The path of the crooked : Hope street church mysteries, book 1

The first in a terrific series by New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams. Welcome to Hope Street Church, where friendships are formed, fresh starts are encouraged, and mysteries are solved. Cooper Lee was at a crossroads. Her boyfriend of five years had just left her for another woman, she was living in an apartment above her parents' garage, and her job as a copier repairperson was feeling a little, well, repetitious. Hoping for a fresh start and a new outlook on life, she joins the Bible study group at Hope Street Church. The last thing she expects while studying the Bible is a lesson in murder. When Brooke Hughes, the woman who first invited Cooper to Hope Street, is found murdered in her home, all signs point to her husband as the culprit. But Wesley Hughes was an elder at Hope Street Church, and the members of the Bible study are filled with disbelief that such a kind and loving man could take a life, much less his wife's. Unwilling to let an innocent man and friend be railroaded into prison, the Bible group decides to investigate on their own. As Cooper and this humorously diverse group of people#8212;including a blind folk artist, a meteorologist with a taste for younger women, and a soft-spoken web designer who might be out to catch Cooper's eye#8212;dig deeper into the clues, they're about to discover that finding the truth sometimes takes a leap of faith. Includes heavenly recipes from Magnolia Lee's kitchen! A Note from the Author: Dear Reader, The Hope Street mysteries were originally published by St. Martin's Press and written under the name Jennifer Stanley. The titles, in order, were Stirring Up Strife, Path of the Wicked, and The Way of the Guilty. I have completely rewritten all three novels and am now publishing them under the name Ellery Adams as The Path of the Crooked, The Way of the Wicked, and The Graves of the Guilty. If you've read the original books, you will find the basic plot of the above titles unchanged. My intention was to polish the writing in each installment and rerelease the novels as crisper, cleaner, more engaging books. Stay tuned for forthcoming novels in the Hope Street mystery series as well. Thank you for supporting cozy mysteries. Your friend, Ellery Adams About the Author: New York Times Bestselling author Ellery Adams grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound. Having spent her adult life in a series of landlocked towns, she cherishes her memories of open water, violent storms, and the smell of the sea. Ms. Adams has held many jobs, including that of caterer, retail clerk, car salesperson, teacher, tutor, and tech writer, all the while penning poems, children's books, and novels. She now writes full-time from her home in Virginia

WELCOME TO THE HOPE STREET CHURCH…where good folks study The Good Book, but everyone loves a good mystery!

Cooper Lee can repair a copy machine—but can she repair her life? That’s one of the many Big Questions that lead this newly single Richmond girl to Sunrise Bible Study at the Hope Street Church. Cooper hasn’t attended church in ages, but after getting dumped by her long-time boyfriend—and moving in with her family—she could use some new friends, and a new outlook on life. Happily, the members of the Bible group are anything but cookie-cutter, which suits Cooper just fine. There’s a blind folk artist, a playboy meteorologist, an investment banker with a sweet tooth, an ambitious realtor, and a cute shy web designer who just might be “the one” for Cooper. But the member of Hope Street Church who invited Cooper to join this motley crew—an office worker who got her wedding ring stuck in a copier—is something else altogether: She’s dead And her husband is suspected of murder!

The Sunrise gang jumps into action, vowing to solve this unholy mess—with God’s guidance—and Cooper’s snooping…

Includes heavenly recipes from Mrs. Lee’s kitchen!

Publishers Weekly

The lighthearted first Hope Street Church mystery introduces 32-year-old Cooper Lee as she grapples with the end of a five-year romance. Despite the best efforts of her loving sister and grandmother, the Richmond, Va., office machine technician can't muster the enthusiasm to move on. When a client, Brooke Hughes, invites Cooper to attend a service at her church, Cooper decides it's a good opportunity to mingle with a new crowd. On her first visit to the imposing church, Cooper is welcomed into the Sunday morning Sunrise Bible Study group and learns that Brooke has been murdered and the police are holding her husband as the prime suspect. The Sunrise members believe him innocent and sweep up Cooper in pursuit of the real killer. Stanley's faith-based crime detection has plenty of charming appeal. (Jan.)

WELCOME TO THE HOPE STREET CHURCH ... where good folks study The Good Book, but everyone loves a good mystery!Cooper Lee can repair a copy machine-but can she repair her life' That's one of the many Big Questions that lead this newly single Richmond girl to Sunrise Bible Study at the Hope Street Church. Cooper hasn't attended church in ages, but after getting dumped by her long-time boyfriend-and moving in with her family-she could use some new friends, and a new outlook on life. Happily, the members of the Bible group are anything but cookie-cutter, which suits Cooper just fine. There's a blind folk artist, a playboy meteorologist, an investment banker with a sweet tooth, an ambitious realtor, and a cute shy web designer who just might be "the one" for Cooper. But the member of Hope Street Church who invited Cooper to join this motley crew-an office worker who got her wedding ring stuck in a copier-is something else altogether: She's dead And her husband is suspected of murder!The Sunrise gang jumps into action, vowing to solve this unholy mess-with God's guidance-and Cooper's snooping ... Includes heavenly recipes from Mrs. Lee's kitchen! Cooper Lee can repair a copy machine - but can she repair her life? That's one of the many big questions that lead this newly single Richmond girl to Sunrise Bible Study. Cooper hasn't attended church in ages, but after getting dumped by her boyfriend - and moving in with her family - she could use some new friends, and a new outlook on life. When Cooper Lee joins a church group in an attempt to mend her broken heart, she gets more than she bargained for when one of the members of the group is found dead.