Redemption

Toxic Love Series Book 3

I’ll fight for her, even if it kills me. She taught me how to love—and now I’ll prove I’m worthy of her.

Adelia Lindstrom Bremen has faced heartbreak, betrayal, and danger at every turn. Her parents’ deaths were no accident, her marriage to Miles ended in a vicious custody battle, and now she’s caught between two men—Miles, the enigmatic billionaire who awakened her deepest desires, and David, the steady force she thought she needed.

Miles has always embodied bold passion and unapologetic sensuality, but Adelia’s love has sparked something unexpected in him—a desire to change, to be the man she deserves. When Adelia becomes the target of a serial killer hunting climate scientists, Miles must confront his darkness and fight for the woman who made him believe in redemption.

As danger looms and secrets unravel, Adelia must decide if love can truly transform, or if passion and peril will consume her. Can Miles prove he’s more than the man who broke her heart? And will Adelia find the courage to trust the one who has always owned her soul?

Toxic Redemption is the electrifying conclusion to the Toxic Love series—a dark romance thriller where love is as dangerous as it is transformative.


Tropes include enemies to lovers, really dark romance, age gaps, obsessive anti-hero, possessive protector, morally gray hero, protective and stalking, kidnapping, forbidden love, revenge gone wrong.

Trigger Warnings: This series contains dark and mature themes, including an extremely possessive alpha hero with an "I will destroy anyone who threatens the heroine" intensity, emotional manipulation, kidnapping, and intense romantic conflict. Readers should be aware of potential triggers and are encouraged to review the detailed trigger warnings inside each book. Books 1 and 2 end in cliffhangers, but the series concludes with an HEA in Book 3.

Please note: Toxic Redemption is a revised and revamped version of One More Time is Not Enough by Belle Ami (published in 2016)

 

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Belle Ami writes breathtaking historical fiction, captivating historical romance, and gripping romantic thrillers. Creating unforgettable characters and crafting complex stories, Belle’s writing reflects the redemptive power of love and the strength of the human spirit.

A former Kathryn McBride scholar of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, Belle, is also a proud recipient of the RONE, RAVEN, Readers’ Favorite Award, and the Book Excellence Award.

Belle’s passions include hiking, boxing, skiing, cooking, travel, and of course, writing. She lives in Southern California with her family.

 

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To Climb a Distant Mountain

One woman's inspirational tale about expressing joy amid loss and suffering.

To Climb a Distant Mountain:

A Daughter’s Tribute to Her Diabetic Mother

by Laurisa White Reyes

Genre: Historical True Memoir

In 1974, at the age of twenty-six, Cynthia Ball White was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes. Today, it is estimated that 1.25 million Americans suffer from what is now referred to as Type I diabetes, compared to 38 million who have Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes. It is a merciless disease that often leads to blindness, neuropathy, amputations, and a host of other ailments, including a shortened life span.

Despite battling diabetes for forty-five years, Cyndi beat the odds. Not only did she outlive the average Type I diabetic, but until her last week of life in 2021, she had all her “parts intact”. Her daughter often called her a walking miracle. But more impressive was Cyndi’s positive outlook on life, even in the midst of tremendous loss and suffering.

The author hopes that in sharing Cyndi’s story, others may be inspired to face their own struggles with the same faith, courage, and joy as her mother did.

 

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Growing up watching my mom suffer from neuropathy, glaucoma (damage to the eyes), and occasional insulin reactions and hospitalizations took its toll on me. Concern for my mother’s life was my constant companion.

One day, after I had walked the two miles home from school, I entered my unusually quiet house. Normally at that time, I’d come home to find Mom bustling about, but not today. I called for her but received no response. Finally, I stepped into her bedroom. The drapes were drawn, and the room was dark as night. Mom lay on her bed on her stomach, face turned against her pillow, an arm drooping over the side of the bed. For a moment, a spasm of fear shot through me. Was Mom dead? I stood frozen in place for what felt an eternity, though it was mere seconds before Mom stirred, waking from her nap. She noticed me, smiled, and asked how school was. I never told her what I’d thought, or how deeply that flash of fear traumatized me.

I remember one evening when we were all sitting around the dining table for dinner. The mood was lighthearted, relaxed, and we were all just gabbing about things and sharing jokes. My dad had a good one: “What do you find up an elephant’s trunk?” He paused, then answered, “An eight-foot booger!”

We all laughed, including Mom. But as most of our laughter died down, Mom’s didn’t. She kept on laughing. In fact, she couldn’t stop. Seeing her so consumed by laughter was funnier than the joke, and the rest of us continued laughing—at her. Mom was laughing so hard that tears fell down her cheeks. Then Dad realized what was happening.

Diabetics, when their glucose levels drop dangerously low, are often mistaken for being drunk. Some act belligerently, as depicted by Julia Roberts in the film Steel Magnolias. Others become “tipsy”, slurring their speech or becoming unbalanced. Still others are the “friendly” drunks, overly cheerful and humorous.

Another sign of a diabetic reaction is when the patient slows down. Long ago, there was a popular TV commercial with the Energizer Bunny. As its batteries died, the toy moved slower and slower until it finally stopped. Like a wind-up clock losing time, or that bunny decelerating, that’s what it was like for Mom as her glucose levels dropped, and that’s how Dad knew Mom was in danger. Mom could not control her laughter, and then her batteries started to die.

Dad did not even stop to test her blood. He ran for the kitchen and hurriedly poured a glass of orange juice, a constant staple in our house, then coaxed Mom to drink it. It wasn’t easy. She couldn’t focus on what needed to be done, to open her lips and swallow—all between ever-weakening guffaws. If Dad had hesitated even one more minute, she would have lost consciousness, been unable to drink the juice, and would have needed an ambulance. We knew. We’d seen it happen before. Fortunately, Dad saved the day—like he always did and always would. My dad is a real-life Superman.

As a family, we continued to retell that incident for decades. Repeating Dad’s joke always elicited chuckles from us all, including Mom, but in reality, it was one of many, many too close for comfort moments in our lives.

 

  

Last Summer in Algonac

by Laurisa White Reyes

Genre: Fictionalized Family Biography

From the Spark Award-winning author of The Storytellers & Petals...

The summer of 1938 is idyllic for fourteen-year-old Dorothy Ann Reid. She’s spent every summer of her life visiting her grandparent’s home on the banks of the St. Clair River in Algonac, Michigan. But unbeknownst to her, this will be her last. As Dorothy and her family pass their time swimming, fishing, and boating, they are blissfully unaware that tragedy lurks just around the corner.

Last Summer in Algonac is a fictionalized account of the author’s grandmother and her family’s final summer before her father’s suicide, which altered their lives forever. Inspired by real people and events, Laurisa Reyes has woven threads of truth with imagination, creating a “what if” tale. No one living today knows the details leading to Bertram Reid’s death, but thanks to decades of letters, personal interviews, historical research, and a visit to Algonac, Reyes attempts to resolve unanswered questions, and provide solace and closure to the Reid family at last.

 

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We all noticed the silver Cadillac when it first turned onto our street. Sleek and shiny as a brand new silver dollar. But when it parked in front of the house, even the men laid down their hands to look.

The driver’s side door opened, and out stepped a short, squat woman with hair all white, curled and set to perfection. She wore round silver spectacles on her nose and a lilac dress. She shut the car door with a confident slam and perched her fists on her hips, taking in several deep breaths.

“Well, I’m here now,” she said with a self-assured grin. “Which one of you fellers gonna fetch my luggage from the trunk?”

I felt Mother stiffen beside me and noted her fingers tighten around her lemonade. There was a distinctive moment of hesitation before she set down her glass on the stand beside her and stood, smoothing down her dress.

“Mother,” she said, giving Father ‘the look’ before heading down the steps to greet our unexpected visitor.

Father elbowed Charles, who then leapt up from his chair and bounded off the porch to the car. “Hello Grandma,” he said, planting a kiss on the older woman’s cheek.

Father took his time leaving the table, but also made his way to the car and kissed his mother-in-law.

Clara was born in 1864 in Henrietta, Ohio. Christened Clara Petronella Peabody, a name I’ve always been fond of, she was the seventh of thirteen children. “Smack dab in the middle,” I’d heard her say. She’d married her first of three husbands, Charles Noble, in 1882 and had three children, of whom Mother was the youngest. Her third husband’s name was Pratt, so even though they weren’t together anymore, we often called her Grandma Pratt.

In my favorite photo of her, taken later in the 1940s, she posed alongside her favorite dog and wore a full-length fur coat. She looked absolutely regal.

“Is that my little Dottie?” said Clara, coming up the porch steps. I flew into her outstretched arms and allowed her to swallow me in a tight embrace. She kissed the top of my head, then held me out from her by my shoulders.

“All grown up, I see,” she said happily. “Sprouted a good foot or two since I last seen you.”

“Grandma, I just saw you at Christmas!”

“I know it. I know it, but you look so darn tall these days, and ladylike. What have you been feeding this child, Dorothy May?”

Mother forced a smile. “She eats the same as everyone else,” she said. Charles lugged Clara’s two carpet bags into the house.

“I take it you’re planning on staying here with us?” asked Mother.

“Just give me the sofa,” said Clara. “I’m only staying for a few days. I just come from your sister Leila Grace’s in Mount Pleasant. Stayed on a few weeks there. And I promised to spend the 4^th with your brother’s widow, Lillian. Now that Frederick Jr. has gotten married, she’s all alone in that big old house of hers. Might as well we two ladies spend some time together.”

Clara spotted the card table and the two men sitting at it.

“John. Harry. Nice to see you both.”

“You two, Clara,” they both drawled.

“What are you playing?”

“Five Card Draw,” said John.

There was an uncomfortable silence as Clara regarded each man through narrowed eyes. “Got room for one more?” she asked.

John and Harry looked at each other, then shrugged and scooted their chairs closer together.

“Charles!” Clara called into the house. “Bring out another chair, and one of them cold glasses of lemonade.”

  

Laurisa White Reyes is the author of twenty-one books, including the SCBWI Spark Award-winning novel The Storytellers and the Spark Honor recipient Petals. She is also the Senior Editor at Skyrocket Press and an English instructor at College of the Canyons in Southern California. Her next release, a non-fiction book on the Old Testament, will be released in August 2026 with Cedar Fort Publishing.

 

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