Deadly Inheritance

I’d be willing to bet that most of you haven’t read a story that takes place in Arkansas. Many
Americans don’t know where “the natural state” is located (east of Oklahoma and Texas, north of Louisiana, west of Mississippi, and south of Missouri) or how to pronounce it (AR-ken-saw). You may have heard of the Ozark Mountains, or a little ole company called Walmart that’s headquartered in Bentonville, or former President Bill Clinton, a native son. It’s a state with geographic diversity and friendly people, many of whom I’m probably related to, at least in the southern part of the state.

The fictitious town of Crossroads, the setting of Deadly Inheritance, isn’t far from the Louisiana border. This part of the state is famous for the pine forests that spawned many sawmills in the early twentieth century and later a thriving paper products industry. Like many Americans, Merritt Quinn knows next to nothing about Arkansas, but when her Aunt Mary dies, she must travel to Crossroads to learn who had been responsible for her birth mother’s death nearly thirty years ago. Mary’s will is specific: Merritt must go there and uncover the truth in order to claim her inheritance, which includes a property several parties are anxious to buy.

Merritt is a fish out of water in Crossroads, and I enjoyed writing about her new experiences in the South. Mary, she was told as a child, was an honorary aunt, a generous woman interested in her life who rarely visited. Before she died, she told Merritt who her birth mother was but not much else. “See Ernie—he knows,” she said. But, when Merritt appears for her appointment in Ernie Crowell’s law office in Crossroads, she encounters two men from feuding families oddly scheduled for appointments at the same time. They soon discover the attorney’s body. He’s been murdered, and police chief Tim Birch is quickly on the scene, questioning all three of them.

Tim Birch grew up in Crossroads, but he hasn’t been chief for long and has a lot to prove. Ernie was a beloved member of the community and a mentor to him. With Ernie’s assistant away and neither of the two men knowing what their appointments were about, all Tim can figure out is that they shared an interest in the land Merritt is due to inherit. As Merritt researches both her aunt’s and mother’s pasts in Crossroads with the help of new friends, Tim tracks a killer intent on keeping his secrets buried at any cost.

I love stories about family secrets, unsolved mysteries, and ordinary people caught up in life-changing situations. I hope you’ll enjoy Deadly Inheritance and will come back for more southern secrets when the second book in the series, Death Watch, is released by Tule in July.

Here’s a preview of the cover:

All the best,

Carol

About the author

Carol Light is an avid reader and writer of mysteries. She loves creating amateur sleuths and complicating their normal lives with a crime that they must use their talents and wits to solve. She’s traveled worldwide and lived in Australia for eight years, teaching high school English and learning to speak “Strine.” Florida is now her home. If she’s not at the beach or writing, you can find her tackling quilting in much the same way that she figures out her mysteries—piece by piece, clue by clue. You can also follow me on BlueSky.

Spring is just around the corner, and with it comes an exciting lineup of books you won’t want to miss! Whether you’re in the mood for heart-pounding thrillers, warm and charming cozies, or twisty mysteries that will keep you guessing, these upcoming titles are sure to keep you turning pages well into the season.

To celebrate these new releases, we’re hosting a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive an eBook of one of the upcoming releases. To enter, simply comment below and let us know: What’s your favorite mystery or thriller trope?

We can’t wait to see your answers, and good luck!

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Release: March 5th, 2025

She just wants to share her delicious sweets. But a sticky surprise has this amateur detective dusting off her snooping skills.

Frosted Misfortunes Mysteries, Book 2

Release: March 10th, 2025

Silence can be golden…or deadly

Stand-Alone

Release: March 12th, 2025

The secrets in this south Arkansas town run deep and dangerous…

Southern Secrets Mysteries, Book 1

Release: March 19th, 2025

What’s a wedding without a murder?

The Pecan, Texas Pet Groomer Cozy Mysteries, Book 6

Release: March 24th, 2025

2024 is coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean your literary fun has to end! 

Check out these four upcoming mystery/thrillers and add their 2025 release dates to your calendars—it would be criminal to miss out on these twisty, clever, and complex Tule reads that will be coming to your shelves in the new year!

The Cul-de-sac by Christopher Null

RELEASING: February 10, 2025

How well do you really know your neighbors?

Veteran serial killer Klaus Fischer is determined that his most recent murder will be his last, but like many retirements, this one isn’t sticking. No one has come close to suspecting he’s buried the victims on his quiet suburban California cul-de-sac property—but he’s feeling the urge to kill again, and this time he’s set his sights on a target dangerously close to home.

Widowed Peg Jurgensen has lived on the cul-de-sac for the past fifteen years, and she’s ready to shed her doldrums and re-enter the world around her. And where better to start than with mothering the curious young teen Eliza van Damal, whose family just moved to the cul-de-sac in order to expose their daughter to a better life.

Eliza, however, prefers to coerce the enigmatic hermit next door, Alex, into helping her pass math. Alex wishes the lot of them would disappear.

The closer these misfits become, the more danger even the most ordinary conversations invite. As the body count rises, can these residents trust anyone hiding behind their doors on this street?

This one-off domestic thriller is perfect for readers who love that too-close-for-comfort, eerie small-town feeling that delivers high stakes and high heart rates. Pre-order your copy and meet your new neighbors in the cul-de-sac.

Unspoken by Melinda di Lorenzo

RELEASING: March 12, 2025

Silence can be golden…or deadly

A new home. A stable job. A wife healing from a miscarriage. Dale Woerkson is ready to embrace his fresh life rooted in suburban bliss while leaving the past behind.

Pretty. Enigmatic. Utterly mute. Talia Yearling is the new neighbor. She’s also the victim of a years-ago domestic violence incident that left her without the ability to speak.

Now, when Talia is the target of another attack, it’s Dale who intervenes. It’s Dale who takes a blow to the head. And it’s Dale who can barely remember what came next.

The foggy events haunt him. They consume him. And the more Dale works to figure it out, the more he tries to keep his life on track, the more it unravels. What really happened that night? How can he get a silent woman to tell him the truth? And what, exactly, is he willing to risk in order to find out?

Reminiscent of The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, Unspoken is guaranteed to turn your blood cold and keep you on the edge of your seat to the very end. Pre-order your copy today!

Deadly Inheritance by Carol Light

RELEASING: March 19, 2025

The secrets in this south Arkansas town run deep and dangerous…

Merritt Quinn is stunned to learn that, to inherit a sizable estate, she must discover the truth about her own mother’s death. Aunt Mary left a single clue: Ernie knows.

But Merritt arrives in Crossroads to discover local attorney Ernie Crowell bludgeoned in his office.

The murder is the first test for new police chief Tim Birch, and he’s determined to prove himself worthy of the promotion. His prime suspects are members of two feuding families who covet Merritt’s land. But Ernie had an active caseload that included several dissatisfied clients, and Tim must also deal with fallout from a newspaper article exposing possible criminal actions by the company that employs most of the townspeople. The mayor wants answers—now.

As Merritt researches her family’s past, she uncovers dangerous secrets. The truth will change her life—and Crossroads— forever, but first she must survive a killer intent on keeping past crimes buried.

The first installment in Carol Light’s Southern Secrets Mysteries is gripping, intuitive, and compelling. Add Deadly Inheritance to your TBR today!

Karma Never Sleeps by R. John Dingle

RELEASING: April 14, 2025

In a small town, the truth can’t always set you free…

When a second woman from a group of friends known as “the posse” is murdered in the woods near the New England enclave of Kendalton, FBI agent and profiler Gus Wheeler and his partner are called in to determine if this is a serial killing. He’s intrigued by a clue hidden on the body: a memorial picture of a teen who died 25 years ago.

Instead of helping with the investigation, the long-term friends stonewall the agents. But Gus can smell fear beneath their calm masks, fake smiles, and politely vague answers. Digging deeper, he discovers they are being terrorized by cyberstalking, spying, threats and mysterious break-ins. When a third member is hospitalized after a brutal attack, Gus suspects someone in the posse is the hunter instead of the hunted.

Is it the alpha leader Jules, her best friend Maria—married to the chief of police—outsider Mel, or weak link Lizzy? Or someone else bent on revenge? Time’s running out, and Gus’s life depends on his skill at determining who’s the best liar in town.

This April 2025 release combines the criminal profiling of Criminal Minds with the reticent small-town of Sharp Objects. Pre-order today!

Don’t miss out on these four unputdownable thrillers coming in the new year! Mark your calendars, update your TBRs, and leave room in your busy schedules for all the tropes, plot twists, and thrills of the mystery genre you know and love!

Written by Tule Intern, Kristina Gaffney.