Author

Denise Swanson

Denise Swanson
  • Love turns deadly in Scumble River, and Skye is caught between a rock and a heart place.

    School psychologist Skye Denison-Boyd is settling into the rhythm of being a working mom, but when school is put on lockdown, life gets messy again. Not only is she stuck in a room with her horrible superintendent, Dr. Wraige, it looks like the lockdown was a false alarm—someone left a cupid’s bow and arrow in a classroom.

    Later, as Wally looks into an attempted break-in, he finds the superintendent murdered, his jugular cut with the arrow of a cupid statue. Did love just turn deadly in Scumble River? As the part-time psychological consultant for the police department, Skye joins Wally in investigating the murder. But things get even more personal when her godfather, Uncle Charlie, gets wrapped up in a state police sting. With a dead boss, a godfather under suspicion, and a mythical killer on the loose, Skye has more than enough work cut out for her!

  • There’s something fishy just below the surface of Scumble River …

    School psychologist Skye Denison-Boyd is getting ready to return to work from her maternity leave and hoping for a peaceful year in her job as a school psychologist. But when an elderly woman disappears on her first day back and a disgruntled parent threatens to sue the school, Skye realizes that her return will be anything but quiet.

    When the parent suing Skye’s school is found dead and with the missing woman’s case still unsolved, Skye suspects the crimes are somehow linked. With her chief of police husband, Wally, at her side, Skye dives into the investigations. But as tensions rise and Skye and Wally’s suspect list lengthens, they start to wonder whether a member of their own tight-knit community could be behind it all …

  • Another deadly fun Chef-to-Go mystery from New York Times bestselling author Denise Swanson—the back-to-school season can be murder!

    It’s the beginning of the university’s fall semester and Dani can’t wait for the college students to return to Normalton, Illinois―after all, without them, there is no one to support her Lunch-to-Go service, which is a vital part of her Chef-to-Go business. But Normalton University’s orientation week is marred by a mysterious murder, along with a series of car-jackings and sightings of a mysterious creature in a pond on campus. And with the whole town feeling unsettled, Dani finds herself dealing once again with the infuriatingly handsome Spencer Drake, the head of security at the university.

    Although Dani vowed her life would never again be boring and routine after she quit her stifling corporate job, she had no idea that she’d end up dealing with such strange happenings―not to mention murder. But as the trouble in Normalton draws worryingly close to home, Dani realizes that if the killer isn’t caught soon, she may be the next one found scone-cold dead.

  • The chips are down in Scumble River.

    School psychologist Skye Denison-Boyd had hoped that her maternity leave would be at least a little relaxing, but when she and her husband, Wally, meet with the priest to discuss their newborn twins’ christening, an explosion at the nearby bowling alley rocks the rectory. And although the business was closed at the time of the blast, there’s a body inside.

    As police chief, Wally is inevitably drawn into the investigation, which seems to indicate that foul play is afoot again in Scumble River, and Skye can’t help but do a bit of her own sleuthing. But the clues come fast and furious, ranging from an odd new stranger in town to animosity toward the gambling machines that had recently been installed at the bowling alley, and Skye finds herself wondering if this could be the puzzle that stumps her for good.

  • Right when Dani thinks she’s hit a dead end in her career, she unexpectedly inherits an enormous old house in a quaint college town.

    This gives her the perfect opportunity to pursue her true passion―cooking. So Dani opens Chef-to-Go, preparing delicious, ready-made meals for hungry students attending the nearby university, as well as providing personal chef services and catering events for the local community. To help support her new business, she opens her home to a few students, renting them rooms and becoming almost like a big sister figure in their lives.

    But just as Dani is relishing her sweet new life, the friend of one of her boarders is murdered, and Dani becomes one of the primary suspects! She will have to scramble to clear her name and save her business before the killer reappears―perhaps to silence the new chef forever.

  • Featuring the beloved Scumble River setting and characters, Dead in the Water is a gripping mystery that won’t let you go until you’ve turned the last page.

    A twister, a kidnapping, and a murder―oh my! Scumble River may never be the same.

    For school psychologist Skye Denison, there’s certainly no place like home. When a violent tornado devastates her small hometown of Scumble River, she can’t see how the community will ever recover―especially since town councilman Zeke Lyons appears to have perished in the twister.

    But things get even worse for Skye when her police chief husband, Wally, disappears in the midst of investigating Zeke’s death, and evidence arises pointing to foul play. Did Zeke really die in the storm, or was he murdered? And could Wally be next on the criminal’s hit list?