{"title":"V. M. Burns","description":"Valerie (V. M.) Burns is a mystery writer whose novels and short stories have been finalists for the Agatha, Anthony, Edgar, and Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She is the author of the Mystery Bookshop, Dog Club, RJ Franklin, and Baker Street Mystery series. Valerie is a member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Color, Mystery Writers of America, and the Crime Writers' Association. She is also an adjunct professor in the Writing Popular Fiction Program at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. Born and raised in northwestern Indiana, Valerie now lives in the southeastern United States with her two poodles. Connect with Valerie at VMBurns.com.","products":[{"product_id":"murder-from-a-to-z-paperback","title":"Murder from A to Z - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhen Michigan bookshop owner and mystery writer Samantha Washington and her sister, Jenna, agreed to host a class for seniors on estate planning, they didn't plan on discovering shady doings at Shady Acres Retirement Village . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNana Jo has volunteered her lawyer granddaughter, Jenna, to teach estate planning to retirees--with Sam providing her bookshop as the venue. But during the seminar, entitled \u003ci\u003eGetting Your Ducks in Order\u003c\/i\u003e, it quickly becomes clear someone's up to Fowl Play. When elderly Alva Tarkington, accompanied by her niece, sits down for a consultation, Sam realizes the woman's frequent blinking is actually Morse Code--S.O.S. The sisters get her alone, and Alva tells them she believes her life is in danger and must change her will . . . \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eUnfortunately, Alva is found dead the next day--seemingly from natural causes. But Nana Jo and the sisters suspect otherwise. In between penning her latest historical mystery, set in 1939 as England declares war on Germany and Lady Elizabeth Marsh pursues stolen paintings and a traitor, Sam teams up with the senior sleuths of Shady Acres to search for motives--beginning with Alva's family. They soon learn not everyone is who they say they are, and someone is more than qualified to teach a class on cold-blooded murder . . .","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50102187163871,"sku":"9781496750822","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/RAIpdkjn99781496750822.webp?v=1781079107"},{"product_id":"icing-on-the-murder-paperback","title":"Icing on the Murder - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom Agatha and Edgar Award nominated author Valerie Burns, influencer-turned-bakery-owner Maddy Montgomery has sold plenty of wedding cakes before, but before she turns one out for her and her fiancé's wedding, she'll have to solve a little case of murder first...\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAunt Octavia would be so proud! Maddy has turned Baby Cakes Bakery--named for her 250-pound English Mastiff, Baby--into a runaway success, \u003ci\u003eand \u003c\/i\u003eshe's marrying the love of her life, veterinarian Michael Portman. #DreamWedding! Plus the timing couldn't be better: the country's biggest bridal expo has come to New Bison, Michigan, and Maddy has secured a spot for Baby Cakes to showcase their cakes. She's also entered a contest for an all-expenses-paid wedding extravaganza offered by world-renowned wedding planner Serafina. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eUnfortunately, supremely nasty Serafina truly takes the cake--she makes the worst bridezilla seem like a shy flower girl. But there's one thing the wedding planner didn't plan on--being impaled by one of the skewers Baby Cakes uses on their tiered wedding cakes. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhile Maid of Honor Sheriff April Johnson rounds up suspects at the expo, Maddy and her aunt's friends, the Baker Street Irregulars, and even Baby join forces to unveil a killer hiding in plain sight . . . before wedding bells start to chime.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50102856974559,"sku":"9781496753403","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/p_J33Z23YM9781496753403.webp?v=1781087485"},{"product_id":"the-next-deadly-chapter-paperback","title":"The Next Deadly Chapter - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Pure enjoyment\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e) for cozy mystery lovers is in store when a killer strikes at the surprise bridal shower Nana Jo and the lively ladies of Shady Acres Retirement Village have organized for Michigan bookshop owner, mystery writer, and amateur sleuth Samantha Washington. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eFans of Gigi Pandian, Ellery Adams, Jenn McKinlay, and other biblio-themed cozies will say \"I do!\" to this latest Mystery Bookshop novel from Agatha Award-finalist V.M. Burns!\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAll Sam wanted was to make a good impression on her fianc? Frank's mother, the very proper Dr. Camilia Patterson. But when Nana Jo and the lively ladies of Shady Acres Retirement Village throw a surprise bridal shower for Sam at the Four Feathers Casino--watch out! Things spin out of control faster than a roulette wheel. Fortunately, Sam knows when to fold 'em and slips back to her room to work on her latest historical mystery set between the wars, in which a houseguest meets a grim end at an English country manor. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe morning after brings another rude surprise. Sam gets a frantic call from Camilia, who's discovered a dead body in her room. Now winning over her soon-to-be mother-in-law means keeping the good doctor out of a potential scandal and attempting to discreetly solve a murder without ruffling any feathers. For that she'll need the help of Nano Jo--not exactly the soul of discretion--Detective \"Stinky\" Pitt, and the ladies--because the casino killer keeps upping the ante. . .","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50103794925791,"sku":"9781496750808","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/8phya6Aj6Y9781496750808.webp?v=1781097639"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/v-m-burns.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}