She’s the USA Today Best-Selling author of The Oakwood Mystery Series, a trio of Cozy Mysteries that take place in the all too real city of Oakwood, Ohio, where murders are rare but great stories lie thick on the ground.
In addition to writing about murder, she also teaches writing at a local community college. After the written word, Her passions include her husband, her son and daughter, hiking, tennis and strong black coffee, not necessarily in that order. USA-Today Best-Selling weaver of Cozy Mysteries, Leslie Nagel, joins us on the show today to talk about her latest release – The Codebook Murders…
Click on the PLAY icon (the triangle inside of the circle) in the image below to listen to this episode.
Listen to “LESLIE NAGEL – PDI-2019 Adventure #17” on Spreaker.
.
Amateur sleuth Charley Carpenter discovers a coded journal that could crack her small town’s most infamous cold case wide open in this charming cozy mystery from the USA Todaybestselling author of The Book Club Murders.
As the owner of Old Hat Vintage Fashions, Charley Carpenter supplies retro apparel to the residents of Oakwood, Ohio, but she’s been known to set business aside to play detective when a mystery rears its head. And there’s no bigger mystery in Oakwood than the murder of Regan Fletcher—a case that’s haunted the town for decades.
Regan’s boyfriend, Carter, did time for the crime—until another man’s confession freed him. But did the “real killer” really do it? Or did Carter walk away with blood on his hands? When Charley stumbles on an old journal written in code, it only complicates the case by revealing a blackmail scheme that targeted dozens of Oakwood’s citizens, giving them all a motive for murder.
Now, with a spate of new suspects to pursue, plus a fresh murder and the abduction of her sleuthing partner, Charley must dig deeper still into the past—even as she risks being buried by her shadowy prey. Joining forces with Detective Marcus Trenault and the newly formed Oakwood Mystery Book Club, Charley turns to a classic whodunit for clues on catching a killer—before more lives are lost, and the truth dies with them..
Available in Ebook & Audio
USA TODAY BESTSELLER • In a charming cozy mystery series debut, Leslie Nagel’s irrepressible small-town heroine finds that her fellow book club members may be taking their Agatha Christie a bit too literally—and murder a bit too lightly.
Charley Carpenter has poured heart and soul into her clothing store, Old Hat Vintage Fashions. She’ll do anything to make it a success—even join the stuffy Agathas Book Club in order to cultivate customers among the wealthy elite of Oakwood, Ohio.
Although mixing with the most influential women in town has its advantages, Charley finds the endless gossip a high price to pay. But after two women with close ties to the Agathas are brutally murdered, everyone falls under threat—and suspicion. When key evidence indicates that both murders are the work of the same hand, Charley realizes that the killer has arranged each corpse in perfect imitation of crime scenes from the Club’s murder mystery reading list. She uses her membership in the Club to convince Detective Marcus Trenault to use her as an inside informant. Not that he could stop her anyway.
Intelligent, fearless, and every bit as stubborn as Marc is, Charley soon learns the Agathas aren’t the only ones with secrets to protect. Passions explode as she and Marc must race against time to prevent another murder. And if Charley’s not careful, she may find herself becoming the killer’s next plot twist.
Available in Ebook & Audio
In this irresistible cozy mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of The Book Club Murders, amateur sleuth Charley Carpenter fights to avenge a crime that hits far too close to home.
Mulbridge House stood, silent and decaying, deep in the woods at the heart of Oakwood, Ohio, long before the passing of Augusta Mulbridge. Yet suddenly everyone in town seems to have a stake in its fate: the greedy heirs, eager to tear it down for a tidy profit; the local preservationists, determined to maintain it as an historic site; the angry neighbors, staunchly opposed to the construction of a modern subdivision. Even Charley Carpenter is forced to admit that her beloved shop, Old Hat Vintage Fashions, could use an infusion of the estate’s treasures.
The clock is ticking. The wrecking ball is ready to swing. All that stands between Mulbridge House and oblivion is one final vote. That, and murder…
The trouble begins when Charley walks into auctioneer Calvin Prescott’s office to find her cherished family friend crumpled on the floor. Detective Marcus Trenault quickly connects his death to a string of increasingly violent burglaries plaguing Oakwood. But when Charley uncovers a link to a massive land swindle worth millions, not to mention a drug ring operating out of the manor’s abandoned outbuildings, that theory crumbles faster than Mulbridge House. Now Charley’s racing to catch a killer before everything falls apart.
Available in Ebook & Audio
What’s the couple next door really hiding? Vintage fashionista and amateur sleuth Charley Carpenter finds out in this engrossing cozy mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of The Book Club Murders.
In a small town like Oakwood, Ohio, everyone knows everyone else’s business—except for Charley Carpenter’s standoffish new neighbors, who tend to keep to themselves. But behind closed doors, Paxton Sharpe’s habit of screaming bloody murder at all hours of the day keeps Charley awake all night. Coupled with the stress of the increasingly delayed expansion of her shop, Old Hat Vintage Fashions, the insomnia is driving Charley crazy. Her only distraction? The local paper’s irreverent new advice column, “Ask Jackie.”
Jackie’s biting commentary usually leaves Charley and her employees rolling on the floor, but her latest column is no laughing matter. An oddly phrased query hinting at a child in peril immediately puts Charley on high alert. After arriving home to a bloodcurdling scream next door, she follows the noise into the basement and makes a grisly discovery: the body of Judith Sharpe’s adult daughter.
With Detective Marcus Trenault off in Chicago, Charley decides to take matters into her own hands. Convinced that the murder is connected to the desperate plea for help in “Ask Jackie,” she embarks on a twisted investigation that has her keeping up with the Sharpes—before a killer strikes again.
Available in Ebook & Audio
.
.
What is a goal? It’s been defined in many ways, most of them so complex that things get fuzzy and complicated. Put simply, a goal is something you want to do. PUSH is designed to help readers think about things more simply. Identify your goals and put forth the simple, dedicated effort to achieve them. Having acheived one goal, it becomes easier to pursue others. We tend to make it complex. PUSH seeks to make it simple.
PUSH is designed to help each reader find their own personal pathway of identity and, having found it, pursue their dreams in a simple, attainable fashion that leads to achievement. Broken into a handful of easy-to-read essays, PUSH mixes humor, common sense, and thought-provoking insight in an effort to give each reader the opportunity to see for themselves why they have absolutely no shot at ever being ordinary.
Available in Paperback & Ebook
You’re being watched… You may not realize it, and the person watching you may never clue you in, but you’re being watched. It happens each day in the most undetectable way. Somewhere, someone is watching.
You touch more lives and topple more dominoes than you could ever imagine. For someone, you are the light in their darkness or the example to which they aspire. Completely disconnecting from the society in which we live is impossible. Even in death, our lives continue to touch others, both in the moment and as time slowly passes.
Don’t Forget Your Cape doesn’t dance off into the fancy world of who each person can be. I’ve always left that “think your way to wonderful” philosophy to other writers. It just doesn’t suit me and I’d bet that it doesn’t really suit you either. I’d rather be a part of a face-to-face journey that cuts through the fog and connects me with who I am. That’s where my value can be found and that’s where this journey takes each reader.
Available in Paperback & Ebook
“Sing like no one’s listening, love like you’ve never been hurt, dance like nobody’s watching, and live like it’s heaven on earth.” There’s a brilliant irony in that quote; no one claims authorship and no one seems to be able to identify its true origin. Although the world is very familiar with this song and dance, no one knows the singer or the dancer.
Why do you do what you do? It’s a useful question to ponder. If you knew that no one would hear your song, would you still sing? Knowing that the chairs in the auditorium will be empty, will you still take the stage and dance just as enthusiastically?
HELLO… Is This On? explores why we do what we do and speaks to our ability to develop self-trust and quiet confidence, even in the face of daunting circumstances or, in some cases, no measurable response at all.
Available in Paperback & Ebook
Preview and Order Mark's Motivational Books on Amazon:
What is a goal? It’s been defined in many ways, most of them so complex that things get fuzzy and complicated. Put simply, a goal is something you want to do. PUSH is designed to help readers think about things more simply. Identify your goals and put forth the simple, dedicated effort to achieve them.
You may not realize it, but you’re being watched. It happens each day in the most undetectable way. Somewhere, someone is watching. You touch more lives and topple more dominoes than you could ever imagine. For someone, you are the light in their darkness or the example to which they aspire.
Why do you do what you do? It’s a useful question to ponder. If you knew that no one would hear your song, would you still sing? Knowing that the chairs in the auditorium will be empty, will you still take the stage and dance just as enthusiastically? Explore why you do what you do and develop self-trust and quiet confidence.