Böcker av Elaine L. Orr

Fifth Family History Mystery!A dinner invitation for Digger, who is accompanied by the very pale Uncle Benjamin, gets her involved with a recently discovered relative of their elderly friend Thelma, whose brother died during World War II. DNA testing has led his until-now-unknown great-grandson, Peter, to Maple Grove in the Western Maryland Mountains. Thelma enlists Digger's help as she gets to know Peter. But his presence is not the only surprise. Letters Thelma recently received from another brother's estate raise questions about what happened to some of her parents' prized possessions. Were they submerged with the family's old farm house, which became part of Deep Creek Lake when it was filled in the mid-1920s?Digger and Uncle Benjamin see no way to learn more, but night visits to the lake by an unscrupulous duo may mean someone else is looking for valuables to plunder. But how would they know it exists, and what would convince them to dive for it? And what will happen to Digger or her friend Marty if they get in the way of the treasure seekers?

When Jolie Gentil goes to buy a cup of coffee the morning after a storm knocks out power at her house in Ocean Alley, she finds Java Jolt unlocked and minus its owner. A bigger surprise is seeing proprietor Joe Regan a few minutes later, badly injured. It seems a potential killer thinks Jolie has something Joe was hiding. The normal routine of appraising houses and volunteering at the Harvest for All food pantry is interrupted by an SUV that nearly smashes Jolie, a break-in at the home Jolie and Scoobie share, and a terrifying kidnapping. Jolie needs to figure out who's telling the truth and how far the thugs will go to to find what they want. Only solving the puzzle will keep Jolie safe, protect a vulnerable Iraq war vet, and make sure everyone stays alive. But if Jolie keeps searching, her budding romance with Scoobie may grind to a halt.

When the owner of the Bully Pulpit Diner decided to stop letting servers accept tips, he figured the raise he gave them would keep them happy. Apparently not. Or was a side-hustle that got Ben Addison killed?Police Chief Elizabeth Friedman's investigation collides with frat brothers at the local college who keep goats in the dining room and throw rowdy Halloween parties. Marti and Nick try to keep the diner operating, while local small business owners offer varying degrees of help - mostly not much.Medical Examiner Skelly wants to help the chief with more than the investigation, and a thief wants something Ben hid. And maybe the killer is willing to take another stab at it.Join the people of Logland, Illinois who will tickle your funny bone while the police try to find a suspect.

Opening your apartment door to see a woman sliding down it is distressing. Especially when that woman has a knife in her chest. After all the times she has encouraged Jolie to mind her own business, Aunt Madge has had a change of heart.It's Jolie's boyfriend Scoobie Madge turns to to help her figure out who the murderer is. Not that being temporarily in an assisted living apartment prevents Aunt Madge from investigating herself. No, a fall from a stool that results in a broken wrist and ankle can't hold down the owner of the Cozy Corner B&B.Could the murderer be a resident with a grudge, or a philandering neighbor who didn't want to get caught in someone else's bed? Aunt Madge's scooter rides take her to the laundry room where she thinks she spots a body in a bin, and into the cold to check exit doors to be sure they can't be entries for murder. All she gets is a reputation for being nosy. It's hard not to be when a dead woman's blood is on your carpet.Murder's not all Madge and friends juggle. What will happen to the Alzheimer's patient whose husband wants to keep her in their apartment? Will Scoobie find information about Melvin, his ornery former professor, that will explain his odd behavior? And how will Madge and her good friend Lance avoid the acid-tongued Elmira Washington, who has decided she wants an apartment in their building?For a change, it's Madge whose persistence annoys Sergeant Morehouse of the Ocean Alley Police. Certainly the director of the Silver Times senior complex wants Aunt Madge to get well enough to leave. And she does miss her exuberant retrievers and husband Harry. He's busy burning muffins at the B&B instead of helping Jolie with the appraisal business.Good humor at the Jersey shore. Except for the poor dead woman. Add the Christmas and Hanukkah season and there's good fun mixed with the murder.

Marti and Nick have inherited The Bully Pulpit Diner in Logland, Illinois, and their first Christmas season has town grounch, Louella Belle Simpson, as a regular customer. She point out calorie content to other diners and lectures people on their weight. This doesn't encourage people to order pie. When Louella Belle turns up dead, there are plenty of people who were tired of listening to her, but murder seems like an extreme reaction.Police Chief Elizabeth Friedman has few clues and little help from the alarmed Logland residents. No one at Man-Up Tatoos saw anything, and the Weed n' Feed Bar and Grill wasn't close enough for patrons to be helpful. Somebody had to have seen something, and when another senior citizen turns up dead, the chief figures someone must be trying to cover their tracks in the Christmas snow.What do stolen bicycles, baggies with paint on them, and a brick through the chief's apartment have to do with the killings? And does Medical Examiner Skelly figure out something that makes him a target, too? Will he be around to have Christmas Eve dinner with the chief?As Elizabeth and the small Logland police force wade through suspects and clues, they learn some poignant facts that serve as a reminder of why we need to reach out to people who aren't easy to help. Join the eclectic mix of Logland characters as they try to solve a murder and celebrate Christmas.

City Clerk Donald Dingle is a pest. He's a tightwad with the city budget and criticizes the police department to the point that Police Chief Elizabeth Friedman would love to see him retire. And she did mean retire, not expire. When he dies soon after having stents implanted, it's natural to wonder why he didn't recover. When the reason becomes apparent, people in town wonder if they're safe in the hospital.Then some of the pointing fingers aim at Medical Examiner Skelly, a good friend of the police department Dingle wanted to abolish. Chief Elizabeth Friedman has her hands full. She has to tread on some important toes to find the answers. Even if her department survives, can the hospital and her friends there do the same? And how long does a small town survive without its hospital?Join the quirky characters of Logland, Illinois in this police procedural with a cozy feel.

A midnight wedding, Army veterans who face repercussions of two different wars, and a very startling wedding guest. Wedding days are special, but they don't usually pack as big a surprise as Jolie and Scoobie's New Year's Eve nuptials. Scoobie never knew much about his family -- and after the way he grew up, who could blame him for liking it that way? A 9-1-1 call during the wedding changes everything. Is the man in the Ocean Alley Emergency Room simply ill, or did someone want him dead? Suddenly, Jolie has to help Scoobie figure out what he wants to know. Learning more about Scoobie's past could change their future together.And a special wedding arrival may cause even more complications. Book 10 in the Jolie Gentil cozy mystery series brings together the close-knit group of friends and zany Ocean Alley townspeople for a very special event. You don't want to miss it!

It isn't every day that you find a body at your kids' school. Unless you're Jolie Gentil. Then it's more of an option. Someone broke into Sand and Sea Daycare, leaving a broken window and plenty of rain in the director's office. When Jolie hears an angry man say the intruder must have been looking for some books, she remembers the center hadn't deposited money raised at its annual rummage and bake sale. But that's not her business. Her job at the co-op center is to place orders for the food the kids gobble. Scoobie's contribution, as a poet, is to lead a rhyming session with the kids. It's bedlam and they love it. But when Jolie goes into the center for an evening board meeting, she finds a body at the desk of the Sand and Sea director. With help from Mayor Madge, Jolie learns that the daycare center building has been caught up in plans for a boutque hotel and could have to close. Some liked the idea of a sale and others strongly objected. Neither Jolie or Scoobie think it's a good idea for the twins to head back to school until they know what really happened. And when four-year olds clamor to be with friends, it's a good idea to figure it out. Who kills for an old building? Someone does, and they don't like the idea of Jolie learning who they are.

Jolie Gentil is surprised at a request from Sergeant Morehouse, who believes his nephew is not a runaway. Something had terrified the teenager, but before Morehouse could figure it out, Kevin was gone. Jolie has a soft spot for Kevin, who helped Scoobie's young brother Terry adjust to life in Ocean Alley. And then the hospital's head nurse is murdered. Does it link to Kevin's disappearance?Add to the mix Aunt Madge's decision to run for Ocean Alley mayor. She believes a proposed resort will change the character of Ocean Alley and plans to convince voters progress doesn't have to mean lots more concrete.Jolie plans a Cinco de Mayo fundraiser for the food pantry as she pokes around town. It gives her faith in her hunches. Scoobie isn't so sure. But Kevin's life may depend on Jolie's certainty and her efforts to find him before a killer does.

From Hurricane Sandy to Cozy Corner B&B repairs to Aunt Madge's wedding in three weeks. If Jolie can handle that surely she can deal with a sobbing woman who shows up at midnight playing a scary message on a cell phone. Pooki is frantic about her husband's whereabouts and more than a little 'ditzy,' according to Jolie's best friend, Scoobie. After taking Pooki to the police station the next morning, Jolie figures she is problem-free. Not really.A shady deal for storm repairs at the Ocean Alley Senior Complex seems to be at the root of Steve Oliver's hit-and-run death and missing business partner (Pooki's husband, Eric). When Eric ends up dead at the B&B, Jolie is digging for clues in between burning muffins and appraising houses.Jolie is convinced she needs to find the murderer (or is it murderers?) and expose fraudulent repair bids. Not everyone shares her views--not the police, her friend Scoobie, and certainly not the murderer.

Someone is breaking into the houses Jolie appraises. When she realizes a new face in town is leading high school kids into trouble in those houses, Jolie's mad and lets him know it. Hayden offers to help her mind her own business, and a lot of people at the Talk Like a Pirate Day fundraiser for the food pantry hear her give him what for.A hurricane's on the way to disrupt Talk Like a Pirate Day. When a corpse turns up under the pirate ship the next day, someone wants Jolie to be a suspect.Soon she has less work. Who wants a possible murder suspect appraising their house? Scoobie's pirate limericks can't solve a crime, so Jolie and her sometimes buddy local reporter George Winters look for the murderer and try to figure out who's trying to frame Jolie. They need to stay ahead of whoever's mad at her and off the radar of the local police who tell Jolie -- for the hundredth time -- to butt out.All this and Jolie has to deal with Aunt Madge's blossoming love life. And what about her own? For a cozy mystery with a dose of humor and a touch of romance, join Jolie and friends in Ocean Alley.

There's something hidden behind the walls of the hurricane damaged house Jolie bought in her New Jersey beach town. Something someone seems willing to kill for. After Jolie and Scoobie find a small sack of jewelry as they do a mold attack on her bungalow, Jolie is pursued by a purse thief and a burglar. But the guy she's most worried about is the one who left an elderly auctioneer dead on her porch swing.In between appraising houses and planning a fundraiser for the food pantry (can you say liquid string contest?), Jolie tries to figure out if there is more stolen bounty around town. Is the feared killer the same person who burned some vacant houses, or the as-yet unmasked Peeping Tom? And are they willing to kill again to get to the hidden riches?Her friends and local police warn her to butt out, but that's just encouragement for a woman who likes to get to the bottom of things. Jolie wrestles with fear as she tries to get her cat, Jazz, to feel at home in the new house. Maybe an unexpected visitor can be a substitute for Aunt Madge's golden retrievers.And then there's her love life. Jolie also needs to decide if she really wants to get back with her former boyfriend, Ocean Alley Press reporter George Winters. Or are feelings for someone else trying to get her attention?

Though she never liked the idea of sitting on the plank above the dunk tank for the food pantry's fundraiser at the carnival, Jolie never dreamed what Scoobie saw that day would leave him battling for his life. Scoobie's ex-con mother shows up and there's a murder to add to the mix. Soon Jolie is doing a lot more than appraising real estate, though even that is complicated by home burglars. Jolie grudgingly seeks help from her nemesis--reporter George Winters--and tries to stay a step ahead of a kidnapper and murderer so she can take charge of her world again. Can she keep her friends safe, and will Scoobie recover enough to plan another silly fundraiser?¿

It's Thanksgiving weekend in Ocean Alley and Jolie Gentil is attending her 10th high school reunion and appraising the vacant Tillotson-Fisher house. She is surprised by the skeleton of Richard Tillotson hidden in an antique attic wardrobe. He vanished just after his sister married his business partner in 1929. Jolie sees a link to the Fisher family's Prohibition era business and works with friends Scoobie and Ramona to gather clues from old photo albums and ledgers. The present day murder of Richard's former girlfriend, Mary Doris, tells them someone feels threatened by having Jolie dig into Richard's former family business, the Bakery at the Shore. What else went on in that abandoned bakery? Did the secret Mary Doris kept all these years finally kill her? Between running the food pantry at Christmas time and escaping a burning building, they hope to figure out who the modern killer is before someone else gets hurt.

Mountain Rails of Old, third book in the Family History Mystery Series.Digger's mountain hides some aspects of its past. Rumor says it hosted a stop on the Underground Railroad, and it boasts remains of the first schoolhouse west of Cumberland. She never paid much attention to the abandoned cottage and its long-gone occupants until she accompanied her friend Marty, who wanted to photograph it for a potential news story. Everything changed when Uncle Benjamin made a huge discovery nearby. What really happened to Samantha and her ten-year old daughter fifteen years ago? If it hadn't been for a growling raccoon, Digger might not have tried to find out.Her friend Holly doesn't like the ancestors Digger found for her, and Marty thinks she's distanced herself rather than level with him about how she feels. She doesn't realize that her search for the waystation for escaping slaves will cross paths with efforts to bring Samantha home. And that path doesn't lead to a safe haven.Join Digger, Marty, and Uncle Benjamin as they sometimes operate at cross-purposes to solve old mysteries and unlock the mountain's secrets. Western Maryland at its elusive best.

Least Trodden GroundDigger Browning looked forward to spending time with Uncle Benjamin after damaged pipes put her kitchen ceiling on the floor. She didn't expect to find his body at his Western Maryland home, the Ancestral Sanctuary. Who would kill the parsimonious octogenarian? Sure, some people were mad about him pushing the historical society to find a new abode, but they got over it, right? And then she finds out he had a new 'foxy lady, ' and she's not his usual type. Antsy before the funeral, Digger delves into family history, but makes an unexpected find. Between trying to figure out who keeps breaking into the Ancestral Sanctuary, avoiding an ex-boyfriend, putting up with cranky relatives, figuring out who busted her pipes, and losing her job, it's a rough week. If she doesn't watch out, Digger could end up next to Uncle Benjamin in the family plot.

B.R.A.G. Medallion HonoreeDigger is bouncing back from a tough year. With the new graphic design firm she and her friend Holly started, things are looking up. But then life throws her a curve when she trips over a body while she and her friend Marty are taking photos at an abandoned train depot.As she tries to piece things together, Digger begins to think the body she found is linked to a long-ago disappearance in her town of Maple Grove. Did Daniel Stevens abandon his family in 1963, or is there a more sinister explanation?When she tries to learn more about Daniel's life, Digger ends up raising more questions than answers, and she alienates her biggest client. Marty wonders if her odd mutterings mean she's losing it. He gets more convinced when Digger seems to call to her uncle as someone takes pot shots at the two of them near an abandoned mine.What happens when an apparition's medium tells others about the ghost that she alone sees? Will Digger have to lose Uncle Benjamin to get close to anyone else?Intriguing times in the Western Maryland mountains.

Family History Mystery Series, Book 4When a Maple Grove resident discovers some old gold coins in the woods near town, it's an intriguing event -- but not one that seems dangerous. However, the article Digger's friend, Marty, wrote for the Maple Grove News , seems to have attracted unwarranted attention. Did the coins come from a long-ago bank robbery or burglary, or was someone passing through murdered in the early 20th century? ¿No matter the source, it leads to a fresh murder today.Sheriff Montgomery asks Digger for help in tracing descendants of possible owners of the stash of coins. But he didn't mean for her to delve deeply into the case. She and Marty -- with input from the late Uncle Benjamin -- can't resist. Their probe may uncover secrets others will do anything to conceal.