"Trespassers will be gutted and hung!" —Slagton's unofficial town motto spray-painted on the old company store.Normally, not even drunk on a bet would Violet Parker go to Slagton, a creepy ghost town inhabited by those too stubborn—or deranged—to leave.But a certain bullheaded Deadwood detective has a problem—his informant from Slagton has gone missing. When Violet is shanghaied into taking a hunting trip to the ghost town to search for the missing snitch, she stumbles into trouble that will take more than a double-barreled shotgun to escape.Will Violet survive this new Hell that haunts her, or will she end up on Slagton's growing list of those "gutted and hung"?

It's all fun and games at the circus ... until everyone's favorite clown winds up dead. Someone killed Clint the Clown. Madam Electra's crystal ball could help find the murderer, but she risks exposing her own secrets in the process. Secrets that could land her on the endangered species list. Head security officer Bruno Maska has been ordered to enlist the help of the one person he suspects is hiding something—Electra. The same woman who's been haunting his thoughts since their drunken night together. With the killer still on the prowl, can Bruno and Electra get their act together before the Freakiest Show on Earth loses another clown? Or worse, its beloved psychic? From the AC Silly Circus Co. comes the first story in a new series of paranormal romantic mystery novellas chock-full of oddball shapeshifters, dangerous secrets, and loads of laughs. Step right up and enjoy the Feral-LY Funny...

A steamy jungle, an ancient curse, a deadly secret—one big sweaty mess!"This dig site isn't cursed. It's doomed!" Ancient History ... A small civilization in the Maya jungle suffered a mysterious, bloody ending. Recent History ... A world-renown Mesoamerican archaeologist dug too deep in the same place and wound up dead. Present Day ... Dr. Angélica García has returned to the site of her mother's death much to the displeasure of Quint Parker, the visiting photojournalist out to win her heart. While Angélica struggles to unearth the secrets behind the Maya site's dark past, Quint battles to keep the gutsy "Boss Lady" from sharing her mother's fate. Will the two manage to unravel the disturbing truth hiding amongst the dig site's bones before history repeats itself?

It's Christmas Eve and Violet Parker has one request on her list for Santa—to make it home to her kids. Unfortunately, "home" is also the lair of her life-long nemesis, her sister Susan (aka the devil's concubine).Standing in Violet's way is Old Man Winter, who slammed the Black Hills with a show-stopping blizzard. However, a little snow isn't going to ground her sleigh, not with family counting on her to deliver Santa's goods.Trying to keep Christmas from turning into a candy cane calamity, Violet battles her demons and struggles through the chaos storming around her.Can she make it through the holiday without cracking anyone's nut?

Someone—or rather something—broke into the local taxidermy shop and took bites out of the critter displays before racing off into the dark. But this is no random crime and Violet knows it. With a bounty on her head and troublemakers zeroing in on her, she soon goes from being the hunter to the hunted."Burly muscled and rawhide tough don't matter. Never tangle with a Scharfrichter!" ~Violet Parker

From the AC Silly Circus Co. comes the second story in a new series of paranormal mystery novellas chock-full of oddball shapeshifters, dangerous secrets, spicy steam, and loads of laughs.Buffoonery abounds under the big top!Someone slipped one of the monkey brothers a bad bunch of bananas. Now Madam Electra and Officer Bruno have to figure out who is behind the malarkey spreading throughout the circus. Unfortunately, Electra's cryptic crystal ball makes finding answers no easy cakewalk.Brimming with voodoo, gators, and crawfish pie, the bayou hasn't seen this much fun and mayhem since the French circus came to town.Come one, come all and enjoy A BUNCH OF MONKEY MALARKEY!

Someone—or rather something—broke into the local taxidermy shop and took bites out of the critter displays before racing off into the dark. But this is no random crime and Violet knows it. With a bounty on her head and troublemakers zeroing in on her, she soon goes from being the hunter to the hunted."Burly muscled and rawhide tough don't matter. Never tangle with a Scharfrichter!" ~Violet Parker

From the Multiple National Award-winning Author of Nearly Departed in Deadwood! "What a voice! Hilarious, original, and genuinely wonderful. This fresh and feisty mystery will instantly win your heart. Loved it!" ~HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN, Anthony, Agatha and Macavity winning author"Ann Charles writes a top-notch mystery that is fast-paced, complex, and laugh out loud funny! A genuinely exciting and sexually suspenseful mystery, Charles delivers in her second Violet Parker novel set in Deadwood, South Dakota. Fast-moving with twists even a seasoned Mystery Reader won't see coming, this is a can't-put-it-down book." ~MARY BUCKHAM, award-winning Romantic Suspense author "A smart, sassy, sexy and wonderfully resourceful heroine. Move over Stephanie Plum--Vi Parker is here!" ~JOHN KLAWITTER, award-winning Tinseltown writer/director, and author of the award-winning Hollywood Havoc action thriller novels You'll laugh. You'll cringe. You'll want even more!Someone is spreading rumors around Deadwood that Violet Parker likes to chat with dead folks. With her reputation endangered, her bank account on the verge of extinction, and her career at risk of going up in flames, Violet is desperate. When the opportunity to sell another vintage home materializes, she grabs it, even though this "haunted" house was recently the stage for a two-act, murder-suicide tragedy. Ghost or no ghost, Violet knows this can't be as bad as the last house of horrors she tried to sell, but sexy Doc Nyce has serious doubts. Her only hope of hanging on to her job is to prove that the so-called, ghostly sightings are merely the eccentric owner's optical delusions. But someone--or something--in the house wants Violet stopped...dead."... sexy, spunky Violet Parker will blow you away." ~LUCY BURDETTE, author & Sisters in Crime past-president "... mystery, humor, romance, and fun all wrapped up in a great book." ~BOOKS R US REVIEWSOptical Delusions in Deadwood Cover Design by Mona Weiss (facebook.com/monaweissfans); Cover Art by C.S. Kunkle (cskunkle.com)Want more mystery, laughs, and suspense? Check out Ann Charles' newest ebook, DANCE OF THE WINNEBAGOS, available now! This is the first book in her new Jackrabbit Junction Mystery series, starring Claire Morgan, Violet Parker's childhood friend from Rapid City, South Dakota.Review"... mystery, humor, romance, and fun all wrapped up in a great book." ~BooksRUs Reviews"Another fun read that left me smiling. Bravo, Ann Charles for your wit and humor. Your masterful storytelling makes this a gem to read." ~Earth's Book Nook Reviews From the AuthorDear Reader,I have an itchy case of gold fever. I came down with it decades ago when I first traveled through the Deadwood area. I'm not talking about a hunger for shiny treasures, rather a need to know all about the people and places from which the shiny pieces are unearthed.When it comes to the Black Hills, one town reaches out to scratch my gold-fever itch--the city of Lead (pronounced Leed). While Deadwood was busy leaving its mark on the history books with tales of Wild Bill Hickok and Seth Bullock, Lead was busy staking its claim on the land. The Open Cut mine in the middle of Lead brings its industrious past front and center.The Open Cut has always fascinated me. I have studied "before" and "after" pictures, read all about its creation (at the Black Hills Mining Museum), and stared at the geological timeline in its walls through the Homestake Visitor Center's chain-link fence. Why am I so fascinated with a big hole in the ground? Because it reveals a history full of hard work, spent lives, and change. It intrigues me how people adapt to these changes.Over the years, I've met several Homestake miners. I've listened to their stories of what it was like to work deep inside the Earth. At the butcher in King's Grocery, I stood in line with their wives and kids. These days, Homestake is no longer an operating gold mine; most of the drifts and shafts below the town are filled with water rather than men. But Lead's industrious spirit is still alive, its down-to-earth hardiness still apparent. I'd always planned to incorporate Lead into the Deadwood Mystery series. The two towns are like sisters, each enchanting with separate but entangled histories. Before I began writing this second book, I cruised the back streets of Lead, along Sunnyhill Road, from East Summit Street to West, and down Gold Street, searching to see how life off the main drag had changed since Homestake stopped digging for gold. I took my kids to the little park on Miners Avenue and the big park next to the Open Cut. I climbed the steep hill on Mill Street, retracing the going-to-work route of many miners. I located the exact piece of land next to the Open Cut where I'd place the house that would play center stage in the story--the Carhart house.I hope you get a kick out of reading Optical Delusions in Deadwood. While I enjoyed introducing Violet and her friends in the first book of the series, Nearly Departed in Deadwood, this second book allowed me to shed light on the kaleidoscope of colorful characters and historical settings. Most of you reading this have already dipped a toe into Violet's world. Thank you for returning for more Deadwood fun. Grab your boots, because the water is getting deeper. Welcome back to Deadwood ... and Lead.Ann CharlesAward-winning author of the Deadwood Mystery Seriesanncharles.com/deadwood

Something has gone foul in the Black Hills … something gravely unnatural. Leave it to Violet Parker to stumble into the middle of it.A creepy phone call. A dead body. Two meddling detectives. A glut of trouble-making ex-partners. Can things get any worse?Violet swears to keep her nose out of police business this time. But when her son is linked to the victim, she returns to the scene of the crime. More than just a mystery to solve, now her son might be in mortal danger.

The Deadwood Mystery Series - Book 9

The Deadwood Mystery Series - Book 11