In this debut mystery series novel, Charlie Parker, accountant and partner in an Albuquerque private investigation firm, is visited by her old school friend, Stacy North. Stacy's Rolex watch is missing and she begs Charlie to help locate it before her husband finds out. Things are complicated by the fact that Stacy had been seeing another man, Gary Detweiller, and he's the one she suspects of having stolen the watch. With a little detective work, Charlie and her sidekick dog, Rusty, retrieve the missing watch and all should be well. But three days later, Detweiller is murdered. All eyes turn to Stacy as the prime suspect. Once again, Stacy begs Charlie's help in proving her innocence. As she begins to ask questions, Charlie learns that Detweiller's life was not as simple as first perceived and that any number of people had grievances against him. And before she can pinpoint the killer, her own life is in danger as well. Includes new foreword from the author upon the 20th anniversary of first publication of this ongoing series' first title.

In Charlie's words, "Vacations mean different things to different people. There's the planning, the packing, the anticipation. Then there's the late arrival, the sunburn, the fuzzy pictures. In my case, add a romance with a good-looking pilot and fourteen stitches in the back of my skull." Gilbert Page was a slick businessman from California, with an alcoholic wife, a spoiled-rotten son, and a blonde on his arm. Charlie is riding front seat on a helicopter tour when she and the pilot spot Page's lifeless body lying on the rugged rocks of Kauai's NaPali coast. Drake is the pilot flying the tour helicopter that gives Charlie her aerial vantage point. When the flight is over, Charlie assumes her acquaintance with Drake is, too. Within twenty-four hours, though, Drake's friend and employer, Mack Garvey, is arrested for Page's murder. Although Charlie would rather avoid the whole mess, Drake persuades her to help clear Mack. The investigating officer has an old grudge against Mack, and it doesn't help that Mack knew the victim and owed him a half million dollars. Charlie roots out the suspects one by one, never guessing that her own life will be in danger before her vacation is over. "A good selection for all collections." — Library Journal "Tension is fast-paced in this involving account." — Bookwatch "Shelton has created a female sleuth with an original slant to her methods." — Small Press Magazine

Charlie returns home to Albuquerque after her Hawaiian vacation. Her brother, Ron, meets her at the airport. And guess what? Ron's in love. Is there anything worse than a middle-aged man smitten silly? Yes—Charlie finds out, when it turns out that Ron's new sweetie is almost twenty years younger! Cute Vicky is full of secrets and Ron is about to get hurt. In addition to Ron's problems, Charlie runs into an old friend whose business partner has apparently just committed suicide. If that's true, Sharon Ortega will probably lose her business. If it wasn't suicide, Sharon might end up in jail for murdering her partner. It's a no-win situation until Charlie sorts out the puzzle. Here's what others have said about the Charlie Parker "A well written, by-the-book whodunit that will enthrall purists. Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth." — Midwest Book Review "Down to earth and very readable." — Library Journal "Charlie is slick, appealing, and nobody's fool..." —Booklist

During a visit to Valle Escondido, Charlie Parker's life is threatened as she investigates suspcious events and discovers many secrets of the small town

Upon returning to her New Mexico home after visiting her fiancé in Hawaii, private investigator Charlie Parker discovers that her mother and father, a scientist at Sandia Labs, were killed in a suspicious small plane crash. When Charlie starts asking questions, a series of theft ensues, and the body count begins climbing. The trail takes her down twisting avenues and around unexpected corners as Charlie follows her instincts and the evidence. She ultimately realizes that she must unravel the past to save her future.

Charlie Parker's romantic honeymoon in Taos, New Mexico, is interrupted when a ski instructor who works for her husband is fingered for the murder of his priestly brother, and a cache of priceless artifacts turns up in her ski chalet.

When Willie McBride, a peculiar old man who is obsessed with finding gold, goes missing, Albuquerque CPA Charlie Parker, on the behest of Willie's intolerable daughter, must find him before the big family reunion, which is no easy task. Reprint.

From the back - When former vanity license plate inspector Claire Montrose finds a valuable diamond ring embedded in an old stone wall, she's uncovered more than lost jewelry—she's just unwittingly exposed a fifty-year-old murder. Claire's octogenarian housemate, Charlie, recognizes the ring with shock. It belonged to Elizabeth Ellsworth, a woman who broke off her engagement fifty years earlier, then killed herself. All the "old gang" believed Elizabeth had returned the ring, so how did it get buried inside a stone wall? As half-century-old questions resurface about the incident, Claire discovers more about the terrible secrets Elizabeth kept - and why someone wanted her dead. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more Claire realizes that someone believes old crimes must stay buried...at all cost. "Cozy trappings...effectively contrast with chilling glimpses of Charlie's concentration camp days—(and) a vivid cast of elderly characters." Publishers Weekly

USA Today bestseller Connie Shelton puts her own real-life experience as a balloonist to work in this, the ninth Charlie Parker mystery. Three days before the start of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, balloon pilot Rachael Fairfield walks into the offices of RJP Investigations. She has received threatening notes, which she believes came from her father, a convicted felon whom she sent to prison fifteen years earlier. To complicate matters, her brother has initiated a huge publicity campaign for the world altitude record Rachael plans to attempt on the final Sunday of the Fiesta. It seems simple enough. Charlie and Ron will locate William Fairfield and keep him away from Rachael for the duration of the Fiesta. But as they follow leads on William Fairfield, the threats escalate and Ron and Charlie start to wonder whether he's really the stalker. Amid the color and beauty of the world's largest ballooning event, Charlie also finds herself at odds with her husband and reassessing her life's priorities. Only when she nearly loses her own life do the answers begin to fall into place.

Charlie & Drake just want a getaway, a weekend in a lakeside cabin. But within hours Charlie has found a new mystery. A showplace home near the small town of Watson's Lake, New Mexico, blew sky high a few years ago, a woman died, and the home's owner went missing. The case was never solved and Charlie discovers a complex web of deceit as she unravels the clues. "Another delicious read for the beach." -The Pilot, Southern Pines, N.C

From USA Today bestselling author Connie Shelton a light, charming holiday mystery novella, complete with lots of special Southwestern Christmas traditions. two of the recipes featured in the story. It's a New Mexico Christmas. The lights are strung, the luminarias are set along the sidewalks. Treats are abundant and Charlie Parker is getting ready for her mother-in-law's holiday visit. But there is trouble in the neighborhood and when death shows up—right next door—Charlie's bright, festive plans suddenly take a turn for the dark. Get in the spirit with this holiday novella. Praise for Connie Shelton's Charlie Parker "A Charlie Parker mystery is always a good read." — Southwest Book Views "Connie Shelton does a fantastic job of interweaving various New Mexico locales and cultures into the plot so that the state feels like the land of enchantment." Harriet Klausner, online reviewer

"Excellent character development and excellent location descriptions. Plenty of action. A real page turner. Hard to put down."—5 stars, Amazon reader Charlie is invited to a plush Santa Fe spa, a week-long spiritual/nutrition retreat with her friend Dr. Linda Casper. The massages and spa treatments sound great, until she realizes that there is something darker going on at the mountain resort. Meanwhile, Drake has his own set of concerns. He's been asked to testify as an expert witness in a helicopter crash case and it's causing him more anxiety than any feat of flying ever did. It seems that they are each on their own but their two cases overlap and dangers abound, from all sides. Praise for the Charlie Parker mystery "Charlie is just what readers want." — Booklist "Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth." — Midwest Book Review "Readers can only hope the likeable characters, fast-paced plots and local color will continue." — Albuquerque Journal "A fun and fast read." — Small Press Magazine "Charlie is slick, appealing and nobody's fool." — Booklist “Fans of Southwestern mysteries will find that Shelton's engaging story, likable heroine, and comfortable prose make this a good choice.” – Library Journal \ \ \* Connie Shelton is the USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen mysteries. Her Charlie Parker series is based in Albuquerque, and her new Samantha Sweet series is set in the northern New Mexico town of Taos. In addition to her full-time writing career, Connie has taught writing, is the creator of the Novel In A Weekend writing course, and was a contributor to Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul. She and her husband reside in northern New Mexico with their two dogs. Visit her website at connieshelton.com and get her free mystery newsletter.

It seems like a simple trip to the bank, but it becomes a terrifying case of mistaken identity when a gang of robbers grab Charlie and someone tells them that she is a famous movie star. Disappointed with their take from the bank, they decide that a hefty ransom will be their ticket to riches. But what will happen when the real star steps forward? Charlie knows that only her wits will save her from this band of desperate men. Meanwhile, in a race against the clock, Charlie's husband Drake is working with the FBI and local authorities to get Charlie back before her captors realize their mistake.

Charlie receives an enigmatic letter from her namesake aunt, her father's estranged sister whom she's never met. Soon she's off to England. In the charming medieval Suffolk town of Bury St. Edmunds it isn’t only slightly-eccentric Aunt Louisa’s beliefs in the occult or her spooky “haunted sites” tours that pique Charlie’s interest. When a friend of Louisa's is plagued by a series of pranks, Charlie and Louisa offer to find out what's behind them. But Charlie soon discovers that something sinister is brewing and she finds herself drawn into an investigation of crimes that are far too real.

It's Christmas in Albuquerque; Charlie and her family are ready for a quiet holiday at home. But right away, her hopes for that scenario fade when Charlie's brother and PI business partner, Ron, brings in two new cases, one of which made national headlines. Five years earlier, in a tide of media attention and despite public sentiment against her, Tali Donovan was acquitted of killing her two children and then she disappeared from the radar. Now, at the anniversary of the children's disappearance, their father wants to find his kids. Charlie realizes that the distraught man will not find peace until he knows what really happened. RJP Investigations digs up more than past history as Charlie and Ron work to find the answers.

USA Today bestselling author Connie Shelton takes her readers on a wild trip, in distance and in time, in the fifteenth installment in her original series. Charlie Parker and her husband Drake Langston accept a job with Gold Trail Adventures in Skagway, Alaska, flying visitors by helicopter to remote cabin sites to experience the outdoor lifestyle and seek their fortunes. It isn’t long before one of the guests finds a set of bones in an old mine, remains that date back decades. His hands full with present-day cases, police chief Sam Branson tells Charlie and her new reporter friend, Mina Gengler, that they are free to investigate. A second body is found, bringing up a lot of questions. Charlie gets a peek into the lives and times of Gold Rush-era Alaskans when she discovers a box of old letters written by one of the stampeders and begins to wonder if it's possible that the two bodies are connected. And, ominously, it seems that someone in Skagway today doesn’t want the women to dig for the truth. “Charlie is just what readers want.” –Booklist “Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth.” –Midwest Book Review \ \ \* Connie Shelton is the USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen mysteries in two series. The first is the Charlie Parker series featuring Charlotte "Charlie" Parker as an accountant who reluctantly tends to get involved in cases that come into the private investigation firm she owns with her brother, Ron. Connie's second series features Samantha Sweet, a Taos baker with a magical touch, who also breaks into houses for a living. In addition to her full-time writing career, Connie has taught writing, is the creator of the Novel In A Weekend writing course, and was a contributor to Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul. She and her husband reside in northern New Mexico with their two dogs. Visit her website at connieshelton.com and get her free mystery newsletter.

New—from USA Today bestselling author Connie Shelton! Charlie Parker's brother, Ron, is ready for the happiest day of his life when he will marry long-time girlfriend Victoria Morgan. Charlie will be matron of honor, her husband Drake the best man. But when Charlie stops by the bride's house to pick her up for the ceremony, the place is in disarray and Victoria is missing. And Ron has no proof of where he was the night before, after he and his fiancée had a terrible argument. Was the fight nothing more than pre-wedding jitters, as Ron claims? Or did the unthinkable happen? Things go from bad to worse when the media jumps on the story and the police treat Ron as a suspect. However, as usual, the answers are not quite so simple. Charlie has her hands full sorting out clues from the distant past, learning things about Victoria none of them knew. Praise for Connie Shelton’s Charlie Parker mystery “Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.” —The Midwest Book Review “Charlie is just what readers want.” –Booklist “Shelton has done a superb job bringing New Mexico to life.” —Albuquerque Journal “Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth.” –Midwest Book Review \ \ \* Connie Shelton is the USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen mysteries in two series. The first is the Charlie Parker series featuring Charlotte "Charlie" Parker as an accountant who reluctantly tends to get involved in cases that come into the private investigation firm she owns with her brother, Ron. Connie's second series features Samantha Sweet, a Taos baker with a magical touch, who also breaks into houses for a living. In addition to her full-time writing career, Connie has taught writing, is the creator of the Novel In A Weekend writing course, and was a contributor to Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul. She and her husband reside in northern New Mexico with their two dogs. Visit her website at connieshelton.com and get her free mystery newsletter.

Here’s what others are saying: “... suspenseful storytelling with sensitive portrayals of complex family relationships.” –Booklist “Shelton’s engaging story, likable heroine, and comfortable prose make this a good choice.” – Library Journal The weather turns to spring, and Charlie faces a pair of puzzles. Against Charlie’s better judgment Ron, her PI partner, takes a cheating-spouse case that turns into a comedy of errors involving a star football player and his wife’s petty vengeance. Meanwhile, Charlie’s neighbor Elsa has a bad feeling about a family up the street. Is it a case of the neighborhood busybody having too much time on her hands, or is there truly something sinister happening with twin teen girls who’ve been left with too much money and not enough supervision? Charlie finds herself remembering what her own teen years were like as she tries to decipher what the twins are up to. Praise for the Charlie Parker series: “Charlie is just what readers want.” –Booklist “Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.”—The Midwest Book Review

“Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth.” –Midwest Book Review Charlie and Drake are working a helicopter job in rural Maine when a man approaches and asks for their help. At first glance, it seems he’s just an old man who needs to get to his son’s remote cabin in the woods. But the cabin holds more secrets than Fergus McNab will admit, and it isn’t until Charlie returns to Albuquerque that she discovers they may have just aided and abetted a criminal who has escaped the law back home. The secrets get twistier, the more she looks into the ten-year-old case where Rory McNab, facing a life in prison, seemed to vanish from the reach of the law. Just as Charlie is thinking she should report McNab’s whereabouts, there’s a murder that seems to rock the foundation of the old case. And Charlie is in handcuffs, caught in the middle. Praise for the Charlie Parker mysteries: “Charlie is just what readers want.” –Booklist “Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.” –The Midwest Book Review

“Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth.” –Midwest Book Review A cryptic message in a fortune cookie sends Charlie again to England, to visit her favorite aunt. She’s having lunch in a local café when construction workers come upon a human skeleton behind a wall. The police are called to a more urgent case, so Charlie begins sleuthing around on a cold-case crime website, only to discover Aunt Louisa was one of those questioned when the victim disappeared. The more questions she asks, the deeper becomes the mystery, and suddenly there are suspects everywhere in this quaint English town. Can she save her aunt from arrest, or will the real killer come after them both? Praise for USA Today bestseller and the Charlie Parker “Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.” – The Midwest Book Review “…starts to really pull you in and you just can’t read fast enough!” – 5-star online review “I always love Charlie's escapades. She keeps me glued to the story, unable to put it down.” – 5 stars, Amazon “Charlie is just what readers want.” – Booklist

Charlie is alone in the office when a teen girl comes in, wanting to hire RJP Investigations to find her mom, who vanished without a trace years ago. The clues were sparse at the time, and the old police file doesn't have much that can help Charlie with the search. The problem for young Cassie is that the grandmother who has raised her is now dying and Cassie’s life is about to be upended. All that's holding her together is the belief that her mom is out there somewhere. Meanwhile, Charlie’s neighbor Elsa may have a boyfriend! Or not. Iris, a friend from her church is trying to set her up with a buddy of the new hunk she’s dating. But Charlie smells scam all over this deal. Now she just has to keep an eye on both Elsa and her friend … at the same time she’s on the clock with her new missing persons case. Charlie sees so many parallels to her own teen years and her heart goes out to Cassie. Knowing she has mere weeks to find answers the police couldn't uncover in years ... well, the pressure is on! Praise for the Charlie Parker “Charlie is just what readers want.” – Booklist “Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.” – The Midwest Book Review “A page turner!” - K. Coonce, 5 star review (for Escapes Can Be Murder ) “I always love Charlie's escapades. She keeps me glued to the story, unable to put it down. Love the mixture of humor and suspense. Can't wait for the next adventure!” – Meg, 5 stars on Amazon “Each book in the series just keeps getting better and better.” – Vine Voice reviewer on Amazon “Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth!” – Midwest Book Review