Organized

Series · 7 books · 2014-2019

By Connie Shelton, Ritter Ames, LynDee Walker, and more

Books in series

Organized for Murder

2014

Organization expert Kate McKenzie is on track to make her new business, STACKED IN YOUR FAVOR, a hit in small-town Vermont. But when her first client, the wealthy Amelia Nethercutt, is found dead, the job takes a decidedly sinister turn. Kate thought she and her family were making a fresh start in her husband's hometown, but she quickly learns that small towns can hold big secrets. When her first client is poisoned just after Kate leaves her mansion, she knows she's gotten off to a bad start. But things only get worse when the police find Kate's fingerprints on the murder weapon, suddenly putting her in the position of suspect number one. The stopwatch is ticking for Kate to prove she had nothing to do with the murder, and the odds are further stacked against her when items stolen from the Nethercutt mansion start showing up in the McKenzie home. Now, Kate must trust her methodical skills and expert eye to sort out who is trying to frame her and to find the real killer before she's organized right into a jail cell.

Organized for Homicide

2014

USA TODAY bestselling series! Organization expert Kate McKenzie is looking forward to her newest consignment: organize the cross-country move for a divorced father and his two children. But when a dead body turns up, Kate's carefully organized plans are thrown into chaos. Was it an accident? Or murder? Kate aims to find out and ends up falling more emotionally involved than she'd expected when the victim's teenaged daughter becomes the police's lead suspect. As a mother herself, she just can't let the girl not only lose a mother but possibly lose her freedom and future as well. While the police follow the chain of evidence, Kate follows her gut, leading her on a dangerous investigation that could result in more than one death if she doesn't watch her step...

#2.5

Organized for Masked Motives

2018

Fun might be on the schedule for Halloween, but Kate & Meg find crime doesn't take a holiday... Kate McKenzie never dreamed when she started her business, Stacked in Your Favor, that she'd spend nearly as much time crime solving as organizing. But with Halloween approaching, and too many items on the to-do list, she and Meg Berman find themselves in another puzzling dilemma—where every answer leads to another question. And more danger… Please note: This title originally appeared in a shorter version in the Halloween anthology, Midnight Mysteries. New content has been added to this release. Organized for Masked Motives is a holiday novelette title in the Organized Mysteries series. The series features a small town New England setting and interesting characters, along with humor, strong family and friendship ties, and absorbing cozy mysteries.

#2.5

Midnight Mysteries

2016

Nine Cozy Tales by Nine Bestselling Authors Ritter Ames – “Organized for Masked Motives” (Organized Mysteries series) Kate McKenzie never dreamed when she started her business, Stacked in Your Favor, she’d spend nearly as much time crime solving as organizing. But with Halloween approaching and too many items on the to-do list, she and Meg Berman find themselves in another puzzling dilemma—where every answer leads to another question. Morgana Best – “No Time to Witch” (The Kitchen Witch mystery series) In a historical mystery prequel to the novel MISS SPELLED, Thelma Spelled must discover the mystery around a murder that entangles her and her husband. The paranormal tale reveals more about the magic of the house and early 20th century Australia. Karen Cantwell – “It Takes a Ghost” (tie-in to the Sophie Rhodes mystery series) New detective Brenna Sage can’t solve a series of robberies—until she gains a partner in the guise of Marmaduke Dodsworth. While Marmaduke is better versed in decorum and refinement than forensics and interrogation, he has one decidedly clear advantage: He can walk through walls. Carolyn Haines – “Clacking Bones” (Sarah Booth Delaney series) When Jitty’s husband, Coker, goes missing from the Great Beyond, Sarah Booth Delaney, Tinkie, and all the animals sign on to find out why the spirit is AWOL. Sarah Booth has to dig deep into the past to find the answer to this puzzling mystery. Eleanor Cawood Jones – “Salad Days, Halloween Nights” (author of A Baker’s Dozen) A vegetable-loving chef has cooked his way into trouble when a Halloween treat leads to murder. If he wants a happy future, he must first make sure the police don’t have him down as the main ingredient in a recipe for a prison sentence. Larissa Reinhart – “The Vigilante Vignette” (Cherry Tucker Mystery series) When Cherry pays a mercy call on a neighbor, she’s roped into a quid pro quo deal—if she recovers a stolen family heirloom both somewhat embarrassing and due to be discovered missing very shortly, the neighbor will use family clout to help her with zoning issues. But if she fails, the expression “someone’s got her goat” takes on a whole new meaning. And when she discovers a thievery ring, illegal auctions, and green-eyed emotions after spotting Luke where he’s not expected—it’s another hilarious day in Halo, Georgia. Connie Shelton – “Spellbound Sweets” (Samantha Sweets Magical Cozy Mysteries) It’s Halloween, one of the busiest times of the year for Samantha Sweet and the crew at her pastry shop, Sweet’s Sweets. The gang looks forward to a gala costume party at the neighborhood bookstore, but the evening takes a different turn when a guest is murdered, a rare book vanishes, and Sam finds herself in the midst of another mystery. Maria Grazia Swan – “Weeping Moon” (Lella York Mysteries series) Lella York has a way of getting herself into trouble, even when she’s doing volunteer work. Who's the mysterious storyteller, and what's going on at the senior living center? Will Lella find out before it’s too late? LynDee Walker – “Frightening Features” (Nichelle Clarke Mystery series) Not a patient recovery patient, while Nichelle Clarke waits for an injury to heal all she really wants is a story to write and research—hard news to get her mind occupied. Instead, her boss gives her a fluff piece. Not her idea of fun. But with Nichelle snooping around, it’s not surprising her soft story takes a decidedly hard turn.

Organized for Scheduled Sabotage

2017

SPECIALLY PRICED NOW FOR RELEASE WEEK—USA TODAY bestselling series Organization expert Kate McKenzie is intrigued when a publisher hires her company, Stacked in Your Favor, to help the author of a bestselling calendar line get organized for a photo shoot to illustrate the next year’s editions. Even better, she and Meg Berman learn the proceeds of the calendar business fund an animal rescue program in their state of Vermont. But once sabotage turns to murder and the police start looking for suspects, Kate and Meg find their lives suddenly upended by chaos and their own reputations are at risk. Now, it’s not enough to fulfill the terms of their contract, they must also find a way to save their client and her rescue program, too. All while making sure their next work outfits aren’t matching orange jumpsuits.

Organized for S'more Death

2018

Who knew camping could be so deadly… A family outing in a national forest seemed like the best kind of R&R to Meg Berman. Even Kate McKenzie was convinced after learning a fully equipped cabin was part of the plan. When an afternoon scavenger hunt in the woods ends the day with a dead body, however, the natural beauty around them takes a decidedly sinister twist. Worse, after interviewing witnesses, the police suspect one of them could be the prime suspect. They not only must get off the police radar—but at the same time stay out of the killer’s crosshairs and keep their families safe. Organized for S’more Death is the newest release in the popular Organized Mysteries series from USA TODAY bestselling author Ritter Ames, which features a small town New England setting and interesting characters, along with humor, strong family and friendship ties, and absorbing cozy mysteries.

Organized for Picnic Panic

2019

A town wide picnic is all fun, food, & games—until Kate McKenzie stumbles onto another body… The annual Hazelton, Vermont Labor Day Picnic is something all the residents look forward to each year. Kate has spent the past week organizing everything to help her family and neighbors enjoy a relaxing community event. As a relatively new family to the area, the McKenzies look forward to beginning this tradition. Things start off terrific, with the kids competing for great prizes, and the parents getting all the picnic eats ready. Until a bit of discourse enters the scene and disturbs the family-friendly vibe of the day. Things seem to settle down again, thankfully, and everyone returns to their previous high humor. However, as everyone drifts toward an after-lunch spectacular show, Kate stumbles onto a different kind of spectacle—a dead body. And this time she and Keith find themselves slapped into the middle of the mystery. They must capture the killer before the murderer flees. Or before another killing occurs… Please This title originally appeared in a much shorter version in a multi-author short-story anthology, when it was titled "Organized for Labor Day Foul Play." New content has been added to this novelette release. Organized for Picnic Panic is an end-of-summer holiday novelette in the popular Organized Mysteries series from USA TODAY bestselling author Ritter Ames. The series features a small town New England setting and interesting characters, along with humor, strong family and friendship ties, and absorbing cozy mysteries.

Authors

Connie Shelton

Author · 43 books

My love of books started with weekly trips to the library as a child and from the moment I learned to read I can't remember a time that I didn't have at least one book going. For the past 25 years, that list has grown to include what I'm reading and what I'm writing at any given time. I began writing my Charlie Parker series when my husband and I lived on Kauai, then continued them in my home state of New Mexico. Charlie lives in Albuquerque and manages to travel to a variety of locations, wherever her investigation business and her husband's helicopter business take them. My second series featuring Samantha Sweet, the 50-ish woman who breaks into houses for a living, is set in Taos, New Mexico. In addition to reading and writing, I've traveled quite a lot, taught writing courses, and been a speaker at a whole lot of mystery conventions and writing conferences. In my spare time I also love to paint, draw, cook and spend time at the beach. Series: * Charlie Parker Mystery

Ritter Ames

Author · 14 books

Ritter Ames is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Organized Mysteries series and the Bodies of Art Mysteries series. When she's not writing or brainstorming new mysteries Ritter is usually trying to get her favorite yellow Lab to stay out of the pond, or keep her grouchy black cat from trying to give the dog away on Freecycle. Ritter would love to live on a boat and write from far flung locations around the globe, but the dog would constantly have to be fished from the water, and her husband and cat would just complain endlessly about the dog's smell, so staying on land seems to be the only good option to keep her sanity and not get sidetracked from writing. Ritter tries to blog regularly at http://ritterames.com/ and subscribe there to get the latest news about upcoming releases, and inside scoops on her characters and series. She uses her Pinterest boards at http://www.pinterest.com/ritterames/ to capture great places and ideas she wants to use in both series. Go to her website to subscribe to her newsletter and get the first alert about new books in her series.

LynDee Walker

Author · 19 books

LynDee Walker is the Amazon Charts bestselling author of two crime fiction series featuring strong heroines and "twisty, absorbing" mysteries. Her first Nichelle Clarke crime thriller, FRONT PAGE FATALITY, was nominated for the Agatha Award for best first novel, and her second Faith McClellan novel, LEAVE NO STONE, was named a 2020 Thriller Award finalist. Reviews have praised her work as "well-crafted, compelling, and fast-paced," and "an edge-of-your-seat ride" with "a spider web of twists and turns that will keep you reading until the end." Before she started writing fiction, LynDee was an award-winning journalist who covered everything from ribbon cuttings to high level police corruption, and worked closely with the various law enforcement agencies that she reported on. Her work has appeared in newspapers and magazines across the U.S. Aside from books, LynDee loves her family, her readers, travel, and coffee. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she is working on her next novel when she's not juggling laundry and children's sports schedules. You can find her online at www.lyndeewalker.com, and connect with her on Facebook at lyndeewalkerbooks or Twitter @LynDeeWalker.

Maria Grazia Swan

Author · 16 books

Maria Grazia Swan was born in Italy, but this rolling stone has definitely gathered no moss. She lived in Belgium, France, Germany, in beautiful Orange County, California where she raised her family, and is currently at home in Phoenix, Arizona—but stay tuned for weekly updates of Where in the World is Maria Grazia Swan? As a young girl, her vivid imagination predestined her to be a writer. She won her first literary award at the age of fourteen while living in Belgium. As a young woman Maria returned to Italy to design for—ooh-la-la—haute couture. Once in the U.S. and after years of concentrating on family, she tackled real estate. These days her time is devoted to her deepest passions: writing and helping people find happiness. Maria loves travel, opera, good books, hiking, and intelligent movies (if she can find one, that is). When asked about her idea of a perfect evening, she favors stimulating conversation, spicy Italian food and perfectly chilled Prosecco—but then, who doesn’t? Maria has written short stories for anthologies, articles for high profile magazines and numerous blogs tackling love and life. She engaged her editorial and non-fiction skills for Mating Dance Rituals for Singles Who Weren't born yesterday. Her romantic suspense novels Love Thy Sister,Bosom Bodies and Italian Summer are available at Amazon.com. Her new series, published by Gemma Halliday is also available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, the first book is title Gemini Moon Website: http://www.mariagraziaswan.com Contact Maria: mariagswan@gmail.com -or- touch base with her on Facebook.

Morgana Best

Author · 63 books

USA Today best-selling author Morgana Best survived a childhood of deadly spiders and venomous snakes in the Australian outback. Morgana Best writes cozy mysteries and enjoys thinking of delightful new ways to murder her victims.

Larissa Reinhart

Author · 18 books

A Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Larissa loves to tell funny, sweet stories about sassy Southern women looking for love (and sometimes dead bodies) in all the wrong places, like in her award-winning Cherry Tucker Mystery, Maizie Albright Star Detective, and/or Finley Goodhart Crime Caper series. You might have seen Larissa and her family with their little dog, Biscuit, on HGTV's House Hunters International "Living for the Weekend in Nagoya" episode. They’re back in Georgia where Biscuit has a bigger yard but now has to live with thunderstorms. Check out LarissaReinhart.com to learn more and get a free story while you're visiting. Her books have been chosen as book club picks by Woman's World Magazine and Hot Mystery Reviews. They've also been finalists for Georgia Author of the Year, the Silver Falchion, the Daphne du Maurier Award, The Emily Award, and Dixie Kane Memorial. Her work also appeared in the 2017 Silver Falchion Reader’s Choice winner, Eight Mystery Writers You Should Be Reading Now. Cherry Tucker Mysteries (in order): A CHRISTMAS QUICK SKETCH (prequel) PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW HIJACK IN ABSTRACT DEATH IN PERSPECTIVE THE VIGILANTE VIGNETTE THE BODY IN THE LANDSCAPE A COMPOSITION IN MURDER A VIEW TO A CHILL A MOTHERLODE OF TROUBLE Maizie Albright Star Detective series in order: 15 MINUTES 16 MILLIMETERS NC-17 A VIEW TO A CHILL 17.5 CARTRIDGES IN A PEAR TREE 18 CALIBER 18 1/2 DISGUISES 19 CRIMINALS (coming soon!) 20 CARATS Finley Goodhart Crime Capers in order: PIG’N A POKE (prequel short story for Larissa's subscribers) THE CUPID CAPER

Carolyn Haines

Author · 55 books

Carolyn Haines is the USA Today bestselling author of over 70 books. In 2020, she was inducted into the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame. She was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alabama Library Association, the Harper Lee Award for Distinguished Writing, the Richard Wright Award for Literary Excellence, as well as the "Best Amateur Sleuth" award by Romantic Times. Born and raised in Mississippi, she now lives in Alabama on a farm with more dogs, cats, and horses than she can possibly keep track of.

Karen's novel, Take the Monkeys and Run was a semi-finalist in the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest (under the original title of Monkeys in My Trees)and has gone on to be a Kindle bestseller on Amazon. She has written three more books in the Barbara Marr Murder Mystery Series: Citizen Insane, Silenced by the Yams, and Saturday Night Cleaver. When she's not writing, Karen loves gardening and spending time with her family. She is currently working on the release of Keep Me Ghosted, the first book in the new Sophie Rhodes Ghostly Romance Series, as well as beginning the draft of Kiss Me, Tate, part of the upcoming Barbara Marr spin-off, Love in Rustic Woods Series. Karen loves to hear from readers, so feel free to drop her a line at karen.cantwell@yahoo.com. You can also stay in touch by liking her Facebook Page, Karen Cantwell Author Karen's website: Karen's Website Karen's books and short stories: Take the Monkeys and Run (Barbara Marr Murder Mystery #1) Citizen Insane (Barbara Marr MM #2) Silenced by the Yams (Barbara Marr MM #3) Saturday Night Cleaver (Barbara Marr MM #4) The Chronicles of Marr-nia, Short Stories Starring Barbara Marr It's a Dunder-Bull Wife, A Barbara Marr Holiday Tale A Spirited Season, Holiday Tales with a Paranormal Flair Books to be released in 2013: Keep Me Ghosted (Sophie Rhodes Ghostly Romance #1) Kiss Me, Tate (Love in Rustic Woods #1) Piper Nash and the Power Police (YA Fantasy) Dead Man Stalking (Barbara Marr MM #5)