Welcome to Cactus Mystery Press

  by Patti Gaustad Procopi

Amber has made a mistake or two in her life, but her biggest mistake was losing everything she had to her ex-boyfriend. College is no longer an option, and she has no car, no job, and no place to live. Forced to move home with her parents, she is ready to begin again.

She is not home long before her family has a quasi-intervention, spearheaded by her sister Scarlet. The reason? To determine what Amber should do with her future.

Somewhat chagrined but grateful for the support, she is surprised to discover that her family is fully supportive of the direction she wants to take: true crime podcaster.

Amber has always been a fan of true crime mysteries, and she loves the idea of producing a show about local crimes committed by people she and her family knew. Soon, the idea sparks into reality, and The Murderer You Know podcast is launched.

But while they discuss crimes of the past, there is one crime that is happening in the present: the murders on River Road. Intrigued, Amber begins an investigation into who might be killing on this lonely stretch of road. With the help of the podcast crew, she starts to dig into the case while trying to stay out of trouble with local law enforcement, which turns out to be no easy feat.

As she interviews people connected to the case, the River Road murderer is watching her. And waiting. And planning for the River Road murders to gain one final victim: Amber. 

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  by Jan Marry

Jessamine is a long way from home. Her home in the Midwest, that is, not New Zealand, where she grew up. She ran from her husband in Kansas, a former military man whose long silences and cutting words were tearing her apart, leaving everything behind to live on an overgrown piece of property she’d inherited somewhere in Virginia.

Thank goodness for book groups. And libraries. When she starts work at the Bent River County Public Library, she is optimistic about her future. But confusion soon settles in, as she deals with an overworked boss who is forced to attend too many meetings, an overpaid co-worker who won’t allow anyone to sort old books or order new ones, and a large taxidermied bear that takes up too much space.

As Jessamine clears out the debris left behind in her home, making room for her new life, she starts to notice that Bent River County is not exactly a small-town haven. Something strange is happening, and it is directly related to the library. 

When she stands up for what she knows is right, Jessamine attracts all kinds of attention from people who might not want her to share her opinions. After all, Bent River County has always done things a certain way, and it has always been run by certain people. Will Jessamine and her new friends be able to stop the devious antics of the richest man in the county, or will Jessamine pay the ultimate price for trying to make things right? 

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple books and wherever books are sold.

  by Narielle Living

Coming Soon!

  by Robert Archibald

A small-town kid, a reformed criminal, and an assassination… will the hate group behind it all be brought to justice?

In 1968, Horace Narwhal commits a stupid crime and ends up paying for it by serving a stint in the Army. When his required enlistment ends, he returns home and finds a new job. A new life. He takes classes at night, gets his GED, and finds he has a natural talent creating whimsical sculptures. And he meets a police detective, a woman who captures his heart.

In 1980, Kenny Sturgis lives with his dad, an abusive loner, at a remote hunting camp. Barely out of high school, he spends his time working for his father, driving around town, and target shooting. When he meets Maybell Wilcox, his luck seems to have changed. But why is she really interested in Kenny, and what kind of plan does she have for him?

By the time Horace Narwhal crosses paths with Kenny Sturgis, one man is dead and another is wrongly accused. Can things be put right again before more people die? 

  by Tim Holland

Genealogy and a treasure hunt can lead to… murder. 

The day had darkened, and when two children at the library hide under a table during a storm, they overhear something more ominous than the rumbling outside. Strangers talking about stealing treasure.

What, exactly, had the children heard?

Soon, people are murdered, and the connections start to become more defined between a centuries-old secret kept by a former slave and the killings happening today. But what was that secret and what are the connections between the people who were attacked?

Sidney Lake knows he can help. Intrigued by research, he and Tillie James are the perfect pair to look into Lowcountry family connections and try to put the pieces of this puzzle together.

But the clock is ticking and this is no simple puzzle. More people will die if they don’t find answers soon. Sidney and Tillie quickly discover that family is complicated, and some connections are more dangerous than others.

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  by Robert Archibald

When is truth nothing more than an illusion?

Dwight returns to his hometown after a divorce, determined to pick up the pieces of his life and finish writing his second book. After all, the first one was a bestseller. Instead, he gets pulled into a bizarre conspiracy involving a shadowy group trying to spread misinformation through a series of videos detailing odd stories of Vikings, mermaids, and space aliens. Who are these people, and why do so many actually believe the lies they are spreading? 

When it becomes clear that Dwight must try to do something before the group spreads their lies further, he and his girlfriend team up with a reporter to uncover the truth about who is pulling the strings. From watching the videos online to attending rallies filled with thousands of supporters, it soon becomes clear that many people believe the Vikings and mermaids stories. Dwight knows some of their plans and the kind of future they are trying to encourage, a future that can turn out to be very dangerous for anyone who disagrees.

Can one former college professor and his girlfriend stop this group, or will the body count continue to rise?

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  by Narielle Living

  What do shamans, birds, and missing people have in common? Ava has no idea, but she's about to embark on a journey to find the truth.  

Ava Maria Sophia Cecilia O'Dell would like to crawl into a safe cocoon after the disaster of visiting her boyfriend's family. But there is no time to hide at home because her brother needs a favor. Fortunately, that favor does not involve joining him on his latest ghost hunt. Instead, she can stay behind at the store and play host for a shamanic workshop. How hard could that be? But soon all her ideas of sitting in the back office and taking care of paperwork (or scrolling through social media on her phone) are tossed aside.  She might not know how to do a shamanic journey or why her nemesis, Debbee, has returned, but she knows a dead body when she sees one.  Soon the body count piles up, and she works to figure things out. Why did a shamanic workshop result in a killing? Why did the shaman disappear, and where is he? What does the birding conference have to do with anything? In the midst of playing detective, she desperately tries to avoid a toxic family situation and determine what, and who, is in her future.  Birding in Brewster Square is the second in the Brewster Square series about a delightful Connecticut shoreline town. 

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  by Robert Archibald

George isn’t certain how he became a dung beetle—or scarab, as he prefers to be called. All he knows is that after he was murdered, this is his new incarnation.

And since dung beetles don’t have opposable thumbs, he enlists the help of Judy, a travel writer working on a piece in Africa to help him track his killer. Her luggage tag address says she is from Cleveland, his hometown, so he grabs the opportunity to go home and fix things. Soon, George and Judy figure out a way to communicate and she agrees to help him find his murderer.

But this is no simple homicide. 

When George was alive as a man, he worked for a detective agency. What had he uncovered that would cause someone to kill him? Will Judy and her friends have the same fate?

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  by Robert Archibald

Contrary to popular belief, it turns out that crime might pay, and it might pay well.

Four friends had become vigilantes to combat the offenses they saw committed against the innocent. But a promise to the FBI means they can no longer break the law to seek justice for victims. A family crisis changes everything, and now they have no choice. They are driven to take some sort of action, even if it means skirting the law. Again.

In this next installment after Roundabout Revengeand Guilty Until Proven Innocent, the four friends once again set out to right the wrongs perpetrated by criminals who have the power to destroy people’s lives. As the stakes escalate, only one question remains: Will they succeed this time or is this the end of a friendship… and maybe a life?

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or wherever books are sold.

  by Robert Archibald

Check your email. Help is out there…
When Sherry and Beth discover what their boyfriends have been up to, they want in on the action. Working as vigilantes and providing justice for wrongs committed is a noble thing to do, but the women decide the stakes need to change.
Once again, the conflict is personal.
This follow-up to Roundabout Revenge follows former Professor Phil Philemon as he and his friends continue to seek elusive justice for victims who may not have been able to speak for themselves. Lurking in chat rooms, the group finds a large number of women who have been sexually harassed on the job. Sexually harassed in horrible ways. Harassed until their jobs, their reputations, and their sanity is on the line. And what they find is that the story of he said-she said is not always one that ends well.
But not everything goes as planned, and soon the four friends need to come to terms with a larger reality, including a crime of arson and an FBI investigation.

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 by Robert Archibald  

A conflict between what is legal and what is just…Phil Philemon has it good—he enjoys teaching history at a university and is happily married. In fact, he and Mary Jane have been married for decades. After returning from a business trip, he stands in the airport waiting for his wife to pick him up.  She never arrives. The police tell him that her death was instant, and she never knew what hit her.  Phil is devastated. She had been the love of his life, and suddenly she was gone. All because of one person. Then he discovers more details about her death and the man who killed her, but justice is elusive. So Phil takes matters into his own hands and avenges her death the only way he can… with Roundabout Revenge.
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 by Susan Williamson
 

Molly likes her job at the new  farm... for the most part. But finding a dead man in the loft could  change everything. Who is this man, and how did he die? Then the  discovery of yet another body makes everything more complicated, and  Molly can't stop herself from looking into things as the body count  piles up.

With the delivery of horses that may or may not be legal  and the appearance of animal rights activists intent on doing damage,  Molly has her hands full. Clearly, though, her first priority is  stopping a killer, as Molly has become the next target. With lives on  the line, including her own, Molly holds onto the reins as she chases  down a murderer determined to destroy everything she has. 

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  by Susan Williamson

Molly and her husband, John, are professional horse trainers. They love living on a farm in rural North Carolina, they love caring for the horses, and they mostly love teaching others to ride. When John leaves to judge a horse show, Molly stays behind to take care of the horses and students. Her dog, Bingo, is by her side for everything, including finding a body in the woods…

Soon Molly and John are sorting through clues to help catch a killer, but they will have to work fast because this one is a little too close to home.

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by Narielle Living

Cleve Farrington, the handsome new stranger in town, has his sights set on Katie Hollister. But Katie has a secret, and it's starting to unravel. 

As revelations about Katie's obsession come to light, she is faced with enemies so powerful, they could destroy her - body and soul. 

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by Narielle Living

Ava Maria Sophia Cecilia has been conned into her into helping her brother, Giuseppe, with one of his paranormal investigations.  

But on the night they investigate the old McAllister place,a dead body turns up in the basement. 

Ava is determined to investigate the death, even when it means she cannot avoid the new detective in town, the mayor, assorted ghost-hunters, and a crazy animal rehabber. 

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 by Susan Williamson

Madelaine Jones is working to rebuild the pieces of her life. She is  going through the process of becoming a foster mom to a teenage girl who  survived a brutal trafficking ring. She is also in the midst of  remodeling a new house because her old one was destroyed in an  explosion, and she has finally come to terms with her husband’s death.  In fact, she has found a new love: Peter Simon.
Simon, who works  for intelligence agencies across Europe, comes to America to investigate  a money laundering case that involves racehorses. Soon Madelaine is  helping Simon unravel the clues that lead to money, diamonds, and murder  along the horse racing circuit.
As the investigation unfolds,  danger mounts from different corners of the world. Can they keep the  people they love safe while finding a way toward their own future?
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  by Susan Williamson

Madelaine Jones is awakened moments before her farmhouse explodes. Soon after, she discovers a letter that says her husband, who was in the Army, may have died for reasons other than being a war casualty, as she had been told. Determined to find answers, she travels across the Atlantic. Another explosion and a race against time puts this widowed horsewoman in the crosshairs of some very dangerous people who would do anything to stop her from finding the truth. 

There are old scores to settle. Premonitions. Akhal-teke horses. Determination to keep our heroine alive. But what awaits?

- Mystery Author Rita Mae Brown

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 by Narielle Living

A new job, a new home, and a ghost that won’t let her sleep until she solves a murder.

 Accepting her first job as a college professor in a different state is  supposed to be the start of a new life as Ella heals from the death of  her mother. Trying to balance preparations for the new semester with  incessant phone calls from her abrasive sister Lisa is difficult enough  before complications appear. Someone already hates her enough to  vandalize her house, and there's a constant supply of unannounced  visitors, like her enigmatic landlord, her eccentric older neighbor, a  handsome police officer, and a ghost. Of the three, the ghost is the  real problem. It appears in her dreams, it appears in person. It makes a  mess. Ella needs to know how this young Black woman became a ghost if  she ever wants to have a peaceful night in her new home. Working to find  out who is threatening her and why, she can't help wondering about the  irony of seeing other people's ghosts - but not her own mother, whom she  desperately misses. As the history of the town of Paterson and the  house she lives in is uncovered, Ella wonders if the past is truly the  past and questions what will happen once she finds the truth about the  events of 1960. 

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 Check back for more books!