The Sally Nimitz Mystery Series

In a cozy little Midwestern town where nothing exciting ever happens, Amelia Marsh lies murdered in her own home. When Sally Nimitz discovers the body of her charming eighty-year-old neighbor she is devastated by how close violence has come to the quiet life she leads as mother, grandmother, and nurse. Though still recovering from the death of her own husband, Sally can’t put the trauma of the murder behind her until she knows who could have done it and why. With the help of a close male friend and a quirky older lady, Sally begins looking into the life and past of her neighbor and soon discovers there was much more to Amelia Marsh’s life than anyone had ever guessed.

Sally Nimitz is in the middle of a family crisis when a local police detective turns up at her front door. David White and Sally are not strangers. She was the delivery nurse when his wife had a baby, and he was in charge of the investigation of the murder of Sally’s neighbor, Amelia Marsh. Now Detective White has a personal request. Would Sally use the observation and deduction skills she displayed before to help find his missing brother? Has Douglas White, a successful and respected widower, deliberately disappeared? Her friends—and fellow amateur sleuths—George Thomas and Anne Carey, are only too happy to once again give her a hand and soon, they find themselves far from home in a very precarious situation.

Sally goes on an all expenses paid trip to Florida, and it isn’t for investigative purposes, or to take a vacation. Her son and his wife have asked her to be their advocate when they are offered the opportunity to adopt a baby. Helping Everett and Judy decide if they should agree to the adoption turns out to be the easy part. And who could argue with spending a few days as a guest of a wealthy family in a tropical paradise? But when the biological father meets his death shortly after a meeting with Sally, life gets more complicated. A woman with a curious nature, some time on her hands, and believing killers should be caught, has to do what she can.

The word is out; Sally Nimitz is very good at solving a mystery. Her third escapade begins when Sally is approached by a friend and co-worker, Emma Shultz. There are puzzling events taking place at the southern family estate of Emlee, home to the Bradshaw sisters, Emma's mother and maiden aunt. The two older ladies are being pressured to move so Emlee can be sold. When their mother died five years earlier, her will stipulated they could live out their lives at the family home, so why does their nephew want them to move now? When the suggestion is spurned, a beloved cat disappears, a snake is found in the kitchen, and the house is broken into. Would Sally consider going to Emlee to see what's behind all this? Sally asks for the advice of her two comrades, Anne Carey and George Thomas, before making a decision. A visit to Emlee in February by strangers would be looked upon with suspicion by the Bradshaw family, so they devise a plan where Anne, a retired educator, poses as an old friend from Emma's mother's past. Sally makes her presence look unpretentious by volunteering to accompany the elderly lady. The two of them soon find family ill-will and long kept family secrets that are starting to surface. Two days after their arrival an unsavory neighbor is shot to death. He has no connection to the well-respected Bradshaws—or does he? With a gift of observation, and a knack for asking the right questions, Sally begins to find some amazing answers, answers that go back two generations. Was it a member of the family who had him killed? Even more ominous, after the shooting there are sudden assurances the ladies don't have to move after all and that there will be no more trouble. Once again Sally and her two assistants fine the answers, plus an answer or two they weren't looking for.

Sally is asked to assist in an ongoing undercover operation investigating shipping magnate Jock Varney. All she has to do is slip away to Phoenix for a few days to fill in as caregiver to Varney's elderly mother, Elizabeth. And while doing that, carry out her primary assignment. It all goes smoothly. So why, less than two weeks later, is Mrs. Varney's regular companion standing at Sally's front door with a suspicious mind and a lot of questions? One reason: her employer is dead and the loyal Vera Riley isn't convinced it was natural causes. And no wonder. The Varney family has experienced more that its share of sudden deaths. Sally and her two loyal assistants travel to California where they team up with Mrs. Riley to find out the truth. Who or what is behind the dark events plaguing the Varneys?

When Sally is approached by a co-worker, who is terrified that her sister may be involved in a murder, her fifth adventure begins. Did Valerie Connor’s boyfriend kill his aunt because she refused to lend him money? Was Valerie herself involved? As always, Sally can count on her friends Anne Carey and George Thomas for assistance. Their search for answers will send them to northern Illinois, Chicago, and rural Wisconsin and Iowa. The more they discover, the harder it is to believe anyone would have a reason to kill Lucy Bedford.

Miss Anne Carey’s affluent brother Ira consults her for advice. Should he loan his son Craig thirty thousand dollars although he cannot say what the money is for? This isn’t like Craig at all. Decidedly odd, agree Anne’s friends Sally Nimitz and George Thomas. Craig gets the loan, and what began as puzzling quickly turns deadly. The money disappears, Craig is fighting for his life, and the name of an elusive older brother crops up in connection with the whole mess. Sally and George step up to help their dear friend’s family find answers. Who was Nathan Spencer? Was he responsible for robbery, kidnapping, and murder?

A work crew for a telecommunications company is having a routine day digging ground to lay new cable – until the backhoe uncovers human remains. The supervisor of the crew is Sally Nimitz’ fiancé, George Thomas. Three years earlier a rebellious seventeen year old girl ran away from home to go to California with her boyfriend. It doesn’t take long to establish one of the two sets of bones unearthed are hers. Will the local authorities find out what happened? Stacey’s family have their doubts. Sally, George, and the third member of their sleuthing team are asked to make sure they do.