Paula Paul

In a fashionably cozy short mystery novel, Paula Paul introduces a tenacious heroine who leaves big-city life behind and returns to picturesque Santa Fe, New Mexico—where murder lands on her doorstep.   Irene Seligman loves the warmth and beauty of her Southwest hometown, but only one thing could make her quit her prestigious job as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan to return the guilt applied by her demanding mother, Adelle. After Adelle’s most recent husband dies, leaving her with nothing, Irene decides to take a break from prosecuting criminals to move back to Santa Fe and open an upscale consignment store. With Irene’s determination and her mother’s eye for haute couture, they’re sure to make a killing.   But on the day of the grand opening, Irene discovers the body of one of Adelle’s friends in her storeroom. And although the intrigue causes business to boom, when someone else from Adelle’s social circle is murdered, Irene begins to suspect her mother might be in danger too. Ever the protective daughter, Irene investigates her mother’s friends, suspicious that they’re hiding more than designer clothes in their closets. But as she gets closer to uncovering some real skeletons, Irene might not live to regret coming home again.

When the host of a posh gathering at the country estate of Edward Boswick, Earl of Dunsford, turns up dead, his companions, some of the elite aristocrats of the land, blame a helpless servant, until Alexandra Gladstone, the lady doctor of Newton-upon-Sea, sets out to unravel the truth, in a mystery set against the backdrop of rural Victorian England. Original.

Sure to delight readers of Jacqueline Winspear, Emma Jameson, and Laura Childs, this short novel features Queen Victoria herself—and she’s rumored to have slain a local psychic in Newton-upon-Sea. Now the task of clearing her name and catching the real killer falls to Dr. Alexandra Gladstone. Under Victoria’s reign, women are barred from calling themselves physicians, but that hasn’t stopped Alexandra Gladstone. As the first female doctor in Newton-upon-Sea, she spends her days tending sick villagers in the practice she inherited from her father, with her loyal and sometimes overprotective dog, Zack, by her side.    After the corpse of village spiritualist Alvina Elwold is discovered aboveground at a church boneyard, wild rumors circulate through the charming seaside village, including one implicating a certain regal guest lodging nearby. Tales of the dead Alvina hobnobbing with spirits and hexing her enemies are even more outlandish—but as a woman of science and reason, Alexandra has no doubt that a murderer made of flesh and blood is on the loose.   Finding out the truth means sorting through a deluge of ghostly visitors, royal sightings, and shifty suspects. At least her attentive and handsome friend Nicholas Forsyth, Lord Dunsford, has come to her aid. Alexandra will need all the help she can get, because she’s stumbled upon dangerous secrets—while provoking a deadly adversary who wants to keep them buried.Praise for Medium Dead   “An entertaining cozy mystery written with vivid historical detail . . . If you like reading historical mysteries with just a hint of romance, then Medium Dead should be right up your street.”—Fictionophile   “There are more than a few scenes where Alexandra’s dog, Zack, steals the show.”—Reading Reality   “I would recommend this to fans of the Maisie Dobbs series. There’s a strong female character in a historical setting. She’s determined, logical, intelligent and faces an unusual situation.”—The Reader’s HollowPraise for Paula Paul’s Alexandra Gladstone mysteries   “The Dr. Alexandra Gladstone series by Paula Paul presents an intriguing mixture of mystery, romance, and history. I especially love the way real personalities from the past keep popping up to intermingle with Paul’s fictional characters.”—Lois Duncan, award-winning and bestselling author of Killing Mr. Griffin and I Know What You Did Last Summer   “A lively mixture of ruling class murder, Victorian morals, and love.”—Bestselling author Tony Hillerman

Several children have died in a measles outbreak in the village of Newton-Upon-Sea. Equally as frightening is what begins to look like an epidemic of murder that may be related in some way to the measles contagion. Dr. Alexandra Gladstone finds herself deeply involved in both threats. Not only is her own life endangered, but the lives of members of her own household are at risks. Her attempts to stop both epidemics are hampered by the reappearance of an old lover who threatens to reveal secrets of Dr. Gladstone's past.