DOLPHIN BAY COZY MYSTERIES
The last couple of years had been tough on Anna Butler! She lost her husband of 34 years suddenly then a year later got breast cancer. Her daughter, Cassie, had come home from California where she was an actress to take care of her. Her friends, Julie & Mary, were her great friends & were known has the Firecrackers.
In RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE MURDER, Anna receives a letter denying her application for a cafe to be added to her bookstore. She is furious & her friends decide they need to go with her to confront the mayor, Lara Crawford about it. For some unknown reason, Lara hates Anna & has always been convinced she murdered her husband, John...with no reasonable explanation for why! Lara was determined to drive the Butler women out of Dolphin Bay.
Cassie rarely gets out in Dolphin Bay preferring to sit by Hannah's pool all day. Whenever her mother or her friends asked her to join them, her excuse was she was "waiting on a call from her agent". At 36, Cassie is as irresponsible as she was as a teenager. Although she dotes on her mother since her breast cancer diagnosis & recovery, she has little ambition to do anything about getting a jib or getting out in the town.
Anna gets a call from her old friend, Vicki. She hasn't spoken with her since her husband died & Lara started the rumors that Anna murdered him! Vicki tells her that her son, Cody, knew a girl at the college who had been murdered & because they had dated, he was a suspect. It seems the local police force decide on a guilty person then fit the evidence to the person rather than trying to find the truth. Lots of twists & turns & a fun introduction to Anna & her friends!
In Orange Thyme Death, Anna is preparing her orange thyme cupcakes for the Grand Opening of her Cafe in 3 days. He had run her bookstore, Bayside Books for over 20 years & thanks to her friend, Julie, who bought the space next door & was leasing it to Anna, her Cafe was almost ready! Cassie was finally getting out in town & had gone to a concert the night before at the local resort! People still remembered some of "Cassandra Butler's movies" & that had helped perk her up a lot.
Anna is going to the Bookstore/Cafe to meet Julie & Mary to be sure everything was ready & probably to rearrange the furniture again! As Cassie settles down for another day by the pool, an unknown number comes up on her cell. After it continues to ring, she picks it up. It is her mother, sounding upset, & telling her when she got to the Bookstore, the door was ajar & as she walked into cafe, she found a dead body. Teddy Fowler, the local policeman, has "brought Anna in for questioning"! It sounds like the mayor is a huge influence on convincing him Anna killed her husband 2 years ago & he seems to think Anna is guilty of anything else Lara Crawford claims! Now the store is sealed until the police finish thoroughly investigating what happened!
As Cassie brings in the morning paper, she opens it to the headline, "Husband Killer Strikes Again"! Anna is more determined than ever to stop the rumors & find out why the man's dead body was put in her cafe!
In Apple Caramel Mayhem, the Cafe is a huge success . Meg is running it with Anna's baking. Some days they are even selling out of everything. Cassie is even pitching in by helping in the Bookstore. The Cafe is helping bring in more business there as well! There is an important Town Meeting being held at the Castle Beach Resort. An out of town contractor has been hired to develop some of the ocean view property into condos. Most of the town is against it since Mike Donovan, knowing nothing about the area, wants to destroy the Coastal Walk, a beautiful area with natural walking/running paths near the ocean. Lara Crawford is all for it & rumors are she was given an ocean facing villa in the new development. Donovan beats about how his jogging park will be a lot better than the " dusty old path of the Coastal Walk" they have now. People are furious at him & not even the Mayor can calm them down. As refreshments are served, Donovan circulates among the townspeople & tries to answer questions. He tells those listening that Bayview will be so beautiful & bring in lots of tourists. A man asks "What's in it for us?" Donovan tells him Dolphin Bat residents get a special discount when they invest in Bayview. Mrs. Chang, the owner of the local Chinese restaurant, asks, "What does she get?" staring at Lara Crawford. "Madame Mayor has already bought a condo in Bayview." Donovan declared."She gets a big bonus for being the first buyer from Dolphin Bay." Instead of people being more enthusiastic for the project, A buzz goes around the room& the word "bribe" is heard whispering around!
As Anna with her friends & family get ready to leave, there is a scream! Charlie, the owner of the Resort rushes over to find out what happened. He tells for someone to call the police. Someone has killed Mike Donovan!
You will enjoy these cozy mysteries!