Gayle Leeson – författare

A Christmas crime shocks the merchants of a quaint shopping district in this latest installment of The New York Times bestselling Victoria Square series.It's Christmastime, but not everyone is jolly--especially not Vonne Barnett. Her dead body has been found in Victoria Square. Katie Bonner, the manager of Artisan's Alley, happens to be at the tea shop Vonne's mother, Francine, owns when the news is delivered. Vonne left a trail of men behind her so the suspects are many--but the clues are few. A broken teacup leads Katie to one of the suspects, but before she can investigate, she's attacked. Katie may be closing in on a murderer, but time is ticking because the murderer is definitely closing in on her.

Katie's been dealt the Dead Man's Hand …It's all fun and games when Katie Bonner and her friends play poker for chocolate-covered peanuts, but the very next day Jamie Seifert collapses and dies after visiting Katie's tearoom on Victoria Square.Katie's business is on the line and she needs to prove Jamie wasn't poisoned at Tealicious. Her first order of business is to locate the mysterious woman he was dining with, and her next step is to go undercover at a nearby poker club where Jamie won big just a week before. It seems everyone there might have had a motive to rub Jamie out...and if they learn Katie has been lying to them, she might be next! The Victoria Square MysteriesA Crafty KillingThe Walled FlowerOne Hot MurderDead, Bath and Beyond Yule Be DeadMurder InkA Murderous MisconceptionDead Man's HandA Lethal Lake EffectLife On Victoria SquareCarving Out A PathA Basket Full of BargainsThe Broken TeacupIt's Tutu MuchThe Reluctant BrideTea'd OffLife On Victoria Square Volume 1A Look BackTea For YouDavenport DesignsA Ruff WeekRecipes To Die For: A Victoria Square Cookbook

First in a new cozy mystery series featuring Southern cooking that is to die for.Aspiring chef and small-town Virginia native Amy Flowers is ready to open her own café offering old-fashioned Southern food. But her dream may go up in smoke when someone kills the competition...Tired of waiting tables at Lou’s Joint, Amy Flowers doesn’t just quit—she offers to buy the place from her bully of a boss, so she can finally open the café of her dreams. Amy can''t wait to serve the kind of Southern, down-home treats and dishes that her grandmother always loved to the kooky cast of regulars at the restaurant. She knows her comfort food will be the talk of the sweet, small town of Winter Garden, Virginia.At first Lou Lou refuses to sell, but when she seems ready to make a deal, she tells Amy to come see her.  Showing up at the eatery ready to negotiate, Amy is shocked to find her former employer murdered. As the prime suspect, Amy will have to clear her name by serving up the real killer—and with Lou Lou’s stack of enemies, that’s a tall order.Includes delicious Southern recipes!

In the latest Southern cozy from the author of The Calamity Café, small-town chef Amy Flowers can’t take her freedom for granted when she’s served up as a murder suspect... It''s Independence Day in Winter Garden, Virginia, and the residents are gearing up for their annual celebration. The Down South Café is open and flourishing, and Amy Flowers is busy making pies and cakes for the holiday. The only thorn in her side is Chamber of Commerce director George Lincoln, who is trying to buy the café so he can tear it down and build a B&B on the site. When George collapses while eating at the Down South, everybody assumes it''s a heart attack—until the autopsy declares it to be poisoning. Now, it’s up to Amy to prove her innocence before her liberty is lost. Includes delicious Southern recipes!From the Paperback edition.

The owner of a delightful Southern café tastes the sharp sting of suspicion in this delectable comfort food mystery . . .   It’s fall in Winter Garden, Virginia, and business at Amy Flowers’ Down South Café has never been better. So when struggling beekeeper Stuart Landon asks Amy to sell some of his honey, she’s happy to help. The jars of honey are a sweet success, but their partnership is cut short when Amy discovers Landon’s body outside the café early one morning.   As Amy tries to figure out who could possibly have wanted to harm the unassuming beekeeper, she discovers an ever-expanding list of suspects—and they’re all buzzing mad. She’ll have to use all of her skills—and her Southern charm—to find her way out of this sticky situation...

What if you discovered your lively new friend wasn't really...alive?Amanda Tucker is excited about opening her fashion design studio in Shops On Main, a charming old building in historic Abingdon, Virginia. She didn't realize a ghost came with the property! But soon Maxine "e;Max"e; Englebright, a young woman who died in 1930, isn't the only dead person at the retail complex. Mark Tinsley, a web designer with a know-it-all attitude who also rented space at Shops On Main, is shot in his office.Amanda is afraid that one of her new "e;friends"e; and fellow small business owners is his killer, and Max is encouraging her to solve Mark's murder a la Nancy Drew. Easy for Max to want to investigate--the ghostly fashionista can't end up the killer's next victim!​In DESIGNS ON MURDER, Gayle Leeson sketches a stylish plot accessorized with a spectral fashionista sidekick. This series debut is a delight!"e; -Diane Vallere, national bestselling author​"e;As a sucker for a fun ghost story, I can say Gayle Leeson's DESIGNS ON MURDER scores on many levels including a spunky entrepreneur and a charming setting. Now that I've read the first one, I'll be counting the days until the next in the series arrives."e; --Lorna Barrett, author of the New York Times Bestselling Booktown Mysteries

Katie Bonner loses her lunch—literally—when her social media account serves up a shocking announcement. Her boyfriend Andy's assistant manager, Erikka, is pregnant, and apparently with his child. His assistant manager Erikka is pregnant, apparently with his child. And when Erikka turns up dead, the Sheriff turns up the heat on Katie and Andy, certain that one of them is to blame. But Erikka wasn't pregnant after all. Was Erikka's misconception the only way she could conceive of stealing Andy from Katie?When Katie finds planted evidence, it's her friend and former detective, Ray, who insists on concealing it. Is it his growing affection for her that causes him to act against his training and code of ethics, or could he be responsible for Erikka's death? Katie is afraid to find out.

Competition can be murder! When a flashy new food truck rolls into Winter Garden, Amy Flowers isn't thrilled, but she's not rattled either. The Down South Cafe has delicious food, loyal customers, and a reputation for comfort that no passing trend can shake. At least, that's what she thinks...until the food truck's proprietor drops dead after sampling pastries from the cafe.With whispers spreading faster than sweet tea on a hot day, Amy suddenly finds her newly minted partnership with Scott and Jackie under threat. Determined to clear the cafe's name, Amy rallies her crew, and no one is more enthusiastic to help than Aunt Bess, who dives into undercover mode with her trademark flair. As secrets simmer and suspects multiply, Amy must stir through a tangle of motives before the killer cooks up another deadly dish. In Winter Garden, solving a murder might just take a whole lot of heart...and a dash of Southern grit.