A Branigan Powers mystery Series

'Deb brings the authenticity of her own work with the homeless and extensive background in newspapers to this terrific debut with a twist ending you’ll never see coming. I can’t wait to see what Branigan Powers takes on next.' Susan Simmons, Executive Editor, Greenville Journal Too many people are staying silent about a ten-year-old murder case-it's time for reporter Branigan Powers to investigate. Branigan Powers knows a good story when she sees one-and the ten-year-old cold case of wealthy Alberta Grambling Resnick's murder definitely makes the cut. Resnick was stabbed in her home after she let it slip that she was planning to change her will. There are plenty of suspects in the death of the matriarch of the town's founding family, but the killer has never been caught. Now Branigan must do some serious digging to get her story. She knows the town's homeless community might have seen something; she also knows that the local cops wouldn't have thought of questioning these often--invisible people. There's a big problem, though; as Branigan starts digging, the homeless start dying. When her twin brother, a long-time addict, gets involved, the consequences of her investigation may hit a little too close to home. Set in the fictional small town of Grambling, Georgia, The Cantaloupe Thief is the first in a new mystery series by Deb Richardson-Moore. The author is herself a former journalist and works extensively with the homeless, lending weight to the portrayal of a believable and engaging whodunit. 'Fantastically entertaining, this beautifully written, intelligent pageturner gets at both the prejudice and promise of the New South. Our curious heroine, Branigan Powers, has guts and heart. Deb has concocted a winner in this first installment of a great mystery series.' Matt Matthews, author of Mercy Creek

The police cannot decide if the clown sightings reported around Grambling pose a threat or are just a hoax. That is, until a young homeless boy is lured away from his parents in the dead of night.  Malachi has been dreaming of the little boy he could not save in Afghanistan. He is pulled between the deep need to drink and drown his past and his desire to try and help save the little boy who was snatched from Tent City, under his nose. Then a man dressed in a clown's outfit is found bludgeoned to death. Brangian reports and watches in horror as the crime is connected to her property and members of her own family are once again suspects.  Can Branigan and Malachi help to bring the truth to light before the little boy is harmed, and before the wrong person is convicted of murder...

'Richardson-Moore's latest is a tightly plotted mystery rich with southern grit and replete with twists, turns, and a surprising reveal. Reporter Branigan Powers is an unforgettable protagonist brimming with determination, compassion, and a strong sense of justice. Readers will be glad they've met her. Highly recommended.' -Susan Furlong, co-author of the New York Times bestselling Novel Idea Mysteries A bizarre hit-and-run brings Branigan Powers back to the crime-solving beat. A fatal crash involving two college students heading home for the holidays seems like an unfortunate accident. But when the surviving girl wakens, she tells a curious story of the vehicle that forced them off the road-an old-fashioned, 1950s-style hearse. Reporter Branigan Powers delves into the mystery that takes her to the college campus, and leads her into dangerous fraternity and sorority pledge parties. Reunited with the homeless Malachi Martin, who is so adept at seeing what isn't there rather than what is, Branigan must uncover what is really going on at the college before other students are put in danger. This second installment in the author's first cozy mystery series delves into the world of newspapers and life on the streets-both of which the author knows well.