Kendra Clayton Series

A dead womanizer. A friend suspected of murder. And a teacher turned sleuth. In Willow, Ohio, English teacher Kendra Clayton craves more than dateless nights spent grading papers. And boy does she get it when her friend Bernie's boyfriend, Jordan, a notorious womanizer, is brutally murdered, and both she and Kendra become suspects. Kendra can only save herself—and the friend she believes is innocent—by doing some investigating of her own. But between Jordan's past and present conquests—and a chain of emptied wallets and vengeful hearts—which one could be a killer? As another murder draws Kendra deeper into the case, she finds herself attracted to a man who may hold the missing piece of the puzzle. But in the crosshairs of a crafty killer intent on covering their tracks, can Kendra survive long enough to put it together? The Company You Keep is the first book in the Kendra Clayton mystery series. Click the buy button and join the legions of fans of this quirky, laugh-out-loud series that Library Journal called "Highly recommended."

A dead beautician. A student on the run. And a teacher sleuth back in action. For Kendra Clayton, life is good—for about five minutes. Then Detective Trish Harmon of the Willow, Ohio, police department shows up at her class looking for Kendra's favorite student, a troubled young man named Timmy who has been straightening out his life. A pretty local beautician is dead, and Timmy is suspect number one. When he shows up at her apartment begging for help, Kendra finds herself back on the road to trouble, trying to find the real killer, stepping over the line from a nice safe life into danger, and getting tangled in the deadly roots of desire. Tangled Roots is the second book in the Kendra Clayton mystery series. Click the buy button and join the legions of fans of this quirky, laugh-out-loud series that Library Journal called "Highly recommended."

A dead actress. A sister accused of murder. And a teacher sleuth determined to protect her family. Kendra Clayton's spring break is proving to be anything but relaxing. Her TV host sister, Allegra, who craves attention the way Kendra craves hot fudge cake, arrives in town determined to land an interview with local screen legend Vivianne DeArmond. But Allegra's interview plans hit a glitch when she discovers the diva's lifeless body in her dressing room, stabbed in the back with a letter opener. When the police peg Allegra as the prime suspect, Kendra jumps into action, whittling down the list of Vivianne's enemies and uncovering some surprising Hollywood secrets putting her in danger of becoming the victim of a ruthless killer's encore performance. Diva's Last Curtain Call is the third book in the Kendra Clayton mystery series. Click the buy button and join the legions of fans of this quirky, laugh-out-loud series that Library Journal called "Highly recommended."

A dead art dealer. A daughter accused of murder. And a teacher turned sleuth who doesn't want to be bothered. Dumped by her boyfriend, stalked by an escaped murderer out for revenge, and ignored by friends and family busy with their own love lives, Kendra Clayton is not having fun. When she stumbles over the dead body of local art dealer Justin Ramey, things get even worse. Kendra's least favorite person, Joy Owens, needs her help to clear her best friend—Justin's estranged daughter, Pia—of his murder. But with problems of her own, Kendra tells her to take a hike. When Joy tells Kendra she has some juicy dirt on her grandmother's new man and will only give it up if she agrees to help her clear Pia, Kendra grudgingly finds herself teamed up with Joy Owens in the hunt for a murderer. Sly, Slick & Wicked is the fifth book in the Kendra Clayton mystery series. Click the buy button and join the legions of fans of this quirky, laugh-out-loud series that Library Journal called "Highly recommended."

A deadly reunion committee. A desperate killer. And a teacher sleuth searching for the truth. Kendra Clayton's high school days were nothing to brag about. So, she's not thrilled when she gets roped into serving on her high school's reunion committee. To make matters worse, Kendra and the other committee members start receiving strange messages and having freak accidents resulting in death. Kendra's convinced it's murder. Unfortunately, neither the reunion committee nor the police takes her seriously. To try and prevent another death, Kendra digs into the lives of her fellow committee members and uncovers enough secrets, lies, and betrayal to make her head spin. When a second murder occurs, Kendra realizes she needs to watch her back in her search for the truth before a killer turns her into another buried secret. Schooled In Lies is the fourth book in the Kendra Clayton mystery series. Click the buy button and join the legions of fans of this quirky, laugh-out-loud series that Library Journal called "Highly recommended."

Books 1 - 3 of the Kendra Clayton Mystery Series   Book One: The Company You Keep When her friend Bernie's boyfriend, a notorious womanizer, is brutally murdered, Kendra Clayton is unexpectedly implicated in the crime, forcing her to launch her own investigation where she falls for the man who may hold the key to the mystery. But only if she can stay alive long enough to put it together.​ Book Two: Tangled Roots A pretty local beautician is dead, and Kendra's favorite student, Timmy, is suspect number one. When he later shows up at Kendra's apartment begging for help, it's only one more step before Kendra's back on the road to trouble again, trying to find out who the real killer is, stepping over the line from a nice safe life into danger and getting tangled in the deadly roots of secrets and desire.   Book Three: Diva's Last Curtain Call  When her attention-seeking sister, Allegra, becomes the prime suspect in the killing of faded screen legend Vivianne DeArmond, amateur sleuth Kendra Clayton launches a personal investigation to clear her sister's name, uncovering some surprising and dangerous Hollywood secrets as she sets out to track down the victim's enemies.   Praise for the Kendra Clayton Series:   Highly recommended." —Library Journal "This series is made of inventive storytelling, crackling wit and that rarity of rarities in American publishing: an authentic, down-to-earth slice of Black life." —Insight News

Just when Kendra Clayton's life has finally calmed down, trouble finds her once again. A case of mistaken identity lands her smack in the middle of a beef between an ex-con named Dibb Bentley and Lewis Watts—her least favorite person on the planet. Dibb hid something in Lewis's house before he went to prison three decades ago. Now he's out. And he wants it back. Only Lewis claims he doesn't know what it is let alone where it could be. Then Dibb's dead body turns up in Lewis's trunk and he's promptly arrested. Lewis begs Kendra to help him. But she'd love nothing more than to walk away. Unfortunately, Kendra can't turn a blind eye when the evidence against Lewis just doesn't add up. And to make matters worse, she's become a target herself. To figure out what the killer wants, Kendra must dig into a thirty-year-old murder case revealing the seedy side of her beloved hometown. Helping Lewis also puts her at odds with sexy and infuriating homicide detective Blake Mason. When the threats against her life escalate, Mason insists she stay with him. But Kendra can't decide what she's more afraid of, a killer lurking in the shadows or her growing attraction to Mason.

Books 4 - 6 of the Kendra Clayton Mystery Series   Book Four: Schooled In Lies When Kendra gets roped into serving on her high school's reunion committee things quickly take a turn for the worse when freak accidents result in death. And when neither the committee nor the police believe it's murder, Kendra must uncover the culprit quickly before another death occurs or risk becoming a buried secret herself.   Book Five: Sly, Slick & Wicked After stumbling over the dead body of a local art dealer, Kendra finds herself in an unlikely partnership with Joy Owens, her least favorite person, to clear the victim's estranged daughter of his murder in exchange for vital information about Kendra's beloved grandmother's shady new man.   Book Six: Doing It To Death A case of mistaken identity puts Kendra in the middle of a beef between a recently released ex-con named Dibb Bentley and Lewis Watts, a man she can't stand. But when Dibb ends up dead and Lewis is arrested, Kendra can't turn a blind eye when the evidence against him doesn't add up.   Praise for the Kendra Clayton Series:   "Highly recommended." —Library Journal "This series is made of inventive storytelling, crackling wit and that rarity of rarities in American publishing: an authentic, down-to-earth slice of Black life." —Insight News