Books, reviews, articles & short stories…
When I first started reading mysteries, it was all about Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and their uncanny ability to get out of any small-town scrape that came their way. They didn’t need rescuing — and neither do the adults in the books and short stories I like to read now.
Or the ones I write…
Revenge With A Twist
Three mystery shorts, three twists in the tale!
From a deadly divorce in Bitter End to an “almost-perfect” crime in Bermuda Short, this collection delivers a fresh twist in every tale! And finally answers the question everyone’s been asking…Oscar Chump! “What’s that secret you’re keeping?”
“Stephenson reveals just the right amount of detail to keep her readers intrigued and hungry for more. Love her characters, love her endings. But I’d think twice before going to Bermuda with her!”
Revenge With A Twist now available on: Kobo & Amazon & Apple Books
It was two o’clock in the morning on the eleventh of August and no one, except Louise Tellier Hannington Brown, had any idea where I was.
She’d called me out of the blue a week ago, unhappy with her lawyer, her husband’s lawyer and her impending divorce. I should have hung up immediately but we’d known each other since high school and I owed her one… Excerpt from Bitter End
Some say revenge is sweet, but I like mine with a twist! And for younger readers…
Books for Kids!
The Amber and Elliot Mysteries
The Mad Hacker
Something’s Fishy at Ash Lake
The Secret of the Lost Diamonds
Paper Treasure
&
The Mysterious Mr. Moon
The Secret of the Lost Diamonds
An Amber and Elliot Mystery
In a last-ditch effort to save his family home, Henry Hamilton agrees to host a writers’ conference at Ash Manor. On one condition — he wants super sleuths Amber Mitchell and Liz Elliot to find the famous Hamilton diamonds before it’s too late!
The stakes are high from the moment they walk in the door. With mystery writers looking for the perfect plot, and their friends Craig and Jonathan skulking in the shadows, Amber & Elliot take to the secret passageways in search of the precious jewels…
“Where are we?” Amber whispered.
“We must be in the family wing,” Liz said softly.
The girls stared at the old-fashioned furnishings: paintings in gilt frames, a pair of plush sofas, and two leather wing chairs facing a fireplace. “I bet no one’s been in here for years,” breathed Amber, taking a step forward.
Suddenly Liz choked out a scream. Amber clutched her throat. They watched in horror as a hand slowly reached out from behind the chair…
Discover “The Secret of the Lost Diamonds” on Amazon, Kobo & Apple
The Mad Hacker
An Amber and Elliot Mystery
Ash Grove Junior High goes on high alert when Liz Elliot and Amber Mitchell discover they’ve been hacked! They won’t be able to enter Eastern Technology’s programming contest and neither will anyone else. When their friend Jonathan becomes the prime suspect, Amber & Elliot are determined to clear his name. But if they don’t find out who the real hacker is, it’s game over.
Just as Amber stretched out her hand to turn on the computer, they heard the fire door slam at the end of the hall. Someone was coming!
“Hurry,” whispered Liz, coming to her senses. “They’re heading this way!
The footsteps were getting nearer. Amber jumped up, and grabbed her jacket.
The two girls dove for cover behind the filing cabinets in the far corner of the room, frantically pressing back into the shadows…
What started as a school prank turns deadly as Amber & Elliot race to unmask the Mad Hacker — before it’s too late! Available on: Kobo & Amazon & Apple Books
Something’s Fishy at Ash Lake
An Amber and Elliot Mystery
Part time detectives and full time mischief-makers Liz Elliot & Amber Mitchell get themselves in way over their heads when an evil prankster threatens their summer vacation. They should be roasting marshmallows, not risking their lives!
“Amber!” Liz clutched Amber’s arm. “Did you hear something?” The two girls stood perfectly still, ears straining, hearts thumping through the darkness…A shadow slipped across the floor. Soft footsteps sounded from the far side of the kitchen. The girls cowered against the wall. They could see feet, then legs. Moonlight silhouetted a dark figure by the door…
If they’re not careful, Amber & Elliot’s two-week stay at Ash Lake computer camp could be their last…ever!
Available in paperback & eBook editions at: Amazon.com and now at: Kobo & Apple Books
The Mysterious Mr. Moon
A Coach House Kids’ Adventure
Nobody, but nobody comes to stay in Maple Bay after September, so when a mysterious stranger checks into their parents’ inn and starts nosing around, Allison and Peter Martindale are naturally suspicious. And worried. The 100-year-old Coach House Inn is already losing money and if Mr. Moon’s a bad guy, the Martindales risk losing it all.
There’s only one thing to do — spy on Mr. Moon!
Peter and Allison crept as close as they dared.
Mr. Moon was crouched at the base of a large tree searching for something. Fascinated, the Martindales watched as he pulled a small paper bag out of his jacket and filled it with whatever it was he’d found. Then he suddenly stood up and turned around, his flashlight casting weird shadows across the ground in front of him.
“Hurry up!” hissed Peter. “We have to get off the path!” They slipped into the undergrowth as quietly as possible and hid behind a clump of bushes as the light came steadily toward them.
A Mystery With A Comic Twist!
The Mysterious Mr. Moon is available on Kobo & Kindle & Apple Books.
Paper Treasure
A Charlie Bradford Mystery
Spending the summer months in Colville with his little brother trailing around behind him is not exactly Charlie Bradford’s idea of a good time… but when someone steals his late grandfather’s shares in The Treasure Creek Gold Mine and then tries to trick the other owners into selling theirs, Charlie is hopping mad…
His grandfather believed in that mine.
Joining forces with new friend Lisa Kirby, Charlie tracks down his grandfather’s old partners only to find a thief who will stop at nothing to get his hands on The Treasure Creek Gold Mine!
Available in paperback and eBook editions at: Amazon.com & Amazon.ca
And on sale now at: Kobo & Apple Books
Oscar Chump!
“What’s that secret you’re keeping?”
A small-town story with a twist…
When Oscar Chump passes, news of his demise spreads through the county like wildfire. By noon, twelve hours after Doc Carter had reluctantly drawn the white sheet over Oscar’s slack face with a finality that sent Nurse Rodgers running from the room in tears, there wasn’t a soul alive within forty clicks who hadn’t heard about it.
But what’s up with the private viewing? And why is Adele Simpson, the twenty-five-year-old raven-haired cosmetician and sole proprietor of the Wessex Beauty Bar, the one doing Oscar’s hair and makeup?
To get the scoop on Oscar, click here for a preview: Oscar Chump!
In the Footsteps of Agatha Christie
by François Rivière and Jean-Bernard Naudin
I’ve always been a big mystery fan, so when an opportunity to visit Devon came along, I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and why. I had just finished reading the English edition of “In the Footsteps of Agatha Christie” and rather than simply review the book, I wanted to follow in her footsteps myself.
The timing couldn’t have been better…two years later, the Moorland Hotel, where Agatha Christie went to complete her first manuscript, had been sold.
To read more, click here: Dame Agatha’s Life in Devon