Maryann's Books - Mystery, Romance and More

Signed copies of all my books can be purchased directly through me. Just e-mail a request to maryann@maryannwrites.com


I'm so excited to share the first mystery that I wrote a number of years ago with a collaborator, Margaret Sutton The newly updated version was just released as an e-book and in paperback. The book had a very short life with a small publisher who let it languish, and I am happy to be able to bring it to life again, with this terrific new cover by Dany Russell. When first written, we used a pen name, Sutton Miller, and reviewers thought the book was written by a man. I guess we got the hard edge right. :-)

“You'll hate to put this one down until you have read that last word.  Highly recommended by a satisfied reader and I'm looking forward to the next book by this author. Enjoy.” Anne K. Edwards

"The book is well plotted and it is obvious that the author is an experienced writer."   Martha Grimes for Reviewing the Evidence.

"Wow - so much packed into this story. And then such a surprise ending! Seriously well paced. I am pleased to recommend this to my mystery reading friends. The main character was up to the task and the dialogue snappy. More please." Five star review on Amazon


  This is my first totally independent book and it was released in paper and as an e-book March 2013. In this historical mystery, set in Arkansas in 1961 when the mob still ruled Hot Springs, babies are being kidnapped and the local sheriff has to put this case to bed before the bosses come down from Chicago. They don't need the heat, and they have the leverage with the sheriff to make him do whatever they want. It seems like a good move to arrest Leslie Richards, the new woman in town, even though there is only thin circumstantial evidence against her. Better for it to be a stranger taking those babies and not one of their own.  Leslie has left New York with her ten-year-old daughter, Mandy, hoping  to escape from her past and the ruins of a relationship, only to discover that there is little peace for her in Pine Hollow, Arkansas. It has over 90 reviews, most of them 4 and 5 stars. One reviewer had this to say, "Exceptionally good story of mystery, heartache, betrayal, forgiveness and love."


First published in hardback by Five Star Cengage Gale, Open Season is now an e-book, published by Venture Galleries. It is available for KINDLE, NOOK and other electronic devices. It has a brand new cover, designed by the talented, Dany Russell.

"Wow, wow, wow, couldn't put it down." 5 star review on Amazon.

"Try this debut mystery by a journalist for its open treatment of current urban problems, clean prose, and realistic depiction of women working together. For readers who enjoy Robin Burcell and fans of police procedurals." Library Journal

"Open Season is a solid police procedural with fully developed characters and provocative social issues
." L.J. Sellers, author of the Detective Jackson Mysteries

“Detectives Sarah Kingsly and Angel Johnson are crisply drawn characters.  The hard-edged story of racial tension in Dallas could be drawn from today’s headlines.  Open Season is a smart, spirited page-turner.” —Bruce Cook – Tommy Gun Tango 

"Miller spins a tight tale that's a cut above the average police procedural in this first of a new series introducing Dallas police detective Sarah Kingsly." Publisher's Weekly


The critically acclaimed Seasons Mystery Series that started with Open Season, continues with the second book, which was released November 14, 2012 for library sales and December 5 for retail sales. February 28, 2014 it was released as an ebook for Kindle and Kindle apps. Also available at Scribd * Kobo * Apple * Inktera Nook

 “. . . gripping second mystery featuring Dallas, Tex., police detectives Sarah Kingsly and Angel Johnson. . . . The relationship between the women is just as absorbing as the search for the killer. Few readers will anticipate the closing twist.” Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"So deftly plotted and paced that, although it’s certainly possible to grow impatient with the protagonists’ unwarranted impatience toward each other, they’re appealing enough to keep the pages turning." Kirkus

One Small Victory 

 Available for KINDLE ; for other electronic devices at Untreed Reads and as an Audio Book  - Also as a Paperback

            Life can change in just an instant. That's the harsh reality that Jenny Jasik faces when her son is killed in an automobile accident, but never in her wildest dreams did she ever expect to be working undercover as a member of a drug task force. She is, after all, just a mom.  But don’t discount what a mom can do when the safety of her children is at stake.
               One Small Victory is a suspense novel, inspired by the true story of a very courageous woman.

"One Small Victory is well written, emotionally intense, and hopefully will find a wide audience.  While the subject matter for the book might seem a real downer for some, the way you handled it moved it to a different level from a lot of the books that come our way.." Jayne for Dear Author Book Reviews

One Small Victory is great Romantic Suspense and a read you won't want to miss.” Victoria Kennedy, Midwest Book Reviews



"There were many aspects that I loved about this book, but I think my favorite part was how the author depicted the emotions of all the people involved. I have been very fortunate not to have lost a close family member (yet) but I can only imagine what it must feel like, especially if it is your child. Maryann does an excellent job of portraying the range of emotions this family has to go through." June 2014 at The Revolving Bookshelf.com
 

The e-book is available for KINDLE   NOOK APPLE and KOBO -   Or buy directly from Uncial Press to get files that can be easily be converted from one format to another and are readable on every electronic device thus far known.  Also in  paperback.

     
When her husband comes home from work one day to announce he’s moving out, Samantha Rutgers thinks it’s a joke. She hopes it’s a joke. It's not. He packs his suitcase and moves out. For twenty-five years, Sam was a corporate wife, a stay-at-home mom. Now she's divorced, adrift, and alienated from her daughter who blames her for the divorce. 
        Ill equipped to be a single woman in a whole new dating culture, she would have foundered without help from an old friend who challenges her to finish up the art degree she put on hold when she married. Her classes open the door to a job at an advertising agency, where Sam makes several new friends and one enemy. There she meets Frank Reynolds, who invites her to take that first step into new love. 
                              Love can be better the second time around, and so can the sex.

"PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM turns the standard "The End' of a marriage into the "Once upon a time" of a genuine grown-up love story."  Laura Parker, author of The Gamble

"Maryann Miller's PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM is wonderfully written, full of heartache and hard lessons learned. The characters are a woman who must learn to have faith in herself and learn to love again, and a man who finds himself attracted to a woman he wants to take care of and protect. The characters are portrayed with depth, and even though they have problems, they are both willing to work through them for a second chance at happiness. For an enjoyable book to cozy up with, read PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM."  Robin Peek,Romance Reviews Today

The Wisdom of Ages  
     PAPERBACK

Three stories; four men whose lives take unexpected turns. Meet Samson who wonders what is down that country road that draws people so. Should he get in that old truck and go see? Mel and Rube have been having dinner at the Leavenworth Grill every Wednesday for years. One day the menu changes and so does life for Mel. Tom would give anything for his life to change. Can he beat back the effects of a crippling stroke by sheer force of determination? 
        Growing old is not for the faint of heart.

"These three gems will make you think about time and how you use it. Maryann Miller has a rare gift for taking the pulse of ordinary lives and spinning that into extraordinary tales." -- Craig Lancaster, author of 600 Hours of Edward and The Summer Son

"Miller shares her skills as a writer and her humanity in this inspiring glimpse into the realities of aging and the heartbreak of letting go." Paula Stallings Yost Editor/Author, What Wildness is This: Women Write About the Southwest
 
"Sometimes the best stories come at the end of our lives, and so do the strongest lessons. Read Maryann Miller's poignant vignettes about aging and let them tug at your heart-strings. They capture the very essence of our tender humanity." ~ Dani Greer, author, editor and Special Projects Coordinator for Little Pickle Press

Friends Forever 
Revised edition coming Sept 16. Available for pre-order at  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
 
          Debbie Webly is terrified that she will lose Laura to the influence of Angie who is rich, beautiful, and the most popular girl in school. There’s not much Debbie won’t do to hang on to her friend, but will she cross some line that she can never come back from?
          And what about Brad? Does she even stand a chance with him? 
          The challenges mount when Debbie is tempted to commit social suicide by taking up for Stephanie who is even more of an outcast than she is. When Angie makes a surprising move, Debbie finds out that true friendship is based on much more than looks or popularity.

"4 1/2 Stars! FRIENDS FOREVER beautifully captures the pain and confusion of early adolescence. Ms. Miller's vivid prose and authentic dialogue plunges the reader into the roller coaster world of a 13 year-old girl. With enough twists and surprises to keep younger readers turning the pages long after their bedtime, FRIENDS FOREVER is a delightful book. I highly recommend it." -- Sharpwriter

"Ms. Miller captures the trails and tribulations of 13 year-olds very easily. She talks their lingo and keeps the book interesting with enough twists and surprises to keep younger readers turning the pages to the very end." Pam Stone 

SHORT STORIES 

 The Last Dollar - a feel-good story about the magic of Christmas that can be enjoyed any time of the year. Available for all electronic reading devices from Untreed Reads.

Reviews:
 "A sweet and heartwarming short story."

"It's a great Christmas story to remind us what it's all about."


**  SAHM, I Am   at Untreed Reads  - Technology may be on the verge of having sophisticated home computers that run an entire household, but have the scientists taken into consideration the human factor? When SAHM, a Sensor Activated Home Manager, is field tested at the O’Neal home, he’s up against the biggest challenge a computer has ever faced; one Shanna O’Neal. 

**   Making it Home   at Untreed Reads  - Change is always hard, but especially so for a young girl who loses her parents and has to "make a new home." Nancy loved the farm and everything about it and knows she will hate living in the city. Or will she? 

**  The Visitor  at Untreed Reads - A retelling of the classic Goldilocks and the Three Bears in modern day. A camping trip becomes most interesting when a stranger shows up and the Cantrell family has to find out who has been sneaking into their cabin.



ANTHOLOGIES