Long Time Coming

Book 8 of the Eastern Shore Mysteries Series!

A mysterious fire, a dead man, and a hurricane on the way.

When flames engulf an abandoned church in the middle of the night, attorney Grace Reagan thinks it’s an accident. But there’s a body in the building’s ruins, and soon a murder investigation is underway. The prime suspect? Grace’s assistant, paralegal Lily Travers.

The only eyewitness is an elderly neighbor who rambles on about hidden graves and devils in the woods, but that’s enough for the sheriff of Kingston County. He’s ready to make an arrest, unless Grace and Lily can uncover the truth about the victim’s last days and the murderer’s identity. The appearance of a charming Baltimore Police detective only deepens the mystery—and the danger.

With Hurricane Florian closing in, Grace and Lily stumble into a deadly trap. A rescue mission becomes a nightmare as they find themselves targeted by a killer who has nothing to lose and every reason to silence them.

Long Time Coming is a gripping, twisty tale of loyalty, long shadows, and the desperate choices that come back to haunt us.

The eighth installment in the beloved Eastern Shore Mysteries is perfect for readers new to the series as well as longtime fans.

Squatter’s Rights

Book 1 of the Eastern Shore Mysteries Series!

Who’s buried in the backyard?

Julia Reagan sends her daughter to Maryland’s Eastern Shore to renovate a decaying mansion and deal with the relatives who never left the sleepy village on the Chesapeake Bay. Before she can buy the first can of paint, Grace finds a grave, a murder and tantalizing clues to her own hidden past.

Squatter’s Rights is available to read in Kindle Unlimited on Amazon. Also for sale in eBook, audiobook, paperback, and large print paperback formats.

A Commission On Murder

Book 2 of the Eastern Shore Mysteries Series!

Lies, more lies, and a little bit of truth.

Was loud-mouthed entrepreneur Garrett Bishop shot by a hunter with bad aim, or by someone who wants him gone from Kingston County by any means necessary? Grace must prove that her clients are innocent of murder, but is the killer right in front of her?

A Commission On Murder is available to read in Kindle Unlimited on Amazon. Also for sale in eBook, audiobook, paperback, and large print paperback formats.

Bad Intent

Book 3 of the Eastern Shore Mysteries Series!

Heath Overton’s wives want answers…

The Overton clan — one husband, three almost-sister-wives, and eleven children — have landed in Mallard Bay, and trouble has come along with them. First the patriarch disappears, then then there’s a murder. Can Grace stop the killings before she becomes the next victim?

Bad Intent is available to read in Kindle Unlimited on Amazon. Also for sale in eBook, audiobook, paperback, and large print paperback formats.

Death and Consequences

Book 4 of the Eastern Shore Mysteries Series!

Ellender York has nightmares, unfortunately they’re real.

Two years after a split-second decision on a dark country road results in tragedy, Ellender is ready to start over. Not everyone thinks she should be allowed to. Someone wants retribution and will stop at nothing to make her pay. What will happen when a killer emerges from the shadows of her dreams?

Death and Consequences is available to read in Kindle Unlimited on Amazon. Also for sale in eBook, paperback, and large print paperback formats.

Twisted Karma

Book 5 of the Eastern Shore Mysteries Series!

On Monday, Grace Reagan meets a teenager who says he’s her son.
By Wednesday, her world is unrecognizable and there’s a dead woman on her doorstep.

She’s been ignoring the warning signs for weeks. Something bad is coming, but until it’s right in front of her, Grace refuses to see it. When three seemingly unrelated disasters hit, one after another, she can’t escape the truth—her life flies out of control and at the center of the chaos is the stranger who claims she’s his mother.

Twisted Karma is available to read in Kindle Unlimited on Amazon. Also for sale in eBook, paperback, and large print paperback formats.

In The Absence of Truth

Book 6 of the Eastern Shore Mysteries Series!

A poem is found in a dead man’s pocket.
Is it a promise or a warning?

Don’t look back on my life, you won’t like what you see.
I’ve left parting gifts for you and soon I will be free.
When I leave this world, I’ll take what you want with me.

Grace Reagan’s uncle may be dead, but his plans for revenge are just getting started. Stark Delaney still has one last con to run, and soon the disastrous consequences of his bequests to his family start to unfold. As one mystery unravels, another takes its place and they all come back to Stark’s final days. Did he die alone in a run-down apartment, or was he murdered? Is the poem found in his pocket a final insult to his family, or the opening move in his last act of revenge? The search for answers reopens old wounds and the truth Grace finds will change her life.

In The Absence of Truth is available to read in Kindle Unlimited on Amazon. Also for sale in eBook, paperback, and large print paperback formats.

Tangled Webs

Book 7 of the Eastern Shore Mysteries Series!

In TANGLED WEBS, the sins of yesterday collide with the deceptions of today as Attorney Grace Reagan takes on the most difficult case of her career—one that will challenge her in ways she never imagined.

The matriarchs of two long-feuding families accuse each other of shocking crimes. Rose insists her son’s family is fine, but no one has seen them in years. Gail claims her daughter has been held against her will for more than a decade by Rose’s son.

Neither woman is telling the whole truth, but which one is lying?

On the same day the skeletal remains of a young man are discovered near Rose’s home, Gail identifies a comatose trauma victim as her long-missing daughter. With tensions rising and the police building a murder charge against her client, Rose, Grace races to untangle the tragic pasts of both families, unaware that her pursuit of the truth has put her own life on the line.
A killer, determined to protect long-buried secrets, is waiting in the shadows, ready and willing to do anything to stop her.

TANGLED WEBS is the 7th book in the Eastern Shore Mysteries series.

The Eastern Shore Mysteries

Books 1-3  of the Eastern Shore Mysteries Series!

The crime rate is low in Mallard Bay until Grace Reagan shows up and falls into a grave. Every time she tries to leave the touristy little town on the eastern side of the Chesapeake Bay, something or someone reels her back in. Usually, it’s a murder…

Available to read in Kindle Unlimited, or to purchase in eBook format.

The Eastern Shore Mysteries

Eastern Shore Mysteries Box Set: Books 4-6! DEATH AND CONSEQUENCES, TWISTED KARMA, and IN THE ABSENCE OF TRUTH.

Loved the first three books in the Eastern Shore Mysteries series? Get ready for more suspense and intrigue–Grace Reagan is just getting started!

DEATH AND CONSEQUENCES
Attorney Grace Reagan is due for a break. She’s losing her home, being edged out of her job, and is pregnant by her ex. A simple property dispute provides a welcome distraction at work until it spirals into murder. (Book 4 in the series.)

TWISTED KARMA
Grace Reagan’s world turns upside down when a teenage boy appears at her door claiming to be her son. Within days, a woman lies dead in her office, and karma seems to have found its way to Mallard Bay. (Book 5 in the series.)

IN THE ABSENCE OF TRUTH
When a mysterious poem is discovered in a dead man’s pocket, Grace Reagan must decide: is it a final message or a deadly warning? Her uncle Stark Delaney’s death should have been the end of his cons, but it proves to be just the beginning. As his posthumous bequests wreak havoc on the family, Grace uncovers layers of deception that force her to question everything she thought she knew. (Book 6 in the series.)

I’m Cheril Thomas, and I write mystery fiction from the Chesapeake Bay side of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. My Eastern Shore Mysteries series is set in the fictional town of Mallard Bay and features Grace Reagan McNamara, a Washington attorney who comes to this tiny, historic port for a week and never quite manages to leave. This part of her story isn’t unique—many people cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge for a visit and stay for a lifetime.

Like many who live here full time, my family and I came from Somewhere Else. We’re part of that vast and ever-changing group known as “Come Heres,” and we’re so very grateful to be here. After multiple moves around the mid-Atlantic region, we found St. Michaels in Talbot County, then moved up the road to Easton, where we’ve stayed put ever since. I love sharing the Eastern Shore through my writing and social media.

I have plenty of help in my career from wonderful readers, friends, and family. I’m grateful for each of them. When I became a full-time writer, no one was prouder than my husband, who has never blinked an eye at my rather unorthodox interests and research. Sometimes he twitches a little when I say things like, “Guess how slowly you can kill somebody with pesticide poisoning?” but he always recovers nicely and continues to encourage me. Did I mention he’s a chef? And before you get the wrong idea, he cooked all our meals long before I wrote about poisoning murders. We’ve been married for a very long time, so I think it’s all going to work just fine, even with the occasional twitch or two.

We’re dog people, and all of my books have been written with a canine co-author along for the ride. These days, our lives are ruled by a sassy little spaniel named Ellie Grace, who made her literary debut in TWISTED KARMA.

Thank you for reading my stories. Please keep in touch—I love hearing from readers!

Cheril

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