Showing results by author "Justine Jacobs" in All Categories

Retired travel photographer Clara Whitcombe thought she was done chasing stories. After forty years behind the lens, she traded deadlines for open roads, setting off along the East Coast with her loyal companion Atlas—an eighty-pound German Shepherd–Great Pyrenees mix with an uncanny instinct for trouble. But Clara's trained eye for the telling detail and Atlas's protective instincts keep drawing them into mysteries that others overlook. From Charleston's azalea-draped streets to the windswept dunes of Assateague Island, from Hudson Valley orchards ablaze with autumn color to the salt-...

Samantha "Sam" Stellar just wanted a fresh start. After losing her restaurant, she packed up her life, her beloved Standard Poodle Dill, and a secondhand catering van nicknamed The Rolling Scone, and headed for the charming waterfront town of Carlton Cove. Her first big gig — the dessert spread for the town's annual Strawberry Social — was supposed to put her new business on the map. Instead, the reigning Strawberry Queen collapses after a single bite of Sam's signature shortcake, and suddenly the new caterer in town is the prime suspect in a murder investigation. With her business on ...

Retired travel photographer Clara Whitcombe came to Charleston for the azaleas and the architecture. She expected to spend her days capturing the city's legendary beauty through her lens while her loyal companion Atlas—a German Shepherd–Great Pyrenees mix with instincts sharper than any human's—padded contentedly at her side. But when Clara joins a historic walking tour through the French Quarter, her camera catches something she was never meant to see: a shadow moving in the window of an abandoned carriage house. Hours later, a real estate heir is found dead inside that same building...

When retired travel photographer Clara Whitcombe arrives on Cape Cod for a winter storm assignment, she expects dramatic skies and deserted beaches—not a mystery that washes up at her feet. A beloved marine biologist has drowned in waters she knew better than anyone, and while the official ruling says accident, Clara's instincts say murder. With her loyal dog Atlas by her side and a nor'easter bearing down on the coast, she begins asking the questions no one else will ask. The Cape in January is a world of gray seas and close-kept secrets, where year-round residents protect their own and ...

When retired travel photographer Clara Whitcombe accepts an invitation to a prestigious photography retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains, she expects nothing more than autumn landscapes and quiet contemplation. But the historic Merriweather estate holds secrets that stretch back over a century, and when a fellow photographer is found dead at the base of a scenic overlook, Clara recognizes something the local sheriff doesn't—the body has been arranged to match a photograph taken in 1903. The Merriweather family archives contain seven haunting images documenting tragic accidents spanning ...

Sam Stellar is back behind the counter of her catering van, and this time she's serving up crab cakes, sliders, and trouble at Carlton Cove's annual Midsummer Regatta. When the town's wealthiest yacht owner turns up dead aboard his prizewinning boat on the night of the victory gala, Sam finds herself parked dockside at yet another crime scene — with Detective Cordero giving her the look again. So much for a quiet summer. As Sam pokes around the marina with her impeccably groomed poodle Dill at her side, she discovers that the victim's flashy lifestyle was built on secrets that left a ...

The Hudson Valley blazes with autumn color when retired travel photographer Clara Whitcombe arrives to document the region's celebrated fall festivals. But the picture-perfect village of Kingsford-on-Hudson harbors a dark secret beneath its charming facade. On the eve of a historic unveiling—a Revolutionary War compass allegedly carried by George Washington himself—a respected professor dies under suspicious circumstances, and Clara's trained eye catches details that others miss. As Clara and her loyal dog Atlas dig deeper into the mystery, they uncover a web of deception spanning ...

Retired travel photographer Clara Whitcombe came to Assateague Island to capture images of wild horses for a magazine assignment. Instead, she and her loyal dog Atlas discover a body buried in the dunes—and find themselves drawn into a mystery that stretches back sixty years. When Clara learns that the victim was investigating a decades-old land dispute between two local families, she realizes that someone on this tight-knit island is willing to kill to keep the past buried. As a nor'easter bears down on the coast, Clara must navigate a web of old money, stolen land, and family secrets ...

Rated "Most Popular Fiction Magazine 2024" by Chill Subs Ranked Top 10 "Best Lit Mags of 2023, 2024" by Chill Subs Delight in intriguing, thought-provoking conversations about ethics, philosophy, and social issues! After Dinner Conversation is a monthly literary magazine publishing short fiction. Each issue features both established writers and up-and-coming authors who contribute fascinating philosophical insights on controversial topics like marriage equality, assisted suicide, the meaning of death, animal rights, and defining your "purpose." It's time to go deep in search of truth! If ...

Sam Stellar is back behind the counter of her catering van — and, unfortunately, back at another crime scene. When the head judge of Carlton Cove's beloved Blueberry Jam-boree is found dead in the supply tent, Sam finds herself stirring up trouble alongside her impeccably groomed poodle, Dill, her butterfingers assistant Frankie, and her ever-patient best friend Benny. With Detective Cordero once again telling her to stay out of it (and Sam once again not listening), the race is on to find a killer hiding among the mason jars. But this mystery has layers. Behind the ribbons and the ...

Brass fittings, jealous rivals, and a killer with a shocking secret — welcome back to Carlton Cove. When caterer Sam Stellar sets up her van at the annual Antique Boat Show, she's expecting a day of lobster bisque, gleaming mahogany hulls, and friendly competition. What she gets instead is a crime scene at the end of the dock and a town full of suspects who all had reason to want the reigning champion out of the picture for good. With her loyal poodle Dill sniffing out clues, her best friend Benny keeping the van running, and her accident-prone assistant Frankie keeping things interesting...

Retired travel photographer Clara Whitcombe has finally convinced her longtime friend Emmy Drayton to join her on assignment—a peaceful week photographing wild ponies on North Carolina's remote Ocracoke Island. But when Clara discovers a body in the surf beneath the historic lighthouse, their reunion becomes something far more dangerous. The victim was investigating a Civil War shipwreck that the locals have protected for generations, and someone on this tight-knit island will kill to keep its secrets buried. As a nor'easter bears down on the Outer Banks, Clara and Emmy find themselves ...

Sun, sand, and a side of murder. When caterer Sam Stellar rolls up to Driftwood Beach for Carlton Cove's annual Clam Bake Bash, she's expecting nothing more dangerous than a runaway hush puppy. But the festival takes a deadly turn when the town's most feared food critic is found dead behind the vendor tents, and Sam — whose catering station was the closest to the crime scene — finds herself stirring up trouble all over again. As Sam digs into the victim's long list of enemies, she discovers that his poison pen destroyed careers, shuttered restaurants, and made him the most hated man at ...

When Carlton Cove's annual Harvest Moon Gala ends with a deadly accident that turns out to be anything but, caterer Sam Stellar finds herself at the center of another mystery — and this time, half the town had a reason to want the victim gone. A brash real estate developer with plans to pave over the waterfront has made more enemies than Sam can count, and every conversation she has only adds another name to the list. With her loyal Standard Poodle Dill sniffing out clues, her best friend Benny keeping the catering van running, and her enthusiastic assistant Frankie keeping things ...