Shadow Valley Manor
3 primary works
Book 1
In this supernatural thriller, shot through with biting wit, Maureen Keslyn checks herself in to Shadow Valley Manor to recuperate and rehabilitate from her last job. There, she runs afoul of the stern director and makes friends with some of the other residents, mostly older, all harboring either a secret or a grudge. With secrets of her own, like why she has her own Federal Agent checking up on her, and how she injured herself in the first place, Maureen fits right in, even as she sticks out like a thorn.
But Shadow Valley isn't just for rest-Maureen is working undercover, seeking to find and eradicate whatever forces are picking off the residents (and staff) at a grisly clip. With her resources dwindling one death at a time, and unnatural forces seething to rise up once more, Maureen's experience fighting the supernatural will be her only hope to destroy a clever and powerful evil-and her only chance at surviving it. She'll need people as paranoid as she is-from the sheriff, to the undertaker's daughter, to a cook whose knife skills in the kitchen could prove deadly out of it-if she is going to bring rest to the weary, and peace to the dead...
"Kerry Schafer's new thriller, DEAD BEFORE DYING, is infused with delightfully dark humor and populated with a unique and compelling cast of characters; the story's blend of supernatural thrills and a fast-paced, complex plot will keep readers turning pages until the surprising-and highly satisfying-end. A brilliant start to one of the best and most unique series I've read in a very long time." -Susan Spann, author of The Shinobi Mysteries
"What do you get when you cross a supernatural thriller with a cozy mystery, set it in a nursing home, and top it off with a geriatric vampire? A deliciously spine-tingling read full of original characters and biting wit you don't want to miss, that's what!" -Linda Grimes, author of the Ciel Halligan series
"A fun mystery with an amazing main character I loved. Very much recommended." -Alex Hughes, author of the Mindspace Investigations Series
"Creepy suspense, insidious evil, and things that go bump in the night infuse this story with thrills and chills all the way to a terrifying ending."-Nancy J. Cohen, author of The Bad Hair Mysteries
"Schafer deftly balances the menace of unknown evil with a smart and tenacious band of heroes-led by one kick-ass heroine. DEAD BEFORE DYING is an engaging, sizzling start to a new series." -Tammy Kaehler, award-winning author of the Kate Reilly Mystery Series
"What do you get when you mix paranormal thrills, a feisty middle-aged heroine, and a tantalizing mystery set in a creepy rest home? Kerry Schafer's DEAD BEFORE DYING! Clever, fast-paced, and fun, Schafer weaves an irresistible tale sure to keep you reading far into the night." -Lisa Alber, author of KILMOON and WHISPERS IN THE MIST
Book 2
The girl with the full-body tattoo of a world tree is not just another runaway. She's dead, for starters, and her veins are emptied of blood and oozing a strange, jelly-like substance. To Maureen Keslyn, seasoned paranormal investigator, former FBI agent, new owner of the Shadow Valley Manor Retirement Home, this isn't just a corpse. It's a sign that the Medusa, a dangerous paranormal hybrid, is on another killing spree.
Maureen and her team-Jake, the local sheriff, Matt, the Shadow Valley Manor cook with knife skills that extend beyond the kitchen, and eighteen-year-old Sophronia, who has an uncanny affinity for ghosts-are determined to hunt down and eliminate the creature.
Their case is complicated by the ghost of Maureen's former partner, Phil Evers, who refuses to cross to the other side, and his very much alive daughter Jillian, who shows up demanding to know how Maureen inherited the Manor. When Sophronia uses her power to try to help Phil across, a huge spirit storm blows up at Shadow Valley Manor, and she disappears. With the life of one of their own in deadly peril, Maureen and the team have a ticking clock to find Sophronia and bring down the Medusa.
"What do you get when you mix paranormal thrills, a feisty middle-aged heroine, and a tantalizing mystery set in a creepy rest home? Kerry Schafer's DEAD BEFORE DYING! Clever, fast-paced, and fun, Schafer weaves an irresistible tale sure to keep you reading far into the night." Lisa Alber, author of KILMOON and WHISPERS IN THE MIST
"Schafer deftly balances the menace of unknown evil with a smart and tenacious band of heroes led by one kick-ass heroine. DEAD BEFORE DYING is an engaging, sizzling start to a new series." Tammy Kaehler, award-winning author of the Kate Reilly Mystery Series
Book 3
Veteran paranormal investigator Maureen Keslyn never asked for life to be easy—for her, nothing is more invigorating than hunting down and ending a dangerous paranormal adversary. Fortunately, life at Shadow Valley Manor tends to be a little more...interesting...than the experience at your average retirement community.
Right now, though, even she has to admit that things are getting out of hand. The bizarre murder of one of her elderly residents is only the beginning. How is she supposed to focus on tracking down the killer when there’s a spider loving middle-schooler underfoot? Worse, she’s acquired an unwelcome roommate—an elderly woman with dementia and a penchant for walking through walls.
Maureen is ever resourceful, but the death count keeps rising despite her best efforts and the help of her team. With the life of a child hanging in the balance, Maureen is forced to take extraordinary measures—but will they be enough?