Sweetfern Harbor Mystery Series

At Sweetfern, there are more than rare relics on display. Before the arrival of the collectors at Brenda’s family establishment, The Sheffield Bed and Breakfast, she was ignorant to what a wampum is until a kindly collector shows one that will feature at the highly anticipated Native American Market. However, the sight of a wampum triggers a memory in Brenda – she recalls her uncle Randolph Sheffield possessing one, a rare relic that could be in the dusty attic. Why would something so precious be left to gather dust? Brenda and her housekeeper, Phyllis, decide to go hunting through the large attic for the ‘lost’ wampum. However, someone else is willing to tip the place upside down to get it first. Some secrets can’t be kept in a safe box – but someone can be trapped in one.

The day finally arrives when the Owners of Sheffield Bed and Breakfast watch the beginnings of their new cottage on the grounds. Brenda and Mac Rivers can’t wait until it is finished and they will move from the apartment in the historic Inn to their own home. Rich Turner, Contractor, unwittingly turns their lives around when he tells them of hitting metal beneath the ground. That evening Brenda and Mac don’t wish to wait to find out what it is. They work long and hard with shovels to dig up a worn metal chest. Brenda recalls a skeleton key she found in her uncle’s possessions when she became heir to the 1890’s Queen Anne structure and grounds. They manage to open the chest and find various items that spreads from the late 1800’s through 1970’s. The Detective is aware of a cold case that is dormant in the store room at his Precinct. The 1982 case of the robbery and murders of Bridgett and Thomas Mackey is reopened. Detective Mac Rivers and Brenda don’t have to look farther than guests in their own establishment. The connections between Annette Pickard, Author, and Logan Clark, Textile Broker, are suspicious. To add to it, Annette is very possessive of the novel she is writing. She avoids Logan at all costs and doesn’t bend to subtle hints of curiosity about the book that come from Brenda Rivers and Allie Williams, the young Reservationist. Annette shuns all questions when asked if she is related to a notorious thief now serving time in prison. She distances herself from Hal Pickard until forced to admit she knows him but vows she has no idea of the life he has led over the years. Logan Clark is married to Jane who comes from a wealthy family in New York and until the day he disappears from the bed and breakfast, everything points to a happy union between them. Brenda and Mac now focus on missing Logan Clark and the book Annette is shielding as if gold. Brenda insists the book holds answers to questions that caused the case to go cold.

Grab a script with the cast and crew and take the stage on the next adventure at The Sheffield Bed and Breakfast! Brenda Rivers has her hands full with an entire acting troupe checking into her beloved establishment The Sheffield Bed and Breakfast, with many other esteemed guests – including a physic – filling her rooms weeks in advance! When all of Brenda’s guests arrive, the atmosphere is lively and amicable – until one evening when the cast head down to the idyllic beach for an after-show performance of ‘Mystery of the Nile.’ The usual drama happens, Kathryn Parker latching onto the lead actor, Scott Wilson, to get his attention – but his love burns for his beautiful fellow lead, Kelly Reed. Sometimes the stage is a bitter spotlight. Tragedy strikes when Kelly’s body is found face down in the sand, causing the entire cast to turn against each other. Detective Mac Rivers heads the murder investigation – and both he and Brenda suspect everyone under her roof. As interviews are conducted, it becomes clear that everyone has an ulterior motive – but how long will it take for the murderer to drop the act? Or are they waiting in the wings to strike again?

Sheffield Bed and Breakfast is buzzing with anticipation of Fiddlers arriving in Sweetfern Harbor for the East Coast Fiddler Jamboree. The event is a new one William Pendleton has arranged to draw new crowds in. Brenda looks forward to guests and especially to Jake Smith who is better known as The Fiddler and grandson to the famous Abram Smith known as The Shredder. Allie Williams becomes excited to know she will check in someone so famous. As guests begin to arrive, she and Brenda sense the personalities are very different from one another. The Jamboree promises a large crowd and good music. Brenda and Mac, her Detective husband, join friends at the park for the evening. Phyllis and William talk about the success of the night before they part company. As the Rivers approach the bed and breakfast, Brenda receives a frantic call from one of their guests. Alan Haas tells her he and his wife have discovered a dead body of Mason Eads inside the gate of the bed and breakfast. Once interrogations begin it soon proves to Brenda her guests aren’t all they perceive to be. The Fiddler comes to the forefront of suspicion as do Mattie and Drake Cabot. The more she and Mac delve into the case of murdered Mason, the more complicated it becomes. Even the Minister becomes suspect. Brenda knows if she can find connections to the victim, she will find the killer. Shock sets in again when a bloody knife is found along with a long narrow necktie in bins behind Sheffield Bed and Breakfast. It is determined not one person killed Mason, but there were two killers. Will Brenda manage to push aside her personal feelings for each guest so to reach a conclusion of the real murderers?

An amateur sleuth B&B owner, a weekend wedding, and a dead body in a suitcase. Another murder mystery in the cozy beach town of Sweetfern Harbor... Brenda Rivers welcomes guests to Sheffield Bed and Breakfast with her Reservationist, Allie Williams. In the meantime, everyone is excited for the wedding of Brenda’s father and her Chef scheduled for that afternoon. Allie greets the booked guests and takes note of one who hits her the wrong way. Patrick Anderson is outspoken and rude. Few, if any in his life, like him. Most of the weekenders decide to attend the wedding except for Patrick, Rick Dawson, Carrie Porter and Daniel Swift. Each voice courteous reasons and they leave to pursue interests along the shoreline below the bed and breakfast or in Sweetfern Harbor shops. As the wedding celebrations begin after the ceremony, Detective Mac Rivers is called to the Precinct. A dead body has been left at the back door of the Police Station. Inside the over-sized footlocker are the remains of Patrick Anderson. It doesn’t take Brenda long to discover one of her guests, Alexandra Cornell, possesses fleeting personalities. Alexandra finally admits she witnessed Patrick’s murder from her perch on the seawall during the celebrations. Brenda decides that Alexandra’s changeable moods is the culprit of Brenda’s doubts about her story. When Daniel Swift is fingered in the crime, he must prove his vowed innocence against someone who vouches seeing him commit the murder. Just as Brenda and Mac begin to hone in on the true killer, they discover one guest is missing. Alexandra mentions he is running away but gives no reason. Brenda must decide who killed Patrick and who assisted in the deed. Rick Dawson is missing, Daniel swears he is innocent, and Alexandra is too fragile to win against an athletic man like Patrick Anderson. Above all, the questions become who to believe and where will the evidence lead them in solving this crime.

Brenda Sheffield Rivers and her staff transform the entire Queen Anne structure into enough spooky figures and decorations to put everyone in tune with Fright Night. Every guest has arrived specifically to take advantage of the night. Brenda, Phyllis and Allie prepare their tours. Their tall tales have been embellished until they almost believe them themselves. By the time she gives her fourth tour, she hears rustling behind the hallway wall. She tells her tourists it could possibly be an entity hiding in the walls. She suspects a small animal has gotten inside somehow. When she takes her next tour group up, she and a couple of the followers hear a soft distinct cough. Brenda becomes distracted and then turns her astonishment into part of the scene she is playing out. Brenda knows there are no entrances that would allow anyone to squeeze behind the walls. Mac doubts her. He tells her she heard sounds from the raging storm going on outside. The party goes along well and when the last outside guest leaves, everyone else turns in for what is left of the night. Brenda and Mac opt to stay in Brenda’s former apartment on second floor. They are awakened by a blood-curling scream. Lauren Meyers races from the room she shares with her husband. Blood stains her nightclothes. When Mac enters the room, the body of Ryan Meyers is dead on the bed. As evidence is being collected, Brenda tells Mac she is going to search for whoever is hiding out behind the hallway wall. He tells her to go ahead but not to expect any great discovery. When she finds the secret panel that opens, she starts down the narrow passageway. The panel slips closed behind her and she finds herself face to face with a wild-looking man. She has no idea how he got into the unknown hallway nor his identity. She fears never being found since no one can tell that the panel is a door. Will the madman with the dangling knife from his pocket allow her to return to the lighted hallway?