The Lake House

The lake house near Montbleu has been empty for ten years – the scene of a brutal murder. Undeterred by the story, Mark and Tory buy their dream house, but when they move in strange things happen. While exploring the house n the first afternoon, they find a hunting knife wedged in a closet under the stairs. Could this be the murder weapon?

Tory, a romance novelist, becomes fascinated by the unsolved murder. The owner's beautiful, young wife was found stabbed to death. The police say it was a burglary gone wrong, but she doesn't believe it. Alone at the house during the week, while Mark works in New York, Tory feels the presence of the murdered woman. When she asks questions, the townspeople become antagonistic Only Andy, the newspaper editor, tries to be helpful. After someone shoots at her, Mark tells her to stop the investigation. But she has to know: is she crazy, sensing the presence of a ghost, or is the town covering up a brutal murder? As her investigation continues, more accidents happen. Is someone trying to frighten her away, or is she the killer's next target?

A Dead Novelist at Canterbury Falls

On her way to open the bookstore, Tory stumbles on the body of best-selling novelist, Mason Grant, the star attraction at the Canterbury Falls Writer's Conference. Chief of Police, Chess Devon, and Inspector Thomas are called in to solve the case. With jealous colleagues, an ex- wife, her lover, and Grant's fiancée, there is no shortage of suspects. When another body is found, the conference director wonders if they have a serial killer in their midst.

Murder in Montbleu

Murder in Montbleu is the first book in the Montbleu Murder Series. Meet Chess Devon, Assistant Police Chief, Bartlett Thomas, Chief of Detectives in Scranton, and the other lovable and not so lovable characters in Montbleu.

Here's a brief description of what happens:  Fearful that her husband, Peter, is having an affair, Sara haunts the woman's street. When a white car like Peter's roars down the driveway narrowly missing her, she's had enough. Determined to face her rival, she enters the house and finds the woman sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood. Suddenly, she's the primary suspect, but what if Peter committed the murder? Chess Devon, Deputy Police Chief, thinks Sara's innocent, but Chess has romantic problems of her own. The man she dumped in San Francisco is now Chief of Detectives in Scranton, and he wants her help. More than murder is going on in Montbleu, and he's committed to finding out what it is.

Welcome to Montbleu

Montbleu is a small town in Northeast Pennsylvania. Located in the Endless Mountains, it has rolling mountains, spectacular fall foliage, and an astonishing number of murders. The town was settled in the late 1700's. Many of the original families still own farms around the town. The scenery has attracted a number of summer residents who own property on the numerous lakes. Recently, natural gas has become a driving force in the region as gas companies compete to exploit the Marcellus Shale.

Chess Devon, acting Chief of Police, moved back to the town looking for peace and quiet after her break up with San Francisco's Chief of Detectives, Bartlett Thomas. Immediately, she was involved in a series of murders, recounted in Murder in Montbleu. To add to her problems, Bartlett Thomas is now Chief of Detectives in Scranton, a big town south of Montbleu.

In this blog, we'll follow Chess' adventures both professional and romantic. I'll provide more history of Montbleu and invite you to meet the local families.

I hope you enjoy my town.