Books in series
#1
Deal Gone Dead
2018
Meet Lily Sprayberry.
Selling homes is her career.
Solving crimes, her calling.
There's money buried somewhere on Myrtle Redbecker's property, and people are dying to find it.
Literally.
When Bramblett County, Georgia's number one realtor, Lily Sprayberry, finds her cantankerous older client dead on the kitchen floor, she lands herself smack dab in the middle of a long-running property battle and a one-hundred-year-old rumor.
Lily made a promise to sell Myrtle's land, even if Myrtle wasn't alive to sign the papers. But whoever wants that money is determined to keep the property from selling and will do whatever it takes to stop Lily from closing the deal.
Including murder.
Now that Lily's got the killer's eyes on her, can she keep her promise to her deceased client, or will she wind up another victim in this deal gone dead?
#1.5
The Scarecrow Snuff Out
2018
It fall, y’all and it’s time for the annual It’s Fall Y’all Festival in Bramblett County Georgia!
And that’s a big deal!
The It’s Fall Y’all Festival is the biggest festival in the tri-county area, and everyone in Bramblett County is geared up for a great time!
Pumpkin carving, bobbing for apples, a petting zoo, and of course, a good old-fashioned BBQ are just a few of the events scheduled at Abernathy Farm.
But the big event, the one Lily Sprayberry is most excited about, is the haunted corn maze.
When bad things happen to scarecrows scattered throughout the maze, county residents run screaming, threatening the success of the festival. Determined to figure out what’s going on, Lily decides to check it out for herself and fears the corn maze just might actually be haunted.
#2
Decluttered and Dead
2018
One friend—two friends—both friends dead.
I don't like sticking my nose in other people's business, but sometimes, I can't help myself. Especially when those people are ones I care about.
And when one of them winds up dead during my decluttering and staging class, I have to find their killer. Much to the chagrin of the county sheriff who just happens to be the man I've loved since I was a kid.
Too bad though, because once a friend, always a friend, at least in my book. And I'll do whatever I can to find the killer, even if that means I might die.
Because that's what friendship means to me.
If you like laugh-out-loud cozy mysteries, you'll love the Lily Sprayberry Realtor series!
#3
Signed, Sealed and Dead
2019
Small town folk take care of their own.
As Bramblett County, Georgia realtor Lily Sprayberry preps the Bramblett County High School gymnasium for the annual community yard sale fundraiser, she discovers the body of the newly hired lacrosse coach, her client, and friend, Carter Trammell.
All signs point to a heart attack, but when Lily finds an empty syringe lying under the bleachers, the cause of death switches from natural causes to murder.
Rumors spread around Bramblett that the new coach wasn’t making friends and influencing people, and Lily is determined to find out why. As she searches for answers, she’s pulled into
the middle of an angry mob of high school sports parents all gunning for their kids to sign with the most elite schools offering the best scholarships.
When the killer figures out Lily is close to cracking the case, things take a dangerous turn, and Lily’s life is on the line. Can she get to the truth in time, or will she be the next victim to seal the deal?
#4
Bidding War Break-In
2019
In a small town, everyone is in your business.
When Bramblett County realtor Lily Sprayberry puts her deceased client’s townhome, the last in a sought after mixed-use development community, on the market, she winds up in the throes of a bidding war.
Knowing a portion of the money will go to a scholarship in her client’s name, Lily schedules a realtor-only open house to raise the bids even higher. But on the day of the event, she discovers the home’s been vandalized, and every potential offer is taken off the table.
Someone is out to stop the sale, and ruin Lily in the process.
With her reputation hanging by a thread and the community up in arms, Lily sets out to fix things, and lands right in the middle of a hot mess of vandalism, lies, theft, and cheating. Lily soon discovers that some people don’t want their secrets known, and they’ll do whatever it takes to keep them under wraps.
#5
Open House Heist
2019
Small town realtor Lily Sprayberry can’t catch a break.
You solve new murders and uncover old crimes,
but can you save someone from doing hard time?
To return what was lost, solve my riddle at all costs.
Travel back to ’83 and the murder of a girl from Forsyth County.
The note sat inside an empty lock box on the dining room table of Bramblett County realtor Lily Sprayberry’s open house listing. A lockbox that formerly contained an expensive coin collection she promised would remain safe.
Lily knows the person that wrote the note meant it for her and knows she needs to do what it says to get the coin collection back.
Determined to solve the thirty-six-year-old murder, Lily discovers the clues lead her to a possible killer she’d never suspect, someone near and dear to her heart.
#5.5
The Claus Killing
2019
Christmas is just around the corner, and the entire town of Bramblett County, Georgia is ready and waiting for the big event!But a terrible tragedy threatens the celebration and leaves a key component of the holiday dead. Now Lily must uncover the truth and save Bramblett County’s Christmas before it’s too late.
This novella was originally publishing in the Sleigh Bells and Sleuthing Collection.
#6
Realtor Rub Out
2019
LILY SPRAYBERRY SELLS HOMES AND SOLVES CRIMES
When you mess with a Lily before her wedding, you get more than a bridezilla.
Every realtor wants their new listing to be the place everyone wants to see.
They just don’t want it to be because there’s a dead body inside.
Unfortunately, that’s how I seem to roll. Now I’ve got a week to uncover how this realtor wound up dead in my client’s home, and who killed her.
Why a week?
Because in a week I’m getting married. At a beautiful, tropical destination venue…and I will not let the sheriff, who happens to be my fiancé, postpone the wedding to solve the case.
Call me a bride on a mission, or call me bridezilla, just don’t let the killer know what I’m up to. I’ll take care of that myself.
If you love LOL Southern cozy mysteries, you'll love this one!
#6.5
Santa's Little Thief
2020
When Lily Sprayberry and her friends decided to have a cookie baking girl’s night, the last thing they expected to find was one of Santa’s helpers dead in the walk in freezer of Millie’s Café.
None of them believed Santa was real, let alone his helpers, but the little guy’s pointy ears made them second guess themselves.
Against Lily’s better judgment, the women forego calling the sheriff, who just happens to be her husband, opting instead to take matters into their own hands. When they find an ominous note lying where the pointy-eared person once did, they know they’re in over their heads.
Soon they discover the helper wasn’t helping Santa, but stealing from the local lot of gifts for Bramblett County’s kids, and they don’t think he was working alone.
With the help of an usual source, the women work to catch the other gift grabber and return the goods in time for Christmas, but can they do it without winding up in the freezer themselves?
#7
Foreclosure Fatality
2020
I made a promise, multiple times actually, to my husband, the Bramblett County Sheriff. I promised I wouldn't put my life at risk doing his job. But... when I find my potential client's son standing over her dead body, all bets are off. I just can't let it go, no matter how hard I try.
Truth be told, I'd put myself up against a murderer any day if it kept me from taking sides between Henrietta and Bonnie, besties currently on the outs. Risking my life is one thing, but getting between those two is something no person in their right mind should do.
Who am I kidding? I can't stop myself from trying to help them too. I just hope I come out of this alive.
#8
Upgraded for Murder
2022
Lily Sprayberry Solves Crimes...
And sets up murders?
I am a murderer.
Okay, so I didn’t actually pull the trigger. Still, because of me, Buck Haverty is dead, and the person I recommended he use for home repairs is charged with his murder.
Buck wasn’t well-liked in Bramblett County, but poor character isn’t a reason for murder, and I’m convinced Rodney doesn’t have it in him to kill someone.
Only my sheriff husband disagrees. He claims Rodney’s a bad guy and warns me against getting involved. But he’s issued that warning before, and I didn’t listen.
Seems I probably should have this time because now I’m trapped in a game of cat and mouse with a group of nasty men who want to see me six feet under, just like Buck Haverty.
Luckily, I’ve got a great support group to help bring the group down. Of course, most of them are over the age of 70, but I wouldn’t count them out!
Author
Carolyn Ridder Aspenson
Author · 50 books
USA Today Bestselling Author Carolyn Ridder Aspenson writes cozy mysteries, thrillers, and paranormal women's fiction featuring strong female leads. Her stories shine through her dialogue, which readers have praised for being realistic and compelling. Her first novel, Unfinished Business, was a five-star Reader's Favorite, a Rone Award finalist, and a number one bestseller on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. In 2021, she introduced readers to detective Rachel Ryder in Damaging Secrets. Overkill, the third book in the Rachel Ryder series, was one of Thrillerfix’s best thrillers of 2021.Reviews have praised her work as ‘compelling, and intense,’ and ‘read through the night, edge of your seat thrillers. Prior to publishing, she worked as a journalist in the suburbs of Atlanta where her work appeared in multiple newspapers and magazines. She wrote a monthly featured column in Northside Woman magazine. Writing is only one of Carolyn's passions. She is an avid dog lover and currently spoils two pit bull boxer mixes. She lives in the mountains of North Georgia as an empty nester with her husband, a cantankerous cat, and those two spoiled dogs. Contact Carolyn at carolyn@carolynridderaspenson.com
