Semi-finalist in the 2019 Chanticleer International Book AwardsThe bullets changed everything for me. Sometimes I wished I'd taken a bullet too because I lost the most important men in my life. My dad still fought every day to reclaim his confidence, mobility, and wit from the bullet that creased his brain. But my husband of seventeen days took our dreams with him when he died. They never caught the shooter.After losing everything, Katie Wilk is starting life over in Columbia, Minnesota, with a new career—giving up cryptanalysis in favor of teaching school—and a canine companion, Maverick, a black Labrador retriever. But on one of their first outings, Katie and Maverick discover a dead body in a nearby marshland. Doctor Pete Erickson enters her life. As the county coroner, he's one of the first on the scene; as the doctor that day in the ER, he's the one who stitches up Katie's head; as the son of the police chief, Pete is also in on the...

Christmas is fast approaching, but the joy and activity of the holiday season is marred by death. There's a history between Katie's landlady, Ida Clemashevski, and her neighbor, the elegant Grace Loehr. The two hadn't spoken in 40 years and had just recently made amends. But when they both bid on the same unusual art piece at the Holiday Gala, the claws come out again. Katie Wilk's idea is to have the artist simply make another of his intricate creations, something along the same lines, but when she goes to his studio to propose the idea, she discovers he's been murdered.Suspects abound, but then Grace also dies unexpectedly. Are the two deaths related? Katie's landlady is the police chief's main suspect for the crimes, and the only way to show proof of Ida's innocence is to find the guilty party. It doesn't look good. The clues mount up, and Katie and Maverick find themselves braving a bitter Minnesota winter storm in order to catch the killer. Will Christmas Eve be a...

It's Christmas in Minnesota, a wonderful time for decorations, hot chocolate, snuggly blankets, caroling, and ... fishing! Katie Wilk is celebrating her first Christmas with her dad since the horrific shooting that nearly claimed his life, and when they are invited to participate in their small town's ice-fishing tournament, they readily agree.But the ice is a treacherous place, and one of Katie's students accidentally falls through, creating a harrowing situation and a rescue by Katie and her trained black Lab, Maverick. Later, Katie discovers the spot where Brock went into the icy water was deliberately cut, and the real intended victim turns out to be one of the town's least lovable, curmudgeonly characters.But what really pulls Katie into the thick of the investigation is that Dr. Pete Erickson, the man who makes her heart beat faster, is accused of murder. There's no way Katie can let that go! Ignoring warnings to stay out of the case, Katie and Maverick...

Discover this delightful cozy mystery series, from the prize-winning author of the American Fiction Awards and Chanticleer Award!When Katie's spring break plans for a romantic getaway with Pete fall apart, she skips a chance to go skiing with her dad and the sister she's very recently met, and finds herself and Maverick in the company of friends and her students at The White Star Inn in New Prague, Minnesota. Although they are traveling to attend the memorial service for a student's mother, there will also be salon treatments, shopping, and sightseeing. But, from the moment they arrive, tension fills the air, as Edith Farthington, the oddball innkeeper, and her nephew appear to be harboring secrets and a few unwanted visitors.The group is in town less than 24 hours when, during a geocaching outing, Katie and her students discover a dead body concealed in a remote area of a state park. Unfortunately, the victim just happens to be one of the few people in town...

Katie Wilk and her black Labrador retriever, Maverick, are training for Search and Rescue certification, and Katie is well into the school year with her math and science students. But a series of shocking events rock their small town—a teenage beauty queen is found dead in a state park, Katie's neighbor's three-year-old daughter is abducted, and Maverick's SAR certification exercise turns into a real emergency. Doctor Pete Erickson, the man Katie was starting to have feelings for, seems curiously out of touch with her these days, but the new veterinarian in town may turn out to have quite a lot in common with her.Can Katie put together the pieces and learn if the crimes are connected, or will she and those dear to her be put in even greater danger?Praise for the Katie & Maverick Cozy Mysteries:"Immediately captivating! Katie and Maverick are destined to become a notable amateur sleuth team in the mystery world." –Connie Shelton, USA Today...

Katie Wilk is still reeling from astounding news about her late husband's history that she'd discovered before his shockingly sudden death. She's looking forward to getting back to her students now that winter break is over, taking her mind off the difficulties of the past eighteen months. But then ZaZa Lavigne shows up, the woman who can push all of Katie's buttons, and guess what—she'll be teaching in Katie's department!However, Katie's personal issues are quickly overshadowed when an heirloom diamond ring seems to have been switched at the jewelry store for a less valuable one and Susie Kelton, Katie's former rival for Dr. Pete's attention, comes to her for help in recovering the real ring. The problems keep compounding and Katie begins to wonder if she and Maverick will ever untangle all the puzzles.Praise for the Katie and Maverick Cozy Mysteries:"Immediately captivating! Katie and Maverick are destined to become a notable amateur sleuth team in...

Katie and Maverick are out for their walk when Maverick dashes through the moving gate at a self-storage facility and they get locked in. By the time the police respond to the silent alarms the pair have set off, the smell of exhaust fumes has begun to seep from one of the garage-sized units, and the car inside is quickly engulfed in a ball of flame. Was it a suicide that turned extra messy, or did someone rig the expensive sports car to explode and kill the woman inside?When Katie starts to ask the tough questions, it seems there were a long list of people who didn't much care for Sophie Grainger and several of them had motives for murder. But Katie also has her days full with the upcoming holiday season and her students who are participating in a mock-trial competition. Will the kids make it to the state finals under the expert coaching of a local attorney who has joined their team? And will Katie and Maverick have a wonderful Christmas this year, the first in which...

Katie & Maverick Cozy Mysteries - 2024 Winner of the International Impact Book AwardsSeveral mysteries occupy Katie's mind, all at once. Her newly discovered half-sister hasn't yet endeared herself in the Wilk household. Even though her dad is somewhat accepting of the idea that the wife who abandoned him began a new family, Katie can't get past the fact that her mother never once reached out to her, since she was a toddler. But Ellen has discovered clues that their mom might still be alive somewhere and she is determined to follow the trail, dragging Katie along.Meanwhile, Ida Clemashevski, their landlady, is exhibiting some strange moods and memory swings and Katie is worried what that's all about. What she discovers turns out to be deadly, in more ways than one. Now, the trick is to catch an old enemy before payback can be exacted, once and for all.Praise for the Katie and Maverick Cozy Mysteries:"...an intricate mystery with plenty of action...