Welcome to the Ivy Snow Mystery Series
Follow Ivy, Jaycee, Sloane and Crystal as they navigate murder and mayhem without ever becoming unseated!
When Ivy Snow, former Olympic Eventing hopeful moved to the charming town of Wellington to publish Equestrian Style magazine, she never dreamed that her family’s idyllic lives would be threatened by a prolific arsonist and a long festering plot for revenge. Ivy, a forty nine year old horsewoman and mother of fraternal twins finds herself in the midst of a midlife crisis like none other. After being stripped of her Olympic dreams by a near-fatal accident, Ivy discovers that her criminal lawyer husband is leading a double life. She seeks refuge in a small country town only to find herself in the throes of blackmail, arson and murder. From the riverbanks of Paris, to the cloistered environs of waspish American wealth, Ivy must unravel the mystery surrounding a steel tycoon’s death, while trying to protect her psychic teenage daughter, who knows too much for her own good.
CHAPTER ONE
I had the perfect opportunity to murder Bart. I had the motive, too.
Only a consummate narcissist like Bart Skeleton, Esq., would have the audacity to marry two women in the same place at the same time and think he could get away with it. It was bad enough that he screwed me over, but his own children! We had twins when he married Marion Fallon. What did he think would become of them? But then again, we have to remember that Bart never did think of anyone but himself.
Dr. Templeton Frick picked up his pad and pencil and started taking notes. “How did Bart’s behavior make you feel, Ivy?
“How did it make me feel? Devastated, humiliated, heartbroken, Doctor, that’s how it made me feel. I spent countless hours trying to figure out where I went wrong. Was I such a terrible wife that he felt like he needed another one to compensate for me? And as far as my own judgment goes—what was I thinking when I married him in the first place?”
“Have you worked through any of these feelings, Ivy?”
“No, I don’t think I have worked through them, Doctor. That’s why I’m in therapy.”
I hope this guy knows what he’s doing. If not, it serves me right for picking a therapist out of the Yellow Pages. He does have an assortment of framed diplomas all over the walls, so that’s a little reassuring anyway.
I suppose some people might think Bart was justified in his self-admiration. After all, he was a very successful criminal defense attorney, whose specialty was rape and murder. He was very much in demand. He was certainly good-looking in a suave Michael Douglas sort of way, and he had managed to ingratiate himself with the upper echelons of Philadelphia society, garnering invitations to all the best parties. Bart was the Golden Boy.
“I felt plenty sorry for myself, Doctor, but strangely enough I felt sorry for Marion. I mean, I did resent her, of course, but after all Bart duped her too. After I met her, I realized that she deserved justice almost as much as I did. Although jail would be too good for him, after weighing the pros and cons, I realized that in the unlikely event that I would be convicted of murder it wasn’t worth life in prison. Or, heaven forbid the electric chair, to get even with Bart. But get even with him I did.”
Dr. Frick squirmed slightly in his giant leather chair. He removed his rimless glasses and smoothed back his thinning silver hair. He pulled down the sleeves of his brown tweed jacket, and struggled to launch himself into a standing position. “I’m sorry Ivy, but that’s all the time we have for today. We’ll have to explore your feelings about Bart in more detail next week. I’ll see you then, same time,” he said with a half-hearted smile.
I descended with the ancient elevator to the lobby and stepped out onto the sidewalk, taking in a deep breath of fresh spring air. I could smell the sweet fragrance of the daffodils that were popping up in everyone’s front yard. I took a moment to enjoy this fleeting time, when nature comes to life. There was a soft breeze blowing and it ruffled my long blonde hair. I should have worn a hat.
Walking back to the parking lot a small sign caught my eye. It was planted in the front yard of an impressive Victorian-style home, and said Historic Morgan House circa 1837. I love architecture and design, and I get excited when I stumble across a great example of period style. I was studying the lines when I noticed the figure of a man in the window. He appeared to be an older guy from what I could tell. He was dressed in plaid, which did nothing for his physique, but the red bow tie he wore was an interesting accent—don’t see many of those nowadays. Our eyes met, and I was a little embarrassed to be caught staring at his house. I gave him a friendly wave, but he just stood there, perfectly still, and did not wave back. A creepy feeling came over me and I quickly moved on.
Murder At Morgan House is the winner of the 2018 EQQUS Film Festival Award for best fiction novel!
SEQUEL NOW AVAILABLE!
DEATH AT HEART’S DESIRE
Ivy Snow’s days are numbered…that is if Bart Skeleton has his way. He’s been humiliated and incarcerated thanks to Ivy, and in Death at Heart’s Desire he seeks his ultimate revenge. After a daring prison escape that leaves a river of destruction in its wake, Skeleton hatches a diabolical plan to put his ex-wife in her rightful place…the graveyard.With the help of her psychic teenage daughter, Jaycee, and paramour, Detective John Garrett, Ivy desperately tries to untangle Bart’s evil web…before it’s too late.
Discover Death at Heart’s Desire…the thrilling new sequel to Murder at Morgan House… by Janet Winters.
Newest In The Ivy Snow Mystery Series!
The Equus Award winning Ivy Snow Mystery Series returns as former Olympic equestrian and amateur sleuth, Ivy Snow is once again embroiled in an evil web of death and destruction.
Dreams turn to nightmares in Florida’s elite equestrian world when Ivy’s daughter, Jaycee, makes her riding debut. In a world where wealth, power and social standing rule, murder is most unwelcome for humans and horses alike. But murder mystery, and mayhem is whats served up to the polo and penthouse crowd, much to the horror of the horse world.
Nevertheless, Ivy’s present day plight soon becomes overshadowed by her past. Thanks to vile step-father, Lloyd Snow, Scotland Yard’s cold case surrounding her mother’s death heats up fast in the tropical sun…threatening her freedom…and her very life!
Ivy’s deductive skills and Jaycee’s psychic powers are put to the test when summoned to unearth the evil that conjure up Peril In Paradise.
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