Showing results by author "Brittany E. Brinegar" in All Categories

In a sea of bachelors, Penelope's dance card is a clue to murder. Dallas 1924 In the wake of her husband's untimely demise, Penelope Van Keesler is coerced into attending a lavish ball by her meddling mother. With their family's fortune teetering on the edge of extinction, Mother is determined to secure a wealthy match for her daughter. Whether she wants it or not. Dallas high society is crawling with eligible bachelors to save a family fortune. But when Penelope's dance partner, a national hero pilot, drops dead outside of the speakeasy, she ignores societal norms and sets out to discover ...

She's little. She's feisty. Spoiler alert, she's not the killer. Move to Hollywood. Catch her big break. Become a movie star. Nowhere on Becky Robinson's to-do list does it say discover a dead body or become the prime suspect. Becky's first day on set is anything but glamorous. Between coffee runs and walking the star dog, she discovers the body of a prominent actress. Not exactly how she pictured seeing her name in the papers. And they didn't even spell it right. After finding evidence at the crime scene, the cops are on her trail and a Hollywood hunk is in the hot seat. To clear her name ...

Murder is always in fashion… When aspiring actress Becky Robinson lands an undercover assignment in Hollywood’s high-stakes fashion world, she expects attitude, ambition, and overpriced lattes—not a missing person case that turns into murder. Fashion mogul Diane Roads hires the Robinson Family Detective Agency to track down her estranged husband, a once-powerful Hollywood producer who vanished without a trace. But when his body is found floating face down in a Sunset Boulevard swimming pool, Diane finds herself in the glare of the media spotlight—for all the wrong reasons. Becky ...

In a town full of pirates and ghosts, it's the living you have to worry about. The only thing Patsy Steffanelli and her ex-CIA Mama, Mattie McDonald, love more than a good cold case is a spooky coastal town in the middle of October. The duo has their pink Airstream parked in Harborwick, Maine, ready to podcast about a local professor, who met a suspicious end. The town called it a tragic accident. Patsy calls it a mystery. When a break-in at the professor's home leaves floorboards ripped up and a priceless pirate treasure suddenly at stake, Patsy and Mattie realize the professor’s death ...

A case too cold, a killer too bold. Some mysteries are worth breaking the rules for…even for a lady. Mineral Wells, Texas – 1925 Lady Anne Worthington, an English countess and ingenious inventor, returns to Mineral Wells determined to build a future on her own terms: secure investors and lasso a Texas Ranger. But when the body of a missing Pinkerton agent is discovered and hastily ruled an accident, Lady Anne isn’t convinced. The victim had a penchant for blackmail, a ledger filled with dangerous secrets, and more than a few enemies in the small town. As tensions rise, it’s clear ...

The killer is making a list and checking it twice. A famous mystery writer goes missing at the annual Killer Clause convention and the police dismiss it as a hoax. But when amateur sleuth Becky Robinson uncovers a ransom note written to the tune of a Christmas jingle, she vows to unwrap the truth. The investigation leads Becky and her pals into a backstabbing fictional world where everyone thinks they can pull off the perfect crime. But all the fun reindeer games come to an end when one of the suspects turns up dead under a Christmas tree. Can Becky determine who's naughty and who's nice? ...

In a world full of technological wonders, the oldest crime still requires the smartest detective. San Francisco, 1925 Lady Anne Worthington, an English countess with a brilliant mind for invention, has crossed an ocean to showcase her revolutionary Self-Typing Telegraph Machine at the World's Fair. Far from her aristocratic obligations, she's found purpose in innovation—where her creative genius, not her title, defines her worth. But when Baroness Céleste Bouvier—curator of the French Fine Arts Pavilion and Lady Anne's childhood friend—is discovered dead from a gunshot wound, the ...

Murder is the guest no one expected this Christmas. Bellbrooke Abbey, 1924 When Penelope van Kessler and her Heist Society team are summoned to England to investigate Lord Bellbrooke’s mysterious disappearance, they expect a routine case. But upon arriving at the snow-covered estate in the Yorkshire Dales, they find the lord dead—poisoned by a festive cup of tea. With Christmas approaching and a snowstorm threatening to trap everyone inside, Penelope and her team must unravel a web of deceit. Lady Anne, their host, is desperate to protect her family's reputation, while Bellbrooke's ...

Black Knight in the secret passageway with a candlestick. Amateur sleuth Becky Robinson is taking a break from murder to film a movie on location in a historic castle. But an ill-tempered tropical storm has other plans and strands the cast with a killer. When the hated producer is found dead in a suit of armor, replicating the movie script, all signs point to someone in the cast. Isolated on a remote island off the coast of Galveston, Texas due to the storm, Becky is compelled to help the overwhelmed small-town cops solve the case. Will the killer continue to follow the script and commit ...

In Hollywood, Becky is a rising star; in Lake Falls, she’s a fallen one. Becky Robinson was on cloud nine when she snagged her first recurring role on the hottest television show in Hollywood. But just as she was packing her bags for stardom, her world turned upside down. She discovers her credit in shambles, her identity swiped, and thousands in debt. Determined to clear her name and get back to her rising career, Becky follows the digital breadcrumbs to her hometown of Lake Falls, Texas. She plans to keep her return under wraps, not wanting her family and closest friends to know about ...

In a town famous for healing waters, one sip could mean murder. Mineral Wells, Texas, 1924 Lady Anne Worthington, an English countess and brilliant inventor, has been shipped to America to find a wealthy oilman husband. But the independent Lady Anne has other plans—and they don’t include marriage. While on a U.S. tour to showcase her Sherlock Holmes-themed murder machine, she’s poised to make quite the splash. When the tour’s promoter, washed-up actor Baxter Knight, dies after drinking the famed mineral water, Lady Anne suspects foul play. As small-town secrets bubble to the surface...

Forget icebergs—on this voyage, murder is just the tip of the icepick. RMS Oceanic, New Year’s Eve, 1924 Private Investigator Penelope van Keesler is ready to ring in the new year with elegance and adventure aboard the luxurious RMS Oceanic. With her poodle Ginger in tow and her meddling mother orchestrating every move, Penelope braces for family drama on the high seas. But the voyage takes a deadly turn when the ship’s detective meets an icy demise—and Penelope’s mother is discovered standing over the body, holding an ice pick. Determined to quiet the scuttlebutt and clear her ...

Keeping up appearances takes on a deadly twist. In a house filled with whispers, Penelope's the one who listens. Summer 1924 Decoration Day in a beachside Connecticut town is roaring with scandal when wealthy businessman Howard Sinclair's demise is suspiciously labeled a suicide. Penelope van Kessler, a stylish young widow with a penchant for detective work has her instincts screaming foul play. With her adorable poodle sidekick, Penelope embarks on her first official case. Undercover in a world of opulence and cutthroat relatives she sets out to untangle the web of lies surrounding the ...

Murder on the Royal Rocky Express Autumn, 1924 All aboard the most luxurious train route in the country. No expense is spared to pamper travelers on an enchanting ride through the snow-capped mountains. Penelope van Kessler, a stylish young sleuth, embarks on the trip with a secret agenda - find a thief who has been stealing from passengers. But when a wealthy woman is found murdered in her lush, private compartment, Penelope’s investigation is derailed and rerouted. A U.S. Marshal takes charge and steamrolls the case with his one-track-mind approach. With all the passengers trapped in ...

When the clock strikes murder, it’s a night to die for. Dallas, 1924 Fashionable detective Penelope van Kessler is working her final case with the Heist Society. They just don’t know it yet. When a friend of her late husband offers her a job as St. Louis’ first female detective, she can't resist the new opportunity. But before Penelope can break the news to the team, Yardley Taft, the owner of her favorite diner, is found murdered at the stroke of midnight, pulling her back in for one last hurrah. With more suspects than tears, his wake is practically a community celebration. ...

What looks more impressive on a resume? Nosy amateur sleuth or struggling no-name actress? Neither one pays the bills, and Becky Robinson has a lot of bills. So, when she's invited to the reading of her rich uncle Al's will, she daydreams about her inheritance. The problem, Becky doesn't have an uncle Al. And she never met the deceased. The mysterious stranger leaves her a ceramic flamingo with a hidden message. Turns out her fake uncle was murdered, and she was hired from the grave to find whodunit.

Playing Cupid can be deadly. Dallas, 1924 The last person anyone expects to meet their demise is Clarissa Braxton, the esteemed matchmaker with a knack for pairing Dallas' rich and famous. But when Clarissa is found stabbed in her opulent home, the city's social scene is thrown into chaos. Against her boss’ orders, fashion-forward detective Penelope van Kessler dives into a world where society's whispers and matchmaking schemes intertwine. As she investigates the secretive lives of Clarissa's closest circle, she discovers a web of romantic entanglements, family discord, and disgruntled ...

Without proof, the killer gets away with suicide. A house sitter is found dead in a ritzy California mansion and the police are eager to sweep her suicide under the rug. But when amateur sleuth Becky Robinson notices inconsistencies at the crime scene, she makes it her mission to prove murder. Desperate for a lead, Becky and the gang investigate a string of neighborhood robberies. But the only link between the crimes is a priceless tea set from the golden age of Hollywood. Tracking the missing valuables puts Becky in the crosshairs of a skilled cat burglar who will stop at nothing to remain...

Sometimes, the ghosts of your past wear snow boots and carry a terrible secret. Unsolved mystery podcasters, Patsy Steffanelli and her ex-CIA mama, Mattie McDonald, trade their podcast mics for skis. They head to Maple Ridge, Vermont, to investigate the New Year's Eve death of a maple syrup heir, found dead in a gondola almost a year ago. The official ruling was a tragic heart attack, but when Patsy receives a frantic phone call from paramedic Dean “He-Who-Was-Dumped” Bradley, her detective’s gut lurches. And not just because she hasn’t spoken to her college ex-boyfriend in thirt…...

A Texas blaze has a killer sweating bullets. And where there’s fire, there’s smoke… Mineral Wells, Texas – 1925 Lady Anne Worthington, an English countess and brilliant inventor, has traded London society for a fresh start in Texas. Living at the grand Crazy Water Hotel, she tinkers with gadgets, courts the whisper of romance with a Texas Ranger, and battles small-town rumors that see her as aloof. But when the night explodes in smoke and flames, survival becomes her biggest concern. Trapped behind a door purposely jammed shut, Lady Anne barely escapes the inferno with her life. ...