Mabry Hall
18 Karat Cold Mysteries
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Annalee Wyatt deals in antique and estate jewelry from her family home in northwest Louisiana. Almost every bit of money she makes goes to keeping up Goat Hill Farm, but it's a labor of love. If only there weren't so many dead bodies. They're such a distraction.
18 Karat Sold?
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18 Karat Cold?
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I'm not obsessed with personal adornment.
Yes, my friends might claim otherwise; they might say I can't leave the house without jewelry, or that I have an unseemly interest in it when worn by others to the point of swiveling my head like an owl when something particularly nice goes by. I have even on occasion heard myself referred to as an overly decorated Christmas tree. I refuse to take offense. My motto is: Put on all the pieces you want to wear; look in the mirror, and add one more thing. Maybe two. And don't forget the lipstick before you go out the door.
Annalee Wyatt
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antique jewelry dealer and inadvertent sleuth
18 Karat #4
Spring has sprung in northwestern Louisiana, and Annalee Wyatt hasn’t stumbled across a murder victim in months. Still, between selling antique jewelry in the Magnolia Blossom, traveling to shows, and spending time with her next-door honey, she has plenty to occupy her days.
The demands on her time lessen when Florine Phillips is hired to work at the shop. The widow proves to be a peerless saleswoman, and her flirtatious good looks soon have a couple of local men enraptured by her charms. When the town’s widowed veterinarian begins to get serious about her, his family, from his children to his elderly mother and aunt, isn’t happy.
When Florine comes to work wearing his dead wife’s diamond earrings, his family has had enough. Annalee is enlisted to do a background check, and what she turns up doesn’t make them feel any better. It seems Florine has neglected to mention a few extra husbands, and there’s a distinct possibility she tried to murder one of them. That news makes someone upset enough to put a permanent halt to the romance.
Has Annalee honed her skills enough to solve this one? And how can she concentrate on murder when her boyfriend’s high school sweetheart shows up and keeps messing with the clues?
18 Karat Cold # 3
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Annalee Wyatt is looking forward to a quiet, solitary week in the woods. Just her, a couple of friendly dogs, and a well-stocked wine cellar. What could possibly go wrong?
The offer to stay in a cozy 1850s cabin sounds perfect, even if winter in Louisiana means there won’t be a blanket of snow. All Annalee needs to do in return is make an appraisal of a deceased artist’s jewelry and antiques.
As an added bonus, she’ll have some strategic time away from the easy-going boyfriend who’s gotten too complacent about their relationship.
From the minute of her arrival, though, the historic house has more in store for her than antique jewelry and Cabernet. As it reveals its secrets, beginning with a never-ending supply of gold coins, the remote property becomes a magnet for a cast of characters ranging from pretty darn charming to obnoxiously oddball. She views all with her usual suspicion, which kicks into overdrive when she realizes each wants something he believes is hidden at the old homestead.
Who can she trust when one of her visitors turns up dead? Thank goodness for the two stalwart hounds and her old friend Tennie. A benevolent spirit from the past is just welcome lagniappe.
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