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Sydney Riley book cover 1
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Sydney Riley
Series · 8 books · 2017-2021

Books in series

Death of a Bear book cover
#1

Death of a Bear

A Provincetown Mystery

2017

Sydney Riley is the wedding coordinator for the Race Point Inn in Provincetown, Massachusetts, a resort town on Cape Cod that attracts a diverse flow of summer visitors, including same-sex couples wishing to tie the knot where marriage equality in the United States all began. But Sydney’s busy schedule is interrupted when, right at the beginning of “Bear Week” (one of many theme weeks celebrating various groups) she finds her boss, Barry, the inn owner—and “bear” himself—floating in the inn’s swimming pool…dead. Sydney thinks that everyone likes Barry, but soon she finds that there was a lot going on under the surface that she didn’t know about. Who’s been embezzling the inn’s funds? Was Barry really running a green-card scam out of the inn? Are any of the condo owners next door irate enough to come after Barry? What about that mysterious person in the Gropius house that Barry’s been seeing? And why does Sydney seem to be falling for—of all people—an ICE agent? Join Sydney, her friend the Bulgarian artist Mirela, her coworkers Jason and Mike, Barry’s longtime partner Glenn, local police detective Julie, and a cast of a hundred bears as she tries to find out what really happened to Barry…hopefully before the killer collects any more bodies!
Murder at Fantasia Fair book cover
#2

Murder at Fantasia Fair

A Provincetown Mystery

2017

Second Novel in the Provincetown Theme Week Mystery Series Wedding coordinator Sydney Riley never thought she’d get caught up in a murder investigation, but she became an amateur sleuth when her boss was killed during Bear Week. Now she’s back, this time as the Race Point Inn hosts Provincetown’s venerable transgender event, Fantasia Fair… and murder is once again an uninvited guest! It’s all hands on deck at the inn as visitors arrive for the week-long event and Sydney helps coordinator Rachel Parsons organize the occasion. Guest Elizabeth Gonzalez is attending with her spouse, Bob, who—as Angela—is taking a bold first step into a whole new existence. Angela, Elizabeth, and Sydney learn the ropes and politics from other guests, some of whom have attended annually for more than forty years. But the next day, Sydney’s detective friend summons her to one of the town beaches where Angela’s body has been found—with a knife in her back, a knife stolen from Adrienne, the Race Point Inn’s diva chef. Fair organizers and attendees try and carry on as Provincetown is overrun with police, press, and rampant speculation. Sydney, her boyfriend Ali, her friend Mirela, her boss Glenn, and a host of Fantasia Fair participants scramble to find out who killed Angela—and why—before the killer strikes again.
The Deadliest Blessing book cover
#3

The Deadliest Blessing

A Provincetown Mystery

2018

If there’s a dead body anywhere in Provincetown, wedding consultant Sydney Riley is going to be the one to find it! The seaside town’s annual Portuguese Festival is approaching and it looks like smooth sailing until Sydney’s neighbor decides to have some construction done in her home—and finds more than she bargained for inside her wall. Now Sydney is again balancing her work at the Race Point Inn with an unexpected adventure that will eventually involve fishermen, gunrunners, a mummified cat, a family fortune, misplaced heirs, a girl with a mysterious past, and lots and lots of Portuguese food. The Blessing of the Fleet is coming up, and unless Sydney can find the key to a decades-old murder, it might yet come back to haunt everyone in this otherwise-peaceful fishing village.
A Killer Carnival book cover
#4

A Killer Carnival

A Provincetown Mystery

2019

Sydney Riley is busier than ever organizing parties, weddings, and even a float for Provincetown's Carnival Parade. When her boyfriend's sister, Karen—who happens to be Boston's Police Commissioner—arrives for an unexpected visit, things don't add up. It's totally out of character for Karen to take a vacation, never mind at high season in a tiny summer resort packed with tens of thousands of scantily-clad revelers. Sydney suspects an ulterior motive and starts to investigate, which brings her face-to-face with some ugly truths about the world—and herself. Filled with the colorful characters and unexpected twists you've come to expect, this fourth book in the Sydney Riley series offers a gripping tale of courage and conviction set against the festive backdrop of Provincetown's most outrageous week.
A Fatal Folly book cover
#5

A Fatal Folly

A Provincetown Mystery

2019

Holly Folly is approaching, and Sydney Riley is feeling far from festive. She hasn’t heard from her boyfriend in weeks, a mysterious stranger has crashed into her beloved “little green car,” and, in a moment of temporary insanity, she’s invited her parents for the holidays. She’s convinced things could not possibly get worse—until she stumbles over a body at the lighting of the lobster pot Christmas tree. As if this is not enough, when a gold coin and nameplate of a missing fishing boat are discovered, she’s asked to investigate the unsolved mystery of a murdered fisherman. While Provincetown is aglow with holiday lights and events, Sydney, Provincetown’s unofficial sleuth, is in the dark but determined to uncover the motive for both murders.
The Matinée Murders book cover
#6

The Matinée Murders

A Provincetown Mystery

2020

It’s time for the Provincetown International Film Festival, and wedding planner Sydney Riley has scored a her inn is hosting the wedding of the year. Movie star Brett Falcone is to marry screenwriter Justin Braden, and even Sydney’s eternally critical mother is excited. The town is overflowing with filmmakers, film reviewers, film buffs, and it’s all the inn can do to keep up with the influx of glamorous celebrities and host their star-studded events.But when Sydney opens a forbidden door in the mysterious Whaler’s Wharf, she discovers the body of a producer—and a legion of unanswered questions. Who strangled the innocuous Caroline Cooper? What dark force followed Brett and Justin from LA? Why is her boss Mike tense and double-checking every room at the inn? And is Mirela really leaving P’town forever? Sydney and her boyfriend Ali need to find the answers fast before another victim takes a final bow.
The Lethal Legacy book cover
#7

The Lethal Legacy

A Provincetown Mystery

2020

Despite a slew of weddings to coordinate, Sydney Riley refuses to miss the Women’s Community Dinner—the high point of Women’s Week. During the festivities, she meets vocalist Jordan Bellefort, a direct descendant of a fugitive slave whose diaries suggest the Race Point Inn was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Then Jordan’s wife, Reggie, is murdered while Jordan performs onstage before a crowd of adoring fans. When Sydney probes Reggie’s death, she uncovers a tainted legacy that may provide a motive for the killing and place her own life at risk. The Lethal Legacy explores the past’s influence on the present in a world-famous seaside resort with a rich history of diversity and acceptance. This seventh book in the Provincetown Mystery Series maintains the masterful blend of gripping suspense and unique characters Sydney Riley readers have come to expect.
Dead in the Water book cover
#8

Dead in the Water

2021

Family Can Be Murder Sydney Riley's parents, ensconced at the Race Point Inn, expect her to play tour guide. Wealthy adventurer Guy Husband has reappeared, seeking help regaining the affections of her best friend, Mirela. And the body of a kidnapped businessman has washed up under MacMillan Wharf. Sydney is literally at sea (not her favorite place), juggling friends and family to indulge her supersized curiosity. Is the murder the work of a regional gang led by the infamous "Codfather" or the result of a feud within an influential Provincetown family? What's Guy Husband's connection? And why does Sydney's boyfriend Ali suddenly insist on visiting—especially while her mother is in town? Master of crime Jeannette de Beauvoir brings her unique blend of irony and intrigue to this humorous—and at times unsettling—convergence of friends, family, and fatality.

Author

Jeannette de Beauvoir
Jeannette de Beauvoir
Author · 18 books

Jeannette de Beauvoir is the bestselling author of the Sydney Riley (Provincetown) mystery series and the Martine LeDuc (Montréal) mystery series. She also writes some historical fiction out of a true love of the past and a desire to make her decades of student loan payments for history degrees make sense. She always writes about strong and smart female protagonists, perhaps in the hope that one day she'll be more like them. She lives in a small cottage at the tip of Cape Cod and begins her days with a walk on the beach. Well, most days. February is a little challenging.

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