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Craks in a Marriage (The Mah Jongg Mysteries Book 1) Feb 6, 2018

by Barbara Barrett

( 128 )

$2.99

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Courtesy Call (The Mah Jongg Mysteries Book 9) Aug 31, 2021

by Barbara Barrett

$2.99

When the man in her life, Rick Formero, loses his bid for reelection in Palmetto County, Florida, Katrina Faulkner hurts along with him at his disappointment, yet this means for the first time in their relationship he’ll no longer be in law enforcement and she won’t have to worry about him constantly being in danger. Then the new sheriff, Jett Carmody, is murdered after just a few months on the job. The new interim sheriff, Rick’s former main deputy, has his hands full bringing order to the chaos his predecessor fomented on the sheriff’s staff, so the county asks Rick to step in as a consultant to track down his opponent’s murderer.

Unlike the previous homicides Kat has worked on solving, this time Rick is open to her three friends and their men helping, because he’s no longer on the force and he needs assistance. But this will be tricky because Carmody was suspected of having ties to illegal gambling. Was the sheriff killed because he was too close to someone on the other side of the law? How can this group of amateur sleuths deal with them?

When her three friends aren’t monitoring tip lines about the murder, one plans a fundraising mah jongg tournament while she struggles to devise a design plan for Kat’s living room at her ranch, another begins a new one-act play and the other helps her attorney boyfriend with legal research. While they track down possible suspects connected to the world of high stakes gambling, Kat and Rick check out Carmody’s questionable relations with his half-siblings.

The Dragon Lady Gets Her Due (The Mah Jongg Mysteries Book 8) Nov 10, 2020

by Barbara Barrett

( 3 )

$2.99

When the dragon lady down the street invites Sydney Bonner’s husband to join the block’s holiday lighting extravaganza, Syd figures the venture will distract him while she manages Sheriff Rick Formero’s election campaign. But Trip’s merry mission ends abruptly when the diva suffers a dramatic demise.

Marianne, Micki and Kat see a chance to make their amateur sleuthing official with their contributions to Sheriff Rick’s campaign platform. But they’re just as interested in why the skipper of the spectacular light show met her shocking end. Putting their political proposal into action, Syd rides shotgun with Rick as they interview a stocking full of suspects. Serendipity Springs’ secrets come to light as they unravel the mystery against the backdrop of a contentious campaign. From the standoffish widower to the resentful volunteers, it seems everyone on the committee had a problem with the queen of Christmas. As the naughty list grows and the neighbors string the investigators along, can Syd and her friends nail the evil elf before a deadly decorator turns out their lights for good?

The Mah Jongg Mystery Series is set in the fictional central Florida town of Serendipity Springs, Florida. It features four retired women who meet playing the game of Mah Jongg, and from there develop a strong friendship. Two have been married several years and have grown children and grandchildren, one is divorced and one has never been married. In their earlier lives, all had rewarding careers, but that doesn’t mean they’re content to sit back and relax now.
As the series progresses, each pursues new interests, Kat Faulkner as a songstress, Marianne Putnam writing one-act plays, Micki Demetrius as a freelance journalist and Sydney Bonner interior design.
In their community they engage in such activities as a social group for those over 50, numerous stops at the local coffeehouse, classes and other activities at the local community center and even a shopping trip to Naples. Syd's husband, Trip, and Marianne’s husband, Beau, are golf buddies who spend many a day on the course. When not there, Trip is busy seeking to build a new post retirement life, and Beau, a former botanist, is often prevailed upon to join in Trip's latest activity. Sheriff Rick Formero, a widower, intrigued by Kat, presses for her to make more of their relationship and Kat slowly comes around. Micki, burned by her former spouse, isn’t ready for a serious relationship, at least that’s what she claims, but retired attorney, Guy Whitney, also a widower, tries to convince her to think otherwise. Kat has lived a frugal life until winning big in a lottery shortly after her mother's death; suddenly, Kat has money and doesn't know how to spend it. But her pal, Micki, does, even if it's to guide Kat through a makeover and wardrobe change for her lounge act.
The four don't seek out murders to investigate; somehow the circumstances and those affected drag them in. To their surprise, they’re good at investigation. They like investigating homicides, although along the way, following a few lucky escapes from near-death situations, they learn self-defense.
But it takes time for them to sell their skills and special abilities as civilians to the sheriff.
Barbara Barrett is already published in contemporary romance. Like her protagonists, she is retired and is a resident of Florida, although she spends her summers in her home state of Iowa. She is married with grown children and eight grandchildren. She spent over three decades as a human resource management analyst with Iowa state government. Her website is www.barbarabarrettbooks.comSyd and her mah jongg friends.

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The Charleston Challenge (The Mah Jongg Mysteries Book 7) Sep 9, 2020

by Barbara Barrett

( 1 )

$2.99

Oh, her aching feet! Micki Demetrius questions her sanity for agreeing to compete in Serendipity Springs’ Annual Charleston Challenge when clearly she and her partner, Guy Whitney, have no chance of winning or even placing. Just ask the reigning champion, who points out their low odds of taking home the trophy every chance she gets.

But then, Micki’s only dancing in this contest because Guy wouldn’t enter without her, and the poor man needs something to occupy his days. Retirement hasn’t come easy for him. Not that there’s anything special going on between them, as much as Guy would like or his daughter suspects. There isn’t, is there?

Micki can’t wait to put their performance behind them—until one of the top competitors is found dead on the ballroom floor. The sheriff warns Micki and her three mah jongg pals not to play amateur sleuth again, but he can’t stop this persistent freelance journalist from pursuing her inside scoop, with a little help from her friends. The trouble with being on the inside, though, is that being so close to her sketchy subjects might just let the killer get dangerously close to her.

The Mah Jongg Mystery series, features four retired amateur sleuths who live in a small Florida town, all female and all friends who play the game of mah jongg together. Though they don't set out to investigate murder, after their first experience in this story, others start looking to them to help investigate subsequent homicides and questionable accidents. In this first book, Sydney Bonner takes the lead, although she turns to her three friends for help. Though this series features four protagonists, the others will take the lead in subsequent stories. Two are married, one is divorced and the fourth, who has been single all her life while she tended to her ailing mother, now finds herself the object of the sheriff's attention in this series. The four don't seek out murder; somehow the circumstances and those affected drag them in. Meanwhile, as they attempt to gather information, life goes on in their community in such activities as a women's club, a social group for those over 50, real estate transactions, numerous stops at the local coffeehouse, and even a shopping trip to Naples. Sydney's husband, Trip, and her friend Marianne Putnam's husband, Beau, are golf buddies who spend many a day on the course. When not there, Trip is busy seeking to build a new post retirement life, and Beau is often prevailed upon to join in Trip's latest activity. Kat Faulkner has lived a frugal life until winning big in a lottery shortly after her mother's death; suddenly, Kat has money and doesn't know how to spend it. But her divorced friend and freelance writer, Micki Demetrius, does, even if it's to guide Kat through a makeover and wardrobe change for her cabaret.

This is the seventh book in the Mah Jongg Mystery series, although each book stands alone. Readers don't need to know how to play mah jongg or even like the game to enjoy the rest of the story, which besides solving a murder spotlights friendship and community. For more information about the author, go to her website at https://www.barbarabarrettbooks.com.

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Connect the Dots (The Mah Jongg Mysteries Book 3) Feb 1, 2019

by Barbara Barrett

( 8 )

$2.99

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Jokers Wild (The Mah Jongg Mysteries Book 6) Jul 9, 2020

by Barbara Barrett

( 4 )

$2.99

“The show must go on.” That applies even to playwright Marianne Putnam, when the director of her one-act play, “Jokers Wild,” fails to show for curtains up on opening night at the community theater in Serendipity Springs, Florida. When the director’s wife begs Marianne to accompany her to their home to check on him, they find the man floating in his pool. Dead.

Though not known for his pleasant disposition—her relationship with him had been tense since nearly ramming into his car in a parking lot, but after all, he was the director—who would have wanted to murder him? Surely no one in the production crew, cast or the staff of the community center where the play was to be staged. Maybe it was the wife, who Marianne had overheard arguing with him. Or perhaps someone from his theater connections back in the Big Apple.

Since she was there when the body was discovered, Marianne is considered a suspect. That doesn’t mean she can’t help her three Mah Jongg friends—Syd, Micki and Kat—assist the sheriff with the investigation. But who’s there to help her when her path crosses the murderer’s.

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Flower Power (The Mah Jongg Mysteries Book 5) Feb 25, 2020

by Barbara Barrett

( 1 )

$2.99

Kat Faulkner can’t wait to relaunch her singing career at Lombardi’s Supper Club. Even mystery man Roger Flower, the new owner of the restaurant, has brought an entourage to her packed opening night. But her triumphant return to the stage is scuttled when the much-hated Flower drops dead at his table.

Her grumpy would-be boyfriend, Sheriff Rick Formero, has lectured her and her mah jongg friends every time they’ve delved into a homicide investigation. But with most of Serendipity Springs’ deputies under suspicion just for being in the same room as the victim, Rick finds himself in the unenviable position of asking Kat to help him expose a murderer.

While Kat’s pals Sydney, Marianne and Micki conduct a sneaky parallel investigation, Rick is forced to rely on Kat’s skills of observation as they sort through dozens of witnesses. With his hands in so many pots, Flower attracted a lot of enemies, but it’s not easy to find a killer in the crowd. The tension threatens to wilt Kat and Rick’s budding relationship before it has a chance to blossom. Will their forced alliance bring them closer—or closer to death?

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Beware the East Wind (The Mah Jongg Mysteries Book 4) Aug 15, 2019

by Barbara Barrett

( 4 )

$2.99

Beware the east wind! It’s hurricane season in Florida, and everyone’s attention is focused on preparing for the latest tempest. But in Serendipity Springs, mah jongg pals Marianne, Sydney, Micki and Kat are caught in a different kind of whirlwind—a mesmerizing murder case involving a slain hypnotist/chef and the woman police suspect of doing her in, her embittered catering partner, Portia.

Tasked by Portia to help clear her name, and at the risk of infuriating Kat’s sheriff boyfriend, Marianne and her friends discover there are more than enough suspects—and secrets—to go around. Wary of getting themselves into more dangerous situations, Marianne and Syd agree to let their protective spouses join the hunt, even if their scheming husbands are really in it for the action, not bodyguard duty.

As they dig into the hypnotist’s explosive files, more and more questions arise. Was she blackmailing her clients? Did her husband knock her off to gain access to those secrets? And is Portia telling them everything she knows? The sleuths pile their own deceptions on top of the suspects’ lies as a dangerous storm gathers steam offshore. When will the east wind strike, and will the hurricane’s merciless eye reveal a killer?

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Paradise by Design Sep 5, 2018

by Barbara Barrett

$2.99

Architect Keegan Bock has it all: celebrity, money and a job that takes him to the world's most fabulous hideaways. But this sumptuous lifestyle has gotten old. He yearns for more, to feel whole again, the way he did before Drew broke their engagement. He has a chance to stabilize his life, but his plans are shattered when he runs into his former fiancée at Casa Blanca Resort & Spa.

Ever since her business partner claimed Drew Honeywell's work as her own, Drew's fashion sketches have been sub-par. She put her life and career on hold, became her mother's caretaker and called off her wedding to Keegan, the love of her life, in an attempt to shield him and his political family from scandal. When she's confronted with the overwhelming emotion of seeing Keegan again, can she figure out not just why her designs are running on empty, but how she can reclaim her chance at happiness?

This story is set in a world based on Roxanne St. Claire's Barefoot Bay Series; it is published with the permission of Roxanne St. Claire. Visit her website for links to her books and more information.

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Bamboozled (The Mah Jongg Mysteries Book 2) Apr 3, 2018

by Barbara Barrett

( 14 )

$2.99

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And He Cooks Too Dec 5, 2019

by Barbara Barrett

( 21 )

$3.99

Chef Reese Dunbar’s ambition to hit the big time is fried when she walks out on a conniving boss and gets blacklisted from every decent restaurant in New York. Compelled to find a new way to reach her goal, she takes a menial job with a struggling cooking show and immediately clashes with its manipulative executive producer. Sensing a threat, producer Leonie will do anything to hang on to her star, who also happens to be the nephew she raised — a sexy charmer with a craving for Reese. Actor Nick Coltrane agreed to host his aunt’s cooking show just long enough for it to get on its feet. It’s long past time for him to get back to the stage, before Broadway and Hollywood forget him and someone discovers his secret: The star of And He Cooks Too can’t cook. He knows hiring a real chef who can sniff out the truth might be dangerous, but Reese could also be his ticket off the show — and, he discovers, so much more.Forced to work together, Reese and Nick are hot in front of the camera and hotter behind closed doors. She can’t understand why he won’t cut the apron strings. He questions why she’s so driven. Will their secrets and ambitions burn them both before they realize that together, they might just have the perfect recipe for love?

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The Billionaire's Big Birthday Bash Sep 13, 2018

by Barbara Barrett

$2.99

Architect Keegan Bock has it all: celebrity, money and a job that takes him to the world's most fabulous hideaways. But this sumptuous lifestyle has gotten old. He yearns for more, to feel whole again, the way he did before Drew broke their engagement. He has a chance to stabilize his life, but his plans are shattered when he runs into his former fiancée at Casa Blanca Resort & Spa.

Ever since her business partner claimed Drew Honeywell's work as her own, Drew's fashion sketches have been sub-par. She put her life and career on hold, became her mother's caretaker and called off her wedding to Keegan, the love of her life, in an attempt to shield him and his political family from scandal. When she's confronted with the overwhelming emotion of seeing Keegan again, can she figure out not just why her designs are running on empty, but how she can reclaim her chance at happiness?

This story is set in a world created by Roxanne St. Claire as the Barefoot Bay series, and this work has been published with her permission.

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