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Claudia Bishop

This is the first book in a delightful series featuring two sleuthing sisters.

Hemlock Falls is a pretty little town in upstate New York. Sarah Quilliam, with her talent for business, runs the Inn at Hemlock Falls, while her sister, Meg, keeps the guests happy with her culinary abilities. But when it comes to murder, the Quilliam sisters have to rely on other skills—spotting clues, solving crimes, and catching culprits.

The History Days festival is the highlight of the year in Hemlock Falls, and the reenactment of the seventeenth-century witch trials is the highlight of the festival. But this year the mock execution becomes all too real when a woman is crushed under a pile of stones. The victim has been identified as a guest at the inn, but the killer remains unknown—so far.

Justine Eyre

Blackstone Publishing

Hemlock Falls Mysteries

A Taste for Murder

Hemlock Falls is a pretty little town in upstate New York. Sarah Quilliam, with her talent for business, runs the Inn at Hemlock Falls, while her sister, Meg, keeps the guests happy with her culinary abilities. But when it comes to murder, the Quilliam sisters have to rely on other skills-spotting clues, solving crimes, and catching culprits.Helena Houndswood is the epitome of class-at least when the camera's rolling. Behind the scenes, the celebrated expert on stylish living is just a garden-variety snob with a heart of stone. She's furious to learn that a group of decidedly declasse Hemlock Falls women has won the design contest sponsored by her television show, It's a Beautiful Life. Now one winner is missing and another is dead-but just how far would Helena go to avoid mixing with the unwashed? After all, murder is so tacky.

A Dash of Death

Hemlock Falls is a pretty little town in upstate New York. Sarah Quilliam, with her talent for business, runs the Inn at Hemlock Falls, while her sister, Meg, keeps the guests happy with her culinary abilities. But when it comes to murder, the Quilliam sisters have to rely on other skills-spotting clues, solving crimes, and catching culprits.Hedrick Conway is making news in Hemlock Falls, but he's making enemies even faster. The nosy newspaperman sees a late-breaking story everywhere he goes and never lets the truth get in his way. His current expose is an in-depth look at plans for the local mini-mall, in which several prominent people have invested a great deal of money. Hedrick thinks something funny is going on, but nobody's laughing when two of his relatives turn up murdered. For Hedrick-and anyone else who gets involved, like the Quilliam sisters-this could be one deadline they'll never meet.

A Pinch of Poison

Hosting the wedding rehearsal dinner of ex-senator Alphonse Santini, who seeks reelection and has transformed the quiet inn at Hemlock Falls into a political battleground, sisters Sarah and Meg become involved in a recipe for murder.

Murder Well-Done

The Quilliam sisters Quill and Meg are glad to escape Hemlock Falls’ snow and cold weather with a trip to tropical Palm Beach, sponsored by a rich divorcee for her new “charity.” Meg hopes to earn a chef’s “third star” at the charity’s Institute for Fine Foods, and Quill will teach a management seminar. The sisters soon learn they are caught in the middle of a war between the the charity’s spiteful sponsor and her enraged, immensely powerful ex-husband. As the fighting surrounding this “charity” for rich divorcees escalates, Quill and Meg become embroiled in sinister feuds and murder. The sisters set out to find the killer in this sunny Florida setting that seems like paradise … but where smiles can be as artificial as the facelifts of the charity’s youth-conscious attendees.

Death Dines Out

Sarah Quilliam (“Quill”) and her sister Meg are in deep financial trouble. Unable to pay bills and overhead on their beloved Inn at Hemlock Falls, they’re relieved when five women who call themselves the Crafty Ladies book several days at the Inn. The local crafts fair and wineries, Quill and Meg hope, will bring in more tourists.

When a guest at the Inn is murdered, and then a second body is found, both corpses with a triangle nearby, Quill sets out to unravel the motives and find the killer, while trying to deal with the Inn’s day-to-day business, demands of the Crafts Fair, and a rather strange couple who run a local winery.

A Touch of the Grape

Hemlock Falls is a pretty little town in upstate New York. Sarah Quilliam, with her talent for business, now runs the Palate Restaurant, while her sister, Meg, keeps the patrons happy with her culinary abilities. But when it comes to murder, the Quilliam sisters have to rely on other skills—spotting clues, solving crimes, and catching culprits.

The Quilliams have sold the Inn at Hemlock Falls, only to find that they miss the place—bills and all. Worse yet, the new owner has started turning a tidy profit playing host to big spenders, like the group of Texas longhorn cattlemen who are currently trying to sell the locals on the idea of raising their own herds. It seems like a can't-miss opportunity for all—until one of the cattlemen gets sent to that big trail drive in the sky. As the list of suspects grows, the Quilliams set out to catch the culprit and reclaim their precious inn—without getting stampeded themselves.

A Steak in Murder

Just when Sarah Quilliam (Quill) hopes a wealthy investor from Finland will allow her to buy back her beloved Inn at Hemlock Falls, things start to unravel. Her sister Meg, the Inn’s three-star chef, plans to marry and move to New York; Quill’s investor delays signing the check—and mysterious “accidents” occur after a couple of Hollywood scriptwriters and their producer show up at the Inn. Quill and Meg set out to uncover the truth—before the number of dead bodies can escalate further. Fast-paced, witty, with a pitch-perfect ear for dialogue.

Josephine’s Baking Powder Carrot Cake recipe is included.

Marinade for Murder

Hemlock Falls is a pretty little town in upstate New York. Sarah Quilliam, with her talent for business, runs the Inn at Hemlock Falls. Her sister, Meg, keeps the patrons happy with her culinary abilities. But when it comes to murder, the Quilliam sisters have to rely on other skills—spotting clues, solving crimes, catching culprits …

Business has never been better at the Hemlock Falls Inn. Best of all, Quill is painting again—and in love with an artist from New York City. But her weekend trips there, along with her weekday duties as manager of the inn, are taking their toll. She’s tired, cranky, losing weight, and grist for the Hemlock Falls gossip mill—especially when her own car is seen running down the town’s new computer expert. With an upcoming meteorologist convention at the inn, it’s up to Quill and Meg to make sure the elusive killer doesn’t make murder part of the forecast …

Just Desserts

Meg Quilliam would rather eat a rat than judge a deep-fat frying contest. But when celebrity chef Banion O’Haggerty offers to do it—for a pretty penny—and decides to stay at Quill and Meg’s inn, it’s the start of even more turmoil. Before the new franchise even opens, Mr. Holcomb has competition: Captain Cluck is setting up shop here too. Then, a butcher knife is missing and so is Banion! It’s anyone’s guess who will ruffle this killer’s feathers next …

Fried by Jury

While preparing for the 133rd anniversary of the Battle of Hemlock Falls, sisters Sarah and Meg Quilliam, proprietors of the Inn at Hemlock Falls, find themselves faced with murder when patrons of their establishment begin dying and a Civil War reenactor exposes the real history of the town.

A Puree of Poison

It's a bite of heaven—or hell—in this Hemlock Falls mystery.

Hemlock Falls is a pretty little town in upstate New York. Sarah "Quill"Quilliam, with her talent for business, runs the Inn at Hemlock Falls, while her sister, Meg, keeps the guests happy with her culinary abilities. But when it comes to murder, the Quilliam sisters have to rely on other skills—spotting clues, solving crimes, and catching culprits.

This year, March comes in like a lion, and it's Meg and Quill who take the brunt of the bite. First, a notorious state supreme court justice has decided to sequester the jury of a high-profile case at their cozy inn. Then, a raucous group of protestors called Friends of the Dead takes over the town to picket the planned relocation of the Civil War cemetery. But havoc turns to horror when the leader of the Friends becomes one of the dead. Now the Quilliam sisters must quell fears and catch a killer before another local VIP is greeted with an untimely RIP.

Buried by Breakfast

Hemlock Falls is a pretty little town in upstate New York. Sarah "Quill"Quilliam, with her talent for business, runs the Inn at Hemlock Falls, while her sister, Meg, keeps the guests happy with her culinary abilities. But when it comes to murder, the Quilliam sisters have to rely on other skills—spotting clues, solving crimes, and catching culprits.

A nudie bar in Hemlock Falls? Not if the good ladies of the village have anything to say about it. And just yesterday the MacAvoy barn burned to a crisp—and a body was discovered inside. What is this town coming to?

Quill and Meg have a feeling that the two incidents may be connected, but they already have their hands full. With Meg's wedding only days away, this bride doesn't have time for bodies; she has her own problems to worry about, like a serious case of cold feet and a chef whose supreme culinary skills are threatening to take over her kitchen.

A Dinner to Die For

Hemlock Falls is a pretty little town in upstate New York. Sarah "Quill"Quilliam, with her talent for business, runs the Inn at Hemlock Falls while her sister, Meg, keeps the patrons happy with her culinary abilities. But when it comes to murder, the Quilliam sisters have to rely on other skills—spotting clues, solving crimes, and catching culprits.

The fate of livestock everywhere hangs in the balance.

It's a golden autumn at the Inn at Hemlock Falls, and the conventioneers from the International Association of Pet Food Providers are fighting like cats and dogs over a campaign to switch to vegan pet food. Guest relations are not going smoothly for Quill and Meg. And matters don't improve when Quill discovers the body of the luscious Lila Longstreet while on a tour of Heavenly Hogg's Pig Farm. When pet psychic Olivia Oberlie correctly predicts a second murder, Meg and Quill investigate—and find most of the suspects are also on the weekend guest list, bringing business to a grinding halt.

Ground to a Halt

From the author of Ground to a Halt comes a special holiday Hemlock Falls mystery.

Hemlock Falls is one of the most picturesque villages in upstate New York, with the Hemlock Inn, owned by the amateur sleuth Quilliam sisters, as its centerpiece. The Quilliam sisters would love to show their little slice of paradise to the tourists that come to stay at their historic inn. However, the village isn’t as peaceful as some would have you believe …

For the Quilliam sisters, there’s nothing jolly about this Christmas. Meg and Quill are near-broke. At least there’s one bright start on the horizon: a big-time magazine and television show will feature the Inn. But soon the editor’s husband skis to his death. Now, if the Quilliams are to save the Inn from a lawsuit, they’ll need to prove this was no accident.

A Carol for a Corpse

There's trouble in paradise; the serenity of Hemlock Falls has been shattered by the arrival of the infamous Bernard LeVasque, who—too bitter for someone's taste—has been taken off the menu for good.

The grouchiest chef in the world of haute cuisine, Bernard LeVasque, has opened a multimillion-dollar cooking school and made quite a splash in the quiet village of Hemlock Falls—even stealing customers from the Inn. Sisters Quill and Meg wished he would leave, but they never wished him dead—which is exactly what has happened, thanks to the knife in his neck.

A mysterious scrap of a long-lost recipe found in his hands may hold clues to his killer, or maybe not—Bernie had a habit of sending even the most mild-mannered foodies into a homicidal rage. Could the killer be one of his bitter students or even his own wife, who may have taken her propensity for whacking him with kitchen tools too far? Or could it be Meg Quilliam, who wanted to keep him from their kitchen's profits? With her sister a suspect, it's up to Quill to find the killer cook that spoiled the consomm├®.

Toast Mortem

The gentrification of Hemlock Falls, home to innkeeper, artist, and amateur sleuth Sara "Quill" Quilliam, has drawn the attention of Edmund Tree. The host of Your Ancestor's Attic has decided to film an episode in town and everyone is searching attics for hidden treasures—including a burglar. Quill, for one, is not impressed with the obnoxious Tree, nor with his television rival, Belter Barcini, who blows into town for what looks like a ratings-booster showdown: a "friendly" cook-off between two sparring personalities.

It's a good thing Quill and her sister, Meg, are experts at appraising motives for murder when one of the cooks keels over on camera—because the suspects are piling up, and Quill is chosen to play detective.

Dread on Arrival

Sisters Meg and Sarah Quilliam make sure guests feel right at home when they visit the Inn at Hemlock Falls. Located in upstate New York, Hemlock Falls is a small town renowned for its scenic beauty—and scenes of crime.

Disaster strikes a mere week before the Hemlock Falls Ladies' Auxiliary hosts the annual Spring Fete when the festival's chairwoman—the redoubtable Adela Henry—gives up her job in a huff. Who's going to judge the justly renowned Jell-O architecture contest? Who will stop the members of the Craft Guild from sabotaging their rivals, the Crafty Ladies? More to the point, who's got the tact, diplomacy, and iron will necessary to organize the booths and settle quarrels over the programming?

Hemlock's mayor hopes to assure the fete's success when he recruits professional organizer Linda Connally and her staff to take over Adela's duties. But when Connally's body turns up in the trunk of a used car at Peterson's Automotive, Meg and Sarah are back in the detecting business.

Hemlock Falls Mysteries - The book series

Hemlock Falls Mysteries - The book series

Hemlock Falls Mysteries books in order

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