AustLit

'It was going to be a Christmas wedding to die for…

'What could go wrong when baker Rosie Hart heads to a snowy Colorado mountain lodge for a week of elaborate pre-wedding festivities at her friend’s wedding? The better question would be: what could go right?

'Rosie’s fears for the nervous bride are confirmed when one of the wedding guests turns up dead. All evidence points to the groom being the intended victim, but with the guests dressed in Christmas-themed attire, and a dead Santa on their hands, Rosie’s not so sure. What if the killer did hit the right target all along?

'Stuck in a blizzard with the wedding party being picked off one by one, Rosie’s investigative instincts kick in—only this time she’s acting without the support of her friends back in Airlie Falls. Until her four irrepressible card-shark mentors from Riverbend Retirement Village unexpectedly turn up to rescue her.

'The more the merrier…right?' (Publication summary)

'Everyone knows everyone in small town Airlie Falls, so where could the killer be hiding?

'For one brief hour on a sunny Texas morning, amateur baker Rosie Hart glimpses the life she’s always dreamed about—thanks to a surprise inheritance from the late Miss Alice. But her benefactor is barely cold in the ground when Rosie is accused of her murder.

'As the only stranger in the tight-knit Airlie Falls community, and the only person with an obvious motive, all eyes turn to Rosie. Especially when more bodies begin to pile up and mysterious letters from the grave start circulating faster than Rosie can pull a tray of cherry nut clusters out of the oven.

'When Rosie begins to suspect the murders have links to a sixty-year-old suspicious death on the very property she’s just inherited, town locals become uneasy. But how can Rosie prove the two are related—and prove her innocence—before the killer strikes again?' (Publication summary)

'Every small town has secrets, but it seems Hoopers Corner has more than most.

'In this third book of the Rosie Hart mysteries, Rosie begins to unravel those shocking secrets when she steps up to prove the innocence of her newest clients, Francine and Edith Percival, the acclaimed elderly candy makers. They are accused of murder when their long lost great-nephew is found dead in their home; a great nephew they had never met nor heard of before he’d recently inserted himself into their lives. But was he actually who he said he was? And what was he searching for? Because it was evident he was searching for something, something that had been long buried. Just like the town’s secrets.

'This is one puzzle that almost has Rosie flummoxed until she hits upon something that is almost impossible to comprehend, and too shocking to contemplate… but leads her to the murderer.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Surf-loving Heidi impersonates her horse-mad twin sister in this rural romance from Australia's queen of teen, Kaz Delaney. Suitable for teen readers of Rachael Treasure.

'Heidi Gage is all about sun, skating and waves until her twin sister, Harper, dislocates her knee.

'If Harper doesn't go to jillaroo camp at Winmaroo - and seriously impress the teachers - she can kiss her dream school goodbye. And what's the point of having a twin sister if you can't switch places now and then, right?

'Blame it on guilt, or on sisterly love, but before the dust has settled Heidi is heading to the country for ten days of horses, snakes, rats and creepy crawlies and trying to look like she knows what she's doing.

'Heidi's about to learn a lot can happen in ten days. Flying under the radar isn't easy when you're falling in love.' (Publication summary)

'Macey's life has been turned upside down. Her mother has left, her father is absent and her two best friends are MIA. On top of that Macey is being visited by ghosts who need her help to 'move on'. But as wild as all that sounds, she has it all under control until a cheeky, good-looking spirit called Nick turns up ... in her bedroom!

'Nick's a spirit with spirit, who insists he's not dead, he's astral travelling and has a message for Macey: someone is out to get her. Macey's biting wit has got her in trouble before, so she's not surprised but when the threatening notes start turning up, she's seriously shaken. Does someone want her dead?

'It's all pretty disturbing but she's finding it hard to focus on who could mean her harm with the annoyingly handsome surf god Finn turning up at the most inopportune times and a father with a major surprise of his own.

'Is it a case of bad timing? Or are these things somehow connected? And if they are, what on earth should she wear when she's solving the mystery?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Willow's having a bad week. A dead body, a funeral and now she's being haunted by the star of it all, the dead queen of Ruth Throsby High herself, JoJo Grayson.

'Being dead hasn't made JoJo any nicer. She's still venomous and vacuous and, unfortunately, determined to stick around unless Willow finds out what happened.

'But the mysteries keep multiplying. There's a missing phone. An anonymous blackmailer. Dirty secrets that won't stay buried. And the blame is being cleverly pointed right at Willow.

'The only good thing? The gorgeous Seth Pentecost. He's got his own agenda but it looks like he's going to help Willow out. Could JoJo's death be what it takes to finally bring Seth into Willow's life?' (From the publisher's website.)

'There in the python's tummy was the shape of a trumpet. My shiny, brass trumpet!

'"He has to go. He'll eat us all!" yelled mum.' (Publication summary)

'“Bossy? Does this make my bottom look big?” Queen Jodi asked.

'All around the castle, people gasped. Sir Bossalot tried to ignore her. Then he ran away.

'The Queen screwed up her face. “I think Bossy needs to dig the wax out of his ears,” she muttered, as she watched him disappear.' (Publication summary)