Jessica Minton and James Crawford
Are Back!
Always Play the Dark Horse
Dark secrets on a college campus, terrible memories of a World War, and a mysterious man on a dark horse put Jessica and James in the shadow of espionage and murder.
Now Available in Paperback and E-Book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo!
Also Available through Bookshop.org
Author Shout selection as a Top Pick in Reader Ready Awards for 2023
Click here for a sneak peek and more!
Greetings, folks! A passion for the sharp wit, humor, romance, and dark suspense of 
classic-era film and written mystery inspired my Jessica Minton Mystery series: Bait and Switch (2015) Letter from a Dead Man (2017), and Always Play the Dark Horse ( 2021). The novels feature a sharp, witty, imaginative female lead who’s ripe for a little romance, even if it’s mixed with espionage, deception, or murder.
MYSTERIES
Available as softbound, e-text, and audiobook!
An attractive, mysterious stranger; a suspicious package; and Nazi Fifth Columnists plunge Jessica Minton into a nightmare of murderous intrigue! For more on Bait and Switch, click here.
For a sneak peek at Bait and Switch, click here.
To buy Bait and Switch, click here.
National Indie Excellence Awards finalist in Mystery Division 2016!
Recommended Read in 2022 Author Shout Reader Ready Awards
Jessica and Elizabeth Minton, along with Dusty, are back! Now they’re entangled by a business partner with a shadowed past, a predatory socialite with underworld connections, a cut-throat search for stolen jade, two suspicious detectives, an F.B.I. agent from Jessica’s past with an agenda of his own, and a deadly murder frame-up. It’s enough to make Dusty’s fur stand on end! For more on Letter from a Dead Man, click here.
For a sneak peek at Letter from a Dead Man, click here.
For a second peek, click here.
Recommended Read in 2022 Author Shout Reader Ready Awards
To buy Letter from a Dead Man:
Available as e-books and softbound online through Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com, and TouchPoint Press, Kobo, Google Play, Bookshop.org
All three books are available at the following independent bookstores: Annie’s Bookstop (Worcester, MA). TidePool Bookshop (Worcester, MA), Booklover’s Gourmet (Webster, MA), Root and Press (Worcester, MA), Toadstool Books (Peterborough and Nashua, NH), and LaLa Books (Lowell, MA).
LITERARY WRITING
The X-Files and Literature: Unweaving the Story, Unraveling the Lie to Find the Truth (editor, Cambridge Scholars Press)
Goddesses Mages and Wise Women: The Female Pastoral Guide in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century English Drama (Susquehanna UP)
Gothic Landscapes: Changing Eras, Changing Cultures, Changing Anxieties (co-editor and contributor, Palgrave Press)
Please have fun checking out my web site. I also have pages on the menu with some neat info on some of my favorite mystery writers and vintage-style screen thrillers. Those of you who like a good cuppa tea might enjoy My Cup of Tea. And there’s also something here for educators, students, and people who just like history and literature: Teaching and Academics. So, explore and enjoy yourself. If you find this site fun, interesting, helpful, please spread the word! Get in touch with me. I want to hear from you. 
But, remember, play nice. Natasha is watching.
last edited 1/03/23
Sharon Healy-Yang 
Hi Sharon! I just attended your Sisters in Crime talk on the modern heroine. We know each other from the Keene Medieval and Renaissance forum. 🙂 It was great to see you in another setting. I look forward to reading your mysteries as much as your academic work. Meredith Clermont-Ferrand / Hoccleve Society
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Meredith, so glad to hear from you. I remember you well. You must have recognized me by the hat! I’m glad you had a good time at the panel. I love being a member of Sisters in Crime, because they give authors so much support and they open up opportunities to connect with readers. Are you a mystery fan? Do you write? I hope you’ll enjoy my books! Let me know what you think. Hope to see you in Keene some time soon!
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Sharon, what a pleasure meeting you today at A Freethinkers Corner Bookstore in Dover, NH. Thank you to you and the other authors from Sisters in Crime for putting on the program Pathways to Publication! The information was so valuable and your encouragement to want-to-be authors was priceless! Looking forward to reading your novel Bait and Switch!
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Diane, thank you for such a lovely note! I enjoyed talking with you and am impressed with your persistence and work. I hope I can get a chance to look at some of your work as well! I’m so happy to be able to help people achive their dreams. I hope you will enjoy Bait and Switch!
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