Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery

She began a journey of self-discovery. She never expected to uncover an old boyfriend and a dead body . . . Stuart, Florida. With her parents deceased and her son away at college, Cara Mia Delgatto longs to reinvent herself. And a sentimental purchase of a fixer-upper in a small, coastal town seems ideal for a new business selling repurposed relics. But when she trips over a corpse at her rundown building, she flips from renovator to prime suspect. Desperate to clear her name, it shocks Cara to discover that her property once housed a multi-million dollar art collection-stolen after the original owner's death. And when her first love shows up and tugs at her heartstrings, her whirlwind life upgrades to a hurricane. With accusations of murder and theft looming, she's running out of redos . . . Can Cara crack the case and rebuild her reputation, or will her desire to upcycle treasures send her to jail?

Life in Paradise isn't what it's cracked up to be. Cara Mia Delgatto feels like she is drowning in problems! Stuart, Florida. Her ex-husband is refusing to pay their son's college tuition (as promised), her sister is pulling mean pranks, and her old boyfriend has broken her heart . . . again. And that's just the personal stuff. She's also concerned about keeping the cash register ringing at the Treasure Chest, her store specializing in upcycled, recycled, and repurposed goods. An important media event goes sadly wrong and Cara's famous temper gets the better of her. Then a prying reporter turns up dead, practically in Cara's backyard. Could the reporter's murder have anything to do with a century's old blot on Florida state history, the infamous Dozier Boys School? Suddenly, Cara's personal problems seem trivial compared to the abuse and murder of hundreds of innocent boys.

Cara Mia thought she found a sculpture of a mermaid in the sand . . . and then it moved! Rescuing a half-drown immigrant was not what she wanted on her morning walk. Stuart, Florida. Was it the right thing to do? Will the woman survive? And if she does, will she be okay? Or was she better off dead? And where are all the other immigrants who made the perilous ocean voyage with her? Someone is behind all these beached landings of immigrants. Cara might have uncovered a human trafficking scheme. To trace these soggy deaths back to the source will take every bit of Cara's courage, plus a lot of help from her cranky grandfather. And then her son gets involved. Suddenly it's Cara's family that's at risk as a run-in with deadly coyotes threatens to destroy everything and everyone Cara loves. How could one good deed go so badly wrong?

Stuart, Florida-A priceless coral and gold artifact intended for a queen disappears from a locked hotel room. The item was on loan as part of a charity event-and Cara Mia Delgatto was one of the first people who entered the empty ballroom. Who else could have stolen it but her? The philanthropic community of South Florida is blaming Cara for the loss-and the charity event is promptly canceled. The backlash could hurt sales at the Treasure Chest, Cara's store specializing in upcycled, recycled, and repurposed goods. A single mom, Cara moved to the Treasure Coast of Florida for a second chance at life and love. Now it looks as though Cara's business is might be caught in the undertow. In the meantime, one of her friends has breast cancer, and the other is pregnant and has been rejected by the baby's father. Needless-to-say, Cara's support system is seriously shipwrecked. With all this going on, Cara's life is in turmoil. Can all this stormy weather sink Cara just like it did the Queen's Treasure Fleet of 1715? Is she doomed to go down with the ship? Or will Cara fight the undertow and make it back to shore in time to save her business and her sanity?

When a young caregiver is falsely accused of stealing from her elderly client, Cara Mia Delgatto refuses to stand by with her mouth shut. That famous Italian temper of Cara's is hotter than a bottle rocket. Instead of ignoring the girl's plight, Cara launches her own investigation, even though she has plenty to keep her busy at her store, The Treasure Chest, a shop specializing in upcycling, recycling, and repurposing with a coastal theme. If that wasn't enough, Cara's new beau has disappeared-vanished!-and she's forced to wonder how her taste in men could possibly be so bad? Meanwhile, she's assisting two brides-to-be as they plan their weddings and occasionally acting as referee when the two women clash over dates for their nuptials. And yeah, then there's that online bashing her reputation is taking. Otherwise, it's just another sunny day in Paradise!

First they warned Jocelyn Johnson. Then they ticketed Jocelyn Johnson. Then someone murdered Jocelyn Johnson. Cara Mia Delgatto was looking for a lost ball when she found Jocelyn "JJ" Johnson face down in a sand trap. It wasn't a surprise. The neighbors hated JJ for the reckless way she drove her golf cart. Sure, she lived on the grounds of a swanky golf club, and yes, she had tons of money, but JJ ruined flowerbeds, terrorized grandkids, and made a nuisance of herself. Except . . . except . . . she's quiet now. Lying there in the dirt at Hole #6. Someone bashed in JJ's head. (Who would risk ruining an expensive Homna golf club like that?) Cara doesn't want to get involved. But when Gerta Hunsickler is named the prime suspect, and Gerta's husband is so angry at his wife that he's starting divorce proceedings, Cara can't sit on her hands. She knows what it's like to be unfairly accused. So she promises to take a swing at it and see if she can hit a long drive down the fairway of justice! If you love warm-hearted, clean books that feature female amateur sleuths, fur babies, family, and friends, you'll love this charming DIY/recycling/upcycling series set on the Southeast Coast of Florida.

Cara's life is spinning out of control. A double-wedding is canceled at the last minute. A baby comes early. Her son decides he hates college. But none of that is as upsetting as the death of a young acquaintance, a food service professional with her whole life ahead of her. The drive-by shooting has left the cops without a suspect. Maybe it was simply a random act of violence. But Cara's curiosity, and her innate sense of humanity, drive her to keep asking questions. Who killed the girl with the purple hair? And why? Of course, Cara has plenty to keep her occupied. "Season" in Florida is the short window of time when visitors from the North come to town and spend money. It's a make-it or break-it time for a retail shop like The Treasure Chest. It's also the worst time ever for Cara to learn that her ex-husband is withdrawing his financial support. How will her son finish his education? How will Cara pay the looming tuition bill when she's knee-deep in the holidays? But Cara is nothing if not resourceful. She's a multi-tasker, and her mind never stops. Add in a generous amount of creativity, and Cara's practically unstoppable. Except . . . except . . . there's still that unsolved murder.

Cara Mia Delgatto is doing historical research when she visits the House of Refuge, a way station for shipwrecked sailors, on Hutchinson's Island, Florida. But Cara gets a dose of historical reality when another visitor is stabbed-and she's called upon to administer first aid. The subsequent death of the victim weighs heavily on Cara. The police are stymied, but Cara is spunky and determined. Until she finds out whodunnit-and why-she's haunted by the senseless murder.