Hammers and Homicide
Hometown Hardware Mystery #1
Perfect for fans of Kate Carlisle and Victoria Gilbert, when a body is found in a hardware store, will shopkeeper Dawna Carpenter’s sleuthing measure up to find the killer?
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Recent sexagenarian widow Dawna Carpenter thought running her family’s hardware store in Pine Bluff, Oregon, after her beloved husband’s death, was difficult enough. With her adult daughter, April, moving back into town at the behest of her siblings—to “keep an eye on Mom” --and Darlene, the annoying boutique owner next door to her shop poking around, Dawna has her hands full. But when she finds a dead man in the bathroom of her store, with a framing hammer by his side, she’s in way over her head.
The victim, Warren Highcastle, was a land developer who was looking to purchase the old theater in town to build a new hotel. Dawna and April, worried about the implications of the crime scene at the hardware store, put themselves on the case. They soon learn that Warren had made quite a few enemies in his short amount of time in town. As the suspect list starts growing, so too do the threats against mother and daughter. Can Dawna and April nail the killer before they strike again?
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Available in print, digital, and audio
Axe Me No Questions
Hometown Hardware Mystery #2
In the quaint mountain town of Pine Bluff, Oregon, fall has arrived and it's time for the annual Timber Festival, complete with Lumberjack and Lumberjill contests, and booths serving spicy chili and creamy pumpkin pies. Widowed hardware store owner Dawna Carpenter is selling cookbooks at a booth in the park for a fundraiser her women's group is running. She's looking forward to soaking in all her favorite things about the season, including hoping to have a conversation with her deceased husband, who she thinks is still hanging around the house.
But when Dawna falls over the body of one of the lumberjacks, with his own throwing axe imbedded in his chest, her focus turns to murder. With the town in turmoil, Dawna takes Chief Dallas's request to keep her ears open as a full license to snoop. She'd better watch her back, or Dawna might be the next one to get the axe.
Digital available for preorder
Praise for Hammers and Homicide
"Paula Charles hits the nail on the head with this intriguing series debut. Despite her daughter’s doubts, sixty-something hardware store owner Dawna Carpenter doesn’t have a screw loose, at least nothing that prevents her from chiseling away the doubts about who murdered a local developer and left his body on her property. Cozy mystery fans of Kate Carlisle and Sarah Graves will delight in a new addition to the home improvement-plus-murder subgenre.”
—Maddie Day, bestselling author of the Country Store Mysteries
“This folksy mystery is loaded with captivating characters and small-town charm, with the perfect touches of humor and magical realism. I can’t wait to see what Dawna and her daughter April are up to next!”
—Angela M. Sanders, author of the Witch Way Librarian mysteries
“This fun and well-paced mystery has a sleuth that is sassy and smart. Murder with some old fashioned charm and a tiny hint of the paranormal. Toss in some laugh out loud humor and you have a fabulous debut cozy mystery.”
—Christina Romeril, author of Killer Chocolate Mysteries
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“A woman of a certain age who knows how to swing a hammer, and solve a murder that occurred in her hardware store? Yes, please! Don’t miss Hammers and Homicide, a charming and welcome addition to the do-it-yourself cozy scene.”
—Juliet Blackwell, New York Times bestselling author of The Haunted Home Renovation Series
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“Paula Charles nailed it with this cute and clever cozy mystery featuring a hard-working hardware store owner and her daughter. Loads of small-town charm and plenty of laughs are found in this tale of tools and murder.”
—Jennie Marts, USA Today bestselling author of the Bee Keeping Mysteries
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