Measure Twice, Murder Once
Measure Twice, Murder Once

Author: Barbara Barrett

Publisher: Barbara Barrett

Published: 2022-01-05

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 1948532352

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It’s bad enough when your business partner buys a property without consulting you, but when she accidentally acquires a brothel, it’s enough to make Rowena Summerfield want to throw away her hammer. Still, the house is a bargain, and maybe it’s just what Ro and her daughter need to turn around their home renovation business. As Ro, a former homicide detective, comes to terms with the deal, she gets a shock when the former owner—and madam—turns up dead. Soon someone from Ro’s past shows up at the work site: her ex-partner, who needs a temporary sidekick to help him solve the case. Reviving their investigative team isn’t easy, especially when Herc gets jealous of the hunky deli owner who takes an interest in widow Rowena. Until now, she was fine with one man in her life—her cuddly cat, Jason. Ro and Herc discover the previous residents of the house, including the victim’s daughter, have less than fond memories of their former boss. The bordello’s old customers have a lot to lose if their secrets surface, and the unhappy neighbors still bear a grudge. As the sleuths dig deeper, they unearth a flimsy foundation of anger, greed and fear framing the walls the suspects have built around themselves. Can Ro and Herc find the culprit before someone plays another deadly trick?

Curtains for the Condo Casanova
Curtains for the Condo Casanova

Author: Barbara Barrett

Publisher: Barbara Barrett

Published: 2024-03-13

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 1948532697

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Dumped from the lead role on her detective show, snubbed by Hollywood and hurting for cash, TV star Marla Dane sees only one way out: running home to Minnesota. There she can lick her wounds, eat ice cream and check up on her seemingly capricious sister. Bonus: She’ll never again have to think about catching killers. But that’s before a resident in her sister’s condo building is found dead on the front lawn. There’s just something about Marla that makes the neighbors and overworked cops think she can help solve the case, no matter how many times she tells them she was just a pretend sleuth who never worked off-script. Trusting that Marla can get an insider’s take on the suspects, the police chief pairs her with Rex Alcorn, an ex-cop who lives in the same condo complex. Rex is less than enthusiastic about working with a lay person who’s also a celebrity, but he owes the chief from way back, and doing this favor should get the guy off his back. And even Marla has to admit he’s not bad to look at. But Marla’s scripted takedowns didn’t prepare her for murky clues, quirky condo residents and the cagey methods of her new partner. Can she and Rex solve the crime before an all-too-real killer puts them in danger, too?

Murder on the Court
Murder on the Court

Author: Barbara Barrett

Publisher: Barbara Barrett

Published: 2024-09-26

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1948532786

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No good deed goes unpunished, as television star Marla Dane learns the hard way. The recently fired TV detective, trying to figure out her next move at her sister’s Minnesota condo, reluctantly agrees to sub as Water Girl at a weekend pickleball match. Which makes her the first suspect of many when the team captain turns up dead. Eloise Wallace, owner of a local PR company, will never receive the title Boss of the Year. She’s dragged her staff, her old college roommate, and even her ex-husband and ex-employees onto her pickleball team. No wonder their success on the court is so sad. They all have reasons for wanting her dead, and Marla and former cop Rex Alcorn are enlisted to figure out who poisoned her. As Marla’s sister Kitty distracts them with a new obsession, pie baking, Marla and Rex find their suspects crusty and evasive. The victim excelled at making everyone around her miserable, so what did the killer have to gain by staying in her life — or ensuring her death? The answer may be more toxic than either of them bargained for.

Wrenched at the Reindeer Run: A Florida Holiday Murder Mystery
Wrenched at the Reindeer Run: A Florida Holiday Murder Mystery

Author: Barbara Barrett

Publisher: Barbara Barrett

Published: 2023-10-01

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 1948532670

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Interior designer Rowena Summerfield is ready to add her festive flair to the reception for her Florida town’s first marathon, even if a local Scrooge turns down her request for a donation. But when he’s found dead under the wreckage of the race’s reviewing stand, it’s clear someone’s reindeer game has turned deadly. Former homicide investigator Ro is once again recruited to help her former partner, Herc Morgan, find the killer. All of their suspects could be on Santa’s naughty list. And given that the victim dumped coal on every life he touched, any one of them could have decided to frost him. Ro and Herc are eager to wrap up the case so they can get back to their yuletide fun. Herc’s agonizing over picking the perfect gift for his new girlfriend. Ro’s boyfriend, Chuck, hints that he has a very special ornament in mind. While Ro sorts through clues to discover the murderer, she must also sort through her loyalty to her late husband and her growing love for this new man in her life. Will the twinkle of the tree lights in her living room be outdone on Christmas Day by the sparkle of a rock on her finger? Maybe, but only if a killer doesn’t murder their merriment first.

Death by Drywall
Death by Drywall

Author: Barbara Barrett

Publisher: Barbara Barrett

Published: 2022-03-03

Total Pages: 237

ISBN-13: 1948532441

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Renovating a restaurant is hard enough. Renovating it for your boyfriend who thinks his million-dollar smile will make up for his ever-changing whims is even harder. But running the job when a woman is murdered in a house your colleague is renovating? It’s almost more than Rowena Summerfield can handle—especially when she’s once again pulled into her old role of homicide detective to find the killer. Ro dives in to clear her friend so she can go back to her real job, especially since the rocky renovation threatens to wreck her relationship with charming Chuck. But this mystery is anything but straightforward. The victim wore drywall stilts. Her nearest relatives are either uncooperative or dead. And everybody’s lying to Ro and her old partner, Herc. With support from her daughter and her finicky cat, Jason, Ro puts her new love and young company on the line to crack the case—even when the only solution seems to be a dangerous plot to entrap the murderer before the devious killer eliminates them.

Homicide by Hammer
Homicide by Hammer

Author: Barbara Barrett

Publisher: Barbara Barrett

Published: 2022-08-30

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 1948532484

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Rowena Summerfield is so close to finishing the renovation of boyfriend Chuck’s wine bar, she can practically taste the champagne. But the project she’s doing with her daughter and partner in Nailed It Home Renos screeches to a halt when murder claims the brother of the wine consultant. Once again, the Shasta Police Department drafts Ro to return to her role as homicide detective and help her old partner Herc find the killer. But uncorking the mystery proves challenging given the small pool of suspects, most of them artists like the victim. Before Ro can sip success, she must also deal with a missing-persons case—her construction supervisor’s sister—and sort out her feelings for Chuck as their relationship warms up. Why would someone want to murder a loner whose career was just beginning to soar? And why would the benefactor who commissioned his new piece remain incognito? A palette of clues obscures the meaning of the murder, and Ro and her friends will have to strip away perplexing and dangerous layers to find the truth.

Snared by the Snake
Snared by the Snake

Author: Barbara Barrett

Publisher: Barbara Barrett

Published: 2023-06-13

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 1948532646

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Nailed It Home Reno owners Rowena Summerfield and her daughter, Valerie, thought they’d seen it all, but the derelict Mehaffy House is a first. Rumor has it the place is haunted. Though the women scoff at the idea, there’s no denying weird things are happening. But the job gets even stranger when their plumber, Harper, becomes the chief suspect in the murder of her male-model boyfriend. Once again, Ro is called upon to work with her old homicide partner, Hercules Morgan, to help find the killer. The plumber’s snake might have been the murder weapon, but Ro isn’t convinced the woman was careless enough to leave her tool behind. Is she being framed? And who else wanted her boyfriend dead? They don’t have to look far for other suspects. The victim lived in a former motel turned modeling school and agency, and under the glitz and muscles they find dysfunctional relationships, drained finances, professional jealousy and suspicious behavior. And the victim might not have been so innocent either. Can Ro and Herc find the culprit before the case drives them plumb crazy?

Seduction on Wheels
Seduction on Wheels

Author: Barbara Barrett

Publisher: Barbara Barrett

Published: 2024-02-29

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 1948532581

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When her ex-husband calls her frigid, Jenna DiFranco takes some incredible risks to prove her sexuality, including picking up men in bars. Realizing her behavior is unsafe and irrational and finding herself facing several days on the road alone with Gray McKenna, she makes him promise not to respond to her overtures. Years ago, Gray swore off serious relationships with women, but that hasn’t stopped him from casual hook-ups. From the moment he meets her, he recognizes Jenna as trouble, the kind of woman who wants permanence in a relationship. The kind of woman to avoid. But the promise and Gray’s resolve don’t stand a chance when close confinement, personal revelations and Jenna’s need to prove she still has it ignite their mutual attraction.

Tough Enough to Tango
Tough Enough to Tango

Author: Barbara Barrett

Publisher: Barbara Barrett

Published: 2024-02-28

Total Pages: 317

ISBN-13: 1948532735

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When her father’s health falters, Shae Harriman leaps into action, taking the reins of his construction empire and spearheading Sullivan’s Creek, the company’s most ambitious project yet. Armed with knowledge but lacking in experience, she faces immediate pushback from her skeptical crews. Enter Ned Collier, the larger-than-life entertainer with a secret mission: to secure a safer home for his mother amid the chaos of his superstar lifestyle. Strapped for cash and determined to keep his struggles hidden, he insists on micromanaging the project, much to Shae’s frustration. As they navigate the challenges of construction and the complexities of their personal lives, their clashes fuel a magnetic attraction. Despite his penny-pinching and her construction crises, they find themselves drawn closer, the tension between them crackling with unspoken desire. But can their fiery chemistry withstand the pressures of the job and the weight of their secrets? Their only way forward may be the hardest—to open up to each other and unlock the sizzling connection that just might be the key to their hearts and future.

Keeping It Casual
Keeping It Casual

Author: Barbara Barrett

Publisher: Barbara Barrett

Published: 2024-02-29

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 1948532611

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Talent manager Alex Appleby needs Geoff McKenna's help. Her vicious client is threatening the reputation of Alex's television-star father if Alex can't convince her stepsister to go along with the client's demand. Alex turns to Geoff to make the case to her sister. Geoff has his own proposition for Alex. Thus far, his case of multiple sclerosis has been mild, but he’s unsure of his future. When his girlfriend pushes for a stronger commitment, he enlists Alex as his new pretend love interest so his girlfriend will break things off. Discovering they actually are attracted to each other, they agree to keep things casual, since Alex is only in town briefly and Geoff isn’t interested in anything serious. But fate intervenes as their feelings deepen. Alex must decide whether to relocate to Iowa from LA, and Geoff must place faith in his future.