Most Popular Books by Joan Hess

From the author of "Out on a Limb" comes the newest Claire Malloy Mystery, starring the bookseller sleuth from the normally quiet college town of Farberville, Arkansas.

Murder is no laughing matter—especially when it comes to marriage. So before Luanne gets in too deep with her new flame, a dentist named Dick, she''d like her best friend to do a background check. Did Dick murder his two previous wives? That''s what Arkansas bookseller and amateur sleuth Claire Malloy intends to discover... Everything Claire turns up on this would-be blue-beard keeps leading her down a slippery slope. The police are determined to prove Dick guilty of double homicide, but Claire''s not so sure. Something about his story just doesn''t add up. But if Dick didn''t do the deed, who did? The only thing Claire knows for sure is that Luanne won''t have a moment''s rest until she finds out...

A youth trip turns deadly, and Chief of Police Arly Hanks must catch the killer while serving as chaperone, in this hilarious small-town mystery. Arly Hanks has caught all sorts of killers since she returned home to Maggody, Arkansas, population 759, but she’s never tangled with anyone as devious as the local youth group. While chaperoning a trip to Camp Pearly Gates, Arly watches the kids as closely as she would any hardened criminal, but when teenagers have a mind to get into trouble, there’s nothing a police chief can do but limit the damage. She’s just about got the situation under control when one of the kids finds a body, and all hell breaks loose in classic Maggody manner. The murdered woman sports a shaved head and a white robe, marking her as a Moonbeam, a member of a particularly kooky local cult. And caught between the sect and the law, Arly may be forced to sacrifice what little sanity she has left. Nobody pokes fun at religion quite as effectively as Joan Hess. This is another laugh-out-loud entry in one of the funniest mystery series of all time. Maggody and the Moonbeams is the 13th book in the Arly Hanks Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Finding what she hopes will be an ideal house to share with her new husband and teenage daughter, Claire Malloy learns that the property''s previous owner died under suspicious circumstances and that a real estate agent has gone missing.

At first it seems like a prank. How could Veronica Landonwood be the voice on the other end of the phone when she died three decades ago? But as Arkansas bookseller and amateur sleuth Claire Malloy is about to find out, her cousin "Ronnie" is very much alive—and in trouble. And could use Claire''s help... Today, Ronnie is a renowned scientist living in Chicago. But when she was a teenager, she had a run-in with a famous Hollywood producer in Acapulco, Mexico. He attempted to sexually assault her—and she killed him. Having served time in prison, Ronnie finally put her this episode behind her...until now. Just when she has a real shot at the Nobel Prize, a ruthless blackmailer is threatening to expose the secrets of her past. Can Claire help to preserve Ronnie''s reputation and keep her out of harm''s way? That will depend on Claire''s investigation—and what really happened on the night of the murder so many years ago...

Retired florist Theo Bloomer would much rather stay at home than go on a disastrous Jamaican vacation in this charming cozy mystery. Every time Dorrie Caldicott gets into trouble, it falls to Theo Bloomer to bail her out. So when Dorrie and her college buddies rent a villa in Jamaica, Uncle Theo is called on to chaperone. An unassuming retired florist, Theo prefers pottering around his greenhouse to traveling the world, but he has a soft spot for his niece—and it may get him killed. At the resort, Theo struggles to make himself at home among Dorrie’s preppy gang. As the students whip themselves into a frenzy of debauchery, Theo just looks the other way. But when fun in the sun gives way to kidnapping, extortion, drug smuggling, and murder, Theo will do anything to get home to his flowers. Fans of Kate Collins’s bestselling Flower Shop Mysteries will find a kindred spirit in Joan Hess’s Theo Bloomer. When this wilting violet is uprooted, the results are nothing short of hilarious. The Deadly Ackee is the 2nd book in the Theo Bloomer Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Agatha Award-winning author Joan Hess, the prolific creator of the Claire Malloy and Maggody mysteries, is beloved for her clever sleuths, quirky characters, and her ingenious plotting. We invite you to enjoy this delightful Claire Malloy mystery, and to discover why Sharyn McCrumb calls Joan Hess "the patron saint of comic mystery." At Farberville High, it''s reading, writing...and murder. Who knows what evil lurks in the halls of Farbervilles'' high school-or what blackmail is hidden in Miss Demeanor''s Falcon Crier advice column? Certainly not bookstore owner and amateur sleuth Claire Malloy-until her daughter Caron persuades her to substitute for disgraced column editor and journalism teacher Emily Parchester. Surely Miss Parchester cannot be guilty of embezzlement. But the petty charges graduate to murder when Principal Weiss gets his last licks from Miss Parchester''s peach compote. Miss Parchester herself, last seen at a local sanitarium, is suddenly missing. And now it''s up to Claire to find someone who''s been schooled in the fine art of murder...

Retired florist Theo Bloomer goes to Israel to rescue his niece from terrorists in this engrossing mystery. On the shores of the Dead Sea, Dorrie Caldicott is coming into bloom. A spoiled graduate of the finest prep schools on the Atlantic Seaboard, she went AWOL during a tour of Israel and put down roots in a kibbutz. Her mother simply won’t stand for this kind of behavior, and it falls to Dorrie’s uncle Theo Bloomer, a retired florist who’s as meek as a daffodil, to bring the girl home. But in the sands of Israel, this gentle flower will be forced to take root or die. Theo has hardly arrived at the settlement when a pair of murders makes it unlikely he and his niece will ever make it home. Under threat by terrorists, the police, and the attentions of a few dozen intellectual farmers, Theo and Dorrie must find the killers if they wish to escape the Holy Land alive. Anyone who has envied Nero Wolfe’s orchid collection will find himself right at home with Theo Bloomer, a globetrotting florist who—like Rex Stout’s most famous detective—would prefer to be at home with his plants. Readers won’t want to miss joining Theo in this unique series by Joan Hess, one of the funniest mystery novelists on the planet. The Night-Blooming Cereus is the 1st book in the Theo Bloomer Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Egypt, 1912—Amelia Peabody and her dashing archeologist husband, Radcliffe Emerson, are once again in danger as they search for a priceless, stolen bust of legendary Queen Nefertiti and Amelia finds herself the target of assassins in this long-awaited, eagerly anticipated final installment of Elizabeth Peters’ bestselling, beloved mystery series. Arriving in Cairo for another thrilling excavation season, Amelia is relaxing in a well-earned bubble bath in her elegant hotel suite in Cairo, when a man with knife protruding from his back staggers into the bath chamber and utters a single word—"Murder"—before collapsing on the tiled floor, dead. Among the few possessions he carried was a sheet of paper with Amelia’s name and room number, and a curious piece of pasteboard the size of a calling card bearing one word: "Judas." Most peculiarly, the stranger was wearing a gold-rimmed monocle in his left eye. It quickly becomes apparent that someone saved Amelia from a would-be assassin—someone who is keeping a careful eye on the intrepid Englishwoman. Discovering a terse note clearly meant for Emerson—Where were you?"—pushed under their door, there can be only one answer: the brilliant master of disguise, Sethos. But neither assassins nor the Genius of Crime will deter Amelia as she and Emerson head to the excavation site at Amarna, where they will witness the discovery of one of the most precious Egyptian artifacts: the iconic Nefertiti bust. In 1345 B.C. the sculptor Thutmose crafted the piece in tribute to the great beauty of this queen who was also the chief consort of Pharaoh Akhenaten and stepmother to King Tutankhamun. For Amelia, this excavation season will prove to be unforgettable. Throughout her journey, a parade of men in monocles will die under suspicious circumstances, fascinating new relics will be unearthed, a diabolical mystery will be solved, and a brilliant criminal will offer his final challenge . . . and perhaps be unmasked at last.

After a somewhat long and, at times, strange courtship, Claire Malloy -- a single, widowed mother of a teenage daughter and a bookseller in Farberville, Arkansas - has finally said ''I do'' to her swain, Lt. Peter Rosen of the Farberville Police Department. Now they are on their honeymoon in Luxor, Egypt. Well, Claire is on her honeymoon - accompanied by Caron, her teenaged daughter, and Inez, Caron''s best friend and frequent partner in adventure. Peter is mostly away on various mysterious consultations with equally mysterious government agencies is his new, completely undiscussed, role in law enforcement. Staying at the glamorous Winter Palace in Luxor, Claire is intent on a quiet, uneventful honeymoon involving shopping, tourist sites, and, when it can''t avoided, drinks with the local British expatriate contingent. But despite her determined efforts to avoid any involvement in criminous events, the tenor of the trip quickly switches from bucolic to creepy. First, Caron and Inez are chased through darkened deserted alleys by persons unknown. Then a blond college student of their recent acquaintance is kidnapped by two young men on horseback in a scene reminiscent of a Rudolf Valentino film. Something is clearly afoot in this tourist paradise, and now Claire will stop at nothing to find out what.

Agatha and Macavity Award-winning Author In the title novel, "The Deadly Ackee," retired florist Theo Bloom lucks into what appears to be a perfect situation -- escorting his teenage niece and her five friends to lush Jamaica, where he can study the tropical flora to his heart''s delight. But there are serpents in paradise; his squabbling charges are enough to drive even mild-mannered Theo to drink, and when an old friend from the CIA turns up, it''s more than coincidence. But when a body is found floating in the resort pool, Theo''s vacation turns murderous, and only he can solve the mystery before another victim is found. Also included is a selection of short stories, including one from "The Maggody Files." Joan Hess lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Claire Malloy loves her life. But how did it go by so fast? A bookstore owner, part-time sleuth, and full-time single mother, Claire is about to turn the big four-oh! Good thing her teenage daughter, Caron, has just been recruited by the Kappa Theta Eta girls-whose sorority house is next door to the Malloys''-to be a consultant for the cosmetics empire My Beautiful Self, Inc. At the very least, Claire can get a little help with those fine lines around her eyes...but at what cost? Turns out there''s a high price to pay to look one''s best. After a series of dangerous and suspicious incidents, including a hit-and-run "accident" that kills a sorority sister, it becomes clear to Claire that the beauty business in Farberville, Arkansas, is getting pretty ugly-and with every new makeover another dark circle rises from beneath the surface . . .

This new collection by Agatha and Macavity Award-winning author Joan Hess offers a fine sampling of Ms. Hess''s considerable talent, with four short stories and a complete novella. In the title story, one writer learns the consequences of letting characters take over plots. In a group of women watching male strippers perform, one might have more than beefcake on her mind in "Too Much to Bare."

Faberville bookstore owner Claire Malloy is ruminating over the state of her love life when she gets disturbing news. Elderly Miss Emily Parchester is up a tree. Chained to an old oak, packing a thermos of tea and a gun, the retired schoolteacher is ready to go down with the ship, or rather the tree, before she''ll let another historic piece of Farberville be bulldozed in the name of "progress," i.e., developer Anthony Armstrong''s condominiums. With Miss Parchester armed, and therefore dangerous, Claire fears this noble act will end tragically. Unfortunately, it does-when someone murders Armstrong. And suddenly Claire herself is out on a limb: a baby has been left on her doorstep, the child''s teenage mom is suspect number one in Armstrong''s death, and Claire needs to find the real killer fast. Especially when she discovers Miss Parchester knows more than she''s willing to tell . . .

When you make a game of murder, be careful who the players are...Who could resist the mock-murder weekend at the charming Mimosa Inn-- certainly not bookstore owner and amateur sleuth Claire Malloy, who decides to bring her petulant daughter Caron along for some detecting. As the guests settle in for a weekend of sleuthing, dressed as their favourite literary detectives, many a Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot stand poised to solve a murder. But fiction becomes alarmingly real, as the mock-murder victim isn''t just playing dead-- he''s really been bashed to death. More determined than even to find the killer, Claire combs the grounds of the lovely inn for this most uninvited guest.

Claire Malloy, for as long as she can remember, has been the local bookseller and owner of the Book Depot and the widowed mother of teenage Caron, who frequently speaks in ALL CAPS. But her life has changed dramatically in recent years. Claire has married her longtime beau, Deputy Police Chief Peter Rosen. Still the owner of the Book Depot, Claire has passed the day-to-day running of it on to her very efficient employees. With Caron inching ever closer to college, there''s but one thing that remains steadfastly unchanged-Claire''s astonishing ability to attract, find, or even just randomly stumble across trouble.Summoned for jury duty, the prosecutor on a murder case, harbouring a grudge against her husband, decides to humiliate Claire and dismiss her. Having done so in spectacular enough fashion to make the local news, Claire decides that revenge will be the next dish she serves. She hunts down the defendant in the case, a woman accused of murdering her husband, and offers to help prove her innocence. And not just because Claire wants to humiliate the prosecutor. There are only two problems. One-the defendant is looking guiltier by the minute. And two-the worst day imaginable has finally come: Claire''s dreaded new mother-in-law is coming to visit and life in prison is starting to look good.

With Farberville''s college on holiday break, Claire Malloy''s bookstore is quiet ... deadly quiet. Breaking the silence is a little old lady looking for volumes on pagan rituals, applied magick, and Celtic mysticism. Claire is intrigued and - miffed that her lover, Farberville police Lieutenant Peter Rosen, says she''s in a rut - happily accepts an invitation to welcome the winter solstice at dawn. Showing up at the Sacred Grove, Claire expects wild chanting or even nude dancing. Instead she ends up sitting on a stump watching the Arch Druid clean her bifocals. Then winter arrives and so does a dead man.

Since his recent arrival, avant-garde artist Zeno Gorgias has been turning heads and attracting gawkers in the otherwise tame college town of Farberville Arkansas. Zeno’s “interactive” art—featuring an undressed woman lounging beside a coffin on his front yard—is neither welcome by the community nor punishable by law. But as local bookseller and amateur sleuth Claire Malloy is about to find out, sometimes there’s a dark side to one’s freedom of artistic expression… Strange things keep happening to Zeno and his oeuvre. First, his estranged wife comes to town, demanding he be committed to a mental institution. Then Zeno’s house mysteriously goes up in flames. And if that’s not enough, a dead body is found inside of the infamous coffin. Now that Zeno has been arrested for murder, it’s up to Claire to figure out what on earth is going on in Farberville…while the real killer remains on the loose.

Lyra and Dorian meet in a small town, pursued by their shameful pasts, but to their amazement, toast helps change everything.Love. Hate. Secrets. Toast. Eighteen-year-old Lyra Rhinehardt has been running away from a dire secret. A recent graduate from the school of hard knocks and the juvenile foster system, she has fortuitously arrived in River Oaks, a small, welcoming Northern California town, where she finds a job, a life, and something more. Working at Molly''s bakery, she is afforded daily visits with twenty-three-year-old Dorian McGuire, a man hiding his own secret. Lyra has more to overcome besides her past. She is overweight and terrified of romantic relationships. Will Lyra and Dorian''s mutual love of God, creating music, and half-baked Beatles tunes bring them together, or will their pasts keep them apart? And just what does toast have to do with it?In this second installment of seven in the River Oaks Series, Leaving Lyra connects us to the lighthearted chronicles begun in Molly Takes the Cake. The original cast of characters and their stories continue in this Christian romantic comedy, written in the small-town tradition of Jan Karon (The Mitford Series), with just a dash more sprinkles of comedy stirred in. Warning: This book may cause sudden cravings for confections.

Smalltown police chief Arly Hanks is beset by an influx of new neighbors, one of whom, she is sure, has something to do with the death of the town prostitute and a booby-trapped marijuana field

The murder of an author of a libelous novel points to Claire Malloy, the widow of a college professor and owner of a bookstore, as a prime suspect, until her teenaged daughter is implicated in the crime

Arly Hanks is summoned to Manhattan from her comfortable post as Chief of Police in Maggody, Arkansas, to rescue two hometown housewives in the city for the finals of the Krazy KoKo bake-off. National ad/promo. Tour.

Claire Malloy investigates a series of increasingly malicious attacks against the reigning queen of the beauty pageant, unsure whether it is just a prankster or a full-fledged murderer

Invited to her late husband''s ancestral home in the Louisiana bayous for a family reunion, Claire Malloy finds a gathering of ill-tempered relatives obsessed with the latest will of the family matriarch.

When a friend''s pets become the latest victims in a series of neighborhood disappearances, Claire Malloy investigates a suspicious animal dealer who soon meets a violent end