The Sleuth Sisters Mysteries Series

In this cozy mystery, the first of a series, middle-aged sisters Faye and Barb decide to open a detective agency in Allport, their small town in northern Lower Michigan. They agree that Retta, their baby sister, will NOT be included, since she tends to take over any organization she's part of. Sweetly but firmly, Retta will tell you what you should do, could do, and will do. The agency does not take off, and Faye reconsiders the decision to leave Retta out, since as the widow of a slain state trooper, she's got contacts all over Michigan. Retta's only too willing to "help out" and immediately begins second-guessing their decisions, which leads to sparks between her and Barb. The sisters finally get a decent case: finding a man who apparently murdered his wife years ago and has been on the run ever since. As they try to investigate what happened, they're opposed at every turn. Local cops doubt the "lady detectives," and most of the town is convinced Neil Brown killed his wife and brother-in-law in a fit of anger. The murder victims' father has no doubt Brown is guilty, and he's furious that anyone might take a different view. Still, someone wants to keep the sisters from finding Brown and digging into what really happened the day he left Allport. As the sisters piece things together, the new police chief seems like a possible ally. The problem is that both Barb and Retta are attracted to him, and Retta seldom meets a man she can't get. Accepting defeat in that arena, Barb tries to concentrate on the case and proving Brown isn't guilty of murder. She succeeds, but it means she must face a desperate killer in a remote, dangerous spot. Only Faye and Retta can save her, and they have no idea where she is. Family humor--particularly the close-but-oh-so-different status of sisters, plays a big role in this murder mystery. Each sister has strengths and foibles. Barb, intelligent and composed, sneaks around town at night, correcting the spelling and grammatical errors on signs that drive her bonkers. Faye, kind-hearted but insecure, can't see herself as the capable person she is. And Retta? Retta knows she's attractive and clever. She's only trying to help when she tells you exactly what you should do with your life--or your detective agency. One reviewer's comment: "If you have sisters, you have to read this book!"

2nd Sleuth Sisters Mystery. Since the Smart Detective Agency opened, Retta has plotted to join her sisters Barb and Faye as a private investigator, but she never thought the chance would come in a case that involves her. Retta’s “gentleman friend,” Winston Darrow, is accused of murder, and the victim is Darrow’s wife. Convinced that Darrow is no murderer (though it’s clear he is a louse), Retta and her sisters search for the real killer, aided by Barb’s attractive friend, Chief Rory Neuencamp. Soon they have more suspects than they ever imagined: a smooth but sinister type, a couple of rough-edged thugs, and a shadowy figure that seems to show up wherever they are. Who can they trust except each other? Well, they do have a couple of dogs with instincts no human can match. That’s a pretty good team, right? Three Sleuths, Two Dogs, One Murder is 69,000 words.

Faye meets a woman at a local nursing home who claims she doesn't belong there. Investigation leads some intriguing questions: Why did someone force Clara out of her home? How did one neighbor die and another lose his home to fire? And can a dog and a dozen chickens be part of a daring rescue?

What do a kayak, a wine barrel, and a tractor have in common? They’re all weapons in the hands of women with Sister Power! When the FBI asks the Sleuth Sisters to attend a retreat for “Love-Able Ladies,” Barb opts out, unwilling to spend a weekend celebrating the joys of being some man’s “little wife.” Retta is eager to go, since the venue is a swanky vineyard/inn on the Leelanau Peninsula, north of Traverse City, Michigan. Never a fan of large groups of strangers, Faye would just as soon stay home, but since Retta needs a “wing-woman,” she doesn’t get a choice. Their assignment is to assess the possibility a retreat attendee might cooperate in an FBI investigation. Dina Engel is launching a line of high-fashion clothing, and the feds hope that means she’s separating herself from her drug king-pin father. The sisters are supposed to get to know Dina, hint the Bureau is interested in a meeting, and provide her with a safe way to contact them. Though the setting is lovely and the inn is all that Retta imagined, things quickly go bad. Murder, kidnapping, and a mysterious plot involving Dina’s fashion show plunge Faye and Retta into danger. The sisters are separated from each other and threatened with death if they don’t cooperate. Retta finds it hard being isolated and alone. Faye has to decide which people around her are enemies and which are innocent retreat attendees. Sensing trouble, Barb shows up, but she soon faces a choice between being shot and drowning in Grand Traverse Bay. It seems impossible all three sisters can survive the dream weekend-turned-nightmare. Still, this is the fifth Sleuth Sisters adventure, so readers know these women don’t give up easily. Sit back, have a glass of wine, and learn a little more about Sister Power!

When a midnight murder comes to Allport, Barb is observed conducting one of her "Correction Events" nearby. The police want to question the Grammar Nazi, and Retta insists the only way to save Barb's reputation is to solve the crime before her secret activities are revealed to the whole town. The victim was a newcomer to Allport who was engaged to marry a local businessman's attractive but spoiled daughter. Retta finds Frannie Habedank particularly irritating, since the younger woman commands the attention of just about any man who comes near her. Perhaps rightly and perhaps not, Retta is convinced Frannie killed her fiancé. The Sleuth Sisters take up the case and learn that Frannie's father wasn't completely happy with his prospective son-in-law. Many back in his home town considered Steve Deline a "slug," and even the man's own brother hasn't got much good to say about him. It's difficult to eliminate any suspect, but who among those Deline offended would take violent action and end his life with a blunt metal object? On a different case the sisters uncover a puppy mill, which results in the seizure of two dozen neglected and pitiful dogs. Faye's whole-hearted plunge into helping with their recovery means she's distracted from other events at the agency. As Faye re-homes dogs and Barb frets about being exposed as the Grammar Nazi, Retta wrestles with a question of her own. She has a life-changing decision to make by the end of the year, and it's already December. She'd like some advice, but when everyone she knows is involved, where can a woman get objective input? Though personal issues get in the way, the sisters know that when the situation takes a perilous turn, they can count on each other. Combine resources. Stand together. Sister power!

  In Book 7, Retta and her FBI agent boyfriend stop in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for the night. Lars goes out on a mysterious errand and disappears, leaving a text message that says he's dumping Retta for an old flame. The police take the message at face value, but Retta, sure it's a lie, calls in sisters Faye and Barb. As they begin following leads, they meet three sisters who might be future versions of them: Betty, a sweetheart who loves the Green Bay Packers; DeeAnne, a dramatic type who is always in acting mode; and Lydia, a business-like grump. They say they don't know where Lars could be, but something doesn't smell right at their antique/vintage shop located in an old mill, and it isn't just the many cats that roam the place freely. Retta is soon captured and held prisoner. She escapes, is caught, and escapes again...and again, because Retta isn't the type to give up. Barb and Faye search frantically for her, with Styx the Newfoundland as their clumsy-but-dedicated ally. Their investigation leads to stolen Iraqi artifacts, an old farmhouse in the sticks, and assistance from a member of the Green Bay Packers. Knowledge is power, but success had better come quickly, because the criminals' plan is for Retta--and anyone else who gets in their way--to die.

Sleuth Sisters #3 The abrupt disappearance of the renters at the Sleuth Sisters’ family farm presents Faye with the chance to do something she’s always dreamed of--start a retirement home for draft horses. Still, the circumstances surrounding the move are strange, and Faye, Barb, and Retta begin to suspect that at least some of the family members didn’t leave voluntarily. Things just aren’t right in the boonies, and the sisters are determined to find out what happened to their former renters. Along with managing a menagerie of abandoned animals, they search for clues as to where Ben, Rose, and her three young daughters might have gone. What they find is a series of surprises that lead to more problems and dangers they never anticipated. Something hidden on the farm has attracted the interest of unsavory characters with no qualms about hurting those who get in their way. Though Barb continues her Correction Episodes, Faye busies herself with caring for a host of animals, and Retta plans more and better shopping excursions, signs of impending peril keep them on alert. The danger grows to full-blown disaster on Michigan’s beautiful Mackinac Island when they realize they have to stop an imminent attack on innocent, unsuspecting people. Can they manage it? If they can, it will be by working together: Sister Power!