• Skip to main content

Sally Bayless

Author

  • Home
  • Free Mystery!
  • Mystery
    • Bed & Breakfast & Burglary
    • Antiques, Artifacts & Alibis
    • Sales, Secrets & Suspects
    • Home Tours, History & Homicide
    • Donors, Deception & Death
    • Festivals, Funnel Cakes & Felonies
    • Hemlines, Handbags & Havoc
    • Apples, Alumni & Animosity
    • Books, Betrayal & Blame
  • Free romance novella!
  • Romance
    • Love of a Lifetime
    • Love at Sunset Lake
    • Love and Harmony
    • Love and Roses
    • Love Once More
    • Love Meant to Be
    • Love to Believe In
    • Christmas in Abundance
    • Family Trees for the Abundance Series
  • News
  • About Sally
  • Contact

cover reveal

Cover Reveal–Apples, Alumni & Animosity

Cover of Apples, Alumni & Animosity, which shows Bella the golden retriever in an orchard at apple-picking time

Book 7 in the Dogwood Springs Cozy Mystery Series
Available Spring 2025

A reunion ripe with secrets, and a killer among them.

When historian Libby Ballard is asked to offer a series of talks to a group of visiting university alumni, she’s intrigued. When the offer comes with the promise of a large donation to the small-town history museum where she’s the director, it sounds even sweeter. And when she learns the alumni are staying at a retreat center at a lovely local orchard, she readily agrees. What could be better than discussing her favorite topic in an idyllic venue filled with ripe red apples, happy friends, and hayrides?

Yet, the picturesque Missouri setting hides a poisonous secret. When one of the alumni is murdered, it becomes clear there’s a bad apple in the bunch. With the sheriff baffled, and danger lurking among the leaves, the orchard’s desperate owner asks Libby and her beloved golden retriever, Bella, to root out the killer.

As Libby investigates, she discovers that the alumni’s relationships are rotted by long-held grudges and recent rage. If she wants to keep the reunion from culminating in another tragic goodbye, she’ll have to act fast.

Curl up with Libby, Bella, and their friends as they delve into the core of this twisty mystery!

If you like a cozy mystery with a pet who will win your heart, friends who feel like family, and a hint of romance, you’ll love this series!

This is a clean read with no profanity, sex, or graphic violence.

Pre-order your copy here!

Cover Reveal–Hemlines, Handbags & Havoc

Cover of "Hemlines, Handbags & Havoc" which shows Bella the golden retriever amid mannequins wearing historic dresses

Book 6 in the Dogwood Springs Cozy Mystery Series
Available Fall 2024

Amid a century of styles, a historic fashion show turns fatal.

Libby Ballard couldn’t be more pleased. What could be more charming than hosting a historic fashion show as a special event for the museum she runs in the small town of Dogwood Springs, Missouri? But when tragedy strikes and a spiteful local figure is found dead backstage, the curtain rises on a mystery of murderous proportions.

When the police spotlight a suspect who Libby knows is innocent, she realizes she must step in to catch the true culprit and protect the reputation of her beloved museum, already strained by connection to previous murders. With strong determination, a keen eye for detail, and her trusty golden retriever, Bella, by her side, she embarks on a journey through a labyrinth of lies and long-held grudges.

But the suspects are many, the truth is elusive, and the specter of danger lurks in every shadow. Can Libby outwit the killer before another victim falls?

Join Libby and Bella today to unravel this mystery!

If you like a cozy mystery with a pet who will win your heart, friends who feel like family, and a hint of romance, you’ll love this series!

This is a clean read with no profanity, sex, or graphic violence.

Pre-order your copy here!

Cover Reveal–Donors, Deception & Death

Book 4 in the Dogwood Springs Cozy Mystery Series

Available Fall 2023

Didn’t the cover designer do a fabulous job? I may be biased because I love teal, but I think this is my favorite cover yet!

Pre-order your copy here!

Cover of book showing title (Donors, Deception & Death) and a golden retriever by a fireplace where a glass of wine has been spilled.
Copyright © 2025 Sally Bayless. All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy

Use of Affiliate Links