The Calendar Mysteries Series

"Lost Dog," a historical mystery prequel short story to Juliet Kincaid's Calendar Mystery Series   On July 5, 1898, a future career as a business girl as a typist/stenographer weighs heavily on Minty Wilcox's mind. But distractions ensue when her sourpuss spinster neighbor lays abuse on Minty's kid brother and sister, and a lost dog. Her mother's disapproval and several flirtatious gents don't help Minty in reaching her goal in this prequel story to Juliet Kincaid's Calendar Mysteries that tell the story of business girl Minty Wilcox and dashing detective Daniel Price from newly met to newlywed and beyond in Kansas City where life could get downright deadly a hundred years or so ago.   Praise for "Lost Dog" What a delight to find myself in "old" Kansas City again with such wonderfully drawn characters. I feel I know them and would love to follow them along the street while looking for the lost dog's owner and I could just push that old neighbor back into the bushes after rescuing the poor dog from her vicious beating. Oh, this author brings them so alive and that is what keeps me reading her stories.

January Jinx, Book 1 of the cozy historical calendar mystery series   The first chance Minty Wilcox gets in January 1899, she sets off to find a job as a stenographer/typist in Kansas City.   But her search is jinxed from the start because right off the bat she doesn't even get to her destination because some old man with a gun and a sheriff's badge accuses her of pushing a soldier to his death.   In spite of Minty's efforts to clear her name, bad luck soon spreads like a nasty cold from her to her entire family and to Daniel Price, the mysterious stranger who takes a room at her mother's boarding house. And so Minty decides that only she can put things right.   That won't be easy in Kansas City where living could get downright deadly a hundred years or so ago.   Praise for January Jinx, Book 1 of the Calendar Mystery Series The delightful, creative, and charming January Jinx introduces a terrific character in Minty Wilcox, a good old-fashioned cozy mystery persona who will surely be able to carry the planned-for series. It's Minty who drives the readable narrative, and author Juliet Kincaid keeps the pace steady and fast at the same time for quite a readable experience . . . The unique setting of 1899 Kansas City is full of flavor that never overwhelms the story and the characters. With a terrific, original, but still comfortable series concept, there are certainly big things afoot for Juliet Kincaid and Minty Wilcox's Calendar Mysteries. (Judge for a Writer's Digest competition)

Two Birthdays, a historical mystery short story June 22, 1899 One summer day (that just happens to be her birthday,) the dashing detective Daniel Price appears in the Price Investigations office where Minty Wilcox has worked as a stenographer/typist for about a year and carries her off to take notes on a new case the agency has been hired for. But once he starts filling Minty in on the details of the case, some of the information sounds strangely familiar. And she begins to wonder what he's really up to. Praise for January Jinx, Book 1 in the Calendar Mystery series The delightful, creative, and charming January Jinx introduces a terrific character in Minty Wilcox, a good old-fashioned cozy mystery persona who will surely be able to carry the planned-for series. It's Minty who drives the readable narrative, and author Juliet Kincaid keeps the pace steady and fast at the same time for quite a readable experience. The writing is appropriate for the historical setting without ever being gimmicky or archaic . . . The unique setting of 1899 Kansas City is full of flavor that never overwhelms the story and the characters. With a terrific, original, but still comfortable series concept, there are certainly big things afoot for Juliet Kincaid and Minty Wilcox's Calendar Mysteries. A review of "Two Birthdays," a historical mystery short story Enjoyed the unique historical details of the era and a day in the life of a working girl in historical KCMO. The undercurrent of tension between Minty and Mr. Price crackles as Minty goes about the business of extracting the details of the case of the missing moonstone brooch. A quaint tale of mystery and manners!

"The 9th Street Gang," A Historical Mystery Short Story In their first case together as a detective couple, newly engaged Minty Wilcox and Daniel Price pursue a gang of thieves plaguing Kansas City in February 1900. Distractions include the objections of their boss to any show of their affection for each other inside the office and out, Minty's growing attraction to Daniel, and her wayward thoughts about the secret married couples keep to themselves. Join the fun, mystery and romance of this Calendar Mystery short story and along the way meet the son of a famous outlaw. Five Star Review of "The 9th Street Gang," A Historical Mystery Short Story If you wish for something pleasant to get your mind off the lately awful news, delve yourself into the story of three little hoodlums that steal this story from the endearing main characters and enjoy the tidbits of Kansas City history. A bonus is a peek at Jesse James Jr. as I had no idea he existed before reading this story. I am wondering if Emery, Bird, Thayer department store is really on Petticoat Lane. I had it pictured on Walnut and Grand, but Juliet is so good at detail she must be right. Good Job. This author always comes through with an enthralling story.

Fatal February, A Historical Mystery Novel by Juliet Kincaid It's February 7, 1900, and Minty Wilcox is hard at work typing up the most recent report of Daniel Price, a detective for Price Investigations. Then, into the office walks Alpha Ledgard, daughter of a local factory owner. Miss Ledgard tells Minty that a worker has gone missing and she wants the agency to find the girl. Minty longs to help. But her boss forbids her to take part in cases except as to type reports. He also orders her to stay on a strictly formal basis with his nephew, Daniel Price. (No office romance allowed!) But Minty decides to defy her boss and go undercover to find the girl, who may have come to harm. Daniel Price helps Minty investigate, but he also hinders her with outrageous flirtation and other ploys. And, as she digs into the case, Minty comes into danger herself. Will Daniel rescue her? Will Minty even let him try? Read Fatal February to find out. Snippet from Fatal February "Miss Alpha Ledgard of Digby, Ledgard, and Smith Dry Goods Company needs our help in locating one of their workers, a young girl, who's been missing for several days. I took down the information about where the girl was last seen, and when. I included a description of her." Minty bit her lip and forged on. "Given the situation, I've concluded that you need a female to investigate." Mr. Mathison, the office manager, lurched toward her, like a bulldog about to attack. "No, Miss Wilcox, it will not suit," he growled. "It's not your job to interview a potential client, Miss Wilcox." "Of course, it isn't, sir," Minty said. "But Miss Ledgard was so very forthcoming that I thought you'd appreciate my jotting down the details. Just to save you time, of course. And by the by, I think the reputation of Digby, Ledgard and Smith speaks for itself. So, we only need to do a brief potential-client investigation, if one is required at all." Daniel Price's soft chuckle earned a scowl from his uncle and the warning: "Stay out of this, Dan, unless you want to work at the office in Anchorage your grandfather is considering opening." "It's very cold in the Alaska Territory this time of year, Uncle." "Pack your woolens, my boy." "But I'd happily go there if Miss Wilcox worked there, too." The compliment made Minty blush and brought another glare of cornflower blue eyes. "None of that, Dan," said Mr. Mathison who continued with . . .   Praise for Fatal February, Book 2 of the Calendar Mystery series In the year 1900, Minty Wilcox has been hired by a private detective agency, her on again/off again beau's employer, as a stenographer. For this spunky gal, typing and taking shorthand aren't enough. She wants to be an operative. So, of course, author Juliet Kincaid, accommodates her protagonist by letting her delve into a missing person/murder case, sometimes sanctioned, but often not, by her boss. The ins and outs of the investigation, Minty's romantic ups and downs, and her inside out family situations are fun to follow. It's also interesting to learn about the physical layout and the social customs of Kansas City at the turn of the last century. Good follow-up to January Jinx, the first mystery in the series. Juliet Kincaid's Calendar Mystery stories and novels tell the story of Minty Wilcox and Daniel Price from newly met to newlywed and beyond in Kansas City, a place that could get downright deadly a century or so ago.

MISCHIEF IN MARCH A Historical Mystery Novel Book 3 of the Calendar Mystery Series by Juliet Kincaid On Valentine's Day in 1900, right after Minty Wilcox and Daniel Price officially became engaged to be married, Minty opened an investigation into all things Daniel Price. This involves getting to know the man's physical person better (aka canoodling in the parlor after dinner). Among other things, Minty discovers a scar on Daniel's chest below his neck that he refuses to tell her about. That's not the only secret he keeps from her. On March 13, 1900, at his 26th birthday party when Minty meets several of his family members, she discovers that Daniel is rich. And he hasn't told her where they're going for their honeymoon yet. What other secrets is he keeping from her? she wonders as their wedding day rapidly approaches. Her doubts about Daniel deepen when he's accused of murder. Just what kind of a man is he anyway? Juliet Kincaid's Calendar Mysteries tell the story of Minty Wilcox and Daniel Price from newly met to newlywed and beyond in Kansas City, a place that could get downright deadly a century or so ago.   

After resolving the mysteries of MISCHIEF IN MARCH, the third novel in the Calendar Mystery series, the newly wedded Daniel and Minty Price set off on their honeymoon.   But they miss the boat to St. Louis, so they hurry to the little cottage they've rented in Kansas City in 1900.   And there they discover a most shocking surprise. A Harvey Girl and a would-be Sherlock Holmes interfere with their honeymoon plans and soon exactly where the detectives will honeymoon is thrown into doubt, if they have a honeymoon at all.   "Detectives' Honeymoon" picks up the story of Minty Wilcox and Daniel Price in old Kansas City, a place that could get downright deadly a hundred years or so ago, exactly where MISCHIEF IN MARCH leaves off.  

In Apart in April, Book 5 of Juliet Kincaid's Calendar Mystery Series, after a deep, personal loss, Minty Wilcox Price runs away from her also grieving husband Daniel. Yet this story of loss, love, and the healing powers of honest work is by no means grim. For unbeknownst to Daniel, his aunt has hired Minty on the sly as a detective to find out what really happened at the estate of the wealthy Lord Richard Nelson the night of April 13th, 1901, while he and his friend were away. (Or so he says.) In the scene below, Minty, undercover as the spinster secretary/stenographer Miss Minerva Preston, accompanies her new employer as they visit David Hyde, the suspect in the case, in jail. Just then the policeman LeClerc seemed to notice Minty still cooling her heels by the door for the first time because he said, "Who's that female over there? Is she with you, Nelson?" "Indeed, she is. This is Miss Preston. She'll be taking notes when our lawyer interviews Mr. Hyde today." "She can't go inside with you," LeClerc said. "And why not?" Lord Nelson asked sharply. "She might have a file up one of those big sleeves of hers, that's why. Or she might be carrying a gun under all of them skirts she's wearing. Females are sneaky that way. So, unless I examine her lower parts, she can't go in there." "That's outrageous," Lord Nelson said. "You will do no such thing." "I don't really like it either, sir," Minty said before she primly pinched her lips together. "But I will do it since it seems necessary." Carrying her handbag that held, among other items, her pick-locks, Price Agency badge, and two-shot Derringer under a false bottom, she scurried across the lobby. She set her bag on the desk next to the basket. "Feel free to inspect my handbag, Officer LeClerc, if you must, to make sure I'm not bringing in contraband of any sort." LeClerc pulled the bag open, peeked in, rucked around inside it and closed it again. "Looks fine." "And now for the rest of your inspection . . ." Grabbing hold of her left leg-o-mutton sleeve with her right hand, she pulled it tight against her upper arm. "See? Nothing hidden in there." She repeated the action on her right sleeve. "Besides, to get to a gun or file I might happen to have up my sleeve, I'd have to take my shirtwaist completely off because the cuffs are too tight for me to slip anything out of there." Minty glared at LeClerc. "I'm not about to do that in front of any gentleman, any gentleman at all since I am a business girl and never intend to marry." Lord Nelson stifled a chuckle. "As for my lower parts . . ." Minty lifted her skirt in the front as far as possible without revealing the front placket of her pantaloons with one hand and the back of her skirt with the other. Then she whirled around very fast and dropped her skirts as soon as she faced the policeman again. "Was that sufficient, sir?" she said. LeClerc's eyes were wide. "Yes, ma'am," he said in a high-pitched voice.   As she goes about her investigation, Minty leaves letters to Daniel that contain clues (and sometimes false leads) about where she's gone. Will he figure out the clues and catch up with her in time to help her solve the case before a killer gets her, too? For the answer to that question, you must read Apart in April, Book 5 of Juliet Kincaid's Calendar Mysteries that tell the story of Minty Wilcox and Daniel Price from newly met to newlywed and beyond in Kansas City, a place that could get downright deadly a hundred years or so ago.

Old Time Stories, a Calendar Mystery Collection Mystery . . . Romance . . . A Most Improper Honeymoon . . . Join business girl Minty Wilcox and detective Daniel Price in old Kansas City as they sleuth, get to know each other, and fall in love in six stories that occur before, between or after January Jinx, Fatal February, and Mischief in March, the first three novels in Juliet Kincaid's Calendar Mystery series. In addition to four short stories currently available, this collection includes "Detectives' Honeymoon" and "The Shackleton Ghost," an original short story that appears nowhere else. The collection Old Time Stories also includes eleven nonfiction pieces about the real people and places that inspired Juliet Kincaid to tell the story of Minty Wilcox and Daniel Price from newly met to newlywed and beyond in Kansas City, a place that could downright deadly a hundred years or so ago. Five-Star Review of "The Barn Door," the first short story in Old Time Stories "This short prequel story to the first book, January Jinx, is fun and introduces us to the two main characters, Daniel and Minty, before they actually meet. I especially like the descriptions of Kansas City in the 1900's as well as the vivid descriptions of the characters. Read 'The Barn Door' and you will not be disappointed." Five-Star Review of "Lost Dog," another prequel story to the Calendar Mystery novels What a delight to find myself in 'old' Kansas City again with such wonderfully drawn characters. I feel I know them and would love to follow them along the street while looking for the lost dog's owner and I could just push that old neighbor back into the bushes after rescuing the poor dog from her vicious beating. Oh, this author brings them so alive and that is what keeps me reading her stories."

"The Barn Door," a historical mystery prequel short story to the Calendar Mystery series Now why would a story called "The Barn Door" not show a barn on the cover? Well, it has quite a bit to do with the state of mind of an old man named Hector Jones with a problem. His young wife's mostly obnoxious relatives have taken over Jones' house. So, on Friday July 1, 1898, he goes in search of a detective. Who does he hire? None other than Daniel Price, recently arrived in Kansas City in this prequel short story to Juliet Kincaid's Calendar Mysteries that feature mystery and romance with Minty Wilcox and Daniel Price from newly met to newlywed and beyond in Kansas City, a place that could get downright deadly a hundred years or so ago. Praise for "The Barn Door" If you have never read any of Juliet Kincaid's calendar mysteries, you are missing out. This short prequel story to the first book, January Jinx, is fun and introduces us to the two main characters, Daniel and Minty, before they actually meet. I especially like the descriptions of Kansas City in the 1900's as well as the vivid descriptions of the characters. Read "The Barn Door" and you will not be disappointed.