Charlie Parker New Mexico Mystery Series

Praise for USA Today bestselling author, Connie Shelton, and her first novel:

"An impressive debut mystery!" -- Albuquerque Journal

"Charlie is slick, appealing and nobody's fool--just what readers want in an amateur sleuth." -- Booklist

"This is a dandy. Don't miss it!" -- Book Talk

In this debut mystery series novel, Charlie Parker, accountant and partner in an Albuquerque private investigation firm, is visited by her old school friend, Stacy North. Stacy's Rolex watch is missing and she begs Charlie to help locate it before her husband finds out. Things are complicated by the fact that Stacy had been seeing another man, Gary Detweiller, and he's the one she suspects of having stolen the watch. With a little detective work, Charlie and her sidekick dog, Rusty, retrieve the missing watch and all should be well. But three days later, Detweiller is murdered. All eyes turn to Stacy as the prime suspect.

Once again, Stacy begs Charlie's help in proving her innocence. As she begins to ask questions, Charlie learns that Detweiller's life was not as simple as first perceived and that any number of people had grievances against him. And before she can pinpoint the killer, her own life is in danger as well.

Includes new foreword from the author upon the 20th anniversary of first publication of this ongoing series' first title.

Praise for the other books in the Charlie Parker mystery series:

"A well written, by the book who-done-it that will enthrall purists. Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth." -- Midwest Book Review

"Shelton has created a lively hero in Charlie and puts her into situations that require prompt action and good common sense. A Charlie Parker mystery is always a good read..." --Southwest Book Views

"Charlie is a good detective and a pleasant companion to unravel a mystery with." -- Mystery News

"Shelton's engaging story, likable heroine, and comfortable prose make this a good choice." -- Library Journal

"Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes." --The Midwest Book Review

Search words: mystery, first in series, free ebook, freebie, female sleuth, Southwestern mysteries, crime fiction, cozy mystery, pet sleuths, animal mysteries

Second installment in this USA Today bestselling author's cozy mystery series. Charlotte "Charlie" Parker's last case (Deadly Gamble) left her tired and emotionally drained. She books a vacation trip to the beautiful garden island of Kauai. In her own words, "Vacations mean different thing to different people. There's the planning, the packing, the anticipation. Then there's the late arrival, the sunburn, the fuzzy pictures. In my case, add a romance with a good-looking pilot and fourteen stitches in the back of my skull."

So starts her vacation. Her first day on the island, Charlie takes a helicopter tour and partway around the shoreline she and the pilot, Drake Langston, spot a dead body lying on the rocks below. When Drake's friend and employer is accused of the murder he implores Charlie to help find the real killer.

Although Charlie misses home and her usual sleuthing sidekick dog, she finds herself romantically intrigued with Drake and wondering what will happen between them once she leaves the island.

"This is a dandy. Don't miss it!" -- Book Talk

"....a promising series." -- Booklist

"A good selection for all collections." -- Library Journal

"Tension is fast-paced in this involving account." --Bookwatch

Search words: mystery, female sleuth, mystery set in Hawaii, series books, romance, romance and mystery, romantic suspense, cozy mystery, pet sleuths

USA Today bestselling author Connie Shelton brings the third installment in her popular pet-sleuthing mystery series. Charlie Parker returns from her Hawaiian vacation to find her older brother Ron involved with a much younger woman. The more Charlie sees of cute Vicky, the more she realizes how deceitful Ron’s new love is. Is it simply a case of male mid-life crisis, or is there something more devious going on?

Meanwhile, Charlie doesn’t have much time to ponder Ron’s problems. Her friend Sharon Ortega is a partner in a restaurant business with David Ruiz. When David turns up dead, an apparent suicide, Sharon comes to Charlie for help. Sharon’s problem is a double-edged sword. If he did kill himself, David’s life insurance won’t pay and Sharon will probably lose the restaurant because she can’t afford to hire a replacement. But if he didn’t kill himself, then it was murder, and Sharon could very well find herself a suspect.

Charlie and her sidekick dog, Rusty, partner up to work on the case, a move that ultimately puts them both in danger.

“Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth.” –Midwest Book Review

“Shelton again has done a superb job.” -- Albuquerque Journal

Search words: mystery, private investigator, crime fiction, series books, mystery series, Charlie Parker, Connie Shelton, Albuquerque fiction, New Mexico fiction, pet sleuths, cozy mystery series

Search words: bestselling mystery series books, crime fiction, New Mexico mystery, Charlie Parker, female sleuths, romantic suspense, pet sleuths, mystery books cozy, mystery books with dogs, mystery books in series, mystery and romance, female sleuth cozy mystery, books set in New Mexico

“This novel offers memorable details . . . and an edgy, paranoid atmosphere.” –Booklist

“Connie Shelton has another winner.” –The Book Report

“Charlie is a good detective and a pleasant companion to unravel a mystery with.” –Mystery News

“The best of the series. Memories Can Be Murder demonstrates Connie Shelton’s talent as the audience will find a night with Charlie is an exciting evening.” –Harriet Klausner, online reviewer

While stowing boxes away in her attic in preparation for her fiancé’s move-in, Albuquerque CPA Charlie Parker uncovers chilling information about her father — and his work as a scientist during the Cold War years. Worse, she now suspects the fatal plane crash that killed both her parents was murder, and that her father's employer squashed the investigation.

Determined to solve the fifteen-year-old crime, Charlie quickly learns that asking questions is dangerous. Soon, dead ends — and dead bodies — have her worried she's next on the hit list. But what secret is worth killing for after all this time? And who is worried enough to go to murderous lengths to keep the door to the truth closed? The shocking answers are tied inexorably with the past — and present — and just might cost Charlie her future.

"Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes." --The Midwest Book Review

Search words: mystery, crime fiction, espionage, Cold War, New Mexico, Charlie Parker, Connie Shelton, bestselling mystery series, series books, romance and mystery, mystery books with dogs, mystery books with romance

"Charlie is...just what readers want in an amateur sleuth." -- Booklist

"Tension is fast paced..." -- Bookwatch

"A well written by-the-book who done it that will enthrall purists." --Midwest Book Review

Charlie and Drake begin the snowy winter with plans for a dream Christmas honeymoon in a secluded mountain cabin. They will stay three months and operate a helicopter skiing service at the famed Taos Ski Valley, while Charlie works long-distance with her brother's RJP Investigations for the duration of the ski season.

No sooner have they settled into their cozy cabin than the mysteries begin to pile up. Drake's assistant, Eloy Romero, is accused of a murder and the evidence looks damning. Charlie agrees to look into the case and finds herself and her sidekick pooch, Rusty, drawn into the world of the Taos art community, entangled with ties to the Catholic church and a fortune in stolen religious artifacts.

Here is what others have said:

"Shelton again has done a superb job in bringing New Mexico to life in her colorful, vivid description... Readers can only hope the likable characters, fast-paced plots and local color will continue."  -- Albuquerque Journal

"Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes." -- The Midwest Book Review

Search words: romantic suspense, mystery series, Charlie Parker, Connie Shelton, Christmas mysteries, Christmas stories, holiday stories, religious artifacts, romance, dogs in mysteries, pet sleuths, cozy mystery series

Search words: bestselling mystery, mystery series, series books, Western stories, New Mexico, Charlie Parker, Connie Shelton, gold mines, female sleuth, private investigator, ghost town, superstition mountains, mystery stories with dogs

Search words: mystery, mystery series, crime fiction, Scotland mysteries, amateur sleuth, female sleuth, series books, kidnapping mystery, international mystery

USA Today bestseller Connie Shelton puts her own real-life experience as a balloonist to work in this, the ninth Charlie Parker mystery.

Three days before the start of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, balloon pilot Rachael Fairfield walks into the offices of RJP Investigations. She has received threatening notes, which she believes came from her father, a convicted felon whom she sent to prison fifteen years earlier. To complicate matters, her brother has initiated a huge publicity campaign for the world altitude record Rachael plans to attempt on the final Sunday of the Fiesta.

It seems simple enough. Charlie and Ron will locate William Fairfield and keep him away from Rachael for the duration of the Fiesta. But as they follow leads on William Fairfield, the threats escalate and Ron and Charlie start to wonder whether he's really the stalker. Amid the color and beauty of the world's largest ballooning event, Charlie also finds herself at odds with her husband and reassessing her life's priorities. Only when she nearly loses her own life do the answers begin to fall into place.

Reviews for the Charlie Parker mystery series:

"...Shelton's engaging story, likable heroine, and comfortable prose make this a good choice." -- Library Journal

"This is a dandy. Don't miss it!" -- Book Talk

"Readers can only hope the likable characters, fast-paced plots and local color will continue...." -- Albuquerque Journal

Search words:  cozy mystery, mystery series, series books, hot air balloons, Charlie Parker, Connie Shelton, New Mexico, romantic suspense, dog sleuths, mysteries with pets, bestselling mystery

Search words:  mystery series, cozy mysteries, female sleuth, pet sleuth, dogs in mysteries, private investigator, medical mystery, bestselling mystery series, murder in a small town, books in series, mystery with pets

 Fans of Southwestern mysteries will find that Shelton's engaging story, likable heroine, and comfortable prose make this a good choice.” – Library Journal

"Charlie is slick, appealing and nobody's fool." -- Booklist

Charlie is invited to a plush Santa Fe spa, a week-long spiritual/nutrition retreat with her friend Dr. Linda Casper. The massages and spa treatments sound great, until she realizes that there is something darker going on at the mountain resort.

Meanwhile, Drake has his own set of concerns. He's been asked to testify as an expert witness in a helicopter crash case and it's causing him more anxiety than any feat of flying ever did.

It seems that they are each on their own but their two cases overlap and dangers abound, from all sides.

"Charlie is just what readers want." -- Booklist

"Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth." -- Midwest Book Review

"Readers can only hope the likeable characters, fast-paced plots and local color will continue." -- Albuquerque Journal

"A fun and fast read." -- Small Press Magazine

 
Search words: mystery, crime fiction, mystery series, series books, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Southwestern fiction, Charlie Parker, Connie Shelton, female sleuth, cozy mysteries, dogs in mystery

Meanwhile, in a race against the clock, Charlie's husband Drake is working with the FBI and local authorities to get Charlie back before her captors realize their mistake.

Praise for Connie Shelton's previous books:

"Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes." --The Midwest Book Review

“Shelton again has done a superb job.” –Albuquerque Journal

“Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth.” –Midwest Book Review

Praise for USA Today bestselling author Connie Shelton and her Charlie Parker mysteries:

“Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.” –The Midwest Book Review

“Charlie is just what readers want in an amateur sleuth.” –Booklist

"Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth." -- Midwest Book Review

"Shelton again has done a superb job." -- Albuquerque Journal

 "Shelton continues to combine suspenseful storytelling with sensitive portrayals of complex family relationships." -- Booklist

Search words: British mysteries, mystery, mystery series, crime fiction, female sleuth, ghost story, haunted, English small town mysteries, cozy mystery series, amateur sleuth

It’s Christmas in Albuquerque; Charlie and her family are ready for a quiet holiday at home. But right away, her hopes for that scenario fade when Charlie’s brother and PI business partner, Ron, brings in two new cases, one of which made national headlines.

Five years earlier, in a tide of media attention and despite public sentiment against her, Tali Donovan was acquitted of killing her two children and then she disappeared from the radar. Now, at the anniversary of the children’s disappearance, their father wants answers. Charlie realizes that the distraught man will not find peace until he knows what really happened. RJP Investigations digs up more than past history as Charlie and Ron work to find the answers.

Praise for USA Today bestselling author Connie Shelton and the Charlie Parker mysteries:

“Charlie is just what readers want in an amateur sleuth.” –Booklist

“Shelton again has done a superb job of bringing New Mexico to life.” —Albuquerque Journal

"Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes." -- The Midwest Book Review

Search words: mystery books, crime fiction, mystery series, Charlie Parker, Connie Shelton, Christmas mysteries, Christmas stories, cozy mystery, pet sleuths, female sleuths, mysteries with dogs, bestselling mystery series, new mexico fiction

Charlie Parker and her husband Drake Langston accept a job with Gold Trail Adventures in Skagway, Alaska, flying visitors by helicopter to remote cabin sites to experience the outdoor lifestyle and seek their fortunes. It isn’t long before one of the guests finds a set of bones in an old mine, remains that date back decades. His hands full with present-day cases, police chief Sam Branson tells Charlie and her new reporter friend, Mina Gengler, that they are free to investigate.

A second body is found, bringing up a lot of questions. Charlie gets a peek into the lives and times of Gold Rush-era Alaskans when she discovers a box of old letters written by one of the stampeders and begins to wonder if it's possible that the two bodies are connected. And, ominously, it seems that someone in Skagway today doesn’t want the women to dig for the truth.

“Charlie is just what readers want.” –Booklist

“Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth.” –Midwest Book Review

Search words: mystery, crime fiction, bestselling mystery series, series books, Alaska history, Alaska mystery, female amateur sleuth, action adventure, historical mystery, historical fiction, gold rush mystery, mysteries with dogs, pet sleuths

However, as usual, the answers are not quite so simple. Charlie has her hands full sorting out clues from the distant past, learning things about Victoria none of them knew.

Praise for Connie Shelton’s Charlie Parker mystery series:

“Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.” --The Midwest Book Review

“Charlie is just what readers want.” –Booklist

“Shelton has done a superb job bringing New Mexico to life.” --Albuquerque Journal

“Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth.” –Midwest Book Review

Praise for the Charlie Parker series:

“Charlie is just what readers want.” –Booklist

“Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.”--The Midwest Book Review

Cheating spouses, a pawned Super Bowl ring, a hundred-thousand-dollar scam. That's only one of Charlie Parker's new cases. The second has Charlie tracking teenage twin girls who practically live on social media. One case turns into a comedy of errors, while the other has dark and potentially deadly implications, and Charlie is right in the middle.

Here’s what others are saying:

“... suspenseful storytelling with sensitive portrayals of complex family relationships.” –Booklist

Charlie and Drake are working a helicopter job in rural Maine when a man approaches and asks for their help. At first glance, it seems he’s just an old man who needs to get to his son’s remote cabin in the woods. But the cabin holds more secrets than Fergus McNab will admit, and it isn’t until Charlie returns to Albuquerque that she discovers they may have just aided and abetted a criminal who has escaped the law back home.

The secrets get twistier, the more she looks into the ten-year-old case where Rory McNab, facing a life in prison, seemed to vanish from the reach of the law. Just as Charlie is thinking she should report McNab’s whereabouts, there’s a murder that seems to rock the foundation of the old case. And Charlie is in handcuffs, caught in the middle.

Praise for the Charlie Parker mysteries:

“Charlie is just what readers want.” –Booklist

“Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.” –The Midwest Book Review

Meanwhile, Charlie’s neighbor Elsa may have a boyfriend! Or not. Iris, a friend from her church is trying to set her up with a buddy of the new hunk she’s dating. But Charlie smells scam all over this deal. Now she just has to keep an eye on both Elsa and her friend … at the same time she’s on the clock with her new missing persons case.

Charlie sees so many parallels to her own teen years and her heart goes out to Cassie. Knowing she has mere weeks to find answers the police couldn't uncover in years ... well, the pressure is on!

Praise for the Charlie Parker mysteries:

“Charlie is just what readers want.” –Booklist

“Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.” –The Midwest Book Review

“A page turner!” - K. Coonce, 5 star review (for Escapes Can Be Murder)

“I always love Charlie's escapades. She keeps me glued to the story, unable to put it down. Love the mixture of humor and suspense. Can't wait for the next adventure!” – Meg, 5 stars on Amazon

“Each book in the series just keeps getting better and better.” – Vine Voice reviewer on Amazon

“Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth!” – Midwest Book Review

She’s narrowing down the suspects, but when the person who is tops on her list suddenly and mysteriously dies, well it looks there’s a lot more going on in the little shop than anyone ever guessed. Now Charlie has to face down both a thief and a killer.

Praise for this USA Today bestselling series:

“Charlie is just what readers want.” –Booklist

“A page turner!” - K. Coonce, 5 star review (for Escapes Can Be Murder)

“I always love Charlie’s escapades. She keeps me glued to the story, unable to put it down. Love the mixture of humor and suspense. Can’t wait for the next adventure!” – Meg, 5 stars on Amazon

“Each book in the series just keeps getting better and better.” – Vine Voice reviewer on Amazon

“Charlie is a fabulous amateur sleuth!” – Midwest Book Review

A cryptic message in a fortune cookie sends Charlie again to England, to visit her favorite aunt. She’s having lunch in a local café when construction workers come upon a human skeleton behind a wall. The police are called to a more urgent case, so Charlie begins sleuthing around on a cold-case crime website, only to discover Aunt Louisa was one of those questioned when the victim disappeared.

The more questions she asks, the deeper becomes the mystery, and suddenly there are suspects everywhere in this quaint English town. Can she save her aunt from arrest, or will the real killer come after them both?

Praise for USA Today bestseller and the Charlie Parker mysteries:

“Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.” –The Midwest Book Review

“…starts to really pull you in and you just can’t read fast enough!” – 5-star online review

“I always love Charlie's escapades. She keeps me glued to the story, unable to put it down.” – 5 stars, Amazon

“Charlie is just what readers want.” –Booklist