Maxx Maxwell Mysteries Books

Blues-singer Maxx Maxwell is smart, talented, and gorgeous--at least since she had her nose fixed, went blonde, and bought a push-up bra. So what if she’s living in a scruffy apartment in Hackensack, New Jersey, and the waitress job she’s taken to make ends meet is driving her crazy? Her band, Maxximum Blues, is really taking off, thanks to the talents of guitarist Jimmy Nashville, a heartbreakingly handsome guy whose life is complicated by an assortment of girlfriends. But then Jimmy plunges to his death from the window of his ninth-floor apartment. His death intensifies tensions already simmering in the band, and Maxx fears her dream of making it as a singer might just as well be dead too. Besides, she has to admit that, though she was trying to resist his charm, she was as smitten with Jimmy as were the other women in his life. When Jimmy’s death is ruled suicide, Maxx resolves to go sleuthing on her own. Cozy but cool, Sweet Man Is Gone features a quirky cast of characters that include a skeptical cop and an assortment of eccentric musicians. Maxx’s quest, played out against a backdrop of blues and Manhattan bar bands, uncovers a surprising number of people who had reason to kill Jimmy, and it takes her deep into Jimmy’s mysterious past. The plot, with its surprising and dramatic climax, will keep readers guessing until the last few pages.

Join blues-singer sleuth Elizabeth “Maxx” Maxwell from Peggy Ehrhart’s Sweet Man Is Gone in three stories that showcase her crime-solving chops. “Maxx Nails It” Flash fiction—Maxx solves a murder in less than 1000 words. “Blues Clues” Maxx frees her guitar player from a murder charge by paying careful attention to the dead guy’s trash. “Daddy’s Girls” The puzzling death of Maxx’s old Atlantic City friend Cecile introduces her to an all-girl band being stalked by an ingenious killer.

Maxximum Blues has a solid foothold in the Manhattan blues scene, but Maxx Maxwell (real name: Elizabeth) knows a CD will make the band irresistible to festival organizers.  Prowling Rooster Records is her label of choice, but when the CD is nearly finished, producer Rick Schneider disappears--and it looks like he's hooked up with his old girlfriend, singer-songwriter Brenda Honeycut.  Maxx's interest in Rick is personal too.  He's the first guy she's trusted since leaving Sandy, the womanizing guitar player who broke her heart. When Maxx searches for the CD's master in Rick's studio, she finds his cherished memento, a framed album cover, knocked from the wall--and even more alarming, a pool of dried blood.  The next day, she identifies Rick's body at the county morgue. The cops believe Rick was pirating CDs and was murdered in a mob territory battle.  Maxx is determined to clear his name by finding his real killer.  Her quest leads her into the orbit of the temperamental Brenda Honeycut and into the complicated lives of Rick's peculiar business partners.  And it ultimately leads her to the sad secret Rick kept hidden. Maxx's quest is complicated by a rooster with personality to spare and by her old boyfriend Sandy, who's determined to win her back. Got No Friend Anyhow showcases Maxx's blues-babe wardrobe, her tenderhearted toughness, and her eccentric band mates.  In classic whodunit style, it takes the reader on a ride that keeps pages turning all the way to a dramatic and unexpected climax.