Vikki Walton – författare

Stolen gifts. Lights gone dark. And a killer who just made the naughty list.Anne Freemont is really trying to embrace the festive spirit of Carolan Springs, Colorado. But despite the mountain air, the twinkling lights, and her well-meaning friends doing their very best, her inner Grinch refuses to budge.Then the capers begin. Holiday light displays are sabotaged, gift-wrapped packages vanish from doorsteps, and the town's Christmas cheer starts to crack. For the first time since arriving, Anne feels her amateur sleuthing senses tingle -- nothing shakes off a humbug mood quite like a good mystery.But as she untangles the tinsel-wrapped clues, it becomes chillingly clear this is no case of Yuletide pranks. Someone is playing a deadly game of cat and mouse and Anne may be next on their naughty list. Can this reluctant Scrooge find her Christmas spirit in time to crack the case before the last string of lights goes dark?In this delightfully festive cozy mystery, you'll find:•       A reluctant Scrooge of an amateur sleuth who finds her holiday spirit the hard way•       A charming Christmas crime spree that turns darker than a lump of coal•       Eccentric Carolan Springs locals decking the halls -- and hiding secrets•       More twists than a striped candy cane•       Warm fuzzy found-family moments that'll rekindle your love of the season•       The handsome sheriff, mistletoe tension, and a slow burn that keeps on giving•       Clean, wholesome mystery with zero "e;blushes"e; and plenty of festive funPerfect for readers who love:•       Cozy mysteries with Hallmark vibes•       Christmas cozy mysteries with heart and humor•       Cozy mysteries with a midlife female amateur sleuth•       Small-town Colorado settings with quirky, lovable characters•       Clean mysteries with a slow-burn romance and feel-good endings•       Holiday reads that keep you guessing until the very last page If you love Agatha Raisin's grumpy-heart-of-gold charm, the laugh-out-loud warmth of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and the festive small-town magic of Jacqueline Frost and Katie Marsh -- with a personal Christmas memory from the author woven into every page -- Christmas Capers is the holiday read you didn't know you needed. One-click to grab it now -- Carolan Springs is waiting, and the lights are almost out.The capers are solved... but the garden has secrets of its own. Something's been growing in the potager -- and it isn't just vegetables. Continue with Potager Plot.  This book was created by a human author who's probably a quirky character in someone's story.This was originally The Backyard Farming Series. It is now titled The Carolan Springs Mysteries.

Coming Home Was the Easy Part. Staying Safe Is Another Story.Christie Taylor thought the hardest part of coming home to Texas was behind her. She was wrong. The developers haven't given up on her family's land, the secrets buried in this small town run deeper than she knew, and when a mysterious death pulls her back into the fray, Christie realizes that justice doesn't take a day off. With her nursing instincts, her Pop's front porch wisdom, and a pie in the oven, she's determined to outmaneuver a killer. Death Makes A Move is the second book in the series, though every book can be read as a stand-alone mystery. Includes a pie recipe from the story. Perfect for cozy mystery readers who enjoy small-town charm and intrigue, Texas down-home values, real stakes, and homemade pie recipes. For fans of amateur sleuths with grit, grace, and an inconvenient habit of finding trouble.Saddle up, grab your sleuthing hat, and make your move now!  This book was created by a human author who's probably a quirky character in someone else's story.

Chicken Culprit Small-town cozy mystery: Runaway chicken + grumpy sheriff + nosy new neighbor = the fresh start nobody planned for!Cordial Killing Victorian Inn cozy mystery: College reunion + blizzard + murder = page-turner!Honey Homicide Colorado arson mystery: Suspicious fires + wrongly accused sheriff + amateur sleuth with zero authority = combustible chemistry and a killer on the loose!Perfect for readers who love cozy mysteries with Hallmark vibes, fish-out-of-water heroines finding their people, a grumpy-sunshine slow-burn romance, along with small-town found family warmth with a genuine, laugh-out-loud heart.For Readers Who Love:·         Midlife women who refuse to mind their own business·         Small-town settings with quirky found family vibes·         Slow-burn romance with a grumpy/sunshine dynamic·         Amateur sleuth mysteries with a female protagonist·         Clean and wholesome cozy mysteries (no gore, no steam)·         Closed-circle mysteries where everyone's a suspect·         Fish-out-of-water heroines finding their people·         Cozy mysteries set in the American mountain west·         Series you can binge in one long weekend·         Feel-good mysteries with heart, humor and hope·         Books with laugh-out-loud moments and genuine warmth·         Strong female friendships alongside the mystery·         Light romance subplot that keeps you rooting for them·         Cozy mysteries similar to Midsommer Murders but with Colorado Charm! Books in the Boxset:CHICKEN CULPRIT (A Carolan Springs Mystery Book 1)Newcomer Anne gets pulled into a deadly mystery after her quirky neighbor is accused of murder. But cracking this case will ruffle more than a few feathers...and may cause Anne's dream of a peaceful life in Carolan Springs to be scrambled forever. CORDIAL KILLING (A Carolan Springs Mystery Book 2)A cozy B&B's grand opening goes wrong when tragedy strikes. But as things go from bad to worse, is someone playing a twisted game of revenge? As a freak spring blizzard traps everyone inside, the stakes couldn't be higher. Can Anne unmask the killer hiding among supposed "e;friends"e; before she becomes the next victim? HONEY HOMICIDE (A Carolan Springs Mystery Book 3)A string of arsons has the small town of Carolan Springs on edge. Amateur sleuth Anne soon finds she's playing with fire to clear the ruggedly handsome sheriff's name. With the help of her friends, she seeks to uncover the real arsonist. But as more clues ignite, can she unmask the true arsonist before getting burned?

A death. A receipt from the herbal shoppe. And a town that has already made up its mind.When a Carolan Springs resident dies, and the evidence leads straight to Hope's herbal shoppe, the town doesn't wait for the facts. The whispers start overnight, and the customers stop coming by morning. Hope's shoppe -- her life's work, her joy, the beating heart of everything she has built -- begins to crumble under the weight of accusation.Anne knows her best friend is innocent. What she doesn't know is why Hope won't quite meet her eyes. Why does she keep deflecting? Why, in the middle of the worst crisis of her life, does something else entirely seem to be weighing on her? Something she isn't ready to share even with Anne.With a killer still loose, a business on the verge of collapse, and her closest friendship suddenly feeling fragile in ways she can't explain, Anne has never had more at stake. Finding the real culprit won't just clear Hope's name. It might be the only thing that saves everything they have built together in Carolan Springs.In this gripping and heartfelt chapter of the Carolan Springs Mysteries, you'll find:•       A death that leads straight to Hope's door -- and a receipt that looks damning•       A beloved herbal shoppe hemorrhaging customers and teetering on the edge•       A best friend keeping secrets even from Anne -- and the ache of not knowing why•       A killer clever enough to use Hope's own remedies as the perfect cover•       A friendship tested in ways neither woman saw coming•       Anne and Sheriff Carson navigating something new, tender, and very much worth protecting•       Clean, wholesome mystery with zero "e;blushes,"e; fierce friendship, and a twist that'll break your heart before it heals itPerfect for readers who love:•       Cozy mysteries with Hallmark vibes•       Mysteries where friendship is every bit as important as the whodunit•       Cozy mysteries with a midlife female amateur sleuth•       Small-town Colorado settings with quirky, lovable characters•       Nature and foraging themes woven into a cozy mystery•       Emotionally rich cozy mysteries with real heart beneath the humor•       Clean mysteries with heart, humor, and a slow-burn romance worth waiting for If you love cozy mysteries with big heart, fierce friendship, and a killer you won't unmask until the very last page, Fungi Foul Play is Anne's most personal case yet. One-click to grab it now -- Hope needs her, and Anne Freemont has never walked away from a fight.The case is closed... but Anne Freemont and Carolan Springs aren't done with each other yet. Not by a long shot.  This book was created by a human author who's probably a quirky character in someone's story.This was originally The Backyard Farming Series. It is now titled The Carolan Springs Mysteries.

A Friend's Desperate Plea. Buried Secrets. Bodies in the Backyard.When Christie Taylor's closest friend discovers two bodies beneath her own backyard, the pie-baking, horse-riding sleuth is pulled into a mystery that has festered for decades. Who are these unnamed victims — and why were they hidden so deliberately, so finally? As Christie digs into the town's buried past, someone grows desperate to stop her. Threats escalate. Danger closes in. The deeper she goes, the clearer it becomes: the truth has enemies, and they aren't done protecting it.Death Wakes A Snake is the sixth book in the series, though every book can be read as a stand-alone mystery. Includes a pie recipe from the story. Perfect for cozy mystery readers who enjoy small-town charm and intrigue, Texas down-home values, real stakes, and homemade pie recipes. For fans of amateur sleuths with grit, grace, and an inconvenient habit of finding trouble.Saddle up, grab your sleuthing hat, and wrangle a snake now!  This book was created by a human author who's probably a quirky character in someone else's story.