The fact that Katrina Pomeroy had been murdered was in and of itself a newsworthy event. The fact that she had been murdered on Friday October 13th exactly eleven years after she’d been one of five teenagers to survive the Friday The 13th Massacre, made her passing worthy of notice by the national news agencies Jillian Hanford used to work for. When an old editor of Jillian's offered her the chance to write a human interest piece about Katrina’s life and subsequent death, she jumped at the chance to re-launch her currently defunct career. Of course in order to make the sort of impact she was after, she’d not only need to write about Katrina’s unusual life, but she’d need to answer the question of who was responsible for her death. She knew she'd need help so she decided to enlist the help of the five writers currently living at the writer's retreat on Gull Island. Jillian would soon discover a decade old secret covering a shocking truth that was better left unrevealed.

Jack and Jill and the entire gang from the writers retreat agree to take a second look at a five year old murder investigation. Five years ago award winning actor Rhett Crawford threw a Halloween party for a group of family members and friends. The party, which actually took place over a four day weekend, was held at his beachfront estate on Gull Island. On the third night of the party the groundskeeper, Wylie Slater, found the body of one of the guests, Georgia Darcy, bludgeoned and left in the toolshed beyond the garden. The authorities were notified immediately and interviews of all guests on the property were conducted. It was eventually determined that the victim’s date, a man named Dru Breland, had most likely killed the woman before fleeing the scene of the crime. According to witness statements, Georgia and her date had been bickering constantly during the course of their stay, and more than one witness had seen Dru slap Georgia before stomping off on the night she died. The authorities conducted an exhaustive search but were unable to locate Mr. Breland. As far as anyone associated with the investigation could find out, he was never seen again. Dru was a wealthy man with a depth of resources. It was assumed by most that he had fled the country and started a new life elsewhere under an assumed name. Then five days ago, the oceanfront estate, once owned by Rhett Crawford but now owned by an out of state developer, had been scheduled for demolition. During the destruction of the house a human skeleton was found in a hidden room off the wine cellar. After a thorough investigation by the medical examiner and his team, it was determined that the body in the hidden room was in fact the decomposed remains of murder suspect, Dru Breland. My friend Jackson Jones, owner of the fledging Gull Island News, latched onto the story and seems determined to find out who killed Georgia Darcy five years ago, and how her date, Dru Breland, ended up in the secret room. Jack knew that the five year old mystery would be a complicated one to unravel, so he asked me, Jillian Hanford, if I would be willing to present the mystery to the writers group I currently lived and sleuthed with. I agreed to Jack’s request which brings us to the regular Monday meeting of the eclectic group of writers I call friend but consider family.

In this third book in the Writer's Retreat Mystery Series set on fictional Gull Island, a sports related death is explored when Trey Alderman, Gull Island’s most important claim to sport fame, is murdered. Trey was the starting pitcher for the Gull Island Seagulls who went on to stand out nationally amongst college players while attending The University of South Carolina. It was assumed by most that he would be a top draft pick a year and a half ago and it seemed at the time that the sky was the limit in terms of his career. Trey came home for spring break during his senior year and while on the island he agreed to play in a charity event held in Charleston. The game, which featured other draft hopefuls, was a one run game. It was the bottom of the ninth, tying run on third, bases loaded, two outs, full count, and the tension was high. The pitch was thrown, everyone in the crowd held their breath. Trey lined up with the pitcher and swung the bat with all his might before falling to the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene. It was later determined that he died of a heart attack. He was twenty-two, healthy, and, as far as anyone knew, he had no preexisting heart condition. It was later determined that he had a drug mixture in his system that could lead to a heart attack when combined with extreme stress. The local investigator determined that he had most likely engaged in recreational drug use at the party he attended the previous evening. Alex Cole, a twenty-eight-year-old, fun and flirty millennial who made his first million writing science fiction when he was just twenty-two decided to write a book about Trey’s life and death so he brought the mystery of Trey’s death to the Mystery Mastermind group who live and work at the Gull Island Writers Retreat. The eight members of the colony have all agreed to dig into the facts surrounding the death and help Alex find the answers he seeks.

During the course of the remodel on one of the cabins at the writers retreat, the contractor finds a box hidden in a wall. Jill opens the box to find love letters writing to a woman named Francine more than fifty years ago. Jill decides to track down the woman to return the letters only to find that she was the fourth victim of the Silk Stalking Stranger, a serial killer who killed thirteen women in the mid 1960's. The strangler was never caught so Jill and the gang decide to dig into the mystery only to find that the fourth victim of the Silk Stalking Strangler may not have been killed by the Strangler after all.

The Mystery Mastermind Group who live and write at the Gull Island Writer's Retreat are tasked with proving that the husband of a young mother with four adopted children and another on the way, was murdered and had not committed suicide as the insurance company is claiming. Jack, Jill, and the other writers know their task will be difficult since all the evidence found at the scene leads to a verdict they simply cannot accept.

Now you see her. Now you don't. When sixteen year old Emily Halliwell ran away from home she agreed to send her half-sister a photo every week to prove she was okay. And she did. For awhile. But then the photos stopped coming. Nicole Carrington, Emily's half-sister and the newest permanent resident of the Gull Island Writer's Retreat, decides to ask the Mystery Mastermind Group for help. The trail has gone cold but Nicole is desperate so the group decides to accept the challenge in spite of the staggering odds of finding Emily alive after all of this time.

Some say it was the spirt of one of the pirates that haunt the island that killed him. Others say the death was the result of greed and revenge. All that was known for certain, was that death did not come peacefully for the last inhabitant of a now deserted island. The lighthouse on Skull Island is a mysterious place steeped in legend and folklore. The lighthouse which had stood tall for over a century was abandoned when the last lighthouse keeper died under mysterious circumstances. When a friend of George's, a fellow author, disappears while researching the history and legend surrounding the now dilapidated structure, the Mystery Mastermind group pull together to find the missing writer and solve the mystery of the death of the lighthouse keeper once and for all.

The gang from the Gull Island Writers Retreat take on the case of a man who is currently doing time for the murder of a woman he swears he did not kill. After speaking to the man Alex determines that he is most likely telling the truth so he enlists the help of the gang to prove it. As they work together to sort fact from fiction, they realize there may be a lot more going on than they originally thought.

When Jack receives a disturbing email from a man claiming to have killed eight people, he sets off on a road trip with Jill and Kizzy in search of the answers he will need to stop this madman before he is able to kill victim number nine. With the help of the gang from the Mystery Mastermind group, Jack and Jill not only find the remains of the previous victims, but they begin to form a theory of why the killer did what he did and who his next victim might be. Meanwhile the Mystery Mastermind group welcomes four new members, Jack's mom is seriously dating a man in his twenties, Rick and Vikki are talking marriage, and Clara starts having strange dreams that no one can explain.