An Alice Pepper Lonely Hearts and Puzzle Club Mystery Series

If her life were a puzzle, librarian Alice Pepper would be constantly adding pieces to it. Starting over after a divorce has opened up her world. Everyone in the small Oregon town that Alice calls home has something to add to the big picture. But the murder of one of their own leaves a gaping hole . . .

Alice is excited that the library is going to host its first-ever speed-puzzling competition—until time runs out on a prominent local woman. Glamorous realtor to the rich, Babe Kinkaid, is found floating in her own infinity pool. What police first suspect is an accident or medical crisis turns out to be a homicide when the autopsy reveals that Babe has been shot.

Babe’s complicated love life leaves no shortage of suspects—including two ex-husbands and a fiancé. Then there’s her family, complete with a spoiled daughter, a ne’er-do-well son, and an always overlooked sister. All of them have the same motive: Babe’s massive inheritance.  

Alice faces a ticking clock in this investigation. There are a lot of moving pieces, and before she can shake loose a killer, an explosion and disappearance throw the town into even more of a tumult. It’s up to Alice to click all the clues into place before those nearest and dearest to her become the next victims . . .

Since her divorce, librarian Alice Pepper has had to rethink her golden years. Luckily, she’s always fit in with a group of puzzle-obsessed friends in the Oregon town of West Hazel. And when a local lady goes missing, Alice must put her curious mind to work to assemble a picture of the woman’s life—and determine if she’s a runaway wife or a victim of foul play . . . 

The owner of a dance and martial arts studio, 63 year-old Michelle Chong is a well-liked fixture in the West Hazel community, despite being married to the famous—and famously temperamental—artist, Lars Olsen. That’s why when she disappears, people don’t blame her for fleeing her dysfunctional marriage. Still, Alice has her suspicions, especially after learning about Lars’ violent past—and current affair.

When Alice receives a custom-made puzzle as a gift, the artwork seems so familiar that she assumes it’s from Lars as an apology for his bad behavior during a recent visit. As she and her friends get to work on it, they’re stymied by a missing piece.

With evidence pointing to Michelle’s disappearance being planned, Alice turns her attention to her own fractured family. But a shocking chain of events, culminating in a brutal murder, makes Alice question if any piece of the past can ever be put to rest . . .

Librarian Alice Pepper always had a natural talent for figuring out people and puzzles in the small Oregon town of West Hazel. But as a mystery permeates the quiet Pacific Northwestern community, murder is a challenge she’s not prepared to solve . . .

Down-on-her-luck Alice had hoped to retire before turning sixty-five, not struggle to keep her cozy home and dependable job. But even after divorce leaves her golden years a mess, the pieces always come together with a little help from her friends—a fun-loving crew who thrive on jigsaws over coffee, cocktails, and gossip. So, when it’s time to defend close confidant Ruby Milliner, she springs into action. Only, in this case, supporting Ruby means proving she didn’t murder her cheating husband!

Ruby never wanted to kill George, although anger can make a person say questionable—and incriminating—things. And scheming, deceitful George made a lot of people angry. Alice, fiercely committed to cracking the crime, dives into a secret search to exonerate Ruby. But slimming down a massive suspect list and restoring peace to West Hazel is a real gamble. Because if successful, Alice will meet a vengeful killer whose game she doesn’t yet know how to play.