Teepees and Trailer Parks: Book 1
Bag of Bones: Book 2
Southern Stalker: Book 3
Two Settle the Score: Book 4
Killer Road Trip: Book 5
Pups in Peril: Book 6
Dying To Get Married-In: Book 7
Deadly Drive-In: Book 8
Secrets of a Stranger: Book 9
Library Lockdown: Book 10
Vandals & Vigilantes: Book 11
Fatal Frolic: Book 12
Sweet Southern Sleuths Box Set I: (Books 1-4)
Sweet Southern Sleuths Box Set: II: (Books 5-8)
Sweet Southern Sleuths Box Set III: (Books 9-12)
Sweet Southern Sleuths 12 Book Box Set (Entire Series)
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Cast of Characters
Carlita Garlucci. The widow of a mafia “made” man, Carlita promised her husband on his deathbed to get their sons out of the “family” business, so she moves from New York to the historic city of Savannah, Georgia. But escaping the family isn’t as easy as she hoped it would be and trouble follows Carlita to her new home.
Mercedes Garlucci. Carlita’s daughter and the first to move to Savannah with her mother. An aspiring writer, Mercedes has a knack for finding mysteries and adventure and dragging her mother along for the ride.
Vincent Garlucci, Jr. Carlita’s oldest son and a younger version of his father, Vinnie is deeply entrenched in the family business and not at all interested in leaving New Jersey for the Deep South.
Tony Garlucci. Carlita’s middle son and the second to follow his mother to Savannah. Tony is protective of both his mother and his sister, which is a good thing since the female Garlucci’s are always in some sort of a predicament.
Paulie Garlucci. Carlita’s youngest son. Mayor of the small town of Clifton Falls, New York, Paulie never joined the “family business,” content to live his life with his wife and young children away from a life of crime. His wife, Gina, rules the family household with an iron fist.
Chapter 1
Mercedes stepped inside the apartment. She slinked past an oversized armoire blocking her path and reached for the handle of her Segway.
“You’re in the way,” a deep male voice growled from the stairwell.
“Give me a sec.” Mercedes tugged on the handle, firmly wedged behind the large piece of bedroom furniture. “I’ll be out of here as soon as I move this out of the way.”
“It shouldn’t be parked there in the first place when someone is trying to move in. You’ll have to leave it ‘til later. There’s no way to get it out right now.”
Mercedes could feel her blood begin to boil as she lifted her gaze, her eyes locking with the most unusual combination of blue-green eyes. The man arched his brow, his lip curling at the corners in a mocking smirk.
“I wasn’t aware a tenant was moving in today.” Mercedes added extra emphasis to the word tenant and crossed her arms as she forced herself to defy the unpleasant man who was staring down at her. “A little notice would have been appreciated and I certainly would have moved my Segway to a safer spot.”
The stairs creaked as the man slowly descended the steps, making his way past the armoire until he was standing mere inches from Mercedes, who was trapped in the corner. “Mrs. Garlucci was aware I was moving in. Are you the cleaning lady?”
“Cleaning lady?” Mercedes sputtered. A hot heat burned up her neck. “I’m Mercedes Garlucci, part owner of this property.”
The statement was a bit of a stretch. Technically, Mercedes’ mother, Carlita, was the sole owner of 210 Mulberry Street, a restored apartment building in Savannah’s beautiful and historic Walton Square.
“Huh.” The man crossed his arms, mimicking Mercedes’ stance.
The duo continued their stare down for several long seconds, until Mercedes’ palm itched with the overwhelming desire to slap the smirk off the stranger’s face.
Certain her mother would be furious, not to mention the sneaking suspicion the action would somehow cause her opponent to emerge the victor, she quickly changed tactics and forced a smile. “If you would be so kind as to back up, I’ll get out of your way.”
The man took a step back, giving Mercedes a wide berth to slip past him. She was almost in the clear when he abruptly stepped forward, as if he was going to block her again.
“Pfft.” Mercedes bolted past him and picked up the pace, taking the stairs two at a time. She could feel the heat of his stare as his eyes bore into her back. “Jerk,” she hissed under her breath as she flung the apartment door open.
She stormed into the apartment, slamming the hall door so hard, the pictures hanging on the wall rattled.
Startled by the loud bang, Carlita Garlucci spun in her chair and clutched her chest. “For Pete’s sake, Mercedes. Please don’t slam the door. You scared the daylights out of me.”
“Sorry, Ma.” Mercedes marched across the room. “That man is making my blood boil.”
“I know your brother can be aggravating at times, but you two need to learn to walk away from each other when you disagree.”
“I’m not talking about Tony.” Mercedes jabbed her finger toward the door. “It’s the rude, arrogant, egotistical, self-important tenant across the hall.”
Carlita frowned. “Are you talking about Mr. Ivey, our new tenant? He’s such a nice young man. Earlier this morning, he
