Appalachian Mountain Mysteries Series

"EXCELLENT. EXCELLENT. EXCELLENT. Lynda McDaniel has the gift of putting the reader right there in her stories with characters that grab ahold of your heart strings and take you into their world page after page."  ~L. Judd     Laurel Falls, N.C., 1985: "I was done with being a crime reporter in Washington, D.C., tired of all the violence. So I packed up and moved to the small town of Laurel Falls, N.C. It looked like heaven to me—ancient mountains brimming with tall trees and songbirds, peace and quiet. Until I found the body.   The sheriff took the easy path, calling it a suicide. No way. I'd found that young woman, and I knew she hadn't taken her own life. I'd spent my whole career searching for the truth, and I wasn't about to stop now. Trouble was, without my usual sources, how much of a murder investigation could I pull off?   But a special kid lived next door. Abit Bradshaw, a teenager struggling to find his rightful place in the world. Hey, I knew all about that. I'd never fitted in either, but eventually I'd found something I was good at. I figured he just needed a chance too. And he got one when we teamed up to solve that crime. Along the way, we sure met some interesting characters—both bad and good. We had a plan, and we worked it hard to find that killer before we became the next victims. Looking back, I should've known plans rarely pan out the way you think." ~Della Kincaid   You'll love this suspenseful story because who doesn't dream of second chances?   If you enjoy Jacqueline Winspear, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you're sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series. Get it now—for the rich natural setting, colorful characters, and suspenseful investigations. A Life for a Life is the first novel in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series by award-winning author Lynda McDaniel. Look for the latest book in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series, After Dusk, coming soon! Interview with the Author Q: What makes the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries Series so special? A: In addition to the suspense of a good mystery, each book includes people and stories from the years I spent on my "back to the land" farm in Appalachia. You'll meet a gentle giant of a beekeeper with an abiding love for his family, and Cleva Hall, who's based on a woman who taught me how to put food by. But especially Abit Bradshaw, one of the amateur sleuths along with Della Kincaid. Abit started in a supporting role, but I listened to my readers and gave him a starring role in the rest of the series. This book and the next two--The Roads to Damascus and Welcome the Little Children--are coming-of-age stories for Abit. Q: In what order were the books written? A: A Life for a Life, The Roads to Damascus, Welcome the Little Children, Murder Ballad Blues, Deep in the Forest, Up the Creek, Unwrapped, After Dusk, Waiting for You (prequel offer) "REMINDS ME OF To Kill a Mockingbird. You are a treasure as a writer." ~J. M. Grayson      

"I've come to think of these characters as cherished friends … I've loved each of the books, but this one was particularly enjoyable." ~L. G. Yaldezian   Laurel Falls, N.C. 1994: I would never have risked so much if it hadn't been for that kid. Astrid Holt, a force of nature. She brightened things at Coburn's General Store every time she stopped by for recipe ideas—at eight years old! (That should tell you something about what was going on in her household.) So when Astrid's mother disappeared—lost in the woods? kidnapped? murdered?—how could I turn my back on her? My friend Abit Bradshaw and I joined the search. It started close to home in our small town of Laurel Falls, then extended farther into the mountains of North Carolina. When that failed to turn up clues, the investigation reached the streets of Washington, D.C., my old stomping grounds.   Abit and I often asked ourselves if we would ever get to the bottom of all their secrets and lies. Given how broken their family was, we also wondered if we should even try. As it turned out, we weren't dealing with just the Holt's troubles. The tragic stories that unfolded cast a shadow over our own splintered families. Abit worried if he'd ever find someone faithful and true, and I wondered if I could hold on to what I had. ~Della Kincaid You'll enjoy this suspenseful mystery because who doesn't yearn to see wrongs righted? If you love Jacqueline Winspear, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you're sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series. Get it now—for the rich natural setting, colorful characters, and suspenseful investigations. Welcome the Little Children is the third novel in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series by award-winning author Lynda McDaniel.   Interview with the Author Q: What's important about this third book? A: Abit is a grown man, gaining success in both his woodworking and bluegrass music. And yet he hasn't lost his tender heart and wonder about life. Della faces some hard decisions, especially about how to best help her young friend, Astrid. And, of course, she's there for Abit. Their friendship is the backbone of all the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries. "So fun to watch the characters develop and watch Abit find and truly fulfill himself. I highly recommend all books in this series. —Cynthia Williams Q: Any new characters in Welcome the Little Children? A: Astrid Holt is a favorite. She's such a colorful little 8-year-old, strong and full of beans. The mother/children drama is particularly poignant to me. I got the idea for her character from a neighbor who told lively stories from her youth. That's what writers do—we're like magpies and steal shiny morsels we take back to our writing space. When Astrid's mother goes missing, Della takes it on as a personal mission to find her—one way or another. "I really loved this book ... I have such a vivid picture of the people and places in these books, it's hard to believe they don't really exist." —Malena E. Q: What order should I read the books in? Life for a Life The Roads to Damascus Welcome the Little Children Murder Ballad Blues Deep in the Forest Up the Creek Unwrapped After Dusk Waiting for You (free prequel)    

"I absolutely devoured this book! " ~Cynthia Williams Laurel Falls, N.C. 1989: I couldn't believe I was in trouble again. I'd finally got what I'd always wanted ... then lost it. The trouble started when this family—a mother and two almost-grown kids—came to my school, the Hickson School of American Studies in Boone, N.C., to ask for shelter. The mother said she was dying, and they had nowhere else to go after they'd been evicted 'cause she was too sick to work. What her son earned just wasn't enough to live on. But that was all lies. They were just a bunch of mean-spirited, sorry con artists who stole our money and good intentions. And when they fleeced the school, they made it look like I did it! Next thing I knew, the director threw me outta school. I snuck home to get help from my neighbor and friend, Della Kincaid. She used to be a crime reporter in Washington, D.C., and I knew she'd know what to do. She did—only she told me I had to do it alone. Trying to find them again took everything I had—and then some. Along the way, I plowed through those mountains, sometimes meeting fellow victims who were yearning for justice too, but mostly tangling with bad men trying to stop me—permanently! I faced more twists and turns than the road to Damascus, Virginia. There was no telling who I could trust on that long road to justice, but I ask you: at some point, don't you have to believe in something or someone? ~Abit Bradshaw You'll enjoy this suspenseful mystery because who can resist rooting for the underdog? If you love Jacqueline Winspear, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you're sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series. Get it now—for the rich natural setting, colorful characters, and suspenseful investigations. The Roads to Damascus is the second novel in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series by award-winning author Lynda McDaniel and can be read as a standalone novel. "The suspense and plot twists were riveting and the characters and relationships made the book so compelling." ~M. Glazner Interview with the Author Q: What's next for Abit and Della? What can readers expect? A: In this book, I take Abit on a hero's journey, something he must do alone. Of course, Della helps him, especially at the beginning and end of the story. On his long road trip, he searches for the mother and two children who ripped him off, fleeced his beloved school, and laid the blame on him. He also experiences his first love--and heartache. Friendship, family secrets & lies, a touch of romance--they're all woven together into a suspenseful crime mystery. "Though there's a crime plot that drives 'The Roads to Damascus' forward, at its heart it's very much a character piece & a coming of age tale." ~LizTiptoft Q: In what order were these books written? A Life for a Life The Roads to Damascus Welcome the Little Children Murder Ballad Blues Deep in the Forest Up the Creek Unwrapped After Dusk Waiting for You (free prequel)

"Readers will relish this story's superior tension ... A riveting mystery designed to keep readers on their toes." ~Midwest Book Review Laurel Falls, N.C. 2005: "Our small town is in an uproar—there's a serial killer on the loose in the mountains of North Carolina. At first we thought it was just one tragedy, but by the third murder, the FBI finally got involved. Trouble is, I know they're looking in all the wrong places. I have a keen sense of what's really going on, but of course the FBI won't take me serious. I'll keep at it—too much at stake not to. I'm working with Wallis Harding, a well-known musicologist, and we've got a theory we'll keep at till they can't ignore us. Bluegrass music may sound like something to practice and perform, but we know it's the key to finding the killer. And keeping our families safe. Usually Della Kincaid, my longtime friend, helps me out when I get into something like this. But she's too busy with troubles of her own. A former crime reporter in Washington, D.C., she's investigating some kinda fraud case that a whistleblower laid in her lap. She can't let a good story pass, but the deeper she goes, the darker it gets. Turns out we both have information that could help the FBI, if they'll just listen to us … before the culprits strike again." ~Abit Bradshaw You'll enjoy this suspenseful standalone mystery because who doesn't long to find justice in this crazy world? If you love Jacqueline Winspear, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you're sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series. Get it now—for the rich natural setting, colorful characters, and suspenseful investigations. Murder Ballad Blues is the fourth book—and a standalone novel—in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series by award-winning author Lynda McDaniel. Interview with the Author Q: Where does this fourth book pick up in the lives of Abit Bradshaw and Della Kincaid? A: It's a year after the last scenes in Welcome the Little Children, but eight years after they solved the family secrets and lies surrounding Astrid Holt's mother. Life has been reasonably quiet for the two. Abit, Fiona, and their 8-year-old son, Conor, perform regularly with the Ramblin' Rollers, and Della has settled into a natural rhythm at Coburn's General Store. Then everything goes crazy with murder and money-laundering crimes. Q: What's new in the series? A: New crimes, of course--especially the murders across Western North Carolina. Abit and Della get involved, working with new characters like Wallis Harding, a self-taught expert on mountain music, and Ezra Stoltz, an FBI agent. I am especially smitten with Wallis Harding. I named him after Phil Harding, archaeologist with the British television show "Time Team." Phil is such a live wire, and his namesake doesn't let him down. Wallis' physical appearance is modeled after Mick Aston, fellow archaeologist on "Time Team." Q: In what order was this series written? A: Murder Ballad Blues is a standalone, so readers won't be confused if they start with this book. Actually, I worked to make all the books in the series easy to understand, wherever readers started in the series. Other books in the series: A Life for a Life, The Roads to Damascus, Welcome the Little Children, Deep in the Forest, Up the Creek, Unwrapped, After Dusk, and Waiting for You (free prequel).

"Lynda McDaniel's ability to weave psychological perspectives and changes into the bigger picture creates a story that is thought-provoking on more than the mystery level alone. Deep in the Forest stands well alone, and as a nice addition to the prior adventures." ~D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review   Hampshire, England, 2006: I should've known not to visit Nigel Steadman; trouble followed him closer than his shadow. But I'd finally made it all the way to Dublin, and it seemed a shame not to hop across the Irish Sea to see my old friend. Besides, he'd always said for me to come stay with him in London. It wasn't till I called from Dublin that I learned he'd moved to the New Forest in the south of England. Goodbye London before I ever met you—and hello heartache. That's where Nigel roped me into doing some undercover work checking out the Ownbey gang he was trying to trick into telling the truth. But as you can imagine, things didn't go the way we'd planned. Gunslingers, kidnappers, and thieves highjacked my vacation and turned it into a nightmare. So here I am in a makeshift jail, and it feels like I'll never see Fiona and the boys again. And if the bad guys have their way, I won't! Even when my best friend Della Kincaid flies over to help, she can't do much. I'm in so deep, she doesn't know where to look for me. Time to pray. ~Abit Bradshaw You'll enjoy this suspenseful mystery because who hasn't tried to do the right thing—only to have it all go wrong? If you love Jacqueline Winspear, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you're sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series. Get it now—for the rich natural setting, colorful characters, and suspenseful investigations. Murder Ballad Blues is the fourth book—and a standalone novel—in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series by award-winning author Lynda McDaniel. Interview with the Author Q: What's new in the series? A: It's a year after the last scenes in Murder Ballad Blues, and I've taken Abit Bradshaw and his family to Ireland and England, where Abit lets Nigel Steadman lead him into a world of trouble. I spent some happy times in the New Forest in Hampshire, England, and I had fun revisiting it in my mind's eye. (I had planned to do research in person, but the pandemic put the kibosh on that!). A young boy by the name of Baldy (short for Archibald) is my favorite new character. He makes a big impression on Abit and experiences a major arc by the end of the book. Q: Why should readers give this series a try? A: Because these are serious mysteries without over-the-top violence. And readers tell me the character development makes them eager to read more: "a pair of unforgettable crime-solving characters," one reader shared, and another wrote, "I became intrigued by and attached to the characters—Della, Abit, Alex, even the dog, the villagers and their dialogue." Q: In what order was this series written? A: Deep in the Forest is a standalone, so readers won't be confused if they start with this book. Actually, I worked to make all the books in the series easy to understand, wherever readers start the series. The other books in order written: A Life for a Life, The Roads to Damascus, Welcome the Little Children, Murder Ballad Blues, Up the Creek, Unwrapped, After Dusk, and Waiting for You (free prequel)

Laurel Falls, N.C., 2009: Life on the farm was pretty much one day the same as the next—until that stranger showed up. I'll never forget the first time I saw him and how everything changed after that. It might not have turned out so crazy if he'd known who he was. We figured that big gash on the back of his head stole his memory. But how did he get that wound? And who was after him?   It had seemed wrong to turn him away, especially since you might say I saved his life. But what he wrought on my life … well, you can't imagine how much havoc a man without a past can wreak.   It wasn't 'til my friend Della Kincaid put her crime-reporter skills to work that we got to the bottom of everything. And I do mean bottom. Things sunk pretty low before we started getting at the truth. ~Abit Bradshaw You'll enjoy this suspenseful standalone mystery because who hasn't wished someone would show up and change their lives (for the better)? If you love Jacqueline Winspear, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you're sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series. Get it now—for the rich natural setting, colorful characters, and suspenseful investigations. Up the Creek is the sixth book—a standalone novel—in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series by award-winning author Lynda McDaniel.  

"The joy of Christmas lasts all year!" "This is Lynda McDaniel's best book ever! I thoroughly inhabited it…these folks have become so precious to me." Laurel Falls, N.C., Christmas 2012: The walnut dresser I bought my son sure brought a load of trouble. Not because one of the drawers kept sticking and the whole thing needed so much refinishing. No, I could handle that, what with being a woodworker most of my life. It was the diary hidden in a secret compartment for almost sixty year that turned everything upside down. That diary was filled with stories of mistreatment and misfortune, stories that twisted up something inside of me. Especially because the teenage girl who wrote them stopped writing mid-sentence. Like someone grabbed her and took her away. Or killed her to keep secret what she'd written. I just had to find out what happened to her. I knew what a lousy upbringing looked like, but even mine couldn't compare with what she'd faced. I needed to know she'd made it through, like I had. The timing, though, couldn't have been worse: Christmastime and I had the boys that year. I was set on making it the best one yet, but with mean threats and truck chases and family feuds raining down on us, it was hard to squeeze in very much ho-ho-ho. And yet we did, sharing old memories and making new ones. Della Kincaid stepped in, helping with our holiday celebrations and looking into that poor girl's whereabouts. Together we traveled through the mountains of North Carolina and up into Virginia, witnessing things I never wanted to see again while treasuring the everlasting beauty of the natural landscape. ~Abit Bradshaw You'll enjoy this suspenseful Christmas mystery because who doesn't hope someone would care if they disappeared? If you love Jacqueline Winspear, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you're sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series. Get it now—for the rich natural setting, colorful characters, and suspenseful investigations. Unwrapped is the seventh book in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series and a standalone novel. The books in this series may be read in any order. Look for the latest book in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series, After Dusk, coming soon! Interview with the Author Q: Where does this seventh book pick up in the lives of Abit Bradshaw and Della Kincaid? A: It's three years after Abit and Della helped a man reclaim his identity in Up the Creek. Abit is feeling more content with his lot in life, doing his woodworking and enjoying the nature that surrounds him on his farm. Della, on the other hand, is feeling unsettled, bored even, with her life at Coburn's General Store. Q: What's new in the series? A: Abit's mission involves discovering who wrote the 60-year-old diary he discovered in a piece of furniture he's refinishing. He feels a strong connection with her difficult childhood. The entries are disturbing, and he has a strong need to make sure the young writer is okay all these years later. Q: In what order was this series written? A: Unwrapped, like all the books in the series, is a standalone, so readers won't be confused if they start with this book. The other books (in order written) include: A Life for a Life, The Roads to Damascus, Welcome the Little Children, Murder Ballad Blues, Deep in the Forest, Up the Creek, and After Dusk. Waiting for You (prequel offer).

Laurel Falls, N.C., Summer, 2015: "What do you do when the sheriff says an old friend killed someone … but he swears he didn't do it?   Believe him.   I never thought I'd see Dusk Holt again. He was just a boy when I helped Della Kincaid find what happened to his mother all those years ago. And now here he stood at my front door—an ex-con with prison tats crawling up his neck.   He promised he wanted to do good going forward. But next thing we knew, he'd gotten himself arrested for murder before his hair had time to grow out from that awful prison cut.   Not to mention all the evidence that kept piling up against him. No question about it. The sheriff was after Dusk. Instead of the real killer.   I'm not proud how often I wanted to give up our investigation. And why wouldn't I? I got beat up, tires slashed, and almost drowned. Della and I tore all over the mountains of North Carolina and chased clues to the Pacific Northwest and back.   I'll say this for that killer—he was good at being evil. He wore us out and then some.   But when a friend—even one from long ago—needs you, how can you turn your back?   You can't."~ Abit Bradshaw You'll enjoy this suspenseful story because who doesn't long for justice? If you love Jacqueline Winspear, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you're sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series. Get it now—for the rich natural setting, colorful characters, and suspenseful investigations. After Dusk is the eighth novel in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series by award-winning author Lynda McDaniel. It is a standalone novel.