Browse Authors:
Choose

Krista Davis books in order

Krista Davis is an American New York Times bestselling author of cozy mystery novels.

She has so far penned three mystery series, namely the Domestic Diva Mysteries, the Paws & Claws Mysteries, and the Pen & Ink Mysteries.

Passionate about books from an early age, Krista grew up loving Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and Agatha Christie.

She lived in Northern Virginia for several years, as well as in Old Town, Alexandria for a time—locations which have greatly featured in her writing.

Krista enjoys entertaining friends and family, and would easily leave cleaning to someone else, just like her Domestic Diva protagonist, Sophie Winston.

In the improbable event that ever wins the lottery, Krista will undoubtedly be found in the middle of a mountain of rescued dogs and cats.

She currently resides in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with an army of dogs and cats.

More about Krista Davis

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery

United States

Website: https://www.kristadavis.com/

Domestic Diva

  1. The Diva Runs Out of Thyme (2008)
  2. The Diva Takes the Cake (2009)
  3. The Diva Paints the Town (2009)
  4. The Diva Cooks a Goose (2010)
  5. The Diva Haunts the House (2011)
  6. The Diva Digs Up the Dirt (2012)
  7. The Diva Frosts a Cupcake (2013)
  8. The Diva Wraps It Up (2014)
  9. The Diva Steals a Chocolate Kiss (2015)
  10. The Diva Serves High Tea (2016)
  11. The Diva Cooks up a Storm (2018)
  12. The Diva Sweetens the Pie (2019)
  13. The Diva Spices It Up (2020)
  14. The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit (2021)
  15. The Diva Says Cheesecake! (2022)
  16. The Diva Delivers on a Promise (2023)

Paws and Claws Mystery

  1. Murder, She Barked (2013)
  2. The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer (2014)
  3. Murder Most Howl (2015)
  4. Mission Impawsible (2017)
  5. Not a Creature Was Purring (2017)
  6. The Dog Who Knew Too Much (2019)
  7. Big Little Spies (2021)
  8. A Good Dog's Guide to Murder (2022)

Pen & Ink

  1. Color Me Murder (2018)
  2. The Coloring Crook (2018)
  3. Murder Outside the Lines (2021)
  4. A Colorful Scheme (2022)

Detailed book overview

Domestic Diva

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme

Domestic diva Sophie Winston is about to learn that some dishes are best served cold...

Few can compete with local celebrity Natasha Smith when it comes to entertaining, but Sophie Winston is determined to try. Her childhood rival may have stolen the spotlight—and her husband—but this Thanksgiving Sophie is determined to rob Natasha of the prize for Alexandria, Virginia's Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown. She just needs the right ingredient.

But Sophie's search for the perfect turkey takes a basting when she stumbles across a corpse. And when the police find her name and photo inside the victim's car, Sophie will have to set her trussing aside to solve the murder—or she'll be serving up prison grub...

Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2008
ISBN: 978-1597229388
Publisher: Wheeler Publishing
The Diva Takes the Cake

When the groom's ex is found dead before the "I Do"s, Sophie Winston vows to catch the killer before her sister's wedding ends in disaster in the second Domestic Diva mystery.

Sophie Winston's sister, Hannah, is getting married—again! And if you ask Sophie, her future brother-in-law is no prince. But is he a killer? That's the question on everyone's mind when his ex-wife is found hanging from a pergola. This is one event Sophie and her sister hadn't planned on.

As hidden family secrets begin to come to light, Sophie finds the list of suspects is almost as long as the list of wedding guests. Will the real killer be seated on the groom's side or the bride's? Or will he be standing at the altar? Either way, Sophie must solve the murder in time to stop her sister from making the biggest—and possibly the last—mistake of her life.

Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2009
ISBN: 978-1410421968
Publisher: Wheeler Publishing
The Diva Paints the Town

A decorating project leaves Sophie Winston with a deadly case that has to be seen to be believed...

Sophie Winston’s reclusive neighbor, Professor Mordecai Artemus, has died and left his sprawling home to his Pomeranian. Sophie feels a tad guilty for not having befriended Mordecai, but at least she’s not as heartless as her nemesis Natasha, who’s descended on the house with a crew of interior designers and contractors to renovate the place for the statewide Spring Home and Garden Tour.

Even Sophie’s been assigned a room to decorate: the family room, where the Professor did most of his living—and where he died. In the midst of cleaning, spackling and painting, Sophie uncovers a second body—but when next she looks it’s disappeared! Now Sophie has to hammer away to discover the truth about the missing man, before her best friend gets nailed for murder...

Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2009
Ebook: B0030CVQ6C
Publisher: Berkley
The Diva Cooks a Goose

Sophie Winston gets wrapped up in a holiday murder in the fourth Domestic Diva mystery...

It promises to be a jolly holiday for Sophie until a Scrooge steals the Christmas gifts from her family and neighbors. The evil elf even pinches their Christmas dinners! Sophie quickly ends the neighbors’ finger-pointing by organizing a toy swap for the kids, restoring the spirit of Christmas. But not for long...

When her sister-in-law’s father shows up to the Christmas celebration with a diva girlfriend just a month after his separation, someone carries out everyone's thoughts of murder. With relatives and friends under suspicion for the deadly deed, and Sophie’s detective boyfriend Wolf out of town, it’s up to Sophie to chase this goose and cook it. Nobody ruins her Christmas!

Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2010
Ebook: B0046ECF6I
Publisher: Berkley
The Diva Haunts the House

Sophie Winston is getting into the Halloween spirit, but someone else is intent on mischief...

Sophie's decorations for a community haunted house are so good, it’s scary. Not to be outdone, rival domestic diva Natasha is throwing a spooktacular Halloween party at her house. But when Sophie arrives, she discovers one of Natasha’s guests dead in a hair-raising Halloween display, and a pale, fanged partygoer fleeing the scene. 

The cause of death is not immediately apparent, but the victim does have two puncture wounds on his neck. While Sophie’s boyfriend, homicide detective Wolf, investigates, rumors start flying faster than witches on broomsticks. Could the killer be a real vampire—the same one rumored to have lived in Sophie’s haunted house back when it was a boardinghouse? Good thing a domestic diva never runs out of garlic...

Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2011
ISBN: 978-1410447029
Publisher: Wheeler Publishing
The Diva Digs Up the Dirt

Domestic diva Sophie Winston finds trouble in spades...

Determined not to be a garden-variety diva, Sophie's neighbor, Natasha, cultivates a plan to shine on television—using Sophie’s backyard. As the cast and crew of the makeover show Tear It Up With Troy bulldoze through her backyard—and vacation—Sophie retreats to her perennial boyfriend Wolf’s to replace a dead rose bush. But her tender deed goes awry when she digs up a purse belonging to Wolf’s missing wife. 

As speculations sprout, Wolf bolts, and then a body crops up in a garden. Is Wolf’s thorny past raising a dead head? This is one case the domestic diva can’t let wither on the vine...

Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2012
ISBN: 978-1410454348
Publisher: Wheeler Publishing
The Diva Frosts a Cupcake

When a cupcake war ends in murder, Sophie Winston searches for a taste of justice...

Sophie and her BFF, Nina Reid Norwood, share a sweet spot for animals. So Sophie is delighted to help when Nina cooks up Cupcakes and Pupcakes—a fund-raising event for animal shelters. But Old Town is in for a whole batch of trouble when a partner leaves Sugar Baby Bakery and unveils her competing cupcakery, Sugar Mama, precisely as the fund-raiser gets under way.

Just as it seems nothing else can go wrong, Sugar Baby’s sole remaining employee is found dead. Suspicion falls on the feuding owners, but the scrumptious new guy in town is also raising some eyebrows. Now Sophie and Nina have to sift through the clues and discover who isn’t as sweet as they seem...

Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2013
ISBN: 978-1410462541
Publisher: Wheeler Publishing
The Diva Wraps It Up

The holidays are Sophie Winston’s favorite time of year. But this season, there seem to be more mishaps than mistletoe. First, Horace Scroggins tumbles from a balcony during his office Christmas party. Then, Sophie’s neighbor takes a fall from his ladder while decorating his roof with lights. But it’s the cookie swap that really starts her wondering who’s naughty or nice...

Sophie arrives at the annual event with high spirits and thirteen dozen chocolate-drizzled gingersnaps. But when an argument erupts and a murder ensues, it becomes clear that the recent string of events is anything but accidental. Now Sophie has to make a list of suspects...and check it twice!

Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2014
ISBN: 978-1410473554
Publisher: Wheeler Publishing
The Diva Steals a Chocolate Kiss

Chocolate is the kiss of death…

Domestic Diva Sophie Winston is in charge of the sweetest event in Old Town this summer. Amore Chocolates is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary with a chocolate tasting at the mansion of the company’s CEO, Joe Merano—and Sophie is running the show. 

With cookies, candy, and five kinds of chocolate cake, it’s a chocolate lover’s dream! But when Joe goes missing, the celebration becomes bittersweet. And when Sophie discovers the body of a competing chocolatier in the guesthouse, the event turns downright deadly.

As if that wasn’t enough, Sophie’s been receiving daily boxes of sweet treats. After ruling out her new beau and her exes, Sophie wonders if someone’s trying to send her a message—and if she’s next on a chocoholic’s hit list...

Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2015
Ebook: B00THXQG2M
Publisher: Berkley
The Diva Serves High Tea

A mystery steeped in murder...

When The Parlour opens up in town, domestic diva Sophie Winston finally has a place to satisfy her cravings for all things tea and crumpet related. And the shop serves as the perfect place for the ladies of the town to gather and gossip, especially since it’s conveniently located right across the street from the new antique store run by the handsome and charming Robert Johnson. 

But speculation around Robert really boils over when he’s found dead—a victim of poisoning after attending a literacy fundraiser at The Parlour the night before. What Sophie learns about the man leaves a bitter taste in her mouth, and she’ll have to strain out a killer from a strange brew of suspects...

Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips!
Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2016
ISBN: 978-1410492661
Publisher: Wheeler Publishing
The Diva Cooks up a Storm

A secret dinner club that leaves some guests six feet under...

Sophie Winston can whip up an elaborate event in her sleep, but she rarely gets to enjoy the pampered guest treatment. Luckily, her best friend just looped her into the latest culinary craze: a pop-up gourmet dinner party. The celebrity chef, epicurean menu, and high-profile attendees are all a surprise, turning the decadent dining experience into the hottest ticket in Old Town Alexandria. Sophie’s just pleased as punch to join in the fun—until the posh party proves to be a recipe for disaster.

Spirits start to sour when Sophie’s tablemate Hollis Haberman brings his own hot new dish—his young trophy wife. With Hollis’s son and ex-wife in attendance, there may be more heat at the table than in the kitchen. But the next morning, Sophie discovers Hollis swallowing his last bits of air, and she must scramble to stop a killer before anyone else eats their last meal. 

Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2018
ISBN: 978-1496714695
Publisher: Kensington
The Diva Sweetens the Pie

Old Town’s annual Pie Festival crumbles into chaos after a celebrity judge is murdered, leaving it up to entertaining maven and sometime-sleuth Sophie Winston to dole out justice...

Nothing heats up Old Town quite like the annual Pie Festival, and this year is no exception, especially since Sophie’s professional rival, Natasha Smith, is barred from participating. Sophie, meanwhile, has been asked to oversee the pie-eating contest. But the drama really rolls out when celebrity judge, Patsy Lee Presley, host of television’s most popular cooking show, bites the crust during the competition, and Sophie’s friends are suspected of the crime. 

As the folks of Old Town dish, the tough truth about Patsy’s meteoric rise to domestic stardom begins to leak. It turns out that Patsy’s sweet exterior hid a secret sour side, which alienated many of her closest allies, including a jilted ex-husband, a bitter ex-mentor, and a jaded ex-best friend.

With the festival falling apart, and her friends in danger of being boxed up for murder, Sophie must cobble together the clues and stop a flakey fiend from serving up any more deadly desserts.

Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2019
ISBN: 978-1496714725
Publisher: Kensington
The Diva Spices It Up

She's a young Martha Stewart...in Old Town Virginia!

Sophie never considered ghostwriting as a side gig, until former actress and aspiring lifestyle guru, Tilly Stratford, trophy wife of Wesley Winthrope, needs someone to write her celebrity cookbook. Sophie agrees, hoping she'll earn enough bread on this assignment to finish her bathroom renovations. But as it turns out, Sophie isn't the first foodie to get a taste for recipe ghostwriting, and if the marginalia are any indication, this project could be a killer...

Wesley claims professional ghostwriter, Abby Bergeron, suddenly abandoned Tilly's cookbook with no warning. But Sophie quickly discovers that Abby may be more ghost than a writer now...and her disappearance was no accident. So Sophie cracks open a fresh investigation, but sifting the seasoned murderer from this sampling of salty suspects won't be easy. Will Sophie savor another case closed or will the culprit simply melt away?

Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2020
ISBN: 978-1496714756
Publisher: Kensington
The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit

When members of an international tour group begin dropping like flies all over Old Town, Virginia, Sophie Winston must cut to the core of another murder investigation...

With Old Town’s DIY Home Decorating Festival in full swing, Sophie’s swamped, juggling a bumper crop of artisans, antique dealers, and decorators for the busy street fair. Still, when her best friend Nina suddenly needs a ride from the airport, Sophie is happy to help…until she sees Nina disembarking in a state of disarray. It’s obvious the trip to Portugal soured somewhere along the way. But after one of Nina’s traveling companions turns up murdered the following day, Sophie knows something is truly rotten…

Though the crime scene is staged to look like an accident, Sophie isn’t fooled and peels off to conduct her own investigation. Her only clue is a strange image the victim scratched into the soil before dying. Could it point to a cryptic killer in Old Town? A bitter travel adversary? Or a cursed artifact smuggled back from the trip? As the mystery grows, so does the body count, and if Sophie doesn’t pluck the murderer soon, her best friend may be the next to fall…

Includes delicious recipes and entertaining tips!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2021
ISBN: 978-1496732743
Publisher: Kensington
The Diva Says Cheesecake!

Sophie Winston is faced with a midsummer nightmare when a celebration in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, is the appetizer for murder...

Old Town’s midsummer festivities are getting a tasty addition this year. To coincide with a public performance of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Bobbie Sue Bodoin, the Queen of Cheesecake, has hired Sophie to organize a dinner with a dessert buffet on the waterfront. Bobbie Sue’s homegrown company is thriving, and since her baking dish overfloweth, she wants to reward her employees. 

Bobbie Sue has only one menu demand: no cheesecake! But her specialty isn’t the only thing missing from the evening—Tate, Bobbie Sue’s husband, is too, much to her annoyance. Next morning, however, Tate’s dead body is discovered. Bobbie Sue insists she didn’t kick her spouse to the curb, and begs for Sophie’s help finding the real killer.

Digging in, Sophie discovers an assortment of Old Town locals who all had reason to want a piece of Tate. Can she gather together the crumbs the killer left behind in time to prevent a second helping of murder?

Includes delicious recipes and fabulous DIY decorating tips!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2022
Ebook: B09FFXSHP4
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
The Diva Delivers on a Promise

Sophie is busy handling the first ever convention of the Association of Ghost Kitchens—restaurants that do delivery only—but she’s taking a little time out for a lunch meeting organized by A Healthy Meal. The group is dedicated to providing meals for children in need, and as a bonus, it’ll give Sophie the perfect opportunity to ogle the lavish Old Town home of socialite Geraldine Stansfield. 

Gerrie’s dining room is impeccably furnished, the table laden with gleaming crystal and prized china. If it weren’t for the dead man lying on the floor, everything would be perfect ...

No one knows the victim—or at least, no one claims to. But a little snooping by Sophie reveals links to many local notables. In fact, not only was he a client of Geraldine’s late husband, an attorney—every member of the Stansfield clan knew the deceased. But only one knows what he was doing in Gerrie’s house.

Gerrie’s elegant abode looks spotless, but there’s plenty of dirty linen in those family closets. Now Sophie will have to get the killer to come clean before he spoils another appetite—for good . . .

Includes delicious recipes and fabulous decorating tips!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2023
Ebook: B0BFC4R9Z8
Publisher: Kensington Cozies

Paws and Claws Mystery

Murder, She Barked

"The Sugar Maple Inn in Wagtail, Virginia, is the country's premiere vacation hot spot for pet owners who can’t bear to leave their furry friends behind. But this tourist town smells trouble when a killer goes on the prowl..."

Holly Miller's life has gone to the dogs. She has no job, her boyfriend's former flame is sniffing around, and a scruffy but loveable Jack Russell Terrier is scattering crumbs all over her borrowed car. Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, a troubling phone call about her grandmother sends her rushing home to the family inn on Wagtail Mountain.

The staff—and a frisky Calico kitten named Twinkletoes—adopts Holly and her new dog on arrival. But someone in this friendly town is bad to the bone. One of the employees at the inn has been killed in a hit-and-run accident—which is looking anything but accidental. Now Holly and her furry companions will have to nose out the murderer before someone else gets muzzled.

Delicious recipes for owners and pets included!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2013
Ebook: B00BTRDHNK
Publisher: Berkley
The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer

"Wagtail, Virginia, the top pet-friendly getaway in the United States, is gearing up for a howling good Halloween—until a spooky murder shakes the town to its core.."

Holly Miller doesn’t believe in spirits, but the Sugar Maple Inn is filled with guests who do. The TV series in development, Apparition Apprehenders, has descended on Wagtail’s annual Halloween festivities to investigate supernatural local legends, and Holly has her hands full showing the ghost hunters a scary-fun time.

But the frights turn real when Holly’s Jack Russell, Trixie, and kitten, Twinkletoes, find a young woman drowned in the Wagtail Springs Hotel’s bathhouse—the spot of the town’s most infamous haunting. The crime scene is eerily similar to the creepy legend, convincing Holly that the death wasn’t just accidental. Now she’ll have to race to catch a flesh-and-blood killer—before someone else in town gives up the ghost...

Delicious recipes for owners and pets included!
Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2014
Ebook: B00JJXHKZM
Publisher: Berkley
Murder Most Howl

"This January, Wagtail, Virginia, the top pet-friendly destination in the country, is throwing a fun murder mystery weekend—but no one expected the real thing..."

Holly Miller is delighted her grandmother has finally left the Sugar Maple Inn to take a well-deserved vacation. It means Holly’s in charge, but running the inn might be more challenging than she realized. Wagtail’s throwing a weekend-long murder mystery game to draw in tourists during the slow season, the inn has a full house, and a blizzard is on the way.

Trouble is unleashed the night the game begins, when the storm blows in and the lights go out. It gets worse the following morning when Holly’s Jack Russell terrier, Trixie, discovers a body—one that’s actually dead. Now Holly, her calico kitten Twinkletoes, and Trixie must play by the rules and find one dirty dog...

Delicious recipes for owners and pets included!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2015
Ebook: B00U5KNSI6
Publisher: Berkley
Mission Impawsible

"In the pet-friendly town of Wagtail, Virginia, there’s no love lost when Holly Miller meets her match in a murderer..."

Holly and her grandmother, Oma, are working their tails off to prepare the Sugar Maple Inn for an upcoming matchmaking event for pet owners. While Holly has no interest in pairing up, Oma plans on playing Cupid and finding someone to warm her reluctant granddaughter’s heart. 

Unfortunately, one man Holly does meet is cold—dead cold—and he has a personal letter from Oma in his pocket. As suspicion is cast over the inn's guests, Holly—with the help of her furry friends, Trixie the Jack Russell and Twinkletoes the cat—must fetch the real killer, or she may soon have a date in court.

Delicious recipes for owners and pets included!  

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2017
Ebook: B01FEY5DQC
Publisher: Berkley
Not a Creature Was Purring

"Inn owner Holly Miller finds it ruff staying cheerful over the holidays when the dead body of a beloved businessman turns up in the pet-friendly town of Wagtail, Virginia."

Inspired by her German heritage, Holly’s grandmother has arranged for Wagtail to have a Christkindl Market packed with goodies and decorations for the howliday tourists. But Holly’s mood takes an unseasonable turn when she learns that her old flame and childhood friend Holmes Richardson has brought his fiancée home—and she’ll be staying at the Sugar Maple Inn…

A love triangle becomes the last thing on Holly’s mind when her Jack Russell Trixie’s nose for trouble leads her to the corpse of a pet clothing tycoon. Now Holly and her dedicated detectives—Trixie and Twinkletoes the cat—must sniff out the killer to keep Christmas from going to the dogs…

Delicious recipes for owners and pets included!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2017
Ebook: B06W2J8BCT
Publisher: Berkley
The Dog Who Knew Too Much

America's favorite dog comes to pet-friendly Wagtail for some rest and relaxation, but Holly quickly discovers that this perfect pup is a total scamp who takes every opportunity to run off and misbehave. During an outdoor treasure-hunting game, the star dog and Trixie, Holly's beloved Jack Russell terrier, stumble across a dead body.

Holly has more than murder to worry about, though, when a man shows up after reading an article featuring Trixie in a magazine and claims that he is the dog's rightful owner. Holly will need to prove that she is her pup's only parent and catch a killer to restore peace to her pet-loving happy place.

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2019
Ebook: B07GD32C7T
Publisher: Berkley
Big Little Spies

The ladies of the Wagtail Animal Guardians, WAG for short, are in town for a pet adoption charity ball, and Holly is making sure to roll out the red carpet for her special guests. She and her furry best friend Trixie are busy keeping the WAG ladies happy and preparing for the ball when they learn that a retired judge has lost his prized pup.

The venerable citizen has hired a pet detective who has some personal ties to Holly’s new guests. His presence ruffles some feathers, and when the PI is found DOA not long before the ball, Holly wonders if one of the WAG ladies had a motive for murder. To make matters worse, some pet-loving guests of the ball nearly suffer the same deadly fate. Holly and Trixie will have to sniff out the clues and leash a callous killer before they strike again....

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2021
Ebook: B0838KLBG1
Publisher: Berkley
A Good Dog's Guide to Murder

Visitors are arriving in droves to spend Thanksgiving in the mountains of pet-friendly Wagtail, Virginia. Many of them are bringing dog and cat gingerbread houses to enter in the contest that will be held in the new convention center.

Wagtail resident Orly Biffle bequeathed the land to the town in his will, provided that they not cut down the grand old oak tree on the property. Orly’s children are mighty miffed that they didn’t inherit the prime piece of property overlooking the lake.

Holly notices that Trixie and Twinkletoes, her calico kitty, are fixated on the big oak tree. Trixie barks at it as though she thinks it’s a corpse! Just as contestants are spicing up their sweet gingerbread creations, the majestic tree drops an enormous limb. The mayor declares that the tree is dangerous and must come down.

When a bulldozer churns up some roots, the tree falls over on its own accord revealing a body inside the trunk! Initially, everyone suspects this unsavory trick was Orly’s doing. But it soon becomes clear that someone is trying to keep the truth under wraps. Trixie and Twinkletoes now have to help Holly sniff out some suspects and leash a conniving killer.

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2022
Ebook: B09N6DC3XB
Publisher: Berkley

Pen & Ink

Color Me Murder

By day, Florrie Fox manages Color Me Read bookstore in Georgetown, Washington D.C. By night, she creates her own intricately detailed coloring books for adults, filling the pages with objects that catch her eye.

There’s plenty of inspiration in her new apartment—a beautiful carriage house belonging to Professor John Maxwell, Florrie’s boss. He offers the property to Florrie rent-free with one condition—she must move in immediately to prevent his covetous sister and nephew from trying to claim it.

When the professor’s nephew, Delbert, arrives, he proves just as sketchy as Florrie feared. But the following morning, Delbert has vanished. It’s not until she visits the third floor of the store that Florrie makes a tragic discovery—there’s a trap door in the landing, and a dead Delbert inside. The esteemed Professor Maxwell is an obvious suspect, but Florrie is certain this case isn’t so black and white.

Doodling clues, she begins to consider other colorful characters on the scene, all with a motive for murder. With a killer drawing closer, Florrie will need to think outside the lines...before death makes his mark again.

Includes A Front and Back Cover for You to Color!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2018
ISBN: 978-1496716408
Publisher: Kensington
The Coloring Crook

Life is looking rosy for Florrie Fox, manager of the Color Me Read bookstore in Georgetown, Washington D.C. She’s working on an adult coloring book of gardens, her romance with Sergeant Eric Jonquille has entered a new chapter, and the bookstore’s weekly coloring club is a source of friendship and entertainment.

No member is more vibrant than Dolly Cavanaugh. Dolly likes to say she was blessed with beauty and cursed with lousy husbands, but at least she has a grown daughter and a stunning brownstone to show for it! 

When Dolly’s love of garage sales results in her showing up at Color Me Read with a rare book in hand, Florrie is astounded. The Florist, the earliest known coloring book, was first published in 1760. An original copy would be worth a fortune—and someone else knows it. That same evening, Florrie finds Dolly dead on the floor of her apartment, a corner of a coloring book page clutched in her hand.

As Florrie delves into Dolly’s past and her personal effects, she discovers a skeleton in the closet—literally—and a whole lot of shady suspects. One of them is an expert in the fine art of murder, but can Florrie draw the right conclusion?

Includes A Front and Back Cover for You to Color!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2018
ISBN: 978-1496716422
Publisher: Kensington
Murder Outside the Lines

With Halloween just around the corner, the fall colors in Georgetown are brilliant. As manager of the Color Me Read bookstore, coloring book creator Florrie Fox has arranged for psychic author Hilda Rattenhorst to read from Spooktacular Ghost Stories.

But the celebrity medium arrives for the event in hysterics, insisting she just saw a bare foot sticking out of a rolled-up carpet in a nearby alley. Is someone trying to sweep murder under the rug? Florrie calls in her policeman beau, Sergeant Eric Jonquille, but the carpet corpse has disappeared without a trace.

Then in the middle of her reading, Hilda chillingly declares that she feels the killer's presence in the store. Is this a publicity stunt or a genuine psychic episode? It seems there's no happy medium. When a local bibliophile is soon discovered missing, a strange mystery begins to unroll. Now it's up to Florrie and Jonquille to expose a killer's true colors...

Includes A Front and Back Cover for You to Color!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2021
ISBN: 978-1496724632
Publisher: Kensington
A Colorful Scheme

Coloring book creator and Washington, DC, bookstore owner Florrie Fox is attending the wedding of her wealthy boss and a famous romance author, who are taking their vows—for the second time—on the grounds of the gorgeous Maxwell mansion. But it soon becomes clear that the soothing vibe of coloring books is very different from the stress and backstabbing in some corners of the literary world.

Arthur Bedlingham, for example, barely makes a living despite the many awards he’s won—and his chances for better sales haven’t been helped by the vicious review he just got from another guest at the party. Then there’s an ex-FBI agent whose popular thrillers are a magnet for female fans; a less-successful romance writer; and an ambitious waitress who’s intent on a career in journalism.

When Arthur’s assistant, an aspiring writer, is murdered during the festivities, Florrie realizes this is no color-by-numbers case, and she’ll have to sort out the complicated secrets among this creative crowd of suspects…

Includes A Front and Back Cover for You to Color!

Author: Krista Davis
First Release: 2022
ISBN: 978-1496724656
Publisher: Kensington