Janet LaPierre

FAMILY BUSINESS (2006)

In late 2002, with the prospect of war in Iraq looming ever larger, an unauthorized but peaceful anti-war protest march in Port Silva degenerates into a riot, filling jail cells and the emergency ward and somehow flinging two men into the storming sea. As Police Chief Vince Gutierrez struggles to protect irate citizens from one another, Patience and Verity Mackellar are hired to look into the background of one of the missing men—and find that he has none.

"I've always loved LaPierre's novels about Port Silva, California, and FAMILY BUSINESS is no exception. When conflict over the looming prospect of war with Iraq threatens to tear the small seaside town apart, LaPierre goes well beyond the bounds of the traditional mystery, examining one of today's most compelling issues. Her quirky and likeable characters, well-drawn setting, and baffling plot make FAMILY BUSINESS one of the best entries in this already excellent series."
—Marcia Muller, MWA Grand Master and author of Vanishing Point

"FAMILY BUSINESS is another terrific Port Silva mystery, with Janet LaPierre's trademark intricate plot, fascinating characters, and above all, marvelous prose. She takes on contemporary issues with aplomb."
—Ayelet Waldman, author of the Mommy Track mysteries and Love and Other Impossible Pursuits

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View a map of Port Silva

DEATH DUTIES (2004)

The mother-and-daughter private investigative team introduced in Keepers, Patience and Verity Mackellar, take on a challenging new case. A visitor to Port Silva hires them to clear her grandfather of anonymous charges that caused his suicide there thirty years earlier.

"Lush prose, hard-edged, complex characters, and a good measure of wry humor: another rich entry in the Port Silva series."
—Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2004

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KEEPERS (2001)

In KEEPERS, Janet LaPierre introduces two fascinating new Port Silva characters, Patience and Verity Mackellar, a mother-daughter private investigative team. Patience, a policeman's widow, has kept her late husband's PI agency going as "Patience Smith, Investigations." Now Verity, seeking refuge from a troubled marriage, joins her mother to do the legwork. Finding lost pets and exposing unethical doctors leads to more difficult and dangerous work when their latest case, a lost child, calls for undercover work in a reclusive religious community. Amid the spectacular beauty of California's Lost Coast, two sets of mothers and daughters find their lives in jeopardy.

"LaPierre hits the bull's-eye, presenting even the most minor characters with equal parts compassion and judgment against a gorgeous backdrop, and topping the
whole show off with a surprise ending."
—Kirkus Reviews, June 16, 2001

View a map of the Lost Coast, where much of the action in KEEPERS takes place

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BABY MINE (1999)

In rain-weary and economically depressed Port Silva, on the California north coast, domestic violence is on the rise, a gang of hoodlums is committing increasingly brutal robberies and assaults, and religious fundamentalists are picketing a fertility clinic and harassing its clients.

When the battered body of a young Hispanic woman is pulled from the rocky coastal waters, the frustrated and furious chief of police, Vince Gutierrez, pursues a search for her missing husband and children. Then he learns of her connection to the fertility clinic, and possibly with the doctor who owns it.

In the end, Meg Halloran, Gutierrez's schoolteacher wife, must once again join forces with the police to save Port Silva from an unprecedented crime wave—and her marriage from the stress of these crushing blows.

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OLD ENEMIES (1993)

In OLD ENEMIES, a smoldering feud between two Modoc County ranching families explodes on the tenth anniversary of a young man's disappearance. Quickly the score mounts to two missing, two murdered; and to Meg Halloran, visiting a friend who could be either criminal or victim, falls the outsider's dangerous task of pulling apart old secrets. Anthony Award nominee.

"OLD ENEMIES is a magnificent novel. The characters were so real I almost recognized them from life, the setting so hauntingly painted I can still see scenes weeks later, and the suspense—I couldn't put it down."
—Sue Dunlap

THE CRUEL MOTHER (1990)

In THE CRUEL MOTHER, Meg Halloran and her lover, police chief Vince Gutierrez, have an unwanted companion on their Idaho vacation: Vince's rebellious young niece, Cass. After an accident sends Vince home, Meg and Cass find themselves in the line of fire as some aging 60s revolutionaries war among themselves over righteousness or riches or just survival. Starred Kirkus review.

"There are wheels-within-wheels in the cunning plot, along with a wide spectrum of offbeat characters and shifting locales to keep things moving. A gripping story."
—Kirkus Reviews

CHILDREN'S GAMES (1989)

In CHILDREN'S GAMES, widowed schoolteacher Meg Halloran's plans for a peaceful new life in the northern California town of Port Silva are jeopardized by one of her students, an obnoxious teenager who menaces her and terrorizes her ten-year-old daughter, Katy. When the boy is found murdered, his prominent family accuses Meg of the crime.

"One of those rarities—a compulsively readable mystery that is also beautifully written, with characters who feel like friends. I loved it."
—Nancy Pickard

GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE (1991)

In GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE, thirteen-year-old Petey Birdsong's inheritance and his obsession lies in a former Finnish commune targeted for development. Charlotte Birdsong, soft-spoken music teacher and single mother, fears her son may be involved with a secretive local group called RIP, already suspect in the disappearance of one developer. As Charlotte reluctantly challenges greedy or needy neighbors, Petey's long-absent father turns up to claim his share of the inheritance, and perhaps his son.

"LaPierre's deftly woven mystery explores environmental issues, homelessness, drugs and family violence. The vividly portrayed characters are well-drawn and believable, as is the rocky, windswept coastal town itself."
—San Francisco Chronicle

UNQUIET GRAVE (1987)

In UNQUIET GRAVE, Cat Smith, in flight from an abusive family, plays guitar with a transient rock band called Animal Fare. When Dr. Joe Mancuso, the computer scientist who befriends her, is accused of the murder of one of his students, Cat believes him innocent; but she fears that her fragile friend, Antelope the flute player, may know something about the crime.

"A razor-sharp debut novel... great atmosphere, quirkly believable characters, and a satisfying romance."
—Booklist