Cleaning up crime in Crossroads, Arkansas, is what my Southern Secrets Mysteries series is all about. That’s particularly true for Fatal Silence, the third book in this trilogy. Although both Deadly Inheritance and Death Watch have unique murders that are solved, some plot lines have carried through both mysteries and still need a resolution. In Fatal Silence I had to tie up those loose ends. All the secrets are at last revealed … or at least all that have been behind recent crimes in Crossroads.

And speaking of spring cleaning, Fatal Silence appropriately takes place in March. Originally, I set the story over Thanksgiving vacation, but I changed it to line up more with the actual release date of the book, March 16. Fortunately, all I had to do was switch some jokes about turkeys to Easter bunnies (Crossroads librarian Katy loves to dress up). The weather in November in Arkansas is often similar to March’s unpredictable temperatures, so no change there. I did bring out some early spring blooms to offer hope that warmer weather—and better days—would soon arrive. The villains didn’t care what time of year they committed their dastardly deeds, so they were okay with the new season. As for the good guys and gals, they had no choice but to roll up their sleeves and get to work cleaning up the town.

Lexie Gilroy is the female lead in Fatal Silence. A life-long resident of Crossroads, Lexie
married right out of high school and soon had her daughter, Sophie. Unfortunately, her marriage didn’t last and neither did her friendship with Ceci Rhodes, who soon started a relationship with Lexie’s ex. Living back at home with her parents, Lexie loves her work as a general contractor in her family’s business. She also has plans to take on bigger projects, like building the town’s new park’s facilities. However, when the bulldozer she convinced her parents to buy is stolen, Lexie’s dreams are put on hold. Worse, she recognizes one of the thieves—Gage Pope, her childhood hero who once saved her life. Deciding not to tell police chief Tim Birch, a close family friend, she takes matters into her own hands and confronts Gage. When he’s found murdered the next day, Lexie becomes a suspect, and that’s just the beginning of her problems.

Tim Birch returns as the police chief in Crossroads. When Gage is found murdered, his team has new questions about the bulldozer theft and Lexie’s connection with both crimes. And when someone targets Lexie to force her to withdraw her bid on the park contract, Tim’s protective nature takes over, even though he’s determined to step back from the murder investigation due to his close ties to her family.

But back to those loose ends from the first two mysteries. One of the subplots in all three books had to do with who was responsible for dumping waste in an already toxic pond. Reporter Jack Huddleston has been trying to uncover the culprits, but his clumsy efforts have only set back Tim’s investigation. Jack has to regain Tim’s trust, if he can overcome his lingering depression.

Californian transplant Cal Kinney also plays a major role in this story when he uncovers more malfeasance at Southern Pines Paper Products Company and decides to do something about it. When he starts receiving threats, he isn’t sure who to trust. Someone wants him fired, and their efforts to stop him soon prove more dangerous than underhanded office politics.

If you’ve ever had someone else clean your house or rearrange your cupboards, you know that it can be hard to adapt to other people’s ideas of cleanliness or organization. Change isn’t easy. Come to think of it, not everyone in Crossroads will be happy after the crimes in this story are solved and the villains caught. Hmmm, does that mean there’s room for another Southern Secrets mystery in the future? After all, no room or house stays clean forever. Can we expect any less of a town with as many secrets as Crossroads?

Have a wonderful spring! Wishing you sunshine, flowers, and hours of good reading—between cleaning jobs, of course.

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.

New month, new mysteries! Whether you’re looking for a mystery with political intrigue, procedural  mystery, or a Nun in Seattle, we’ve got the perfect read.

GIVEAWAY: Because who doesn’t love FREE books?

We will pick ONE winner to receive a digital book of their choice from the March mystery releases.

Comment down below saying which book you’re looking most forward to reading! Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. The winner will be randomly selected and announced at the end of the month.

Good luck and happy reading!

Something Prowling in Paradise Park

by Kris Bock

Three cases. One body. Zero chance of staying out of trouble.

Kate Tessler may have thought her days of chasing danger were over. But the former war correspondent’s “retirement” in sunny Paradise, Arizona, is anything but quiet. With her eccentric circle of friends and colleagues, Kate has built a new life—full of mysteries, mayhem, and the occasional stakeout—as she works towards earning her PI license.

After wrapping her last case, Kate wonders what’s next when three cases—all brought by friends—fall into her lap. Squatters in a snowbird’s house, local pedigree dogs disappearing, and smash and grab burglaries at local pot shops. Kate juggles the cases with help from her usual cast of amateur crime solvers, including the teen sons of Paradise’s mayor. As she digs, Kate suspects at least two cases are connected.

But things turn deadly when a late-night stakeout leads Kate and one teen sidekick, interested in investigative work, straight to a body. Was it a gruesome accident—or something far more sinister?

With humor and high stakes, The Accidental Detective mysteries prove that danger and friendship don’t retire quietly.

Enjoy an Excerpt →

Gone in Three Seconds

by Jim De La Vega

A human time bomb has three minutes. Cassidy Chord has even less.

A terrified woman bursts into a Los Angeles ER with a fresh tattoo she swears she didn’t get. The numbers on her skin count down.

00:03 — BOOM.

The explosion kills the victim and a nurse. Hours later, a businessman in the LAX baggage claim detonates the same way.

Former Blackhawk pilot, now forensic psychologist Dr. Cassidy Chord survived the blast that destroyed her leg, but nothing’s prepared her to pit wits against a foe turning random civilians into walking weapons. The terrorist has stalked and studied Cassidy, engaging her in his sick game — leaving her gifts, clues, and disappearing pictures and emails that turn her from FBI consultant to suspect.

As attacks escalate across Los Angeles, Cassidy goes rogue because anyone can be next. Anywhere. Anytime. If you’re marked, you’re already gone.

Tick. Tick. Tick. BOOM.

Enjoy an Excerpt →

Fatal Silence

by Carol Light

Lexie Gilroy thought running the family construction office for a week would be routine—until thieves rumble off with their brand-new bulldozer before sunrise. She knows one of the criminals. He once saved her life. Now she wants answers, and she’s not waiting for the police to hand them over.

Reporter Jack Huddleston is chasing redemption, and Southern Pines board member Cal Kinney has his own suspicions about missing money. They, too, would rather keep the law at arm’s length while they get their facts straight.

And Crossroads police chief Tim Birch has a big problem of his own. The FBI has informed him of a link between their quiet town, a truck driver stabbed in a bar fight, and an international theft ring.

Secrets here run deeper than anyone guessed. And in Crossroads, loyalty can be the most dangerous weapon of all. If Lexie, Tim, and two unlikely allies don’t trust the right people—and the wrong ones at the right time—they’ll be the next names added to a killer’s list.

Enjoy an Excerpt →

Dead Man’s Duty

by Fran Thomas Jr.

When the truth is buried deep, digging can be deadly.

Investigative reporter Shannon Winters is stuck covering lifestyle fluff—until a desperate Black grandmother begs her to uncover the truth behind her grandson’s death in prison. Officially ruled a suicide, the young inmate’s death hides something far darker: a cover-up pointing to retaliation by someone with far-reaching power.

Shannon’s pursuit unravels a network of corruption, trafficking, and international crime. When trained killers come for her, she survives only because of the intervention of Noah Winston—a man believed to be dead, now living under an assumed name and working sanctioned (and unsanctioned) black ops missions against the cartels.

Noah knows helping Shannon could blow his cover and possibly land him behind bars. She knows trusting him could put her investigation—and her life—in greater danger. But as the conspiracy tightens its grip, both face the same reality: walking away means letting the truth die with them.

To expose the killers, they’ll have to stay one step ahead … or become the next bodies to disappear.

Enjoy an Excerpt →

Framed

by Anna J. Stewart

When photographer Riley Temple develops a roll of film and uncovers an image of a murdered woman, she becomes the target of a deadly Hollywood conspiracy. The deeper she digs, the clearer it becomes that someone powerful wants her silenced.

Her only ally is LAPD Detective Quinn Burton, a man whose loyalty to his family and the force is as unshakable as his attraction to Riley. Their partnership sparks an undeniable chemistry, but their investigation threatens to expose his father—the city’s police commissioner—as part of a secret society thriller that rules Los Angeles’s elite.

As Riley and Quinn race to uncover the truth, danger closes in. Caught between duty and desire, they’ll have to trust each other to survive. But in this world of love, lies, and corruption, trust could be the most dangerous choice of all.