Four of mystery's reigning matriarchs have joined together to concoct a delectable stew of clues, corpses, and felonious hijinks -- all spectacularly seasoned with a mother's loving touch! In this witty and winning quartet of all-new mysteries, the incomparable Mary Daheim gives harried mom Cousin Renie from the bestselling "Bed-and-Breakfast" series a triple dose of the murderous wedding bell blues; the inimitable award-winner Carolyn Hart of "Death on Demand" fame lets madcap mother-in-law Laurel Darling take a turn at the investigative chores; the remarkable Jane Isenberg sets menopausal mother Bel Barrett loose to solve a dastardly case of nanny-cide; and the fabulous Shirley Rousseau Murphy -- whose "Joe Grey" mysteries are the cat's meow -- enchants once again, as a delightful duo of feline mamas sinks their clawsinto a murder investigation.
So sit back and enjoy the Mother of All Mystery Collections!

Motherhood Is Murder

Literature & Fiction

Hart, Carolyn

Daheim, Mary

Shirley Rousseau Murphy

Jane Isenberg

United States

AVON.

Nobody does it like Daheim -- the USA Today bestselling "Reigning Queen of the Cozies" (Portland Oregonian) whose delightfully zany Bed-and-Breakfast mysteries set the genre's gold standard. Now get ready to cruise along with the incomparable Judith and Renie as a well-earned vacation is beached by mystery, mayhem, and hilarious homicide.
Dead Man Docking
Who in her right mind would turn down a free cruise to the idyllic isles of the South Pacific aboard an ultra-luxurious luxury liner? Certainly not Judith McMonigle Flynn -- which is why she and her closer-than-a-sibling cousin Renie Jones are leaving behind the stress of Hillside Manor B&amp;B and hightailing it down to the San Francisco Bay to board the magnificent San Rafael, the pride of the Cruz Cruises fleet. The cousins sail into the pre-launch party on a wave of happy enthusiasm ... which, unfortunately, is about as far out to sea as they will get.
The problem is the piano -- or rather, the corpse stuffed in the piano: the body of their awol host, Cruz Cruises CEO Magglio Cruz. So the boat trip is postponed, leaving Judith and Renie footloose in Frisco -- except for the fact that they're both murder suspects -- and free to gad about with the other marooned, disappointed landlubbers, including one who is a homicidal loose cannon.
Among the almost-shipmates, the cousins are inevitably drawn to Rick and Rhoda St. George -- a picture-perfect team of glamorous, martini-quaffing, would-be crime-solvers. And since no one has anything better to do, they all decide to work together to solve the crime.
When other stranded San Rafael-ites inexplicably begin turning up dead all over the City by the Bay, Judith, Renie, and the St. Georges realize that if they're not careful, they, too, may end up leaving not only their hearts in San Francisco but the rest of their mortal remains as well!

Dead Man Docking: A Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery

William Morrow

B&amp;B hostess Judith McMonigle Flynn and her closer-than-a-sibling cousin Renie would be crazy to turn down a free, 1930s-themed South Pacific islands cruise aboard the magnificent San Rafael, the pride of the Cruz Cruises fleet. Unfortunately, the fabulous pre-launch party is as far out to sea as the passengers are likely to get, after the body of their VIP host, Magglio Cruz, is discovered stuffed in the piano and the cruise is cancelled.
Suddenly free to gad about San Francisco with their marooned shipmates -- at least one of whom is possibly homicidal -- the cousins decide to join glamorous, martini-quaffing Rick and Rhoda St. George and their wheezy white pooch, Asthma, for a bit of amateur sleuthing. But the route to Magglio's murderer may not be such smooth sailing. And if Judith, Renie, and the St. Georges aren't careful, they may all end up leaving their hearts in San Francisco . . . and the rest of their mortal remains as well!

Dead Man Docking (Bed-and-Breakfast Mysteries)

William Morrow Paperbacks

Life has hit some sour notes as of late for B&amp;B hostess Judith McMonigle Flynn and her cousin Renie. Graphic design guru Renie's up to her eyebrows in debt after some seriously overzealous spending sprees. Meanwhile, Judith's got her hands full with her wacky new neighbor, Rudi, a virtuoso violinist whose daily—and usually unclothed—practices are unhinging her and other neighbors in the cul-de-sac.
But, though they'd all love to kill nude, rude Rudi, it's his larger-than-life mentor, Dolph Kluger, who takes his final bow after ingesting some ruthlessly poisoned rhubarb. To add to the musical mayhem, Rudi's priceless violin bow goes missing, Renie's useless credit cards are stolen, and each murder suspect seems loopier than the last. Once again, the cousins are going to need some fancy fingering to make a cold-blooded killer sing—but if they're not careful, the next music they hear will be their funeral march.

Saks and Violins: A Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery (Bed-and-Breakfast Mysteries, 22)

Saks & Violins (Bed-And-Breakfast Mysteries)

When Judith and her cousin Renie go on vacation in a remote and possibly haunted Scottish castle owned by a rich whiskey distillery baron strange things start occurring. They meet Harry Gibbs, a dissolute young man who is estranged from his wife and is found smothered to death shortly after Judith and Renie arrive. His widow, Moira, is suspect No. 1, of course, but there are plenty to go around since Harry was a real jerk and wanted to run the petrol company Moira inherited from dear old dad. Suspects include Moira's bastard half-brother, Blackwell Petroleum's sleazy CEO, the wily comptroller, an even wilier corporate attorney, the whisky baron, Moira's former mother-in-law who mixes delicious jams along with her not-so-delicious poisons, Moira's apparent lover, and, last but not least, Chuckie, the dwarfish epileptic who runs around castle. There's a ghost, some goofy villagers, and enough suspects to overwhelm any police force, but no challenge is too daunting for the cousins.

Scots on the Rocks: A Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery (Bed-and-Breakfast Mysteries, 23)

Hoping to dispel the late-winter gloom, innkeeper Judith McMonigle Flynn flies off for a much-needed vacation to Scotland. But soon she and prickly Cousin Renie find themselves marooned in an ancient castle perched high above the North Sea while their husbands go off on a fishing trip with the local police inspector. But when an explosion rocks Grimlock Castle, leaving a dead body in its fiery wake, an ever-curious Judith is once again up to her neck in a murder investigation. And the situation grows even murkier when the husbands and their Scotland Yard buddy go missing . . . 
The hunt is on for a killer through the bonnie braes and sea-green glens of Scotland. And if Judith and Renie aren't careful, this could turn out to be their most dangerous—and last—Highland fling.

Scots on the Rocks: A Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery (Bed-and-Breakfast Mysteries)

It's a hoot, mon!
Nobody but the peerless Mary Daheim combines mirth, mayhem, and murder with such page-turning pleasure, and her latest Bed-and-Breakfast mystery is a 150-proof shot of Scottish plots with a twist.
Hoping to dispel the late winter gloom, innkeeper Judith McMonigle Flynn flies off for a much-needed vacation to Scotland. Instead, she and prickly Cousin Renie find themselves marooned in an ancient castle perched high above the North Sea while their husbands go off on a fishing trip with a local police inspector. But when an explosion rocks Grimloch Castle, leaving a dead body in its fiery wake, an ever-curious Judith is once again up to her neck in a murder investigation.
The victim is a young man who seemed to have it all: marriage to a bonnie oil heiress, a baby son, and a stately mansion. His lovely widow has an abysmal track record with men, all of whom have met with untimely ends. But is she merely unlucky in love . . . or adept at dealing death? The cousins have plenty of other suspects, not to mention some less-than-earthly voices that reverberate around the castle, lending credibility to spooky tales of a restless ghost sharing their royal quarters. Then there's Chuckie, a distillery owner's oddball son and heir, who's more interested in the castle's dungeon and torture chamber than he is in whiskey. The situation grows even murkier when the husbands and their Scotland Yard buddy go missing. . . .
The hunt is on for a killer through the bonnie braes and sea-green glens of Scotland. And if Judith and Renie aren't careful, this could turn out to be their most dangerous—and last—Highland fling.

Scots on the Rocks

William Morrow Large Print

Tucked away in a cozy cul-de-sac on Heraldsgate Hill, Judith McMonigle Flynn hopes for smooth sailing in her longtime role as an innkeeper. But Judith's skill in dealing with guests is matched only by her knack for coming across corpses.
Mystery lovers who enjoy madcap mayhem will have no reservations about returning to Hillside Manor in the twenty-fourth Bed-and-Breakfast book from USA Today bestselling author Mary Daheim.
Judith's worst nightmare comes true when Vivian Flynn—husband Joe's first wife—moves back into the neighborhood, bringing along her newest spouse, Billy "Blunder" Buss, a former minor-league baseball player who is many years younger than his shop-worn bride. Still, the B&amp;B business is going well and the newlyweds don't seem to be causing problems for the Flynns. That seemingly calm summer idyll is broken when Vivian, who has become mysteriously wealthy, announces plans to tear down her own house and the recently vacated bungalow next door so she can build a big, bad condo. Judith, along with the rest of the neighbors in the cul-de-sac, is up in arms, vowing to fight the project to the death.
Vivian's past catches up with her when Frankie Buss comes to town. Billy and Frankie's late father, elderly Oklahoma rancher Potsy Buss, was married to Vivian for nine months before dying and bequeathing her his vast wealth. Frankie Buss intends to stir the pot of gold that Potsy left his widow, and he's trying to cut a deal with Vivian and her most recent mate, Billy. Naturally, where else would Frankie and his wife, Marva Lou, stay but at Hillside Manor?
And naturally, somebody checks out . . . permanently. The "somebody" isn't a Buss family member, and turns out to be a "nobody" because the body can't be identified. To save the B&amp;B as well as her sanity, Judith must figure out not only who did it, but who it was who was found dead in Vivian's backyard.

Vi Agra Falls: A Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery (Bed-and-Breakfast Mysteries, 24)

Innkeeper and amateur sleuth Judith McMonigle Flynn's worst nightmare comes true when Vivian Flynn—husband Joe's first wife—moves back into the neighborhood. Vivian, who has become mysteriously wealthy, plans to build a big, bad condoon their idyllic cul-de-sac. Outraged, Judith and her neighbors vow to fight the project to the death.
Vivian isn't the only newcomer to the area. Frankie Buss, son of another of Vivian's ex-husbands, has arrived at Hillside Manor with his wife. Vivian was married to his father for what seemed like minutes before she inherited his vast wealth—and ran off with his other son. Now Frankie's dying for his share of the pot of gold.
Vivian's got more than one mortal enemy—but which one ended up dead in her back yard? If she wants her home sweet home to stay happy, Judith will have to find out.

Vi Agra Falls (Bed-and-Breakfast Mysteries)

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