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Pasadena, California, 1920

Daisy Gumm Majesty does what she must to keep her family afloat—and if that means conducting séances and reading tarot cards for Pasadena’s rich and restless, so be it. It’s not her fault people hear what they want to hear.

But when the wealthy and formidable Mrs. Kincaid hires Daisy for more than just a chat with the dearly departed—this time to help solve her husband’s mysterious disappearance—Daisy finds herself tangled in a case far messier than arranging table raps and spirit whispers. And unfortunately for her, Detective Sam Rotondo isn’t buying any of it.

Sam sees Daisy as a fraud and a nuisance, and he’s not above a bit of blackmail to make use of her questionable talents. But when Daisy takes a peek at Sam’s tarot cards, the tables turn in a way neither of them expects.

Now, Daisy must outwit a detective, outmaneuver a high-society scandal, and somehow keep her business—and her sanity—intact.

Pasadena, California, 1921

As Pasadena’s most sought-after spiritualist-medium (for clients with more money than sense), Daisy Gumm Majesty has handled her fair share of unusual requests. But when the kindhearted—and fabulously wealthy—Mrs. Bissel demands an exorcism for her basement, even Daisy has her doubts. That is, until Mrs. Bissel offers one of her prized dachshund puppies as payment.

Hoping the so-called ghost is not a skunk, Daisy investigates—only to uncover something far more sinister than eerie noises in the night. Now she’s knee-deep in a mystery that involves more than just restless spirits. With her detective nemesis, Sam Rotondo, ever eager to expose her as a fraud, and a household of terrified servants watching her every move, Daisy will need all her wits (and a generous dose of creative storytelling) to get to the bottom of this so-called haunting.

Pasadena, California, 1921

As Pasadena’s most sought-after spiritualist-medium (for clients with more money than sense), Daisy Gumm Majesty is used to unusual requests. But even she balks when a notorious speakeasy owner demands a séance to contact his dearly departed—and equally deadly—godfather. Daisy would never set foot in such an establishment.… Except the request comes through her wealthiest client, Mrs. Kincaid, who just so happens to be desperate to save her wayward daughter from the gangster’s clutches.

With no polite way to refuse (and a great many reasons to be very, very worried), Daisy finds herself summoning spirits in the back room of a bootlegger’s den—only for the whole thing to go belly-up when the joint is raided by none other than her least favorite detective, Sam Rotondo.

Now, Daisy’s got trouble on all fronts. She’s been arrested (which, frankly, is bad for business), Sam insists she spy on the gangsters in exchange for her freedom, and she’s still got to figure out a way to rescue Mrs. Kincaid’s daughter—all while keeping her own hide intact.

Pasadena, California, 1921

Daisy Gumm Majesty, Pasadena’s most charming (and entirely fake) spiritualist-medium, has pulled off plenty of elaborate deceptions—but convincing anyone that she can teach a cooking class might be her biggest con yet.

When a well-meaning Salvation Army captain asks Daisy to teach German immigrant women the fine art of American cookery, Daisy, who is barely on speaking terms with her own kitchen, is ready to laugh him right out the door. But before she can refuse, her sense of duty (and mild curiosity) gets the better of her.

Armed with a cookbook, an apron, and a healthy dose of skepticism, Daisy steps into the classroom—only for one of her students to mysteriously vanish. Turns out, the lesson this woman needs most has nothing to do with pie crusts and everything to do with dodging an anarchist scheme simmering beneath Pasadena’s polished surface.

With Detective Sam Rotondo forever on her case and a whole batch of new trouble bubbling up, Daisy finds herself up to her elbows in more than just flour. And this time, there’s no faking her way out of the mess.

Pasadena, California, 1922

The movie business has arrived in Pasadena, and Daisy Gumm Majesty is up to her well-dressed neck in trouble—again.

Between wrangling an unruly dachshund in obedience school, avoiding a spoiled movie star determined to claim her as a personal spiritualist, and sidestepping the ever-irritable Detective Sam Rotondo, Daisy has her hands full. But things take a turn for the dramatic when someone starts sending poison-pen letters to the film’s leading man, and whispers of German spies trying to steal new film technology send everyone into a tizzy.

With a troubled actor, a starry-eyed socialite, and an excitable cast of motion picture folks in the mix, Daisy finds herself in the middle of a case that’s more tangled than a silent film love triangle. Can she keep everyone’s secrets under wraps, prevent an international incident, and still make it home in time for dinner?

Pasadena, California, 1922

Daisy Gumm Majesty has retired her Ouija board—after all, respectable widows don’t go around communing with spirits. But when her best client, Mrs. Pinkerton, offers an absurd sum of money for one more séance, Daisy decides she can pretend to talk to ghosts just one more time.

What she didn’t expect was for that séance to lead to an extravagant trip to Egypt, courtesy of Mrs. P’s son and Daisy’s best friend, Harold Kincaid. But no good deed (or in this case, questionable séance) goes unpunished. A casual marketplace purchase lands Daisy in the middle of an antiquities smuggling ring, a criminal conspiracy, and—just her luck—another encounter with the ever-grumpy Detective Sam Rotondo, who seems to have followed her across the world.

With a stolen relic in her possession and villains lurking in the shadows, Daisy must summon all her wits (and maybe even a spirit or two) to get out of this mess—preferably without landing in an Egyptian jail.

Daisy Gumm Majesty is no stranger to staging séances for Pasadena’s wealthiest (and most gullible) citizens, but even she’s surprised when an actual spirit makes an appearance—especially one demanding justice. Eddie Hastings, a lawyer in life and an inconvenient ghost in death, insists he was murdered, not a victim of suicide.

Daisy has enough on her plate—keeping up her spiritualist charade, managing Spike—her ever-curious dachshund, and fending off the sharp-eyed Detective Sam Rotondo, who has an annoying habit of catching her in the middle of trouble. The last thing she needs is a real ghost haunting her conscience.

Determined to unravel the mystery without landing herself in jail (again), Daisy embarks on a covert investigation—dodging skeptical cops, Pasadena’s high society, and a murderer who isn’t too keen on unfinished business.

Will Daisy uncover the truth before she joins Eddie on the other side?

Pasadena, California, 1923

Pasadena’s own fake spiritualist and reluctant crime-solver, Daisy Gumm Majesty, has tangled with some troublesome clients in her time, but none as vile as the new batch of hooded hooligans stirring up trouble in town.

When the Ku Klux Klan targets Joseph Jackson, the long-time gatekeeper for Daisy’s best (and wealthiest) client, Mrs. Pinkerton, things take a dangerous turn. Then Mrs. P starts receiving threatening letters, and a bomb in her mailbox reduces her front gate to rubble. Daisy suspects the Klan is behind it all, but convincing her gruff, no-nonsense detective friend (possibly something more) Sam Rotondo to act fast isn’t easy.

As tensions rise and Daisy finds herself on the wrong side of some very nasty people, she realizes she may need more than her wits, her Ouija board, and a few well-placed sarcastic remarks to get out of this mess. Lucky for her, she’s got a detective who might just be willing to save her—if she doesn’t bash in some Klan skulls herself first.

Pasadena, California, 1924

Daisy Gumm Majesty never expected her spiritualist talents to land her on stage—especially not in The Mikado at her church, playing the delightfully villainous Katisha. But thanks to some well-placed arm-twisting from Pasadena’s elite (and a certain persistent detective), Daisy finds herself swept up in rehearsals, costume fittings, and an overabundance of operatic drama.

But the drama isn’t confined to the stage. The theater crowd has its fair share of secrets, and when the director’s wife takes mysteriously ill, a jittery actress swears someone is trying to kill her, and a cast member’s husband turns up dead, Daisy realizes she’s in for more than missed cues and flubbed lines.

With Detective Sam Rotondo juggling an investigation and trying to keep Daisy out of trouble (a truly hopeless endeavor), Daisy must untangle the mystery before opening night turns into closing night—for someone permanently.

Daisy Gumm Majesty—spiritualist to Pasadena’s well-heeled elite (and occasional reluctant sleuth)—was expecting the usual fire-and-brimstone sermon at church, not a murder. But when parishioners start dropping dead after communion, things take a turn for the unholy.

Daisy’s detective fiancé, Sam Rotondo, would prefer she stick to reading tea leaves and playing the piano, but when her crystal ball (which she absolutely does not believe in) reveals swaying trees, Daisy finds herself in the thick of a mystery. A missing butler, a den of bootleggers, and a poisoned chalice later, Daisy’s up to her hatpin in trouble.

Worse yet, the man responsible has put Daisy at the top of his to-be-murdered list. Can she solve the case before she ends up on the wrong side of the pearly gates?

Pasadena, California, 1924

Daisy Gumm Majesty has faced plenty in her line of work as a fake spiritualist, but nothing like this. When her friend Flossie Buckingham arrives with Lily Bannister—a woman beaten to within an inch of her life—Daisy knows she has to help. Trouble is, Lily’s louse of a husband is a law-abiding citizen by 1920s standards, and neither the police nor the church will intervene.

Enter Harold Kincaid, a wealthy San Marino bachelor who reluctantly agrees to hide Lily in his home while Daisy does what she does best—stir up trouble in the name of justice.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Pinkerton—Daisy’s best (and wealthiest) client—is desperate to end her daughter’s engagement to a fortune-hunting cad. But as Daisy juggles two impossible missions, she soon realizes the cases are more connected than anyone expected.

With human traffickers lurking in the shadows, a detective who’s too stubborn for his own good, and society more concerned with decorum than decency, Daisy has her work cut out for her. Can she uncover the truth before Lily’s husband comes knocking?

Pasadena, California, 1924

Daisy Gumm Majesty, spiritualist-medium to Pasadena’s elite (or at least those with more money than sense), was only looking for a good book. What she found was a corpse tucked among the library’s biography stacks.

Worse, her old friend Mr. Browning is standing over the body—holding the murder weapon. Detective Sam Rotondo isn’t one to ignore the obvious, and now Daisy has to juggle proving Browning’s innocence while dodging Sam’s grumpy disapproval.

But this case isn’t just about a dead librarian. A professor’s geological study, a so-called gold rush, and a mad scientist somehow collide in a mystery only Daisy could stumble into. And with a killer still on the loose, she may need more than her usual dose of creative storytelling to make it out alive.

Pasadena, California, 1925

Daisy Gumm Majesty has an unusual talent for stumbling over dead bodies—quite literally this time. A simple visit to her late husband’s grave takes a grim turn when Daisy’s ever-curious dachshund, Spike, proudly presents her with a shoe... that still has a foot in it.

To no one’s surprise, Daisy’s fiancé, Detective Sam Rotondo, is less than amused. Even worse, the body belongs to the not-so-beloved Dr. Everhard Wagner, a man with enough enemies to populate a small country. His battered widow isn’t exactly in mourning, his children are keeping secrets, and Daisy, once again, is in the thick of it.

Now, with Pasadena’s most incorrigible spiritualist poking around where she shouldn’t, Sam has his hands full trying to solve a murder before Daisy lands herself in a grave of her own.

Pasadena, California, 1925

The New Year’s Day Rose Parade is supposed to be a time for celebration, but Daisy’s day takes a shocking turn when a speeding motorcar barrels into her, leaving her bruised, battered, and with a dislocated shoulder. At first, she chalks it up to bad luck—until it’s clear someone is trying to finish the job.

As her detective fiancé, Sam Rotondo, investigates, Daisy finds herself dodging more than just pain and indignation. Between well-meaning neighbors, an outpouring of sympathy (and baked goods), and her own stubborn refusal to stay in bed, Daisy must figure out who wants her dead before her next parade appearance is in a funeral procession.

If only catching criminals were as easy as catching spirits…

Pasadena, California, 1925

Evangeline Mainwaring moves to Pasadena for a fresh start, using her fortune to shelter women seeking new lives. But when notorious bounty hunter Lou Prophet arrives demanding repayment for her past debts, tensions rise.

Daisy Gumm Majesty, ever the peacemaker, attempts to smooth things over—until a series of unwelcome visitors from Angie’s past threatens her safety. When an old rival is shot out of an orange tree, Daisy and her fiancé, Detective Sam Rotondo, must untangle a web of grudges, greed, and revenge before the next bullet finds its mark.

Join Daisy for another captivating adventure in this delightful historical cozy mystery series.

Includes Aunt Vi’s recipe for Hungarian Goulash!

Pasadena, California, 1925

Already irked about joining an exercise class with church chums, Daisy is horrified when her beloved Aunt Vi—Pasadena’s best cook—vanishes from Mrs. Pinkerton’s mansion.

Daisy, Sam, and Lou Prophet begin their search, aided by Mrs. Jackson, a real voodoo mambo from New Orleans. Meanwhile, with Aunt Vi gone, meals take a disastrous turn as Lou attempts to cook, forcing the family to endure his bizarre culinary experiments.

It will take all of Daisy’s sharp wit, Sam’s police savvy, and a clever scheme involving a peg-legged man and some expert roping to bring Aunt Vi home.

Pasadena, California, 1925

Daisy Gumm Majesty has handled plenty of unusual situations in her time as Pasadena’s favorite spiritualist (and occasional sleuth), but a wedding murder is a first.

As Matron of Honor for her dear friend Regina Petri’s wedding, Daisy is ready for a day of love, laughter, and, hopefully, decent cake. What she’s not expecting is a corpse in the dressing room—clutching Regina’s bridal bouquet, with poisonous flower petals spilling from his mouth.

Daisy knows toxic plants when she sees them—after all, she just finished reading up on them at the library—but figuring out who managed to turn a bouquet into a murder weapon is another matter entirely. With her detective fiancé, Sam Rotondo, and their ever-irritable friend Lou Prophet on the case, Daisy is determined to solve the mystery before the killer strikes again.

Because nothing ruins a wedding quite like murder.

Pasadena, California, 1926

Newlyweds Sam and Daisy Rotondo are settling into married life when their plans for a peaceful home are upended—by a cat. Lou Prophet’s battered old feline, Yuyu, digs up a bone in their backyard, which turns out to be human. As the discovery leads to an unsettling mystery, Daisy and Sam find themselves entangled in a decades-old disappearance.

With law enforcement investigating, gardening on hold, and Daisy attempting to master domestic duties—including the culinary arts—their quiet life is anything but. When the past refuses to stay buried, Sam and Daisy must dig deep to unearth the truth before it shakes their new life apart.

Pasadena, California, 1926

When Daisy’s old nemesis, Stacy Kincaid, is found murdered in the Pasadena Public Library’s gazebo, suspicion is cast upon the one-legged Lou Prophet—former bounty hunter, current curmudgeon, and reluctant Pasadena citizen.

Daisy, who has had remarkable success in the kitchen considering her loathing of cookery, begins to have problems. Things burn in seconds, pots run dry, and she fears losing her mind, perhaps due to the early stages of her pregnancy. Odd things happen in the library, too, which puzzle and distress Daisy’s friend, librarian Regina Browning.

But the problems mount when the real murderer steals a car, resulting in another death and the demise of a Hispano-Suiza.

Pasadena, California, 1926

When Harold Kincaid's quiet morning is disrupted by the sound of a baby, in a basket on his very own doorstep, his first call is to Pasadena's least enthusiastic cook, most spirited spiritualist-medium, and long-time friend, Daisy Gumm Majesty.

In between battling the kitchen (where even water seems to burn) and nurturing her own bun in the oven (seven months and counting!), Daisy now has a new role: baby crisis manager.

The conundrum over what to do for the infant girl grows more complex as Daisy's detective husband Sam and their friends from the Salvation Army join the fray.

Unraveling the mystery of the little girl on the doorstep leads to a rollercoaster ride through family dramas, societal snafus, and the occasional cooking catastrophe. Join in as Daisy juggles her mediumship, impending motherhood, and a baffling mystery that could only happen in Pasadena.

It's the 1920s and Daisy Gum Majesty is doing her part to support her family as a medium by holding séances and interpreting tarot cards for the rich and famous.

STRONG SPIRITS:
When the wealthy Mrs. Kincaid comes to Daisy to help solve her husband's disappearance, Detective Sam Rotondo isn't fooled by Daisy's choice of "vocation". Then Daisy reads Sam's cards... and the tables turn on them both. 

FINE SPIRITS:
When Daisy is approached by Mrs. Bissel about exorcizing a ghost from her basement, Daisy is tempted to back out until Mrs. B puts up one of her famous dachshund puppies as payment. Hoping Mrs. Bissel’s basement ghost is not a skunk, Daisy begins snooping only to discover the matter is much larger than anyone imagined. 

HIGH SPIRITS:
Daisy’s talent as a "medium" has caught the attention of dangerous mobster Vicenzo Maggiori, who wants to get in touch with his dead godfather. Then Daisy’s troubles are doubled when Detective Sam Rotondo tells her she must channel the spirits for Maggiori and pass the information to him in exchange for his silence.

It's the 1920s and Daisy Gum Majesty is doing her part to support her family as a spiritualist to people with more money than sense... and she's training her dachshund, Spike, too.

HUNGRY SPIRITS:
Tapped to teach a cooking class for immigrant German ladies, Daisy steps up and forces herself to confront her own prejudices about those she blames for her veteran-husband's war illness. But when a student disappears and Daisy discovers that the help needed has nothing to do with cooking—there's an anarchist's scheme about to boil over. 

GENTEEL SPIRITS:
The movie biz is coming to Pasadena and Daisy and Spike are up to their ears in trouble. A spoiled actress wants Daisy as her very own spiritualist, someone is sending poison-pen letters to the Leading Man, and Spike is butting heads with Detective Sam Rotondo, assigned to the movie-set as security. 

ANCIENT SPIRITS:
When Mrs. Pinkerton's daughter is arrested, Daisy picks up her Ouija board for the first time since her husband's death, and is rewarded with information that sends her to Cairo, Egypt where she lands in the middle of a smuggling ring.

In 1920s Pasadena, CA, Daisy Gumm Majesty Matches Wits With Three Villains in this Box Set Filled With Light Humor and Period Charm

SPIRITS REVIVED:
Pasadena's beloved spiritualist to people with more money than sense, gets her man when a real spirit seeks Daisy's help in catching his murderer. 

DARK SPIRITS:
When the Ku Klux Klan opens a chapter in Pasadena, California, Sam Rotundo, Daisy's new leading man, must keep Daisy from doing in the Klan with a zinc bucket and a baseball bat. 

SPIRITS ONSTAGE:
Daisy is talked into playing a role in her church's production of Mikado. But when the producer's wife experiences a mysterious illness and another cast member is murdered, it looks like someone doesn't want the show to go on..

Mercy Allcutt is ecstatic to move to California where she knows she’ll learn all about life and–to her Boston blue-blood family's horror--get a JOB; no woman in the Allcutt family has ever actually held a JOB. Mercy lands employment as secretary to Ernie Templeton, Private Investigator.

Mercy’s thrilled, and she’s sure, with time and help, she’ll become an invaluable asset to Ernie’s business. Ernie doesn't yet share Mercy's sunny optimism, but nothing tests the resolve of a new employee quite like murder.

Mercy Allcutt is thrilled to be going to her job as secretary to P.I. Ernie Templeton—until she opens the door and finds her mother. Known as the Wrath of God, Mrs. Allcutt is the last person Mercy wants to see, barring some murderers she’s met.

Add phony spiritualists, a columnist killed during a séance, a starlet, and some other odd characters, and Mercy finds herself in deep waters indeed.

When Mercy Allcutt finds a dead body of one of Ernie’s clients at the foot of the dead woman’s staircase and then finds Ernie bound and tied upstairs, she gets to work investigating the murder.

The cops suspect Ernie, but Mercy knows better. In her endeavor, Mercy and her friend Lulu LaBelle visit the Angelica Gospel Hall to try to figure out why the dead woman was so fond of the place.

Angels of Mercy It’s a warm August morning in 1926 Los Angeles, Former Boston Brahmin Mercy Allcutt is excited to be renting out suites of rooms to deserving working women in her new home on Bunker Hill in Los Angeles. She considers she's performing an act of good-heartedness, no matter skeptical her boss, private investigator Ernie Templeton, is about her endeavor.

When her housekeeper's son is arrested for the murder of a Hollywood big-wig, Mercy presses Ernie to solve the case. She's positive Calvin Buck is innocent. Ernie tells her he'll do his best. She's not entirely convinced he means it, so she does some snooping on her own.

In the meantime, Mercy not only takes driving lessons from Ernie, but she discovers there's more to being a landlady than meets the eye. Is one of her "Angels of Mercy" not what she appears to be? Only time, and perhaps Mercy and Ernie, will tell...

Former Boston Brahmin, Mercy Allcutt, moved from Boston to Los Angeles specifically to get away from her overbearing mother and father. Therefore, she’s upset when her boss, P.I. Ernie Templeton, gives her the entire Thanksgiving week of 1926 off so that she can spend the holiday with her parents in their new winter home in Pasadena, California.

Her week of vile endurance is made even more miserable when a woman is flung to her death over the second-story staircase railing. Her mother, who deplores the fact that her daughter actually got a job, insists Mercy call on Ernie to help the Pasadena Police Department solve the case.

In the end, it is Mercy who must solve the crime and risk becoming a statistic herself.

Mercy Allcutt's imagination is more exciting than her job as secretary to P.I., Ernie Templeton. As usual, she has nothing to do except gaze out the office window overlooking Pasadena and imagine the plots of stories she plans to write someday. Generally, when she watches the alley behind the Figueroa Building, she needs to imagine someone being strangled, today was different. She calls the police to report the murder but the corpse is gone before she hangs up the phone.

Ernie tries his best to convince her it was her imagination. The police find nothing. Now her reputation is on the line as well as her aspirations for becoming a P.I.

With her boardinghouse tenants as advisors, she launches her own investigation, putting her and her friend Lulu right in the middle of a band of bootleggers who don't like nosy secretaries or their friends. Now, Mercy needs to save herself and Lulu before they both wind up floating in a Venice canal.

Mercy and Lulu visit one of Ernie Templeton's favorite Chinatown dives, a silken items shop owned by Ernie's friend, Charley Wu.

Their Christmas shopping plans take a chill when they witness a young Chinese woman being dragged kicking and screaming into the shop by its proprietor. Even more chilling is the woman's plea for help as she passes Lulu and Mercy. 

When the body of an elderly Chinese man is found in a nearby alley the next day, the police arrest Charley for the murder. Ernie Templeton, concerned about police hostilities toward the community, decides to investigate along with Mercy and Lulu. 

But Chinatown doesn't welcome the prying of outsiders. Known for its seedy underbelly and dark secrets, those who ask questions often meet a bitter end.

Mercy Allcutt’s friend, Lulu LaBelle, has an unwelcomed encounter with an alleged talent scout, producer, and director in the burgeoning motion-picture business in Los Angeles.

When the philandering producer is found dead in his office, police arrest Lulu when witnesses report seeing Lulu coming and going from the office. 

With her friend accused of murder, Mercy comes to Lulu’s aid and begs her employer, Ernie Templeton, PI, for help. But uncovering secrets can be a risky business...

Los Angeles, California, 1927

Esteemed producer, Harvey Nash is troubled by a series of suspicious accidents plaguing the set of his current movie. From falling scaffolding to burning wigs, it seems that someone is hell-bent on ruining the production and endangering the lives of its stars, including the charming Ramon Novarro and the mesmerizing Blanche Sweet.

When Harvey seeks Ernie’s help to get to the bottom of these malevolent incidents, Mercy knows she has to help too. Teaming up with her dear friend, Lulu, Ernie, Mercy and Lulu infiltrate the movie set as undercover extras, determined to expose the sinister culprit behind the mayhem.

But for the intrepid trio, danger lurks behind every dazzling facade and the quest for truth may come at the ultimate cost.

Los Angeles, California, 1927

The elegant Murray Dance Studio becomes a hotspot for murder when one of its talented dancers, Marian Murray, is found dead. The once vibrant and glamorous studio now lies under a cloud of suspicion and fear.

Private Investigator Ernie Templeton is quickly drawn into the case when Mercy Allcutt, his spirited and determined assistant, insists on uncovering the truth. Despite Ernie's objections, Mercy enlists the help of her friend Lulu, and together, the trio delve into an intricate world of dance, deception, and danger.

As Mercy, Ernie, and Lulu navigate a tangle of lies and secrets, they uncover rivalries, hidden agendas, and dangerous passions that threaten to consume them all. With each pirouette and paso doble, the stakes get higher, and the murderer is determined to keep the secrets buried at any cost.

Book 1: Lost Among the Angels
New to Los Angeles, Mercy Allcutt lands employment as secretary to Ernie Templeton, Private Investigator. Mercy’s thrilled, and she’s sure, with time and help, she’ll become an invaluable asset to Ernie’s business. Ernie doesn't yet share Mercy's sunny optimism, but nothing tests the resolve of a new employee quite like murder. 

Book 2: Angels Flight
Mercy is learning the ropes of her new job when she opens the door and discovers her mother on the doorstep. Even more surprises lay ahead for the aspiring sleuth: a couple of phony spiritualists, a Hollywood gossip columnist who gets bumped off during a séance, a semi-famous starlet, and several other colorful characters. Soon Mercy finds herself in very deep waters. 

Book 3: Fallen Angels
Mercy sets out to find her wandering boss. She not only discovers a corpse, but she also finds Ernie bound and gagged. Even worse, when the police arrive to investigate the crime, they peg Ernie as the killer. Mercy isn’t about to let the police get away with that. The question is whether she’ll survive her investigatory efforts before she becomes one more “Fallen Angel.”

It's 1905, early in the Silent Film era, and orphan Amy Wilkes is "discovered" by producer Martin Tafft at a Pasadena Health Spa. Whisked away to the movie-making set, Amy is glamorized and placed before her leading man: a rugged, oh-so-handsome Arizona cowboy named Charlie Fox.

Charlie, another "natural", needs money for his ranch, not the naive attentions of a beautiful starlet no matter how far she turns his head. On screen, sparks fly between Amy and Charlie, as the pair struggle to act like people they're not. 

Off screen, they face the scuttling machinations of the other actors and Charlie realizes what Amy truly dreams of—love and security. He offers her both. But first, Amy must open her heart.

Silent film star Brenda Fitzpatrick has supported her family via her beautiful face since she was twelve, carefully hiding her keen mind behind a well-crafted featherheaded-blonde facade. Then Brenda lands her dream job—the lead in Martin Tafft's latest romantic flicker—and encounters Colin Peters.

Tafft's newest research assistant, Colin is a scientist, not a sentimentalist. The fact that Brenda Fitzpatrick turns his head only means he might be able to make love to her if he follows the natural mating techniques he's studied in other species.

But when Colin attempts his seduction, Brenda is incensed, wanting to be recognized for her brain, and Colin comes face-to-face with the seemingly impossible: a love more real than any celluloid fantasy.

It's the height of the Silent Film era and Marigold Pottersby is trying to hang on to her father's failing silver mine when producer Martin Tafft offers a hefty sum to use the mine in his latest flicker. Mari quickly agrees but balks when the film crew insists she stop mining. Then Mari meets Tony Ewing.

Tafft's heaviest investor and a dyed-in-the-wool Easterner, Tony arrives to investigate the film's progress. He has no use for the West, or the mine's country-bumpkin owner and her Great Dane named Tiny. But the show must go on.

Tony plies his wares, intent on winning Mari's cooperation and gets more than he bargained for. Mari proves she has no need for his wealth, captures his imagination with her fiery comebacks, and leaves his heart in a dangerous way. Then the film crew discovers that Mari's silver mine isn't a silver mine at all, leaving Mari with a choice: admit she needs Tony and his investor ways, or walk away from the greatest find of her life.

Christina Mayhew doesn't consider herself a gifted thespian. Acting in Silent Films is simply a means to earn money for medical school so she can become a physician like her beloved father. Thankfully her gentlemanly producer, Martin Tafft, understands.

While Martin is happy to discuss feminism and women's suffrage with Christina, his inner reaction to her secret goal is one of crushing disappointment. With moving pictures developing a sordid reputation, thanks to hard-drinking and drug-consuming stars, he needs Christina's wholesomeness to create the kind of movies he envisions. 

Then an accident on the set forces Martin to take the male lead, and Christina gets a taste of his kisses--on screen, at least. Now all she has to do is convince him he is perfect for another role... her lifetime leading man.