SYNOPSES

The Lost Exam

The 1920s were more rumble than roar in small-town America, but that changed in Doro Banyon’s hometown when she turned amateur sleuth to solve a mystery.

Recent high school graduate Doro Banyon looks forward to registering for classes at Michaw College, but a missing final examination ignites her sleuthing interest. When she overhears a professor berating his student assistant for the loss, Doro joins forces with the coed, whose scholarship is in jeopardy unless she can prove she is not at fault—Doro’s father, a professor at the school, pitches in, as does another student. Soon, several suspects arise. As they do, unsettling secrets surface. Can Doro find out what really happened to the lost exam and save her new friend? Or will cheaters prosper?

The Murdered Matron

Travel back to small-town America during the Roaring Twenties and join Doro Banyon, college librarian and amateur sleuth, as she sets her sights on solving another murder.

As the fall semester ends, Doro’s hands are full as a professor, librarian, and volunteer. She looks forward to planning and celebrating her hometown’s annual Christmas festivities, but her enthusiasm is tested when the chairwoman’s dictatorial ways create dissension among the committee members. Dissension soon turns to malice, and threats fly among the matron and several others. When she is found dead, unsettling questions arise—and so do longstanding grudges. Who caused the woman’s fatal fall from a ladder? After the chairwoman’s handyman disappears, anxiety escalates among townsfolk. Doro and her best friend, Aggie, along with two local lawmen, work together to investigate. Can they catch the killer in time to save the holiday celebration? Or will others fall victim to the perpetrator?

The Bottled Bootlegger

A local bootlegger was killed. Doro’s would-be sweetheart is undercover to investigate. And Doro is searching for him when he disappears.

Doro Banyon, college librarian and amateur sleuth, is excited to step out with Everett Mallow, campus security officer and deputy town constable, on their first date. The perfect evening ends on a sour note when a local bootlegger is murdered, and his wife disappears. That leads to Ev temporarily returning to the Prohibition Bureau, where he goes undercover with bootleggers—much to Doro’s dismay, especially when he goes missing. Determined to find him, she convinces her best friend and the town constable to search for Ev in the speakeasy, where he was last seen. Relief fills Doro when Ev is on the dance floor. Joy follows when he takes her into his arms. Both emotions are short-lived because, fearing for her safety, he wants her out of harm’s way pronto. When they step outside, a rival gang armed with Tommy guns attacks the speakeasy, and gunshots riddle the air. Can Doro and Ev both survive long enough to crack the case?

The Doomed Doctor

A Founder’s Day celebration becomes less than festive when a valuable artifact comes up missing. Before amateur sleuth Doro Banyon and her team can locate it, her little dog finds a dead body. Are the two events connected? Can Doro uncover the truth before more disasters strike?

Heading the planning committee for a Founder’s Day celebration has amateur sleuth and college librarian Doro Banyon juggling multiple roles. The appearance of her best friend Aggie’s former beau, now a doctor, complicates matters because he is intent on reviving their relationship. As Aggie, happily engaged, fends off his overtures, the man’s murky past emerges—as does his reason for pursuing her. When a priceless artifact, to be given to the college as part of the big event, goes missing, Doro and Aggie resolve to find it before word gets out. But their task is thwarted when the doctor’s dead body is found.

The Surly Secretary

College librarian Doro Banyon’s dream job turns into a nightmare when her surly new secretary is found shot, soon after their heated confrontation. Suspended and suspected, Doro needs a miracle—a miracle comes in the form of her fiancé, Ev, now back with the Prohibition Bureau and investigating a bootlegging ring with ties to the victim and other members of the campus community. Eager to clear her name, Doro goes undercover with Ev—as his moll. Navigating the treacherous world of bootlegging and speakeasies in Depression-era America proves perilous. Ev puts everything on the line to protect Doro, but she shows her pluck when their real identities are leaked.

The Hindered Honeymooners

Fresh from their joyous wedding weekend, college librarian Doro Banyon and federal agent Ev Mallow set out for their long-anticipated honeymoon in Florida. They are barely out of town when their plans derail as a speeding car filled with masked men nearly runs them off the road. The couple returns to town to alert the constable, Ev’s best friend, only to find the man bleeding on the steps of the bank. Since the robbery is one in a string of local heists, Ev is thrust into the temporary role of constable. With danger stalking the area, Doro insists on staying at his side—as wife and sleuth. As suspects multiply—and one dies—the couple must untangle a web of deep secrets, organized menace, and conflicting loyalties in small-town, Prohibition Era America.

REVIEW

I have now read all of the current books in the Doro Banyon series and can honestly say that I have enjoyed each and every one! Each book in the series can easily be read as a standalone; they can be read in any order. For more from DS Lang, CLCK HERE.

Lang has a good sense of characterization and plot development. With each story, I find myself becoming part of the investigative team, trying to guess whodunnit before time runs out. The 1920s set the stage for strong women to come into their own.