Anchored Inn

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Gray Whale Inn Mysteries #10
March 2020, Gray Whale Press

Tea, scones, and old bones…

It may be autumn on Cranberry Island, Maine, but things are heating up for innkeeper Natalie Barnes—and not just because of the cranberry scones in the oven. When a research team discovers the remains of a long-missing German U-Boat just offshore, the Gray Whale Inn becomes the center of operations for the eccentric multimillionaire funding the team. But the excitement over the discovery is soon dampened when something else turns up next to the long-lost sunken vessel: the body of a young woman who went missing twenty years ago, tied to an antique anchor that vanished at the same time. Soon, a second, more recent body, that of a local handyman, turns up next to the inn, a knife from friend and island selectman Tom Lockhart’s kitchen in his back.

Natalie is dismayed to learn that several people close to her—including her husband, John, best friend, Charlene, and Tom himself—were connected with the missing girl, and may now be suspects in her long-ago disappearance. When Charlene’s young niece Tania disappears without a trace, Natalie fears that history is about to repeat itself.

Can she find the culprit—and the missing young woman—before tragedy strikes Cranberry island again?

Scone Cold Dead

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Gray Whale Inn Mysteries #9
June 2019, Gray Whale Press

Innkeeper Natalie Barnes is living her dream life, creating scrumptious scone recipes and relishing cool summer days on quaint Cranberry Island, Maine… until she stumbles across a dead body tucked under the blueberry bushes.

Could the killer be one of her artsy out-of-town guests?

Or will the murderer turn out to be uncomfortably close to home?

Click here to read Chapter One!

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Iced Inn

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Gray Whale Inn Mysteries 8.5 (Short Story)
December 2018, Gray Whale Press

It’s Christmastime at the Gray Whale Inn.

The inn’s kitchen smells like ginger and spice, the ground is frosted with snow, and wedding bells are about to ring out for innkeeper Natalie’s favorite niece, Gwen. It’s a joyous time… until the families of the bride and groom descend on the island, bringing nasty tempers and a wicked winter storm with them. Add a baffling rash of thefts, a dash of romantic intrigue, and an unexpected power shutdown, and Natalie’s plans for a magical season are looking more like a recipe for disaster. Can Natalie find the missing gifts before the big holiday? And will the happy couple make it to the altar… or will the wedding go up in flames?

Praise for Iced Inn, a Gray Whale Inn Short Story…

“Well this was a wonderful Christmas surprise. I had forgotten that I had ordered this short story in the Gray Whale Mystery series and it arrived in my Kindle today. Perfect timing!! I just finished it and loved it as I do all the stories in this charming series that takes place on Cranberry Island.” — Amazon Reviewer 

“I love the Gray Whale Inn and had been missing all the characters and the inn itself! I love this series! Karen’s stories are some of my favorites. The descriptive scenery, the food references, the characters that I love, all contribute to the great story! Can’t wait for the next!” — Amazon Reviewer

Claws for Alarm

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Gray Whale Inn Mysteries #8
May 2018, Gray Whale Press
ISBN: 978-0425270219

It’s summer on Cranberry Island, and murder is in the air!

Get ready for another cozy visit with Natalie Barnes and the gang at the Gray Whale Inn.  There’s a brouhaha about the local lighthouse again, marauding goats, a troublesome yoga retreat, romantic entanglements galore… and, of course murder.

The Gray Whale Inn Kitchen

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The Gray Whale Inn Mysteries -- Cookbook
August 2016, Gray Whale Press

This collection of recipes from Natalie’s Gray Whale Inn kitchen includes recipes from the first six books, both short stories… and a bonus recipe! The cookbook also features an introduction from Karen and a bonus first chapter of Whale of a Crime.   The Gray Whale Inn Kitchen will be available for $2.99 on Amazon and Barnes & Noble… or FREE if you’re a newsletter subscriber! (You can sign up at the top of the page!)

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Whale of a Crime

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Gray Whale Inn Mysteries #7
January 2017, Gray Whale Press
ISBN: 978-1542550666

The long-awaited seventh book of the bestselling Gray Whale Inn Mysteries is finally here!

When a tour company books the Gray Whale Inn for a full week, innkeeper Natalie Barnes can’t wait to get cooking — and to hitch a ride on the antique schooner Summer Winds, getting up close and personal with the local whales. But when one of the humpback whales turns up dragging a mass of fishing gear from its tail, the tour takes a dark turn. It turns darker still when the schooner’s handsome captain winds up attached to the vessel’s anchor, sixty feet underwater… and not by accident.

Before long, the tour naturalist (and Natalie’s best friend’s beau) is behind bars, charged with a murder Charlene swears he didn’t commit. Stir in a surprise visit from Natalie’s quarrelsome sister, midnight kitchen sabotage, a sick orphan kitten, and a mysterious investor with plans for a massive resort on the quaint island, and Natalie’s got a recipe for potential disaster.

When a second body turns up just outside the inn, the heat is on Natalie to solve the double murder… or risk ending up with her own goose cooked.

This book was the best in the series. ” — Cynthia, Amazon reviewer

The Gray Whale Inn Mystery series is a great cozy series and Whale of a Crime is the best in the series so far.” — Barb, Amazon reviewer

Pumpkin Pied

Amazon Kindle


Gray Whale Inn Mysteries 6.5 (Short Story)
September 2015, Gray Whale Press

It’s almost time for the Cranberry Island Harvest Festival and Pie Bake-Off… and the much-anticipated annual Great Pumpkin Contest. But trouble starts brewing when the front-running pumpkin is sabotaged… and flickering, ghostly lights set island tongues wagging. When the corn maze goes up in smoke, things really start heating up… and it’s up to innkeeper Natalie Barnes to get to the bottom of things. Is it really a ghost? Or is it someone’s twisted idea of Halloween hijinks — which may take a deadly turn?

Death Runs Adrift

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Gray Whale Inn Mysteries #6
May 2014, Gray Whale Press
ISBN: 978-0738734606

With her own wedding fast approaching and her mother-in-law dating an unexpected beau, the last thing Natalie Barnes needs is to find a young man shot dead in a dinghy. A note she finds with the body suggests the dearly departed had a secret rendezvous planned with somebody on the island. But when suspicion is cast on a fisherman Natalie believes to be innocent, she begins to wonder if the murder was the result of a lover’s quarrel . . . or a lobsterman’s disagreement gone horribly wrong.

Brush with Death

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Gray Whale Inn Mysteries #5
May 2013, Gray Whale Press
ISBN: 978-0738734590

For Natalie Barnes, the flurry of trendy artists setting up shop on Cranberry Island promises to be the perfect recipe for relaxing and enjoying the holiday season. But Natalie’s good luck is turning out to be a stroke of misfortune for her niece, Gwen. The local gallery’s new owner hates Gwen’s paintings, and her mentor Fernand is too distracted by a competing artist to help Gwen improve her style.

When Natalie finds Fernand dead, seemingly the victim of suicide, she can’t believe someone who had so much joy and success in his life would kill himself. Finding clues at Fernand’s home that support her suspicion of murder, Natalie’s hunt for answers places her next on the killer’s list. Will she be able to solve this murder masterpiece before it’s too late?

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Blueberry Blues: A Gray Whale Inn Short Story

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Gray Whale Inn Mysteries #4.5 (Short Story)
April 2012, Gray Whale Press

When innkeeper Natalie Barnes volunteers to host the Cranberry Island Clambake at the Gray Whale Inn, she’s looking forward to good food, good friends — and maybe even a bit of good press. The day is perfect and the event as smooth as Natalie’s crème anglaise — until a mysterious illness grips several islanders, and the police finger the inn’s blueberry pies as the culprit. Will Natalie sniff out the source of the poisoned pies before she — and the Gray Whale Inn — end up in hot water? (Includes the Gray Whale Inn recipe for Double-Berry Lemon Muffins.)

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