Murder Amongst the Pines
Mystery series set in North Carolina
Island Murders by Wanda Canada
The Carroll Davenport series
Figure Eight Island is not what you’d call a sleepy little hamlet. Home to million-dollar houses and wealth, the island near Wilmington is the place to live and vacation for the South’s privileged class. Carroll Davenport doesn’t party with the jetsetters; she builds houses for them. But when an arsonist destroys a house she’s building and her supervisor is found buried under 10 feet of topsoil, Carroll is drawn into a world of drug smuggling, corruption and murder. Next in series: Cape Fear Murders.
Dangerous Undertaking by Mark de Castrique
The Barry Clayton series
With his father in the grip of Alzheimer’s, Charlotte cop Barry Clayton has quit his job and returned to his hometown, a small town near Asheville, to help his mother and Uncle Wayne run the family funeral business. Local police chief Tommy Lee Wadkins, recognizing that Barry regrets leaving the police, finds ways to involve the reluctant mortician in his investigations. Next in series: Grave Undertaking.
Murder on the Candlelight Tour by Ellen Elizabeth Hunter
Magnolia Mysteries series
It's a dream come true for historic preservationist Ashley Wilkes: her restored Victorian house is on the "Olde Wilmington by Candlelight Tour." But her dream quickly turns nightmarish when a docent is murdered in the library and her friend, history professor Binkie Higgins, is the likely suspect. Next in series: Murder at the Azalea Festival.
Signs in the Blood by Vicki Lane
The Elizabeth Goodweather series
Living alone in her adopted Appalachian home in the North Carolina mountains after the tragic death of her husband, Elizabeth Goodweather spends her time tending a small herb and flower business, until she is asked to uncover the truth about the disappearance of Cletus Gentry, a childlike man who vanished while hunting ginseng in the hills. Next in series: Art’s Blood.
The Last Dance by Joyce & Jim Lavene
The Sheriff Sharyn Howard series
When the prom queen is found brutally murdered, Sheriff Sharyn Howard recalls that a similar murder occurred on the night of her prom 10 years ago. Her father was the sheriff, and the man he sent to prison for the murder now sits on death row. But Sharyn's convinced there are too many similarities between the two murders and that the true killer is still at large. Next in series: One Last Goodbye.
Bootlegger’s Daughter by Margaret Maron
Deborah Knott series
Old crimes and old criminals are the legacy of a small town in North Carolina. For lawyer and aspiring judge Deborah Knott, it is the reputation of her reprobate father that she must live down and for Gayle Whitehead, it is the memory of her mother's unsolved murder. Whitehead asks Knott to reexamine the case and Knott, already battling a formidable battalion of good ol' boys in the upcoming election, reluctantly agrees. Next in series: Southern Discomfort.
Uncivil Seasons by Michael Malone
The Mangum and Savile series
A rare snowstorm has enveloped Hillston, North Carolina, covering everything – including the shocking murder of a state senator’s wife. Detective Justin Savile, the wayward son of Hillston's founding family, is expected to arrest the usual scapegoat, but the boozy Justin has never been good at doing the expected. As Savile persists with his investigation of the murder he finds his life threatened when his pursuit becomes awkward. Next in series: Time’s Witness.
Sea-Born Women by B.J. Mountford
Bert Lenehan series
After restless Roberta (a.k.a. Bert) Lenehan comes to Portsmouth Island, N.C., to volunteer for the National Parks Service, she finds the body of a woman in the island's marsh; a previous park caretaker had met a different mysterious end. Next in series: Bloodlines of Shackleford Banks.
Legwork by Katy Munger
Casey Jones series
Casey Jones's latest assignment is to guard politician Mary Lee Masters, but when the corpse of a real-estate magnate is found in her client's car, Casey must clear the senatorial candidate's name before election time. Next in series: Out of Time.
Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely
Blanche White series
Certain that she will be blamed when someone turns up dead in the house where she works, Blanche White, a middle-aged domestic worker, turns sleuth to find the true criminal. Next in series: Blanche Among the Talented Tenth.
Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
Temperance Brennan series
As forensic scientist Temperance Brennan works on the dismembered remains of a murder victim, she begins to suspect – despite the skepticism of local police – that there is a link between this homicide and the torture-killing of a teenager several years earlier. Next in series: Death Du Jour.
Simon Said by Sarah Shaber
Simon Shaw series
When an archaeologist discovers a decaying body while excavating Kenan College's distinguished Bloodsworth House, Simon Shaw, the leading authority on the house's history, investigates the 72-year-old mystery behind the death of the Bloodsworth heiress. Next in series: Snipe Hunt.
Who Killed What’s Her Name by Elizabeth Daniels Squire
Peaches Dann series
Peaches Dann was born without a memory. Over the years, she has developed lots of aids to help her remember things she needs to know. When it comes to murder, she doesn't forgive and she doesn't forget – especially since it was her aunt's body she found floating in the fishing pond. Peaches must now commit the clues to memory and solve the crime. Next in series: Remember the Alibi.