New Releases by Valerie Wilson Wesley

The latest novel in a thrilling cozy mystery series featuring Odessa Jones—a sudden widow juggling a promising catering business, a full-time real estate gig—and a psychic gift that leads her to solve mysteries whenever they appear to her—which is often. From the award-winning creator of Newark private eye Tamara Hayle, will appeal to fans of cozy mysteries and multicultural fiction. With pandemic-fearing city dwellers fleeing to the New Jersey suburbs, Risko Realty—and Odessa Jones—are having their best year ever. Finally on solid financial footing, Odessa is debt-free and looking forward to the future. But she doesn’t need second sight to sense her new young co-worker, Anna Lee, is on edge--and straight-up terrified--in spite of her hot sales record and sunny, outgoing attitude. And when Anna is killed in a hit-and-run, Odessa sees immediately that it was no accident . . . It''s soon clear that Anna was being stalked. But even with the help of family, friends—and Odessa’s feisty cat, Juniper—Odessa is coming up with more questions than clues. Why was Anna avoiding influential real-estate mogul Emily Delbarton? Why is Delbarton’s decidedly creepy brother so fixated on Anna? Did Anna make enemies through her previous job at the town’s exclusive gentlemen’s club? And can Odessa rule out her own ex-fiancé—who’s back in her life with an astounding connection to Anna—and wanting a second chance? Finding the answers will come at an increasingly deadly cost—one Odessa’s talents must somehow trap a killer to repay . . . Praise for A Glimmer of Death “There''s crispness in Wesley’s plotting and sparkle in the supporting characters.” --Los Angeles Times “Wesley perfectly captures her protagonist’s emotions, including the lingering melancholy she feels for her late husband. . . . Readers will hope to see a lot more of kind, empathetic Odessa.” --Publishers Weekly

Sometimes even good luck can mean bad fortune. For Odessa Jones—reluctant psychic, part-time caterer, full-time realtor—an elegant affair turned deadly threatens her reputation, and her life . . . Recently widowed Odessa Jones is sure the exclusive catering job she’s scored from wealthy businessman Casey Osborne will propel her catering career into the big leagues. So when Dessa’s pesky second sight warns her that Osborne is bad news, she ignores it. She wishes she hadn’t when he drops dead at his brunch after sampling her homemade preserves. Osborne’s death is declared a homicide. Dessa and the friends who helped her cook are considered suspects . . . To clear her name and find the truth, Dessa delves into Casey Osborne’s life. Everyone from his sinister business partner to his tormented ex-wife has reason to kill him—and the opportunity to do it. With the help of her spirited aunt, loyal co-workers and mischievous cat Juniper, she desperately searches for answers. Until a second murder leads Dessa down a frightening path filled with insidious hidden agendas—and someone poised to change her life forever. Praise for A Glimmer of Death “There''s crispness in Wesley’s plotting and sparkle in the supporting characters.” —Los Angeles Times “Wesley perfectly captures her protagonist’s emotions, including the lingering melancholy she feels for her late husband. . . . Readers will hope to see a lot more of kind, empathetic Odessa.” —Publishers Weekly

Valerie Wilson Wesley's private investigator, Tamara Hayle, whom the Houston Chronicle calls "smart, sexy, tough but tender," has earned enthusiastic acclaim from reviewers and readers alike. Now Newark, New Jersey's savviest detective confronts the one case she never saw coming--and discovers how ties that bind can easily become a noose.Tamara Hayle can't believe that her life is this good. New York's most powerful businessman wants her to work for him, her new lover seems caring and supportive, and her son, Jamal, is thriving. But as Tamara sardonically observes, "When things stir that easy, there's always something lumpy at the bottom of the pot."Enter Lilah Love, an old acquaintance who begs Tamara to find her missing child. Tamara, however, is wary of Lilah, who attracts mayhem and murder like an alley cat attracts fleas. Next up is Basil Dupre, Tamara's outlaw ex-lover, who always brings passion--and chaos--when he strolls into Tamara's life. Suddenly Tamara's safe world isn't so secure, especially when Jamal witnesses a brutal murder and becomes the prime suspect.As the body count rises, Tamara and Jamal will follow a long-forgotten secret into a terrifying confrontation with love gone bad, trust turned lethal, and a past hungry to claim more lives.From the Hardcover edition.

Tina, Willimenas know-it-all big sister, advises Willimena just to smile and be nice. But a smile and nice wont get you very far if the class bully - also known as mean Irene - jumps in your face. And thats just what happens to Willimena.

Twenty years after their mother abandons them, Dani and Rose, both in dysfunctional relationships that make them fear they are following in their mother's footsteps, must come to terms with the past when their mother re-enters their lives.

Valerie Wilson Wesley's Tamara Hayle mystery series featuring Newark, New Jersey's number one private investigator are loved for their smart, sexy protagonist who "has a way with a wisecrack that is positively lethal" (Washington Post). Now in Dying in the Dark, Hayle is entrenched in a sinister investigation that will demand her best detective work yet.Tamara Hayle's past has come back to haunt her--literally. She's been plagued by terrifying dreams about Celia Jones, an old friend whose walk on the wild side led her to a horrible death. Celia's teenage son, Cecil, begs Tamara to find his mother's killer . . . only to end up dead himself, stabbed through the heart.The search for Celia and her son's killer pulls Tamara deep into her friend's troubled love life, where everyone adored her but somebody held a murderous grudge. There's her bullying thug of an ex-husband; a handsome ex-lover who woos Tamara with charm and lies; and an angry, jealous woman who claims that Celia broke her heart. And those were just the obvious people with axes to grind.Despite her better judgment and the admonitions of the police department, Tamara refuses to back away from the mystery surrounding her old friend's death and the tragedy that met her son. All clues lead to the past Tamara shared with Celia Jones, and Tamara fears that that past will threaten her own son. But she uncovers more than she bargained for--and unearths secrets someone would kill to keep in the shadows.From the Hardcover edition.

A young African American girl learns some valuable lessons about life.

When third-grader Willimena loses the class pet, her teacher helps her to understand that responsibility means doing one's best, and that animals can't always be controlled.

Struggling P.I. Tamara Hayle is hired by New Jersey''s most affluent African-American family to find their rebellious daughter who''s run off to Atlantic City where a serial killer prowls the streets. Tamara joins the hunt for the missing Gabriella Desmond--especially after Gabriella''s last known roommate is murdered. (May) Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

A family is strained to the limits when a husband walks out on his forty-year-old wife and two adult children to search for happiness and everyone must pick up the pieces.

In just three Tamara Hayle mysteries, Valerie Wilson Wesley has created one of the most memorable private investigators to hit urban streets in years. As the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel has proclaimed, "Tamara continues to emerge as a strong, decisive woman." When the grieving mother of a slain hoodlum begs the Newark p.i. to look into the unsolved murder, Tamara initially refuses, but then discovers a connection between the victim and her late policeman brother. Her search for the truth takes Tamara from the grittiest sections of the city to its middle class neighborhoods where family secrets are preserved at any cost. However, as the case creeps into her personal life, Tamara learns that when it comes to murder--there is no hiding place.