Murder on a Mississippi Steamboat Read online

  “Maybe he’s not all bad,” Aunt Julia mused. “Anyway, it has been a delight working with you.”

  “And both of you as well.” Max bowed, his gaze lingering on Nora for a second before he turned and walked off.

  “Now there’s a man who might make a good husband for you, Nora. Handsome, smart and has an exciting job.”

  Nora turned from the sight of Max’s retreating backside, interesting as it was, and leaned on the railing looking out at the dock. “The thought isn’t totally unappealing, but I have no desire to get married. I have much too much fun traveling around with you.”

  “That’s sweet, dear.” Aunt Julia joined her in looking at the view. The stream of passengers had turned into a trickle and most were getting into cars—Renaults, Studebakers, Roadsters. “I suppose we should head down… oh wait, there’s Artemis with Lily.”

  The pair were coming down the gangplank. Artemis’ hand was on Lily’s elbow. Her hands were clasped in front of her and a sweater was thrown over them so as to hide the handcuffs. At least Artemis was a gentleman in that respect. A police car swooped in and he put her in the back. Then he glanced at the boat, his eyes zeroing in on Nora and Julia. An unusual smile crossed his lips. It almost made him look human. Then he nodded and tipped his hat at them before getting into the passenger side of the car.

  “What do you make of that? Was that his way of thanking us?” Aunt Julia asked.

  “Beats me. At least he gave us some sort of recognition.”

  Aunt Julia turned away from the railing. “Yes, I suppose that’s the best we’re going to get. At least this time.”

  If you enjoyed Murder on a Mississippi Steamboat, don’t miss A Twist in the Tail—the purrrfect read for mystery fans. We’re pawsitive you’ll love it!

  Buy now!

  A Twist in the Tail

  The Oyster Cove Guesthouse series Book 1

  Order it now!

  ‘Talk about inconvenient. Not only did I have a dilapidated mansion and no money to repair it, two uppity cats and some cranky guests waiting for breakfast, there was also a dead body in the stairwell.’

  Josie Waters is the enthusiastic new owner of the Oyster Cove Guesthouse – a ramshackle Victorian mansion high on a hill above the breezy seaside town of Oyster Cove, Maine. Josie has a history in Oyster Cove, but she’s not going to let anyone – from her crazy friend Millie to her old flame Mike – stand in the way of making this venture a success.

  But then Josie’s first guest – a stuffy food critic – is murdered before breakfast, and the town sheriff suspects Josie could be to blame. Thank goodness Nero and Marlowe – the guesthouse’s resident cats – are also on the case. Little does Josie know, this isn’t their first investigation… but can they find the clues to the real killer before another guest is targeted?

  Following her cats’ noses, it isn’t long before Josie discovers that the critic ruffled more than a few feathers in his day. In fact, from the rule-obsessed local Building Inspector to the guesthouse’s pernickety maid, there’s not a person in Oyster Cove who doesn’t have a secret to hide… could one of the locals be a cold-blooded killer in disguise? And with her beloved guesthouse’s very future on the line, can Josie solve the case in time?

  A joy to read, with a twist you’ll never guess! From the award-winning author of the USA TODAY bestselling Mystic Notch series. Purrfect for murder mystery fans, cat lovers and everyone in between.

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  Books by Leighann Dobbs

  Murder on a Mississippi Steamboat

  The Oyster Cove Guesthouse (Cat Cozy Mystery Series)

  A Twist in the Tail

  A Whisker in the Dark

  A Purrfect Alibi

  Mystic Notch (Cat Cozy Mystery Series)

  Ghostly Paws

  A Spirited Tail

  A Mew to a Kill

  Paws and Effect

  Probable Paws

  A Whisker of a Doubt

  Blackmoore Sisters (Cozy Mystery Series)

  Dead Wrong

  Dead & Buried

  Dead Tide

  Buried Secrets

  Deadly Intentions

  A Grave Mistake

  Spell Found

  Fatal Fortune

  Lexy Baker (Cozy Mystery Series)

  Lexy Baker Cozy Mystery Series Boxed Set Vol 1 (Books 1–4)

  Or buy the books separately:

  Killer Cupcakes

  Dying for Danish

  Murder, Money and Marzipan

  3 Bodies and a Biscotti

  Brownies, Bodies and Bad Guys

  Bake, Battle and Roll

  Wedded Blintz

  Scones, Skulls & Scams

  Ice Cream Murder

  Mummified Meringues

  Brutal Brulee (Novella)

  No Scone Unturned

  Cream Puff Killer

  Never Say Pie

  Kate Diamond Mystery Adventures

  Hidden Agemda (Book 1)

  Ancient Hiss Story (Book 2)

  Heist Society (Book 3)

  Silver Hollow (Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series)

  A Spell of Trouble (Book 1)

  Spell Disaster (Book 2)

  Nothing to Croak About (Book 3)

  Cry Wolf (Book 4)

  Mooseamuck Island (Cozy Mystery Series)

  A Zen for Murder

  A Crabby Killer

  A Treacherous Treasure

  Hazel Martin (Historical Mystery Series)

  Murder at Lowry House (Book 1)

  Murder by Misunderstanding (Book 2)

  Lady Katherine Regency Mysteries

  An Invitation to Murder (Book 1)

  The Baffling Burglaries of Bath (Book 2)

  Murder at the Ice Ball (Book 3)

  A Murderous Affair (Book 4)

  Sam Mason Mysteries (Writing as L. A. Dobbs)

  Telling Lies (Book 1)

  Keeping Secrets (Book 2)

  Exposing Truths (Book 3)

  Betraying Trust (Book 4)

  Killing Dreams (Book 5)

  Available in Audio

  The Oyster Cove Guesthouse (Cat Cozy Mystery Series)

  A Twist in the Tail (Available in the UK and US)

  A Whisker in the Dark (Available in the UK and US)

  A Purrfect Alibi (Available in the UK and US)

  A Letter from Leighann

  Dear reader,

  I want to say a huge thank you for choosing to read Murder on a Mississippi Steamboat. If you did enjoy it, and want to keep up to date with all my latest releases, just sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

  Sign up here

  I hope you loved Murder on a Mississippi Steamboat and if you did I would be very grateful if you could write a review. I’d love to hear what you think, and it makes such a difference helping new readers to discover one of my books for the first time.

  I love hearing from my readers—you can get in touch on my Facebook page, through Twitter, Goodreads or my website.

  Thanks,

  Leighann Dobbs

  www.leighanndobbs.com

  A Whisker in the Dark

  The Oyster Cove Guesthouse series Book 2

  Order it now!

  FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE BELOVED USA T
ODAY BESTSELLING MYSTIC NOTCH SERIES…

  Discovering the 300-year-old skeleton of shipping tycoon Jedediah Biddeford in the ballroom wall is a big old hassle for Josie Waters, owner of the Oyster Cove Guesthouse. Especially when Biddeford’s descendants turn up, certain that a family legend about treasure buried nearby must be true.

  Josie is too busy dreaming up the perfect cake for the Oyster Cove’s 250th anniversary celebration to worry about the Biddeford family – plus half the town – digging up her yard… until one of her guests is murdered in the guesthouse garden.

  With worries that her guesthouse will get a reputation for being the kind of place you only leave in a body bag, Josie must put her detective skills to work to find the killer. Lucky for her, Nero and Marlowe and their gang of cat sleuths are also on the case.

  From the old wharf, to the town common, to the guesthouse itself with its many nooks and crannies, the cats are sure to sniff out the killer… but can they help Josie stop the person behind the mysterious murder before they strike again?

  A fantastic page-turner from a bestselling author, purrfeect for fans of Agatha Christie, Adele Abbott, cat lovers and everyone in between!

  A Purrfect Alibi

  The Oyster Cove Guesthouse series Book 3

  Order it now!

  Fortune tellers and mediums have descended on the Oyster Cove Guesthouse, determined to solve the mystery of local seafarer Jedediah Biddeford’s murder 300 years ago... especially if it leads them to the treasure he buried on the guesthouse grounds. New owner Josie Waters has suddenly got bigger problems than burning the breakfasts: she’s up to her elbows in tarot cards and tea leaves…

  When one of the mediums is found dead with an ominous note nearby, everything points to Jedediah’s ghost being the culprit. Suddenly, Josie finds that the fate of her guesthouse depends on not one murder but two, and she’s not going to rely on a crystal ball for answers. Despite the fact that cookbooks and candlesticks keep mysteriously falling off tables, Josie is sure there’s no such thing as ghosts. But guesthouse cats Nero and Marlowe know better…

  Aided by her mom and eccentric family friend Millie, Josie sets out to prove the identity of the killer without summoning any spirits. Luckily Nero and Marlowe know the truth about ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night and they are on the case! Can they make Josie realize she is scratching up the wrong tree before the killer strikes again?

  From the bestselling author of the USA Today bestselling Mystic Notch series, purrfect for fans of Adele Abbott, cat lovers and anybody who loves to curl up with a page-turning cozy mystery.

  We – both author and publisher – hope you enjoyed this book. We believe that you can become a reader at any time in your life, but we’d love your help to give the next generation a head start.

  Did you know that 9% of children don’t have a book of their own in their home, rising to 13% in disadvantaged families*? We’d like to try to change that by asking you to consider the role you could play in helping to build readers of the future.

  We’d love you to get involved by sharing, borrowing, reading, buying or talking about a book with a child in your life and spreading the love of reading. We want to make sure the next generation continues to have access to books, wherever they come from.

  Click HERE for a list of brilliant books to share with a child – as voted by Goodreads readers.

  Thank you.

  *As reported by the National Literacy Trust

  Published by Bookouture in 2020

  An imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

  Carmelite House

  50 Victoria Embankment

  London EC4Y 0DZ

  www.bookouture.com

  Copyright © Leighann Dobbs, 2020

  Leighann Dobbs has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-83888-671-4

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.