The Trouble with Midnight: A Collection of Soft-Boiled Mysteries from Midnight Ink

What do a plus-sized paralegal, an assistant librarian, and a struggling ski-resort owner have in common? They all have an uncanny talent for getting caught up in solving mysteries. This collection of three first-in-a-series mystery novels is full of trouble . . . in all the right ways. Too Big to Miss by Sue Ann Jaffarian, Book 1 of the Odelia Grey Mysteries: Plus-size paralegal Odelia Grey struggles with her relationships, her crazy family, and her crazier boss. And then there's her knack for being in close proximity to dead people . . . "I'd love to spend more time with Odelia, a plus-size fat liberationist with a handsome, wheelchair-bound lover."— The New York Times May Day by Jess Lourey, Book 1 of the Murder-By-Month Mysteries: A hip, humorous, and gripping account of small-town murder, this novel features Mira James, an assistant librarian and aspiring sleuth who can't seem to stop finding dead bodies in her new home of Battle Lake, Minnesota. "Hilarious, fast-paced, and madcap."— Booklist (starred review) Tainted Mountain by Shannon Baker, Book 1 of the Nora Abbott Mysteries: Nora Abbott's recent court victory to save her ski resort should mean good times are ahead. But when her husband's sudden death becomes an opportunity for an energy tycoon to launch a hostile takeover, Nora is caught in a clash between big business and native culture. "As mysterious and beautiful as the Arizona landscape in which it's set."—William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author Too Big To Miss--that's Odelia Grey. A Never-married, Middle-aged, Plus-sized Woman Who Makes No Excuses For Her Weight, She's Not Super Woman Just A Mere Mortal Standing On The Precipice Of Menopause, Trying To Cruise In An Ill-fitting Bra. She Struggles With Her Relationships, Her Crazy Family, And Her Crazier Boss. And Then There''s Her Knack For Being In Close Proximity To Dead People . . . . When Her Close Friend Sophie London Commits Suicide In Front Of An Online Web-cam By Putting A Gun In Her Mouth And Pulling The Trigger, Odelia's Life Is Changed Forever. Sophie, A Plus-sized Activist And Inspiration To Imperfect Women, Is The Last Person Anyone Would Ever Have Expected To End Her Own Life. Suspecting Foul Play, Odelia Is Determined To Get To The Bottom Of Her Friend's Death. Odelia's Search For The Truth Takes Her From Southern California Strip Malls To The World Of Live Web-cam Porn To The Ritzy Enclave Of Corona Del Mar. Praise: I'd Like To Spend More Time With Sue Ann Jaffarian's Odelia, A Plus-size Fat-liberationist With A Handsome Wheelchair-bound Lover. Odelia...does Not Hesitate To Give Justice A Small, Well-plotted Forward Shove At Every Opportunity.—the New York Times [odelia] Is An Intriguing Character, A True Counter Against Stereotype, Who Demonstrates That Life Can Be Good, Even In A World Where Thin Is Always In.—booklist Balancing Her Professional Skills As A Paralegal With Her Self-doubt As A Sleuth, Odelia Is One Of The Most Believable Amateur Detectives In Recent Fiction. Beautifully Plotted And Carefully Crafted, This Is A Marvelous Start To An Exciting New Series. Strongly Recommended.—library Journal With A Cast Of Diverse Characters, An Intriguing Plot, And A Credible Heroine, This Is An Enjoyable Read. —mystery Scene Plus-size Reading Pleasure--try This One On!—lee Child, New York Times Bestselling Author Sue Ann Jaffarian Does A Masterful Job In Creating The Character Of A Plus-size Woman, With Different Shades Of Angst, Humor, Verve, And Sensualness. Once You Get To Know Odelia Grey, You'll Love Her. I Know I Do.—naomi Hirahara, Edgar-winning Author Of Snakeskin Shamisen Too Big To Miss Is Too Good To Miss, A Fun-filled Romp That Introduces The Delightful Odelia Grey And Leaves You Anxious For More Of Her. Odelia's Definitely Worth Her Weight In Reading Enjoyment.—robert S. Levinson, Author Of Ask A Dead Man, Hot Paint,and The Elvis And Marilyn Affair A Plus-sized Thumbs Up. Jaffarian's A New Sharpshooter In Crime Fiction, So Set Your Sights On This Odelia Grey Mystery For A Tightly Coiled Intrigue That Targets A Sexy Shocker.—brian M. Wiprud, Award-winning Author Of Pipsqueak And Stuffed On One Level, Too Big To Miss Is A Classic, Fast-paced Mystery; On Another, It's A Passport Into A World We Either Inhabit Or Live Next-door To, But Rarely See In Popular Fiction. Sue Ann Jaffarian Breaks Rules And Breaks Ground, With Humor, Insight And Compassion.—harley Jane Kozak, Agatha, Anthony And Macavity Award Winning Author Of Dating Dead Men And Dating Is Murder Nora Abbott Needs To Make Enough Snow To Save Her Ski Resort From The Drought That Is Ravishing Northern Arizona, And Her Recent Court Victory Should Mean Good Times Are Ahead. But When The Death Of Nora’s Husband Brings Her Overbearing Mother Into Town, Energy Tycoon Barrett Mccreary Uses The Opportunity To Launch What Might Just Be A Hostile Takeover Of Her Cash-strapped Resort. To Make Matters Worse, The Local Hopi Tribe Still Claims That Making Snow On The Mountain Will Upset The Balance Of The Earth, And Someone Is Taking Matters Into Their Own Hands In An Explosive Way. The Ruggedly Handsome Cole Huntsman Keeps Turning Up To Help Nora, But He Seems To Be Dealing From Both Sides Of The Deck. And With A Business Empire’s Profits—not To Mention Lives—at Stake, Double-dealing Is A Deadly Strategy. Praise: “baker’s Series Debut Brings Native American Culture And Big Business Together Into A Clash That Can Be Heard Across The Mountains.—library Journal “a Thoroughly Satisfying Mystery! Shannon Baker Captures The Grandeur And Fragility Of The Western Landscape While Keeping The Pages Turning.”—margaret Coel, New York Times Bestselling Author Of Buffalo Bill’s Dead Now Tainted Mountain Is A Story As Mysterious And Beautiful As The Arizona Landscape In Which It's Set. Shannon Baker Offers Readers A Taut, Cautionary Tale That Is A Deft Mix Of Both Important Contemporary Issues And The Timeless Spiritual Traditions Of The Hopi. For Those Of Us Who Hunger For The Kind Of Novel Tony Hillerman Used To Write So Well, This Promising New Series May Just Fill The Bill. Pick Up Tainted Mountain And Prepare To Be Entranced.—william Kent Krueger, New York Times Bestselling Author Of The Cork O'connor Series Pitting Greed Against The Future Of A People, Baker's Thoughtful Thriller, Tainted Mountain, Not Only Presents A Compelling Clash Of Myth And Violence That Will Keep You Guessing, It Also Reads Like Such A Love Letter To The Natural World, You Won't Want It To End.—kris Neri, Author Of Revenge On Route 66 In this collection of three fabulous cozy mysteries, no murder can go unsolved. Whether theyre at a bed and breakfast on the Maine coast, down on the organic farm, or in the drivers seat of a turquoise convertible, the characters and their antics never fail to entertain. Murder on the Rocks Karen MacInerney Book 1 of the Gray Whale Inn Mysteries Trading in Texas heat for Maine's tangy salt air, Natalie Barnes risked it all to buy the Gray Whale Inn, a quaint bed and breakfast on Cranberry Island. She adores whipping up buttery muffins and other rich breakfast treats for her guests until she finds an overbearing land developer dead. Includes recipes! Deadly Row to Hoe Cricket McRae Book 6 of the Home Crafting Mysteries Harvest time in Cadyville, Washington, finds Sophie Mae Ambrose volunteering at the local organic farmand trying to make a little sprout of her own with Barr, her police detective husband. But when a dead body is discovered in the farms compost heap, Sophie Mae presses her network of friends and neighbors into action. Mama Does Time Deborah Sharp Book 1 of the Mace Bauer Mysteries Meet Mama: a true Southern woman with impeccable manners, sherbet-colored pantsuits, and four prior husbands, able to serve sweet tea and sidestep alligator attacks with equal aplomb. Mama's antics especially her penchant for finding trouble drive her daughters Mace, Maddie, and Marty to distraction, especially when she finds a body in the trunk of her turquoise convertible. AMinneapolitan Mira James has been taking it easy since college graduation--too easy. Due to a dead-end job and a cheating boyfriend, the Twin Cities have lost their charm, and Mira decides to begin a new life in rural Battle Lake. Right away she is offered jobs as an assistant librarian and part-time reporter, and falls into an unexpected romance with a guy who seems to be the perfect man until he turns up dead between the reference stacks her tenth day on the job. Anxious to learn more about the man who had briefly stolen her heart, Mira delves into the hidden mysteries of Battle Lake, including a old land deed with ancient Ojibwe secrets, an obscure octogenarian crowd with freaky social lives, and a handful of thirtysomething high school buddies who hold bitter, decades-old grudges. Mira soon discovers that unknown dangers are concealed under the polite exterior of this quirky small town, and revenge is a tator-tot hotdish best served cold. A hip, humorous, and gripping account of small-town murder, this novel is the first in a series of cozies featuring Mira James, an urban woman with rural Minnesota roots ANora Abbott needs to make enough snow to save her ski resort from the drought that is ravishing Northern Arizona, and her recent court victory should mean good times are ahead. But when the death of Nora's husband brings her overbearing mother into town, energy tycoon Barrett McCreary uses the opportunity to launch what might just be a hostile takeover of her cash-strapped resort. To make matters worse, the local Hopi tribe still claims that making snow on the mountain will upset the balance of the earth, and someone is taking matters into their own hands in an explosive way. The ruggedly handsome Cole Huntsman keeps turning up to help Nora, but he seems to be dealing from both sides of the deck. And with a business empire's profits--not to mention lives--at stake, double-dealing is a deadly strategy. -- New York TimesBuffalo Bill's Dead Now "Nora Abbott needs to make enough snow to save her ski resort from the drought that is ravishing Northern Arizona, and her recent court victory should mean good times are ahead. But when the death of Nora's husband brings her overbearing mother into town, energy tycoon Barrett McCreary uses the opportunity to launch what might just be a hostile takeover of her cash-strapped resort. To make matters worse, the local Hopi tribe still claims that making snow on the mountain will upset the balance of the earth, and someone is taking matters into their own hands in an explosive way. The ruggedly handsome Cole Huntsman keeps turning up to help Nora, but he seems to be dealing from both sides of the deck. And with a business empire's profits-- not to mention lives-- at stake, double-dealing is a deadly strategy"--Page 4 of cover A fast-paced mix of eco-terrorists, native spirituality, and murder All Nora Abbott wants to do is make enough snow to save her ski resort from the drought that is ravishing Northern Arizona. But now her husband has been murdered; angry protestors have occupied her mountain; her overbearing mother has blown into town; and energy tycoon Barrett McCreary has launched what might just be a hostile takeover of the cashstrapped resort. To make matters worse, the local Hopi tribe claims making snow on the mountain will upset the balance of the earth, so Nora turns to the ruggedly handsome Cole Huntsman for help. The only trouble is that Huntsman seems to be playing from both sides of the deck. And when a fortune in uranium claims are at stake, double-dealing is a deadly strategy