As Minnesota housewives race to meet the deadline for the Times Register's meat loaf contest, an unsavory small-towner named Kirby Runbeck is blown to smithereens by a car bomb.Days later, the town's former mayor, John Washburn, near death from a stroke, confesses to the killing. His wife and two...
Far from being the idyllic home Carl Veelund envisioned when he built Prairie Lodge years ago, the log mansion has become the repository of many terrible secrets. Two women are dead—and truths long hidden are about to be brought to light.When restaurant reviewer-cum-sleuth Sophie Greenway stumble...
MURDER A LA CARTE If all goes according to plan, Connie Buckridge's culinary empire will soon boast a state-of-the-art cooking academy and restaurant in her home town of Minneapolis-St. Paul. Unfortunately, just when the kitchen queen and her bickering entourage hit town on a publicity tour, so ...
In Eden lived a serpent foul for when he heard Eve's stomach growl, he said by way of greeting: "I've cooks, beer, and pretzels, too. Deep-fried cheese and chicken stew. I've cake and candy just for you." The serpent coiled around her side, and said, although he knew he lied, "An apple isn't che...
When powerful Minneapolis art critic Hale Micklenberg is murdered, there aren't too many mourners. A master of the bad review, Micklenberg was bad news for a lot of people.Food critic Sophie Greenway is nonetheless troubled to learn that her college-student son could be involved in the murder. Bu...
Joanna Kasimir, an old friend of Jane Lawless, left Minneapolis years ago to make it big in Hollywood and, unlike so many others, she succeeded. Unfortunately, her stardom came at a price. Early in her career, Joanna was involved with a man who quickly went from being an idle interest to a danger...
A KILLER WAS FULLY COMMITTED Twin Cities businessman Ken Loy is the first to die; shot between the eyes during a sunset bike ride. Half an hour later, Bob Fabian, the rich and handsome owner of the Minneapolis Times Register, meets a similar fate. It was a year ago when Loy broadsided the VW Beet...
SERIAL MURDER The yuletide revival of a vintage Twin Cities radio serial isn't just for fun--dealing as it does with the scandalous unsolved 1950s murder of beautiful Kay Collins. But an even deeper mystery intrigues radio personality Bram Baldric and his sleuthing wife, Sophie Greenway: Why has...
Minneapolis restaurateur and amateur sleuth Jane Lawless is in the middle of ringing in the New Year the best way she knows how—with her family, friends, and some excellent champagne—when the biggest financial backers in Minnesota politics break up the party with a little backroom proposition for...
It's election year in Minnesota, and Jack Grendel is running hard for the U.S. Senate. But a pair of grotesque murders threatens to derail his campaign. One is the bizarre hanging of a consultant for Grendel Shipping. The other is the shooting of Jack's own father soon after he withdraws financia...
As she sat on a teak bench, sipping from a glass of pinotage, she reminisced with one of the first guests to arrive at the birthday party, a woman who had worked on her dad’s gubernatorial campaign last fall, and in the process become a friend. Above their heads, paper-thin yellow and black Chine...
He set the stand and climbed off, noticing that the ground was littered with cigarette butts and even a few discarded needles. Serena lived in a poor, rough section of south Minneapolis called the Phillips neighborhood. Ever since her girlfriend had told him Serena had bought a house, he couldn’t...
In the last day, he’d discovered some facts about her personal life that had left him with even more questions. Why was she in town on his father’s dime? Why had she stood outside a day care playground, all her attention focused on one little girl? At seven P.M. that night, Booker entered the Rhi...
The Hold Steady was Kenny’s current favorite band. Normally, Jonah and Kenny didn’t like the same music. This time, however, Jonah had to admit that the band was hot. He liked the convoluted lyrics. He wasn’t sure he understood them, though that was probably the point. After spending the afternoo...
“This is good. Makes the house look walk-in ready.” Her attention shifted to one of the agents walking past her office door. “Hey, Jerry,” she called, smiling. Kristjan sat on the other side of the desk. They’d already established the ground rules. The door to her office would remain open. They w...
Ever since that time, she’d spent Christmas at her father’s house or at Cordelia’s. This year, she’d made the decision to host Christmas at her home. It was all part of the decision she’d made to live life at a more respectful pace, to stop and smell the roses, and all that. Coming into the livin...