Have you met the Mantonis? This eccentric Italian family has a fatal tendency to fall over dead bodies, and their unique reactions to murder will keep you giggling all through the night.In this first book of the series, the sudden death of the grandfather, Nico, threatens to put a stop to Emma's opulent wedding. Unacceptable, says the bride, and in true Mantoni style, she hides the body until the festivities are over.But when it turns out Nico was poisoned, the attractive c...

This edited volume explores the intersection of spirituality with childbirth from 1800 to the present day from a comparative perspective. It illustrates how over this time period in much of the world, traditional practices, home births, and midwives have been overshadowed and undermined by male dominated obstetrics, hospitalization, and ultimately the medicalization of the birthing process itself.

Everybody knows the Mantoni girls are attractive, and theoretically, that's a good thing, right? Only this time, a charming but older millionaire desires the most beautiful Mantoni, Annalisa, as his lover for the Christmas season. Her cousin, Carlina, is disgusted by the liaison and says she'd rather see him dead than at Annalisa's side.The next day, her wish is fulfilled. The charmer is dead, strangled with a pair of pantyhose which comes straight from her own luxurious lingerie st...

Valentino, Carlina's cousin and a banker, is hands-down the most unpopular member of the wide-spread Mantoni clan. However, a true Mantoni never accepts an intolerable situation, so one evening, they sit down to plot his death.When Valentino is indeed found stabbed, commissario Stefano Garini, now officially Carlina's boyfriend, only wants to turn and run. While he tries to sort through the clues and his feelings with grim determination, the family, in inimitable Mantoni style, mana...

Falling in love on his eightieth birthday was not one of the planned party surprises, but Cupid's arrow hits Uncle Teo hard. The rest of the Mantoni family, however, is in an uproar because the new girlfriend, Olga, has an astonishing talent for making enemies.Before long, the family is ripe for murder, and when Olga is indeed found dead at the foot of the historical San Niccolò Tower, the Mantonis all cheer . . . until commissario Stefano Garini is forced to arrest a Mantoni family...

From New York Times bestselling author Angie FoxVerity Long doesn't want to see ghosts, and she'd rather not let anyone know her little secret, either. But when a restless spirit stirs up trouble in her friend's resale shop, Verity and her very new, very dead gangster friend team up to learn what is really happening.They discover an age-old secret, and must learn the truth behind a mysterious disappearance…before it's too late.*A fabulously fun short st...

The Mantonis are going on vacation! Carlina & Stefano are looking forward to relaxing in Italy's Forte dei Marmi, the elegant seaside resort on the Ligurian Sea, but the holidays have hardly begun when their hotel manager is shot.For once, Florentine policeman Stefano Garini isn't responsible for investigating the crime, but when the local police become convinced that Carlina's young cousin, Ernesto, is the killer, the Mantoni family is up in arms: Stefano has to clear Ernesto, and ...

When eccentric fountain pen collector, Xaviero Monti, falls to his death, the Mantonis are convinced it's murder. After all, only the good die young, and Xaviero was anything but good. Commissario Garini, however, is sure it was only an accident and refuses to investigate, until the determined Mantoni family forces him to question all the members of the Florentine Fountain Pen Club.At the same time, the Mantoni family reaches unexpected heights of delight when they learn that Carlin...

First in the Mainely Needlepoint series. “A cozy debut that hits all the sweet spots: small town, family ties, and a crew of intriguing personalities.”—Library JournalReturning to the quaint coastal town of Harbor Haven, Maine—a place she once called home—Angie Curtis finds her memories aren’t all quite pleasant ones . . .After leaving a decade ago, Angie has been called back to Harbor Haven by her grandmother, Charlotte, who raised her fo...

As whale-watchers gather in the Pacific Northwest, a B&B manager gets a glimpse of a killer in this mystery novel by the USA Today bestselling author.It’s whale-watching season in the California town of Redwood Cove, and Kelly Jackson is preparing for the tourist rush at Redwood Heights—a Victorian-style estate owned by her boss. With a string of recent jewelry thefts in the area, she’s also busy keeping tabs on the many dust-covered artifacts displayed th...

As the town of Brookdale gets ready for a benefit to raise money for the local shelter, someone kills the owner of the shelter. But was she the intended target or was it one of her co-workers? Lizzie Crenshaw somehow ends up in the middle of the investigation, and is nearly killed herself when the killer strikes again. With the help of Babe, her bloodhound, and Mittens, the victim's Maltese, Lizzie goes after the killer...but learns there may be more than one. Can she and the dogs catch th...

When a beloved member of Brookdale face plants into a pie during the county fair, it's up to Lizzie Crenshaw and her friends to figure out who the real murderer is before his widow (and Lizzie's archenemy) spends the rest of her life in prison.