Clara Raven by Murray Pura

No Comments on Clara Raven by Murray Pura

Goodreadsclara raven ~ Apple ~ B&N ~ Kobo ~ Amazon

1920 – Idaho

Merck McIntyre had survived the Great War and dodged the Spanish Flu. Now he was back in the United States and had signed on with the U.S. Marshal. His plans were for a good career in law enforcement in his home state of Massachusetts.

It was The Roaring Twenties. America was recovering from a world war and wanted to party. But 1920 was the start of Prohibition. It became the law of the land. The men slated to enforce it were the U.S. Marshals, something Merck hadn’t counted on. Overnight, he was on a train headed for the far-flung state of Idaho. It would be his job to stop the illegal sale of liquor in what, so far as he was concerned, was still the wild west.

Merck, like President Woodrow Wilson, didn’t think it was a good law, and he didn’t think it would work, no matter what law enforcement did. But he set out to do his best to maintain peace and order in northern Idaho. It even looked like he might achieve it.

Until the bootleggers showed up with their guns and their greed. They moved in fast to take over stills and make a fortune shipping booze to whoever could pay top dollar. When rival gangs appeared, they shot them down. The bullets flew and soon Merck had a regular war on his hands.

There were a handful of sheriffs and sheriff’s deputies he could call on. But too many were dirty and he didn’t trust them. Then there were the special deputies – a Basque-American named Nayara Zubiri, and another woman from Boise who went by Samantha McCain. Maybe they’d help, maybe they’d hinder, maybe they’d make all the difference. Only time and courage would tell.

Double the Lies by Patricia Raybon

No Comments on Double the Lies by Patricia Raybon

GoodreadsDouble the Lies ~ Apple ~ B&N ~ Google Play ~ Kobo ~ Amazon

1924 – Colorado

In the second installment of Patricia Raybon’s critically acclaimed mystery series, amateur detective Annalee Spain races the clock to solve the murder of a handsome young pilot before she is framed for the crime—and before his dashing twin falls head over heels for her, tempting her promised heart.

On a cold spring night in 1924, Annalee Spain offers her new fancy lace handkerchief—a gift from her pastor boyfriend Jack Blake—to a young woman crying in a Denver public library. But later that night, when police find the handkerchief next to the body of the young woman’s murdered husband, Annalee becomes the number one suspect, and her panic doubles when she learns that Jack has gone missing.

With just days to solve the murder before the city’s Klan-run police frame her for the crime, Annalee finds herself hunting for clues in the Colorado mountain town of Estes Park. She questions the victim’s wife and her uncle, a wealthy Denver banker, at their mountain lodge, desperate for leads. Instead, she finds a household full of suspects and even more burning questions. Who keeps threatening her, why can’t she find Jack, and will a dangerous flirtation be her undoing? Her answers plumb the depths of the human heart, including her own, exploring long-buried secrets, family lies, even city politics—all of which could cost the young detective her fledgling love . . . and perhaps even her life.

In Spotlight and Shadow by Rachel Scott McDaniel

1 Comment on In Spotlight and Shadow by Rachel Scott McDaniel

GoodreadsIn Spotlight and Shadow ~ Apple ~ B&N ~ Google Play ~ Kobo ~ Amazon

1920s/Present Day – Pennsylvania

A Gem of a Mystery Takes Center Stage

Elise Malvern has a habit of letting people down. Her former boyfriend who hoped she’d be his bride. Her grandfather who hoped she’d take over the family’s auction company. But mostly she’s disappointed herself. What’s the point of pursuing her passion as a violinist, if she is too scared to audition for a seat in the Pittsburgh Symphony? Her internship at the elegant Heinz Hall places her in the wings of the stage, but never on it. By accident, she discovers an old stage prop. Her instincts tell her there’s more to the paste necklace than meets the eye. Whether a good idea or not, she accepts help from a childhood friend, who happens to be country music megastar—Pierson Brooks. Pierson and Elise share a history; one she doesn’t care to repeat. The more involved they become in the mystery, the more things get tangled, including her heart.
 
A century earlier…
Sophie Walters longs for center stage, her name on the marquee, and all that jazz, but climbing her way into an acting career is more difficult than she imagined. Having spoiled all her chances in Hollywood, she returns to Pittsburgh, accepting an insignificant role in a popular production. She watches her dreams pass by from behind the curtain at the illustrious Loew’s Penn Theatre. She finally gets the coveted spotlight, but not for her talent. No, her surge to fame is all one terrible mistake. Somehow, she’s suspected to be a notorious jewel thief known around Pittsburgh as The Mirage. The man she pleads for help is none other than the man she jilted at the altar five years before, Sterling Monroe.

All That is Secret by Patricia Raybon

No Comments on All That is Secret by Patricia Raybon

allthatissecretGoodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1923 – Colorado

From award-winning author Patricia Raybon comes a compelling new historical mystery series, a riveting puzzle about a young Black theologian–and Sherlock fan–trying to solve her father’s cold-case murder in a city ruled by the KKK.
It’s the winter of 1923 and Professor Annalee Spain―a clever but overworked theologian at a small Chicago Bible college–receives a cryptic telegram calling her home to Denver to solve the murder of her beloved but estranged father.
For a young Black woman, searching for answers in a city ruled by the KKK could mean real danger. Still, with her literary hero Sherlock Holmes as inspiration, Annalee launches her hunt for clues, attracting two surprising allies: Eddie, a relentless young orphan boy searching for his missing father, and Jack, a handsome young pastor who loves nightclub dancing and fast cars–awakening Annalee’s heart to the surprising highs and lows of romance and love.
With their help, Annalee follows clues that land her among Denver’s powerful elite. But when her sleuthing unravels sinister motives and long-buried lies, will clever Annalee become a victim, too? 
 

Murder at the Empire by Cathe Swanson

No Comments on Murder at the Empire by Cathe Swanson

GoodreadsMurder at the Empire ~ Amazon

1920s – Illinois

Gayle Wells is a killer organist, but does a killer have her in his sights?

They call him the Emperor. John Starek fills his theater with fine artwork and treasures. He’s particularly pleased to have one of the country’s first female organists – and he thinks Gayle Wells is the bee’s knees.

Despite pressure from her social crusader mother, Gayle isn’t interested in changing the world. She just wants a car of her own – and a career playing the organ at the Empire movie palace would be especially ducky.

Then the Empire’s treasures start disappearing and employees start dying. Are a few pieces of art really enough motive for the string of murders? Will Gayle be next?

Undercurrent of Secrets by Rachel Scott McDaniel

1 Comment on Undercurrent of Secrets by Rachel Scott McDaniel

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1920s – Traveling

Two women, a century apart, are bound by a haunting secret aboard a legendary steamboat.

Walk through Doors to the Past via a new series of historical stories of romance and adventure.

As wedding coordinator for the 100-year-old steamboat The Belle of Louisville, Devyn Asbury takes pride in seeing others’ dreams come true, even though her engagement had sunk like a diamond ring to the bottom of the Ohio River. When the Belle becomes a finalist in the Timeless Wedding Venue contest, Devyn endeavors to secure the prestigious title with hopes to reclaim some of her professional dreams. What she hadn’t planned on was Chase Jones showing up with a mysterious photo from the 1920s.
 
A century earlier, Hattie Louis is as untamable as the rivers that raised her. As the adopted daughter of a steamboat captain, her duties range from the entertainment to cook. When strange incidents occur aboard the boat, Hattie’s determined to discover the truth. Even if that means getting under First Mate Jack Marshall’s handsome skin.

A Time to Weep by Tracy Higley

1 Comment on A Time to Weep by Tracy Higley

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

68/1922 – Roman Empire/Egypt

Sometimes the only way forward is back.

Sahara Aldridge, a young Egyptologist in 1922, is chasing down the trail of her parents through the unknown corridors of time.

But when all clues point to Ancient Rome as the next place to search, Sahara retreats into the safety of her archaeological work, cataloguing treasures from the newly-discovered tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.

As the discovery of the intact tomb propels the world into a frenzy of “Tut-mania,” the ever-present Jack Moretti is there to help, but what is his agenda?

And it appears Tempus Vigilia isn’t going to leave her alone. The secret society has sent others, tracking her movements and asking too many questions.

Now it seems her family is in danger. Sahara must once again put her career on hold, to find what she has lost. But will Ancient Rome hold the answers, or only one more reason to grieve?

The Last Gasp by Chautona Havig

1 Comment on The Last Gasp by Chautona Havig

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1920s – California

At the pinnacle of his Hollywood career, Garrison Prince’s reign ends tonight.

As plain old Gary Prinz, he can pursue his Bible education, buy a bungalow in Pasadena, acquire a few chickens, and marry the girl of his dreams. He just never imagined trading the silver screen for a pulpit would wreak such havoc.

A cigarillo girl, Lucinda Ashton spends her days with her boyfriend, Gary, and her evenings selling candy and “gaspers” to the Hollywood elite at the Taj Mahal Theater.

However, when gunshots ring out just as intermission begins, Lucinda finds herself smack-dab in the middle of a brouhaha that leaves three dead, and no one has a clue why.

All the police know is that the evidence points to Lucinda as the killer and Gary as the intended target.

Four new friends, one young orphan, and a potluck of clues that don’t seem to fit anywhere leave the police baffled, Lucinda in fear for her freedom, and Gary ready to trade in his acting shoes for gumshoes if it’ll save his “Cinda.”

The first book in the Ever After Mysteries combining beloved fairy tales and mysteries, The Last Gasp. This Cinderella retelling blends a murder with enough crime and story clues to keep you on the edge of your seat.

On Sugar Hill by Ane Mulligan

No Comments on On Sugar Hill by Ane Mulligan

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1929 – Georgia

To make ends meet, the Fitzgerald women must open their home as a boardinghouse, but will the secrets they uncover prove their undoing?

The day Cora Fitzgerald turned sixteen, she fled Sugar Hill for the bright lights of New York City, leaving behind her senator father’s abuse. But just as her career takes off, she’s summoned home.

The stock market has crashed. The senator is dead. Her mother is delusional, and her mute Aunt Clara pens novels that expose the town’s secrets. Then there’s Boone Robertson, who never knew she was alive back in high school but now manages to be around whenever she needs help.

And the Fitzgerald women need a lot of help, indeed. They are forced to find a way to make ends meet, whether it’s mining for gold or doing what Southern women have done for generations in times of need—turning their home into a boardinghouse.

But will the people of Cora’s past keep her from returning to a brilliant future?

Paint and Nectar by Ashley Clark

No Comments on Paint and Nectar by Ashley Clark

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1929 – South Carolina

In 1929, a spark forms between Eliza, a talented watercolorist, and William, a charming young man with a secret that could ruin her career. Their families forbid their romance because of a long-standing feud over missing heirloom silver. Still, Eliza and William’s passion grows despite the barriers, causing William to deeply regret the secret he’s keeping . . . but setting things right will come at a cost.

In present-day Charleston, a mysterious benefactor gifts Lucy Legare an old house, along with all the secrets it holds–including enigmatic letters about an antique silver heirloom. Declan Pinckney, whom Lucy’s been avoiding since their disastrous first date, is set on buying her house for his family’s development company. As Lucy uncovers secrets about the house, its garden, and the silver, she becomes more determined than ever to preserve the historic Charleston property, not only for history’s sake but also for her own.

A Time to Seek by Tracy Higley

No Comments on A Time to Seek by Tracy Higley

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1300s BC/1922 – Egypt

Sahara Aldridge, a young Egyptologist in 1922, is making a name for herself on the digsite soon to become Egypt’s most sensational discovery—the tomb of the boy-king, Tutankhamun. Despite opposition from a mostly-male profession, Sahara fights to continue the legacy of her Egyptologist parents, who died tragically at sea when she was a teen.

But then a childhood friend finds a lost journal written by Sahara’s mother, hinting at the bizarre possibility of time-travel, and a crazy suspicion forces Sahara to confront a freak incident years earlier…Is it possible her parents were time travelers? And has she inherited this mind-blowing ability?

When the American journalist Jack Moretti begins asking too many questions, Sahara suspects he knows more than he’s telling. Did her parents truly perish in an accident? Or did someone target and murder them because of their time traveling gift?

There’s only one way to unearth the truth. Sahara must travel back in time, to the days of King Tut. But the biggest surprise is yet to come… the truth about her parents, and about her own destiny, discovered in the whispers of conspiracy around the death of Egypt’s most famous Pharaoh. But what secrets are better left buried?

Soon the Dawn by Linda Brooks Davis

No Comments on Soon the Dawn by Linda Brooks Davis

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1921 – Oklahoma

When God’s plan collides with a woman’s single-minded will, lives change—if she’ll let them.

Ella thought adopting five daughters a month after her wedding would be difficult. Sixteen years later, letting go of her eldest is even harder. As Amaryllis prepares to spread her wings upon college graduation, Ella runs headlong into questions she can’t answer.

If Amaryllis chooses to make a life in faraway Denver, can Ella trust the Lord to keep her safe? Will Ella’s mother-in-law’s high society friends puff up Amaryllis until she’s blinded to what’s important? Will Amaryllis lose her grip on her faith, upbringing, and goals?

When everything crumbles around her, Ella must decide where she’ll place her trust—in her own capable hands or in the Lord’s sovereign plan. What will that decision require of her?

The Red Canary by Rachel Scott McDaniel

No Comments on The Red Canary by Rachel Scott McDaniel

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1928 – Pennsylvania

Music sparks her world, but can love ignite her heart?

In 1928, soot from the local mills and music from speakeasies linger in the Pittsburgh air. When the manager of The Kelly Club is found dead, nightclub singer Vera Pembroke is thrust into peril. As the only witness to the crime, she’s sentenced to hide away in the Allegheny Forest with a stuffy police sergeant as her guardian.

Sergeant Mick Dinelo harbors a burning hatred for Pittsburgh’s underworld after the devastation it left on his life—and heart. He should be out exposing culpable gangsters rather than tending to the impetuous woman who defies his every effort to keep her safe.

Mick and Vera must set aside their differences to solve the murder that someone wants to keep buried beneath the soot of Steel City.

In High Cotton by Ane Mulligan

1 Comment on In High Cotton by Ane Mulligan

Goodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1929 – Georgia

While the rest of the world has been roaring through the 1920s, times are hardscrabble in rural South Georgia. Widow Maggie Parker is barely surviving while raising her young son alone. Then as banks begin to fail, her father-in-law threatens to take her son and sell off her livelihood—the grocery store her husband left her. Can five Southern women band together, using their wisdom and wiles to stop him and survive the Great Depression?

Off the Ground by Catherine Richmond

No Comments on Off the Ground by Catherine Richmond

Goodreads offtheground~ Purchase ~ Sample

1929 – Nebraska

She wants to race Amelia Earhart. He’s afraid of flying. Will their relationship ever get off the ground?

As the Roaring Twenties come to a close, Mac McFarland falls head over heels for live-wire Corrie Tinley. Now that she’s graduated, they’re allowed to date. But before he can sweep her off the dance floor and into his life, her father gives her a winged death trap—a biplane. Refusing to stick around to see her crash, Mac leaves without saying goodbye. Corrie’s family treats her like a dumb Dora, but her former basketball coach is respectful and attentive. Mac has a noble air like Lindbergh and dark hair waving over his forehead like Gary Cooper. She can’t wait to take him flying in her new biplane, but he’s disappeared. If she can’t find him, is she destined to fly solo the rest of her life?

You’re the Cream in my Coffee by Jennifer Lamont Leo

No Comments on You’re the Cream in my Coffee by Jennifer Lamont Leo

creamcoffeeGoodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1928 – Illinois

In 1928, Chicago rocks to the rhythm of the Jazz Age, and Prohibition is in full swing. Small-town girl Marjorie Corrigan, visiting the city for the first time, has sworn that coffee’s the strongest drink that will pass her lips. But her quiet, orderly life turns topsy-turvy when she spots her high school sweetheart–presumed killed in the Great War–alive and well in a train station. Suddenly everything is up for grabs.

Although the stranger insists he’s not who she thinks he is, Marjorie becomes obsessed with finding out the truth. To the dismay of her fiancé and family, she moves to the city and takes a job at a department store so she can spy on him. Meanwhile, the glittering world of her roommate, Dot, begins to look awfully enticing–especially when the object of her obsession seems to be part of that world. Is it really so terrible to bob her hair and shorten her skirt? To visit a speakeasy? Just for a cup of coffee, of course.

But what about her scruples? What about the successful young doctor to whom she’s engaged, who keeps begging her to come back home where she belongs? And what, exactly, is going on at the store’s loading dock so late at night?

Amid a whirlwind of trials and temptations, Marjorie must make a choice. Will the mystery man prove to be the cream in her coffee–the missing ingredient to the life she yearns for? Or will he leave only bitterness in her heart?

Save

Trouble Brewing by Jennifer Lamont Leo

No Comments on Trouble Brewing by Jennifer Lamont Leo

troublebrewingGoodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1927 – Illinois  

It’s springtime, when a young woman’s fancy turns to thoughts of . . . that swoony fellow who works in Menswear. Meanwhile, Marjorie Corrigan’s trying to keep up with her crazy sales-clerk job at Marshall Field & Co. But who can get a good night’s sleep when the landlady’s brewing up some kind of trouble? A fresh, breezy short story to brighten your day and lighten your heart.

Save

Save

Save

The Christmas Robe by Jennifer Lamont Leo

No Comments on The Christmas Robe by Jennifer Lamont Leo

ChristmasrobeGoodreads ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1926 – Illinois

Marjorie Corrigan, a weary sales clerk at Chicago’s elegant department store, Marshall Field & Company, mentally escapes the crush of holiday shoppers by daydreaming about her upcoming wedding. She spots the perfect item for her trousseau—a luxurious crimson velvet robe that she simply has to have. But when the robe proves too rich for her pocketbook, she resorts to desperate measures—a move that unleashes startling consequences. This inspirational short story is a Christmas treat that will warm your heart.

Save

Save

Save

All for a Story by Allison Pittman

No Comments on All for a Story by Allison Pittman

allforastoryAll for a Story

1923 – Washington DC

Monica Brisbane loves being a modern girl in the Roaring Twenties. Her job writing a gossip column allows her access to all the local speakeasys in Washington, D.C., where she can dance the night away—and find fodder for her next article. But when the owner of the Capitol Chatter newspaper passes away, Monica wonders what will happen to her job, and the lifestyle she loves. Max Moore may hold the title of editor-in-chief for evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson’s paper, The Bridal Call, but Aimee calls all the shots. So when Max learns that his great-uncle has passed away, leaving him all his earthly possessions, Max resigns and heads to D.C. Determined to take over the Capitol Chatter, infuse it with his values, and turn it into a respectable paper, Max is soon bumping up against the equally determined Monica Brisbane. Under Max’s direction, Monica embarks on her most challenging assignment yet: infiltrating and reporting on the Anti-Flirt Society. Though reluctant at first, as Monica meets and mingles with the young women of the club, she begins to question the innocence of her flirtatious lifestyle. And when romance begins to blossom between Max and Monica, she must choose where her loyalties lie: with the young women of the society or the alluring pull of the speakeasy and its inhabitants.

Baroness by Susan May Warren

No Comments on Baroness by Susan May Warren

Goodreads baroness~ Purchase ~ Sample

1923 – France

What could they possibly want when they already have everything?

Two daughters of fortune have been handed all the makings for storybook happily-ever-afters. The only problem is, they don’t want to live fairy-tale lives. But when forced to decide, will they really be able to abandon lives of ease and luxury for the love and adventure that beckons? Coming of age in the turbulent Roaring Twenties, each woman sets out to find romance—on her own terms. But at what cost will she find her happy ending?

The Moon in the Mango Tree by Pamela Binnings Ewen

No Comments on The Moon in the Mango Tree by Pamela Binnings Ewen

Goodreadsthemooninthemangotree ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1919 – Siam (Thailand)

Can she have it all–or does she have to choose?
And when you choose between two things you love
Must one be forever lose?

It is the dazzling decade, the 1920’s, and a beautiful young singer is torn between her fierce desire for independence–to create something of her own, for meaning and purpose–and a deep abiding love for her husband, a medical missionary who will become royal physician to the court of Siam. Based on a true story, one young woman will travel from Philadelphia of the Roaring Twenties to the jungles of the Orient, to pre-war Paris and Rome, in the struggle to find her place in the world.

 

 

 

Glimpses of Paradise James Scott Bell

No Comments on Glimpses of Paradise James Scott Bell

Goodreadsglimpsesofparadise ~ Purchase ~ Sample

1920s – California

A sweeping historical epic about dreams and dreamers, love and lovers, and the glitter factory of Hollywood

Two high school kids in small town Nebraska have their dreams. Zee, a minister’s daughter, wants to be a movie star. Doyle, the son of a wealthy lawyer, expects to follow in his father’s footsteps and practice law.

But World War I explodes and changes everyone forever. When Doyle ends up on the battlefields of France, though he performs ably, he comes home disillusioned. Rejecting his parents’ pleas to return to school, he finds himself in Los Angeles on the bottom rung of society.

Zee Miller is also in L. A., having run away from her father and the religion of her youth. But a stunning string of events, resulting in a charge of murder, will see their lives intersecting again in a way that may shatter them both.

Meant for Me by Lyn Cote

No Comments on Meant for Me by Lyn Cote

meantformeMeant for Me (formerly titled Chloe)

1920s – Maryland and New York

Award-winning author Lyn Cote delivers the first story in her moving Women of Ivy Manor series about four generations of women, set against the sprawling tapestry of the twentieth century. Chloe Lorraine Kimball is born at the estate of Ivy Manor in the wee hours of the twentieth century. She is the apple of her grandmother’s eye, if not her mother and father’s. For despite a home filled with everything a young girl could desire, she lacks the one thing she wants above all else-unconditional love from her parents. Thinking she can win that love through her actions, she creates a successful life for herself in Washington, DC, as the belle of her father’s political career. Bright and beautiful, she revels in the attention she receives from the capitol’s major players. But in the end, as her world comes crashing down amid the opening months of the Depression, Chloe must realize that whether or not she’s capable of giving and receiving love is something entirely up to her. And perhaps she can finally find happiness on her own terms.