The Nanny Murders (A Zoe Hayes Mystery #1)

From Publishers Weekly Single mom Zoe Hayes's life takes a turn for the macabre when she and her adopted five-year-old daughter, Molly, discover a severed finger on her normally safe sidewalk in nonfiction writer Jones's fast-paced, fun first mystery. Zoe's rapidly gentrifying Philadelphia neighborhood is now definitely more edgy than quaint: someone is dismembering nannies in the area. As nanny after nanny disappears, detective Nick Stiles approaches Zoe, an art therapist, for help in his hunt for the "nannynapper," and though his choice of her as a professional resource makes no sense to Zoe and less to the reader, the pair has chemistry, at least. Soon the two are flirting even as they clash over the details of the case. Longtime divorc?e Zoe isn't sure what to make of having a man around ("He'd used my StairMaster?"), and it's a rocky road to romance, especially with a serial killer involved. Zoe, of course, is the murderer's next target. Jones serves up grim details, building suspense slowly at first, then with an accelerating pace that will leave readers breathless for the nuanced finale. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review "Fast-paced, fun first mystery. Jones serves up grim details, building suspense slowly at first, then with an accelerating pace that will leave readers breathless for the nuanced finale."--_Publishers Weekly_ "Absolutely fantastic, a novel with so many unexpected twists and turns that readers will feel like they are on a fast merry-go-round. This is a character-driven who-done-it with plenty of action..._The Nanny Murders_ will appeal to a wide range of readers."--_The Midwest Book Review_ "Ms. Jones' first novel is a page-turning success. Her characters are believable, multifaceted and charming. It's hard to put down."--_Dallas__ Morning News_ "A fast-paced novel that has the reader hooked from chapter one."--_The Book Review Cafe_ "Brilliant. Chilling. Riveting."--Carolyn Hart, author of the Death on Demand series "Wow. What a zinger of a mystery! Zoe Hayes, like the inner-city block she lives on, is in perpetual, chaotic transition: a 41 year-old single mom intent on raising an adopted daughter, connecting with friends, and making a life that does not include nannynapping and murder. Zoe is smart, tough, and tender, the mystery is taut, the settings vivid, the characters authentic. This may be Merry Jones's first novel, but she is already an accomplished writer."--Susin Wittig Albert, best-selling author of the _China Bayles mysterie s_ "_The Nanny Murders_ is a fine debut, fast-paced and full of heart. Merry Jones maintains a grip on the reader from the first page and doesn't let up.--Robert Ferrigno, author of The Wake-Up "_The Nanny Murders_, Merry Jones' superb debut novel, will remain in the readers' memory like the somber notes of a distant melody. Brilliant. Chilling. Riveting." --Carolyn Hart, author of the_ Death on Demand _series "Merry Jones has created her own new brand of riveting suspense in this page-turning series debut." -Karen Harper, author of The Falls "_The Nanny Murders delights, with snappy writing and an even snappier heroine. Merry Jones gives us Zoe Hayes, a brave, witty single mom who springs to action to protect her daughter, her friends, her neighborhood.."--Camille Minichino, author of the Gloria Lamerino mysteries _ SHE NEVER REALIZED JUST HOW PERFECT...Single parenthood is challenging enough for Zoe Hayes, raising a young daughter in Queen Village, a Philadelphia suburb whose homes--like its residents--have seen better days. Then comes the blustery afternoon when little Molly makes a shocking discovery while playing outdoors: a dismembered finger. HER IMPERFECT LIFE REALLY WAS...What Zoe longs to believe is a gruesome fluke quickly takes on unsettling significance. One by one, young nannies are vanishing from the neighborhood, falling victim to a shadowy killer. Uneasily drawn into the chilling case--and an unexpected relationship--by enigmatic Detective Nick Stiles, Zoe assumes she and Molly are safe. But then terror strikes close to home. UNTIL SHE FOUND IT IN JEOPARDY... Now, Zoe must accept that nobody in Queen Village is protected. A bloodthirsty predator lurks nearby, perhaps concealed behind a passing stranger's friendly smile, a longtime neighbor's front door--or, as Zoe fears most, perhaps even nearer than that..."Absolutely fantastic."--Midwest Book Review"A page-turning success...hard to put down."--Dallas Morning News Zoe Hayes, who works as an art therapist in an institute for seriously deranged patients, is the single mother of an adopted and adorable little girl named Molly. Zoe gets involved in the missing nannies case when Molly, playing in the snow, makes a grisly discoveryShe finds a piece of litter that turns out to be a human finger. One of Zoes neighbors (but which one?) seems to be a serial killer. Zoe and a mysteriously scarred detective named Nick Stiles team up to catch the killer when suddenly Zoe becomes the prey. Zoe Hayes is a single mother of an adopted (and adorable) little girl, and works as an art therapist in an institute for seriously deranged patients. One day she finds a piece of litter that turns out to be a human finger, and soon realises someone is dismembering Philadelphia's terrified nannies. Originally published: 2005 Single parenthood is challenging enough for Zoe Hayes, raising a young daughter in Queen Village, a Philadelphia suburb whose homes - like its residents - have seen better days. Then comes the blustery afternoon when little Molly makes a shocking discovery while playing outdoors: a dismembered finger.