Visit an Old West Texas town where a mysterious benefactor leaves gifts each Christmas, but also where four pairs of neighbors battle over hearsay, secrets, and mysteries. THE MARSHAL NEXT DOOR by Vickie McDonough (1885) The marshal’s deputy claims he’s seen the marshal’s young sisters snooping around businesses where there have been recent thefts. Marshal Yates can’t believe his sisters might be the thieves and seeks out a woman to mentor the impetuous teenagers. But when evidence is found against his sisters, will he have to arrest them at Christmastime? THE SPINSTERS NEXT DOOR by Susan Page Davis (1886) Rachel Tanner’s family harbors secrets that may lead her and her aunts to financial ruin. When Stephen Worth rents a house on the Tanner property, he gets to close to family business, insisting Rachel open a locked box her dead father guarded closely. Can the schoolmaster persuade Rachel to defy her aunts and open the box—or will she remain alone with a tangle of unanswered questions? THE OUTLAW NEXT DOOR by Vickie McDonough (1887) Dane McDermott, a reformed outlaw born into a gang of thieves, has buried his past deep. As respectable business owner Dane has finally met the woman of his dreams. But when his father shows up, will it ruin his chances for love with the preacher’s daughter? THE GUNSLINGER NEXT DOOR by Susan Page Davis (1888) Alice Singer’s new neighbor has her worried. He’s a retired gunslinger with delusions that he is Ben Franklin and needs a printing press to produce his almanac. Enlisting the postmaster’s help, Alice seeks to understand her odd neighbor, his many packages, and mysterious visitors. Is he really just a harmless old fellow?
Author
FROM AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: I'm a native of central Maine, and grew up on a small farm with a wonderful mom and dad, three sisters and a brother. Most of my books take place in small towns, many of them in Maine. My husband, Jim, and I moved to his birth state, Oregon, for a while after we were married, but decided to move back to Maine and be near my family. It allowed our six children to grow up feeling close to their cousins and grandparents, and some of Jim's family have even moved to Maine! Our children are all home-schooled. When Jim retired from his vocation as an editor at a daily newspaper, we moved from Maine to Kentucky. I've always loved reading, history, and horses. These things come together in several of my historical books. Another longtime hobby of mine is genealogy, which has led me down many fascinating paths. I'm proud to be a DAR member! Some of Jim's and my quirkier ancestors have inspired fictional characters. For many years I worked for the Central Maine Morning Sentinel as a freelancer. This experience was a great help in developing fictional characters and writing realistic scenes. I also published nonfiction articles in several magazines and had several short stories appear in Woman's World, Grit, and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.
