A Case of Imagination: A Madeline Maclin Mystery (Madeline Maclin Series Book 1)

"On this nice July morning in Parkland, North Carolina, the office of Madeline Maclin Investigations might as well have been an Egyptian tomb: hot, dusty, and dead." It doesnt help that her landlord Reid Kent, does a brisk business and briskly hits on Mac to rejoin his agency. He maintains no one will hire a former Miss Parkland as a serious P.I. Mac has been friends forever with Jerry Fairweather. Jerry claims to be psychic and is, unlike his two brothers, somewhat screwy. And he refuses to claim a share in the Fairweather fortune. But he shares some good news with Mac: his Uncle Val has died and left him a house. The two friends drive out to Celosia, a half hour away, where they discover a local beauty pageant in trouble and a house just perfect for setting up shop, a psychic shop. The arrival of lawyer Olivia, Jerry's shark-like girlfriend, rouses both Mac's interest in the mystery at the pageant and the one in her own heart. And then comes the first murder. A Case of Imagination is Jane Tesh's playful first mystery, the start of a series by an author who admires Terry Pratchett, Martha Grimes, Carl Hiaasen, and P.G. Wodehouse "On this nice July morning in Parkland, North Carolina, the office of Madeline Maclin Investigations might as well have been an Egyptian tomb: hot, dusty, and dead." It doesnt help that her landlord Reid Kent, does a brisk business...and briskly hits on Mac to rejoin his agency. He maintains no one will hire a former Miss Parkland as a serious PI.

Mac has been friends forever with Jerry Fairweather. Jerry claims to be psychic and is, unlike his two brothers, somewhat screwy. And he refuses to claim a share in the Fairweather fortune. But he shares some good news with Mac—his Uncle Val has died and left him a house. The two friends drive out to Celosia, a half hour away, where they discover a local beauty pageant in trouble and a house just perfect for setting up shop. A Psychic Shop. The arrival of lawyer Olivia, Jerry's shark-like girlfriend, rouses both Mac's interest in the mystery at the pageant and the one in her own heart. And then comes the first murder....

A Case of Imagination is Jane Tesh's playful first mystery, the start of a series by an author who admires Terry Pratchett, Martha Grimes, Carl Hiaasen, and P.G. Wodehouse. He will take seventeen to the match - how many will he bring back? In Cibola football is a matter of life and death. Sir Tristram must reunite his Blood City teammates - Knights, Pirates and Westerners - to win the prestigious Seskie tournament against their oldest rivals. Behind the match is a bigger power play, a king's mission to bring down his greatest rival by persuasion, trickery or force. Needing a squad of soldiers as well as footballers, Sir Tristram must also find a place on tour and in his heart for the teenage child he has not addressed by name since infancy... Retired beauty queen Madeline Maclin moves her detective business to Celosia, North Carolina. The whole town is caught up in preparations for the Miss Celosia pagent. Mac is hired to track down the culprits vandalizing the rehearsals. She is aided by her best friend, Jerry Fairweather who has inherited a house in the area. Before it's over, Mac has not only figured out 'who done it,' but has solved a murder and tracked down a ghost Ex Beauty Pageant winner Mac (now a PI) helps best friend Jerry (who runs seances and other spiritual scams) move into house his uncle left him in nearby town. She investigates vandalism at local beauty pageant and ghosts haunting local bookstore owner, and considers opening PI office there. Despite a murder, it's lighthearted with some interesting characters. First in a series starring Mac and Jerry.