When school psychologist Skye Denison left Scumble River after high school, she swore she would never return to such a small minded town. But when credit card and boyfriend trouble caused her to slink home, she tries to blend in unnoticed. However inconspicuous has never been one of Skyes attributes, as the small-town busybodies try to bring her out in the public eye whenever they can. When she stumbles upon a dead TV personality, the police accuse her brother and she is forced to prove him innocent. This proves to be a daunting task, but Skye is up to the task. She is bright, persistent, gutsy and the perfect amateur sleuth.

When she left Scumble River years ago, school psychologist Skye Denison thought she’d never be back. But after a run of bad luck in the big city, she has a new appreciation for the down-home charm of small-town life—and decides to start over in the town where she started out…When Skye’s beloved grandmother is found dead in her bed, the family consensus is natural causes. Still, Skye insists on an autopsy—an examination that proves the sweet old lady was, in fact, murdered! But who could have done the deadly deed? Skye is determined to find out, though her snooping doesn’t sit well with the relatives. Family tensions can mean only one thing: family secrets. And when a series of hooligan attacks on Skye’s property leads to an outright physical assault, Skye has to wonder if by exposing the rotten roots of her family tree, she’s one step closer to exposing the killer…

Not a Monster of a Chance is a short story set in Scumble River, once again featuring Skye Denison. It is set during her summer vacation where she has taken a job as a lifeguard to supplement her income and a drowning victim disappears. What happened to the woman? Is she a victim of the Scumble River Monster? Originally published June 2001 from the anthology "...And the Dying is Easy"

This enticing anthology features a mix of established and new crime solvers who attempt to "get away from it all" in locations as diverse as Alaska and the island of Aruba. In "Porridge and Bess," Tamar Myers' Mennonite innkeeper-turned-crime solver, Magdalena Yoder, takes her first vacation in Charleston S.C., only to have Monty, her tour guide from hell, turn up dead. What follows is an investigation spiced with both Magdalena's delicious humor and a recipe for a Southern favorite, Shrimp 'n' Grits. JoAnna Carl's "The Chocolate Kidnapping Clue" introduces Lee McKinney, a teenager who spends her summer vacation working in her uncle's chocolate shop and investigating mysterious goings-on around Lake Michigan. This satisfying appetizer will leave fans hungering for the main course Carl's upcoming novel The Chocolate Cat Caper. Dana Stabenow, Max Allan Collins and Peter Tremayne are just a few of the authors included in this anthology; out of the 20 pieces here, only one seems to be a misfit: with its sexually charged content, Lydia Adamson's "A Case of Feline Psychopathology" contrasts sharply with the other cozies. All in all, though, this volume is a mystery-reader's banquet at a fast-food price. "Salt on the Rim" by Jeff Abbott "A Case of Feline Psychopathology" by Lydia Adamson "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" by Ann Campbell "The Chocolate Kidnapping Clue" by JoAnna Carl "Never Neck at Niagara" by Edie Claire "Unreasonable Doubt" by Max Allan Collins "Murder Can Hurt Your Ears" by Selma Eichler "Journey's End" by Hazel Holt "The Body in the Bay" by Peter King "The Jungle" by John Lantigua "The Loch Ness Mystery" by Sam McCarver "Porridge and Bess" by Tamar Myers "Missing, Presumed . . ." by Dana Stabenow "Call it Dead Time" by Andy Straka "Not a Monster of a Chance" by Denise Swanson "Corpse on a Holy Day" by Peter Tremayne "Lightning Strikes Twice" by Judith Van Gieson "Under the Big Black Sun" by k.j.a. Wishnia "Serve and Volley" by Matt Witten "Sweet Rewards" by Wayne Worcester

When school psychologist Skye Denison investigates the death of a popular teenager who was cast as Sleeping Beauty in the school play, she uncovers some shocking revelations about prominent Scumble River citizens. And even ever-optimistic Skye knows that in this case, finding the killer won't end this tale happily-end-after...

After over two years, school psychologist Skye Denison is still in Scumble River trying to figure out why she's still in Scumble River. But with all the town's quirks and crimes, life there is never dull, and besides, it's home. Scumble River is celebrating its bicentennial in style—with Historical Society Reenactments, a bingo tent, Crazy Craft Race, and a coal-tossing tournament. Serving as the guest of honor is none other than the town founder's great-great-grandnephew, Gabriel Scumble. But his visit turns out to be short-lived when Skye's students, Frannie and Justin, find him dead, a pickax protruding from the chest area of his authentic buckskin costume. Meanwhile, Skye's deceitful ex-fiancé Luc St. Amant has appeared out of the blue, creating turmoil in her love life. Does the real danger lie in the possibility that Luc will drive away the men in Skye's life, or is there a more menacing connection between Luc's arrival and Gabriel Scumble's murder?

It all began innocently enough, when Skye in search of a social life in Scumble River, recently joined the GUMBettes-the ladies auxiliary of the men's Grand Union of the Mighty Bulls, Scumble River's premier social club. But then Skye ended up wrapped in wallpaper, and the club leaders, Barbie and Ken Addison, ended up dead. Barbie and Ken appeared to be living a dream life, but then who would want to kill such living dolls?

The last things school psychologist Skye Denison expects to find in Scumble River are sex, drugs, and rock and roll. But when her brother, Vince, forms a band called Pink Elephant, the town goes wild and things get very weird. First, a student is found in the locker room taking a shower ... with his clothes on. Then a groupie turns stalker, seducing the band members one by one. But when one of the Pink Elephants winds up murdered, the music stops dead. Who's to blame? Everyone seems to think it's Vince and now Skye has to clear her brother's name.

A Novella-Length Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of the Scumble River Mysteries! Skye’s beau, Simon, asks her to keep an eye on his mischievous mother, Bunny, who is hosting at her bowling alley a Spring Break Bash that will include a talent show, trivia games, and karaoke. As Skye sets up for the event, she’s stunned when a statuesque, scantily clad blonde shows up at Bunny’s door—Ruby, a sex-toy shop owner who used to be a showgirl with Bunny in Las Vegas. Bunny is overjoyed to be reunited with her old friend, but barely a minute later, Ruby butts heads with the police over showing off paraphernalia from her shop. More mayhem ensues when Ruby’s beloved Cadillac is vandalized and her room is set on fire. It appears that someone is after Ruby, but the blonde is too nervous to cooperate with the authorities. Ruby’s evasive behavior convinces Skye that she’s hiding some critical information that would explain the recent havoc at the bowling alley. With the safety of the Spring Break Bash attendees on the line, Skye decides to find out Ruby’s secret before some nefarious criminal decides that dead blondes tell no tales.

Yard sales can bring out the worst in people. So when Scumble River school psychologist Skye Denison organizes a 100-mile yard sale, otherwise neighborly folk get downright her own mother creams a woman, and a battle of the sexes breaks out. But when her former boss is found murdered, nobody knows for sure how this cookie will crumble.

Still recovering from breaking up with her boyfriend and alienating half the people in town, Skye Denison has sworn off men—but she hires sexy contractor Beau Hamilton to renovate the old house she inherited. After all, who can ignore his qualifications? Golden hair, bronzed chest, muscular thighs—he’s just too good to be true. Sure enough, he has a reputation for conning the ladies. But before the not so naïve Skye can fire the hunk, he turns up dead. Since even bad boys deserve justice, Skye has to juggle more than a passionate police chief, a cagey brother with a secret, and a possibly haunted house. She’s got a killer to catch.

A health spa complete with tofu turkey and "Dress for Sexcess" lectures is the last place school psychologist Skye Denison wants to spend Thanksgiving. But when her best friend, Trixie Frayne, convinces her to take a complimentary weekend at the new Scumble River Spa, Skye accepts her fate and prepares to be slathered, wrapped and roasted. Then an annoying quartet that includes both Skye's mom and her ex-boyfriend's mother impulsively joins her for a girls-only holiday, and Skye wonders just how bad things can get. She soon finds out - when she's confronted with treatments only a masochist would enjoy, a diet plan fit for a Barbie doll, and a troublesome trespasser searching for a cache of jewels supposedly hidden in the spa seventy years ago. Worst of all, a famous former model turns up dead in the Miracle Mud bath. It looks like no one will be leaving the spa until Skye can identify which of the eccentric guests, pesky local protesters or sneaky treasure hunters is also a killer deserving of special treatment; in the county jail.

Skye Denison has never aspired to culinary excellence. In fact, she can't tell the difference between mousse and meringue. So when Grandma Sal's Soup-To-Nuts Cooking Challenge comes to town, competing is the last thing on her mind. But that's before she's bullied into entering by her mother, who has four recipes - one of which she has submitted under Skye's name. Right from the start, trouble brews among the contestants, among the judges, and even Grandma Sal's own family. But a spiteful saboteur takes things too far when cocky contestant Cherry Alexander is discovered drowned in a chocolate fountain. Still struggling with the basics of cooking, Skye must catch a killer. And when it comes to suspects, there are just too many cooks in the kitchen from whom to choose.

When school psychologist Skye Denison stumbles over the body of pushy promfest chairperson Annette Paine during a Halloween fund-raiser, it looks like a clear-cut case of promicide. Annette was not the only prom mom desperate to see her daughter crowned queen; and her skirt-chasing hubby is no prince either. Skye's anxious to investigate, but she keeps getting sidetracked by the overeager new social worker at school and also by her beau's emotional distance. Still, one question haunts her: Since Annette Paine was wearing a witch costume identical to Skye's, which witch was the intended victim? Will Skye realize too late that finding this killer is a matter of her own life and death?

School psychologist Skye Denison reluctantly agrees to act as maid of honor in her California cousin's over-the-top platinum-style wedding- and is also expected to assist the control-freak wedding planner. But when Skye discovers the planner dead, just one week before the big event, Skye is suddenly working double-duty. While overseeing every nuptial detail, she's also helping the police find out who hated the bridal consultant enough to kill her. Can Skye get her cousin to the church on time-and save herself from a killer who may actually be on the guest list?

Who could be driven to kill by books and sweets? While school psychologist Skye Denison eagerly anticipates the grand opening of a new bookstore called Tales & Treats, many of Scumble River's most outspoken citizens want to shut down the owners before they even open and one is angry enough to commit murder... Dropping off some books at Tales & Treats, Skye trips over a toppled bookcase, which has crushed a woman beneath its weight. While police search for motives, Skye sees the messy aftermath of a half-baked plot to murder somebody else. Skye is juggling her own busy life, but when all the clues lead to dead ends, she turns up the heat on her own investigation ... and stumbles upon the deadly secret that got this bookstore babe done in. And if Skye isn't careful, the killer just might make her the sequel...

When megamillionaire and imitation cowboy Rex Taylor proposes building a country music theater in Scumble River, everyone's ready to do the boot-scootin' boogie except school psychologist Skye Denison. She's been asked by Suzette Neal, Rex's assistant and a rising county star, to investigate her mother's suspicious death twenty-seven years earlier. No sooner does Skye agree to help than she finds Suzette literally flattened- and very dead. This has fast become a case of two questionable deaths, and suspicion seems to be hovering over Suzette's inner circle: Rex's jealous wife, a mysterious man in a black pickup truck, and the sizzling-hot singer Flint James, who also happens to have been Suzette's bitter rival for country-western fame. With a honky-tonk full of suspects and a tangled web of motives that stretches back two decades, Skye has two options: Rise to the occasion or end up as flat as a crepe.

New York Times Bestselling Scumble River Series When ex–Vegas showgirl and local business owner Bunny Reid starts an online dating service called Cupid’s Cat’s Meow, out-of-town visitors flock to her bowling alley for the speed dating and cat show events that she hosts to bring in extra cash. Bunny’s scheme sounds harmless enough, but school psychologist Skye Denison knows all too well that an influx of strangers in Scumble River always spells trouble…. Meanwhile, Skye is convinced that her house is haunted and is afraid her fiancé, police chief Wally Boyd, won’t move in until the ghost moves out. But ghost-hunting takes a back seat when Skye is called to the bowling alley, where a riled up contestant is choking a cat show judge for insulting his feline. Skye breaks up the scuffle, but the next morning the judge’s dead body is found, strangled with a cat toy. Now Skye must solve this purrplexing mystery—and show a devious killer that her sleuthing skills are the cat’s meow.

There’s no place like Scumble River at Christmastime, and this year, school psychologist Skye Denison has twice as much to celebrate—and to do. In addition to the usual holiday frenzy, Skye’s wedding to police chief Wally Boyd is less than a week away—that is, if the groom isn’t too busy working to attend. The town’s sexy new librarian, Yvonne Osborn, has just been murdered, and the list of suspects is piling up faster than late fees on an overdue book.Yvonne’s strict sense of right and wrong annoyed some townspeople and infuriated others. Did her high standards lead to her death? Skye is distracted by worries about what havoc the crazy Dooziers will wreak on her wedding day and whether she’ll fit into her dress. But Skye can’t afford to leave any page unturned because unless she works quickly to expose the scheming killer, her happy ending may be put on permanent hold.…

School psychologist Skye Denison has been waiting forever for her happily-ever-after with police chief Wally Boyd. But her bliss threatens to unravel on the very first day of their luxurious honeymoon cruise, when Skye becomes convinced that she has glimpsed her mother on board! Surely even momzilla May wouldn’t have manipulated Wally into booking the same trip that her knitting group is taking…or would she? May’s possible presence can’t cool Skye and Wally’s ardor on their personal Love Boat, but discovering knitting expert Guinevere Stallings as she lies dying from a stab wound leaves them untangling the clues of yet another murder investigation rather than getting tangled in the sheets. Since Skye found the body, she’s considered a top suspect, but she’s far from the only one. Guinevere’s imperious ways needled nearly everyone, and she left an impressive number of enemies. It’s up to the crafty newlyweds to figure out which of the wronged parties was angry enough to cast Guinevere off…permanently.

New York Times Bestselling Scumble River Series A nasty faculty feud leaves one Scumble River teacher belly-up... Her honeymoon may have been less than relaxing, but Skye Boyd née Denison is still high on marital bliss with her new husband, Wally. The fact that their family is about to get bigger is even more exciting, even if Skye is dealing with morning sickness—and trying to hide the news from her ever-meddling mother, May. But Skye quickly comes crashing down from cloud nine when the body of one of her coworkers, science teacher and volleyball coach Blair Hucksford, is found in the school swimming pool. The troublesome trainer was on the bad side of almost everyone on staff and many of the girls on her team, leaving Skye to sort through a huge roster of suspects. Now she must figure out which wronged party was mad enough to kill, and quickly—before someone else in town gets bumped off...

In this delightful Scumble River Mystery, a school psychologist has her hands full after a school board sourpuss meets a bitter end... With her morning sickness finally abated, Skye Denison-Boyd is ready to pounce on the pertinent problems she faces as Scumble River Elementary School’s psychologist. After trying almost every trick in the book to aid a handful of socially awkward fourth grade boys, Skye opts for the innovative approach of pet therapy with the assistance of the local vet, a Siberian husky, and a Maine coon cat. Unfortunately, the first session only breeds disaster and draws the ire of cantankerous school board member Palmer Lynch. But Skye’s worry over the episode changes to dread after Lynch is found dead in his home with the therapy cat hidden in his garage. With a clowder of questions unleashed, Skye finds herself dealing with a killer who isn’t pussyfooting around...