The Brass Compass

The Brass Compass

Ellen Butler

Ellen Butler

A beautiful American spy flees into the night. On her own, she must live by her wits to evade capture and make it to the safety of the Allied forces.     Lily Saint James grew up traveling the European continent, learning languages as she went. In 1938, her mother’s abrupt death brings her back home to Washington, D.C., and after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Lily comes to the attention of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Her knowledge of German, French, and Italian makes her the perfect OSS Agent, and her quick thinking places her as a nanny in the household of an important German Army Colonel, where she is able to gather intelligence for the Allies. After her marketplace contact goes missing, she makes a late-night trip to her secondary contact only to find him under interrogation by the SS. After he commits suicide, she flees into the frigid winter night carrying false identification papers that are now dangerous and a mini film...
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Swindler's Revenge

Swindler's Revenge

Ellen Butler

Ellen Butler

14th Annual National Indie Excellence® Awards Winner 2020 International Book Awards Finalist America’s Greatest Generation (born before 1945) witnessed incredible changes in technology and social progress. From simple improvements in entertainment to life-changing medical advances, technology changed the way they live, work, and identify. Sadly, with each passing year, fewer members of the Greatest Generation remain alive to share their wisdom as the last Americans to grow up before the digital revolution. In 2015, Millennial author and cultural anthropologist Veronica Kirin drove 12,000 miles across more than 40 states to interview the last living members of the Greatest Generation. Stories of Elders is the result of her years of work to capture and share their perspective for generations to come. Stories of Elders preserves the wisdom, thoughts, humor, knowledge, and advice of the people who make up one of America’s finest generations, including the Silent Generation. Their...
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Diamonds & Deception

Diamonds & Deception

Ellen Butler

Ellen Butler

The rainbows-and-unicorns period of her friends-to-lovers relationship with Mike Finnegan officially over, Karina Cardinal is taking a tactical retreat. No way is she calling him for rescue from one of her infamous "scrapes." Too bad trouble, if not her middle name, is a close relative. Sadira Manon, friend and colleague of Karina's sister Jillian, has been dropping way too much cash on designer labels for a middle school teacher. Even one who moonlights as a jewelry store clerk. But when she's accused of theft, the loose diamond falling out of her purse is enough for the police to sing the song of their people—"Miranda Rights." Karina, Jilly, and Silverthorne Security join forces to investigate who's setting Sadira up to take a fall, and why. They dig up a shady tangle of Russian mob ties and gambling debts. By the time Karina realizes they've dug too deep—and maybe a little too far outside the law—Jillian's in trouble, and the only way out of this particular...
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Spectral Revelations

Spectral Revelations

Ellen Butler

Ellen Butler

Is Karina's missing aunt on vacation...or on the lam? Karina is trying to keep her mind on getting a cosponsor for a bill, but it's tough with her Mom blowing up her phone. By the time Karina finally stops hitting "ignore", Mom is frantic. It appears Karina's Aunt Vera has disappeared, fibbed to her employer about the reason for her absence, even abandoned her beloved cat, Nightshade—which is completely out of character. Karina would bet her favorite pair of designer shoes that Vera is in some kind of trouble. However, when Karina hauls her cookies from D.C. to historic Williamsburg to search Vera's house, she finds nothing suspicious. Except for a mischievous Civil War ghost who scares the bejesus out of her and keeps trashing Vera's office. Until Karina realizes his seemingly random ectoplasmic tantrums have a purpose—revealing key evidence. Something is definitely fishy, but the clues aren't adding up....
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Ink and Intrigue at Ivy Tree Inn

Ink and Intrigue at Ivy Tree Inn

Ellen Butler

Ellen Butler

Stumbling across a dead body could be the making ... or breaking of an aspiring reporter. During 1958, when the workforce is predominantly male, societal norms dictate women should be compliant, fashionable housewives. To Ariadne Winter, the sole tradition she aims to embrace is that of being fashionable. Amidst the ambiance of Ivy Tree Inn, where she's been dispatched as a writer for Ladies' Lifestyle Magazine, her focus wavers as she grapples with an interview assignment concerning a Hollywood starlet on the cusp of royal matrimony—an event hailed as the "Wedding of the Century." While Ariadne dutifully attends to her task, her heart yearns for the pursuit of her collegiate ambition: to be an investigative reporter for a renowned newspaper. However, fate intervenes when she discovers a dead body and recognizes the opportunity it presents to write her way into the role she desires. Yet, as Ariadne delves deeper into the lives...
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Deadly Secrets at Ballyford Castle (Ariadne Winter Mystery)

Deadly Secrets at Ballyford Castle (Ariadne Winter Mystery)

Ellen Butler

Ellen Butler

From Paris runways to country manors, danger is always in fashion.When intrepid journalist Ariadne Winter leaves behind the glittering cafés and haute couture of 1958 Paris for the misty hills of rural Ireland, she expects champagne toasts and countryside charm at her cousin's engagement celebration. But amidst party prep excitement the festive mood at Ballyford Manor is shattered when a body is discovered among the ruins of the ancient castle grounds.The local inspector suspects an accident—but Ariadne knows better.Armed with her sharp wit and a reporter's determination, Ariadne peels back the polished façade of the O'Connell family, uncovering simmering tensions and long-held grudges that refuse to stay buried. As she navigates a world of crumbling aristocracy, whispered scandals, and dark family legacies, Ariadne realizes someone will do anything to keep the past hidden — even if it means making her the next victim. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Tana French, this stylish, atmospheric mystery captures the glamour and shadows of 1950s Ireland, blending intrigue, secrets, and a sleuth you won't forget. 
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Fatal Legislation

Fatal Legislation

Ellen Butler

Ellen Butler

Lawmaking can be a murderous affair.If any day calls for a soothing glass of wine, it's today.One moment, Capitol Hill lobbyist Karina Cardinal is having a heated discussion with Senator Harper, who just torpedoed her latest health care legislation initiative. The next, after a cryptic remark, the senator is dead at her feet. Hours later, she's still so rattled she wakes to a freezing apartment because she forgot to close her back door. Or did she?When her boyfriend, FBI cybercrimes expert Mike Finnegan, is suddenly reassigned to work a new case, he's got bad news and worse news. The bad: the senator's death was no heart attack—it was assassination by a hacker disabling his pacemaker. Worse: Karina's a "person of interest."Certain that status could change to "suspect" at any moment, Karina begins her own back-channel investigation into who could have wanted the senator dead. Of course, in Washington, that...
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