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Mollie Cox Bryan is an American bestselling author of cozy mysteries, historical fiction and non-fiction novels.

She is best known for writing the Agatha Award nominated Scrapbook of Secrets (2011), the first installment of the Cumberland Creek Series.

Mollie also writes cozy mysteries under the pseudonym Maggie Blackburn.

A bestselling author of mystery series, her books have been selected as finalists for an Agatha Award and a Daphne du Maurier Award, as well as a Top 10 Beach Reads by Woman’s World.

Mollie, who has also been short-listed for the Virginia Library People’s Choice Award, has authored a historical fiction novel: Memory Of Light: An Aftermath Of Gettysburg (2016).

She currently lives at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia.

More about Mollie Cox Bryan

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Non-fiction

United States

Pseudonym: Maggie Blackburn

Website: http://molliecoxbryan.com/

Non Series

  • Memory of Light (2016)

Buttermilk Creek Mystery

  1. Christmas Cow Bells (2019)
  2. Goodnight Moo (2020)

Charlotte Donovan Mystery

  1. The Jean Harlow Bombshell (2019)
  2. The Audrey Hepburn Heist (2022)

Cora Crafts Mystery

  1. Death Among the Doilies (2016)
  2. No Charm Intended (2017)
  3. Macrame Murder (2017)
  4. Assault and Beadery (2018)

Cumberland Creek

  1. Scrapbook of Secrets (2012)
  2. Scrapped (2012)
  3. Death of an Irish Diva (2014)
  4. Scrappy Summer: A Cumberland Creek Novella (2014)
  5. A Crafty Christmas (2014)
  6. Scrappily Ever After (2015)
  7. Scrapbook of the Dead (2015)

Non-fiction

  1. Unsilenced: The Spirit of Women (1997)
  2. Mrs. Rowe's Restaurant Cookbook (2006)
  3. Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies (2009)
  4. Honey, I'm Sorry I Killed Your Aquasaurs (2011)

Omnibus Books

  1. Deadly Traditions (2022)

Victoria Town Mystery

  1. Killer Spring Fling (2020)
  2. Masquerade Murder (2020)
  3. Merry Scary Victorian Christmas (2020)
Buttermilk Creek Mystery
Omnibus Books

Detailed book overview

Non Series

Memory of Light

Jefferson Coates signed on for the War Between the States, ready to give his life for his country. He wasn’t prepared for blindness.

He lost his eyes. He lost his livelihood. But he never lost the stubborn grit that kept him upright. From the Battle of South Mountain to the bloody fields of Gettysburg, through the daily struggle to live as a blind man on the unforgiving American frontier, this Medal of Honor winner never flinched.

Rachel Drew was no ordinary woman. In a world when girls grew up quickly, she left home to forge her own dreams. She never expected to marry or raise a family...not until she met a broom maker named Jefferson Coates.

Based on a true story, “Memory of Light” is about two independent souls forging their life and love on the Nebraska frontier.

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2016
ISBN: 978-1544733494
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Buttermilk Creek Mystery

Christmas Cow Bells

Christmas is a time for new beginnings, so after her big breakup, Brynn MacAlister takes the gouda with the bad. With her three Red Devon cows, she settles in bucolic Shenandoah Springs, eager for a new life as an organic micro-dairy farmer and cheese-maker. Then her dear cow Petunia’s bellows set the whole town on edge. But it isn’t until Brynn’s neighbor, Nancy, dies in a mysterious fire that her feelings about small town life begin to curdle...

It seems some folks were not happy with Nancy’s plan to renovate the Old Glebe Church. But is a fear of change a motivation for murder? As a newcomer, Brynn can’t ignore the strange events happening just on the other side of her frosty pasture—and soon on her very own farm. Suddenly Christmas doesn’t feel so festive as everyone demands she muzzle sweet Petunia, and Brynn is wondering if someone wants to silence her—for good...

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2019
Ebook: B07MH9XYHY
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
Goodnight Moo

Welcome to Shenandoah Springs, Virginia, the bucolic small town where Brynn MacAlister keeps cows, churns cheeses—and is sharper than the ripest cheddar when it comes to solving mysteries...

With a foster cow in her corral and a new calf on the way, Brynn MacAlister has a lot on her plate. Especially since her micro-dairy farm is hosting the first annual cheesemakers contest at this year’s summer fair. A relative newcomer, Brynn’s hoping the contest becomes a tradition, bonding her even more strongly to the community. But when a mysterious tractor accident looks suspiciously like murder, Brynn suspects someone is up to

no-gouda...

Some folks say the lead suspect was just defending his underage daughter from a suitor more mature than a vintage provolone, but Brynn isn’t buying it. Especially when another dead body turns up and Brynn’s top cheesemaker falls under suspicion. It’s enough to make a girl bluer than her best Stilton. But not enough to stop Brynn from getting to the bottom of things. What she discovers is the small town harbors some pretty unsavory characters. And the closer Brynn gets to the killer, the deeper she gets into danger...

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2020
Ebook: B082WRM3L6
Publisher: Kensington Cozies

Charlotte Donovan Mystery

The Jean Harlow Bombshell

When it comes to writing Golden Age Hollywood biographies, the pen is deadlier than the sword.

Charlotte Donovan's overbearing boss, Justine Turner, is a world-famous biographer of Hollywood stars. It comes as no surprise to Charlotte when Justine requests an emergency meeting related to her latest in-progress biography. It is a surprise, though, when Justine up and dies before their urgent discussion can begin.

In the wake of such a tragedy, all Charlotte wants to do is finish the Jean Harlow biography that Justine had started. Instead, she finds herself in grave danger―stalked both online and in person by a drop-dead Jean Harlow look-alike. Together with police sergeant Den Brophy, Charlotte uncovers shocking revelations. But will these revelations be enough to catch the killer?

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2019
ISBN: 979-8424278686
Publisher: Independently published
The Audrey Hepburn Heist

When it comes to writing Golden Age Hollywood biographies, the pen is deadlier than the sword.

Charlotte Donovan's life changed drastically when her boss died, leaving her a grand New York City apartment and a small fortune, but with stipulations. While writing an Audrey Hepburn biography, Charlotte consults on a new "Holly Golightly" miniseries, and a reality TV show where America selects the lead of the new series. When the actress who's the national favorite is murdered at Charlotte's cast party, she feels obligated to pursue justice for the young ingenue.

Charlotte, along with her detective boyfriend and best friend, follow a a dangerous trail of smoke and mirrors. Nothing is as it appears, and nobody is who they seem to be, starting with the murder victim. With each detail Charlotte unearths, the more frightened she becomes—and the more determined.

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2022
ISBN: 979-8445663904
Publisher: Independently published

Cora Crafts Mystery

Death Among the Doilies

For thirty-something blogger Cora Chevalier, small-town Indigo Gap, North Carolina, seems like the perfect place to reinvent her life. Shedding a stressful past as a counselor for a women’s shelter, Cora is pouring all her talents—and most of her savings—into a craft retreat business, with help from close pal and resident potter Jane Starr. Between transforming her Victorian estate into a crafter’s paradise and babysitting Jane’s daughter, the new entrepreneur has no time for distractions. Especially rumors about the murder of a local school librarian...

But when Jane’s fingerprints match those found at the grisly crime scene, Cora not only worries about her friend, but her own reputation. With angry townsfolk eager for justice and both Jane’s innocence and the retreat at risk, she must rely on her creative chops to unlace the truth behind the beloved librarian’s disturbing demise. Because if the killer’s patterns aren’t pinned, Cora’s handiwork could end up in stitches...

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2016
Ebook: B0190HGVVK
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
No Charm Intended

Settling into her new life and career in small-town Indigo Gap, North Carolina, Cora Chevalier is preparing to host a “wildcrafting” retreat at her Victorian home. But a specter hangs over the venture when beloved local nanny Gracie Wyke goes missing. Amidst leading their guests in nature hikes, rock painting and making clay charms, Cora and her business partner, Jane, team up with Gracie’s boyfriend, Paul, to launch their own investigation into her disappearance when the local police prove unhelpful.

Cora and her crafters take Paul in, believing he is in danger and not the suspect police have made him out to be. However as they uncover new clues and a body turns up at a local abandoned amusement park, Cora and Jane begin to question their decision. With more questions than answers arising, is Cora crafty enough to untangle a knot that could put an innocent in jail—and permanently destroy her reputation?

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2017
Ebook: B01JEJC8W0
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
Macrame Murder

As the head of a bustling crafting retreat, Cora Chevalier could use a break of her own. So she and her creative cohorts temporarily swap small-town Indigo Gap, North Carolina, for the Sea Glass Beach craft retreat, where they teach classes and create beachy crafts like shell mosaics and sea glass chimes. Cora and her boyfriend, Adrian, are enchanted by their surroundings—especially the stunning wedding and blissful newlyweds they encounter on the beach. But awe becomes shock when the bride turns up dead the next day...

The woman’s death appears to be the result of a severe jellyfish sting. But when it’s revealed that she was murdered and Adrian becomes a suspect, Cora must hitch the real culprit to the crime—and fast. Because it just might take everything she has to crack a case more twisted than her most complex macramé knot!

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2017
Ebook: B01N4A5SZG
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
Assault and Beadery

All of Cora Chevalier’s dreams are coming true. Since moving to Indigo Gap, North Carolina, the busy crafting maven has been blessed with a great boyfriend, a lovely home, and a booming craft retreat business. But on the eve of her first Crafty Mom’s Escape Weekend, tragedy strikes again in Indigo Gap. This time, it’s curtains for Stan Herald, the disagreeable director of the local theater group, who’s murdered on the opening night of their new production. Worse, Cora’s friend Zee is accused of the crime.

Cora is determined to prove her friend’s innocence, but Zee’s mysterious past is making that difficult. And with a list of suspects longer than a double spool of satin cording, getting a bead on the real culprit won’t be easy. With her friends Jane and Ruby at her side, Cora must string together the clues and solve Stan’s murder before the killer gives an encore performance.

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2018
Ebook: B078QM4V66
Publisher: Kensington Cozies

Cumberland Creek

Scrapbook of Secrets

A small-town Virginia housewife and her scrapbooking circle investigate a suspicious death.

Having traded in her career as a successful investigative journalist for the life of a stay-at-home mom in picturesque Cumberland Creek, Virginia, Annie can't help but feel that something's missing. But she finds solace in a local "crop circle" of scrapbookers united by chore-shy husbands, demanding children, and occasional fantasies of their former single lives. And when the quiet idyll of their small town is shattered by a young mother's suicide, they band together to find out what went wrong...

Annie resurrects her reporting skills and discovers that Maggie Rae was a closet scrapbooker who left behind more than a few secrets--and perhaps a few enemies. As they sift through Maggie Rae's mysteriously discarded scrapbooks, Annie and her "crop" sisters begin to suspect that her suicide may have been murder. It seems that something sinister is lurking beneath the town's beguilingly calm façade--like a killer with unfinished business...

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2012
Ebook: B005QFC6VK
Publisher: Kensington
Scrapped

The ladies of the Cumberland Scrapbook Crop are welcoming an eccentric newbie into their fold. A self-proclaimed witch, Cookie Crandall can whip up a sumptuous vegan meal and rhapsodize about runes and moon phases with equal aplomb. She becomes fast friends with her fellow scrapbookers, including freelance reporter Annie, with whom she shares shallow roots in a community of established family trees. So when Cookie becomes the prime suspect in a series of bizarre murders, the croppers get scrappy and set out to clear her name...

Annie starts digging and discovers that the victims each had strange runic patterns carved on their bodies--a piece of evidence that points the police in Cookie's direction. Even her friends begin to doubt her innocence when they find an ornate, spiritual scrapbook that an alleged beginner like Cookie could never have crafted. As Annie and the croppers search for answers, they'll uncover a shockingly wicked side of their once quiet town--and a killer on the prowl for another victim...

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2012
Ebook: B009AY3WTI
Publisher: Kensington
Death of an Irish Diva

Spring is in the air, but the ladies of the Cumberland Creek Scrapbook Crop hardly have time to stop and smell the roses. Not when famed Irish dancer Emily McGlashen is found murdered in her studio just after the St. Patrick's Day parade--and one of the Crop's own members is the prime suspect.

Vera's dance studio may have suffered when Emily waltzed into town, but the croppers know she's not a vengeful murderer. Lucky for her, co-scrapbooker Annie is a freelance reporter eager to vindicate her friend. What she discovers is a puzzling labyrinth of secrets that only add question marks to Emily's murder. 

Just when it seems they've run out of clues, an antique scrapbook turns up and points the croppers in the right direction--and brings them face to face with a killer more twisted than a Celtic knot...

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2014
Ebook: B00ENMXT3G
Publisher: Kensington
Scrappy Summer: A Cumberland Creek Novella

Summer's in full swing, and it's time once again for the Cumberland Creek County Fair Pie Competition. DeeAnn Fields just knows this is her year to finally win with her brilliant apple green chili pie. But after the judges take one bite and spit it back out, ordering DeeAnn to leave at once, she's baffled as to what went wrong...until she discovers someone sabotaged her pie.

Banding together to find out who hated DeeAnn enough to ruin her chances of winning, the ladies of the Cumberland Scrapbook Crop scrap their summer plans to get to the bottom of this mystery so that they can return to what they do best--cropping and crafting!

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2014
Ebook: B00HRFWQ0I
Publisher: Kensington
A Crafty Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner, and the ladies of the Cumberland Creek Scrapbook Crop are thrilled when Sheila wins the first place prize in a scrapbooking design contest: a ten-day scrapbook-themed cruise in the Caribbean. Vera and Paige decide to tag along, which should pose the perfect opportunity to learn some new techniques, mingle with fellow croppers, and get in some rest and relaxation before the chaos of Christmas. 

But when Sheila finds a famous crafter dead, and investigators determine she was poisoned, the luxury cruise veers toward disaster as Sheila becomes the number one suspect--or was she really the intended victim? Just as the croppers begin un-wrapping the truth, a storm strands them at sea, and they'll find it's harder than ever to survive the holidays with a killer on deck...

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2014
Ebook: B00J7W1ECU
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
Scrappily Ever After

Springtime may be for lovers, but for one of the ladies of the Cumberland Creek Scrapbook Crop, it’s turning into a season of conflict. Still smarting from her divorce, Vera can’t decide whether to accept a marriage proposal. She doesn’t want to spoil a good thing by putting another ring on her finger. 

On the other hand, her mother Beatrice has flown off to France with the man of her dreams. But when folks claim to have seen Bea around town and Vera can’t reach her, she starts to search for her mother. Is Bea still in France? And if not, what has happened to her?

As Vera tries to solve the mystery of her missing mother, other problems crop up for the scrapbookers, including a health crisis in Sheila’s family and a surprise announcement from Paige’s son. If only life could be as neat and pretty as a scrapbook album! Some of the answers to their recent dilemmas will bring surprises that the croppers could never have predicted!

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2015
Ebook: B00ONTR552
Publisher: Kensington
Scrapbook of the Dead

Halloween means spooky scrapbooks for the Cumberland Creek Scrapbook Crop, but what's been happening around town is truly frightening. First a dead woman is found in the freezer at Pamela's Pie Palace, and the next day a second woman is found murdered by the river. Reporter Annie Chamovitz learns the victims were sisters and is certain their deaths are linked. Most bizarre of all, both women were found clutching scrapbook pages.

As their Saturday night crop quickly becomes an opportunity to puzzle out the murders, the ladies begin to wonder if Pamela is hiding more than her secret recipes for delicious pies--or if the crimes are related to the startling discovery that there are gangs in Cumberland Creek. As All Hallows Eve approaches, the crafty croppers must cut and paste the clues to unmask a deadly killer.

Includes tips and a glossary of terms for the modern scrapbooker!

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2015
Ebook: B00RRT30J0
Publisher: Kensington Cozies

Non-fiction

Unsilenced: The Spirit of Women

Women have been silenced in many ways for many years. This anthology celebrates women's' faith, courage and spirit, out loud and... 

Unsilenced in a collection of poetry, prayers, meditations, and stories written by women from all walks of life, faiths and ages--some are well-known, such as Maya Angelou, Alice Walker and Z. Budapest--others are becoming known and heard. 

They write of their healings, passions, and pains through the eyes of their spirituality. Some give us meditations. Some give us stories of abuse, cancer or divorce. They all touch upon our spirit.

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 1997
ISBN: 978-1881394112
Publisher: Commune-A-Key
Mrs. Rowe's Restaurant Cookbook

A collection of beloved comfort food recipes from the legendary Shenandoah Valley restaurant, Mrs. Rowe's.

In 1947, single mother Mildred Rowe started a small restaurant in the foothills of Appalachia. Today, her restaurant serves half a million locals and visitors a year, making it the most popular reason to stop over in Staunton, Virginia. 

MRS. ROWE'S RESTAURANT COOKBOOK tells the story of this Shenandoah Valley institution and collects the best of Mrs. Rowe's cherished home-style recipes--timeless American comfort food like spoon bread, fried chicken, and cherry pie. Illustrated with beautiful vintage photographs, this nostalgic tribute is guaranteed to fill hearts and bellies with a hankering for a real home-cooked meal.

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2006
ISBN: 978-1580087346
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies

Legendary Recipes from Virginia's Queen of Pie.

Mrs. Rowe, known fondly as "the Pie Lady" by legions of loyal customers, was the quintessential purveyor of all-American comfort food. Today her family carries on this legacy at the original Mrs. Rowe's Restaurant and Bakery in Staunton, Virginia, as well as at the new country buffet. The restaurant's bustling take-out counter sells a staggering 100 handmade pies every day! With the pies being snapped up that quickly, it's no wonder that Mrs. Rowe urged her customers to order dessert first.

In Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies, recipes for Southern classics like Key Lime Pie and Pecan Fudge Pie sit alongside restaurant favorites like French Apple Pie and Original Coconut Cream Pie. Additional recipes gathered from family notebooks and recipe boxes include regional gems like Shoofly Pie and Lemon Chess Pie. 

With berries and custards and fudge--oh my!--plus a variety of delectable crusts and toppings, this mouthwatering collection offers a little slice of Southern hospitality that will satisfy every type of sweet tooth--and convince even city slickers to take the time to smell the Fresh Peach Pie.

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2009
Ebook: B004IK8PSM
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Honey, I'm Sorry I Killed Your Aquasaurs

A collection of slice-of-life parenting columns/essays. It touches on the funny and absurd along with the bittersweet and the difficult. Most of the essays were previously published in a long-running newspaper column, Thoroughly Modern Mollie.

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2011
Ebook: B006JPBWUM

Omnibus Books

Deadly Traditions

Have yourself a DEADLY little Christmas.

Celebrate the holidays with mistletoe, mayhem, and murder. Join your favorite authors as they cozy up by the fire with twelve festive short mysteries that feature treasured holiday traditions. Serve up a slice of fatal fruitcake and deck the halls with danger, because the holiday season has never been so much fun.

This original collection is available for a limited time only, so grab your copy today.

Includes:

A Pickle in a Pear Tree by Erin Scoggins

Mistletoe and Murder by Dianne Ascroft

O Deadly Night by Estelle Richards

Larceny and Gingerbread Lattes by Justine Maxwell

...and more!

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2022
ISBN: 978-1737300922
Publisher: Grace Abraham Publishing

Victoria Town Mystery

Killer Spring Fling

Welcome to Victoria Town, Va., the town that time almost forgot—until it became a huge tourist attraction for lovers of all things Victorian.

Spring is a busy time in the quaint Victoria Town, with the town getting ready for the popular Spring Fling. Viv Barton is busy helping her aunt prepare the Sweet Victoria B & B for the festivities. At 28, Viv is settling in bucolic town, eager for a new life, though she's unsure what that is. As a newcomer, Viv's still finding her place. One of her favorite pastimes is walking through the expansive old cemetery early mornings. Until one morning...when her favorite haunt becomes a dead zone. Stumbling over a dead body was not in the plan.

Viv can't shed the memory of the woman's face or the strange trinkets placed around her body. When it seems the local police don't have much to offer the investigation, Viv uses her gaming skills to piece together a curious puzzle leading her down a dark, twisty, and dangerous path.

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2020
Ebook: B08BJG7Z7S
Masquerade Murder

Welcome to Victoria Town, Va., where Victoriana meets murder.

The Halloween Masquerade Ball in Victoria Town, Va. is a yearly celebration of all things that go bump in the night. Masked attendees come from across the country to experience an authentic Victorian celebration.

Viv Barton throws herself into the fray by volunteering to lead games in the “Mirror Room” of the old Victorian Mansion, Gaylord Hall. When a woman dressed in widow regalia catches Viv’s attention, Viv follows her down the snaking halls, through the ballroom, and onto the veranda, where the woman disappears and leaves a dead body in her wake—the town priest who had more than his share of secrets.

When Viv's friend, Irene, is suspected of the crime, she works to prove Irene’s innocence, unearthing clues, secrets, and deadly obsessions along the way—proving that Victorian Town history isn’t always what it seems.

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2020
Ebook: B08D7TBV48
Merry Scary Victorian Christmas

The Sweet Victoria B & B’s Christmas Tea in Victoria Town, Va. takes a disastrous turn when one of the attendees collapses and dies.

When the police investigate, they find the supposed poison that killed her in the basement of the B & B, pointing to Aunt Libby as a suspect. And the clues keep piling up. Even though Viv and everyone in town doesn’t believe Libby guilty of murder, the police continue to suspect her.

Viv and Libby must tread carefully as they work to solve this case—one misstep could land Libby in jail. And leave the real killer on the streets of the ever-so quaint Victoria Town.

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan
First Release: 2020
Ebook: B08J839MCD