Book 1

Sing It to Her Bones

by Marcia Talley

Published 10 August 1999
Winner of the 1998 Malice Domestic Grant “Marcia Talley’s terrific debut novel has wit, warmth, and a spunky new heroine who must not be missed.”—Sujata Massey, Agatha-winning author of The Salaryman’s Wife

She lost her job. She almost lost her life. Now Hannah Ives is taking her first brave steps back into the world, wearing a wig and her heart on her sleeve after a frightening bout with breast cancer. But in the small Chesapeake Bay town where she came for a vacation, she does not find the relaxation she deserves. Instead Hannah finds a body -- of a girl who disappeared eight years before.

Suddenly Hannah is asking hard questions of the good and solid citizens of Pearson’s Corner, peering behind the facade of the perfect small town and piecing together the last days of a girl who died on her high school homecoming night—a girl about the same age as Hannah’s own daughter. Uncovering some dangerous secrets, Hannah can feel her own spirit and body surging back to life. After all, she beat death once. Now, with a killer on the loose, she has to face an even deadlier foe. . . .

“A shining new talent . . . Hannah Ives tackles life’s up and downs with humor, intelligence, and courage.”—Deborah Crombie, Macavity Award-winning author of Dreaming of the Bones

Book 2

Unbreathed Memories

by Marcia Talley

Published 13 June 2000
Is the key to a therapist's murder hidden away...in a patient's mind?

Is a shrink's death fall a Freudian slip?

Hannah Ives has every reason to mind her own business. Having survived a recent bout with breast cancer, she's opting for reconstructive surgery and a fresh start. Her Annapolis home is decorated for better feng shui. Her parents are living close by. And her sister, Georgina, is finally getting help for recurring depression. Everything is coming up roses-until her sister's therapist takes a nosedive off a balcony.

Now, with Georgina a prime suspect in the murder, Hannah needs to do some analysis of her own. A few pages torn from an appointment book may hold a crucial clue. And some bizarre memories from her sister's past may point to a motive...if Hannah can keep a clear head and dare to enter the darkness of a killer's twisted mind....

Book 3

Occasion of Revenge

by Marcia Talley

Published 7 August 2001
The bride thought they’d live happily ever after — until a murderer struck....

The guests were off the wall. The would-be groom was off the wagon. And the bride certainly wasn’t blushing.

Aside from that, it was the perfect occasion: a party for Hannah Ives’s widowed father and the younger woman he had suddenly decided to marry. Then the evening takes a strange turn, with a sudden death and disappearance.

For Hannah, the stunning turn of events came after a Christmas season slide into anger and confusion. First her father had found a floozy who had already buried three husbands. Then her late mother’s jewelry started showing up around the gold digger’s neck.

Now Hannah, who has just put her life together after a bout with cancer, is desperately searching for her missing father. Because this poor man has either made a terrible mistake, committed a terrible crime, or fallen victim to a killer who seized the moment for murder....

Book 7

Dead Man Dancing

by Marcia Talley

Published 29 August 2008
This is the new "Hannah Ives" mystery. Driving a wedge between Ruth and her fiance, Hutch, is not what Hannah intends when she recommends J&K Dance Studios to her sister. Ruth is determined to shine on her wedding day. But when Kay Giannotti, the svelte, stunning half of J&K floats across the floor to greet Hutch with a kiss, it's clear this isn't the first time they've met. Setting jealousy aside, Ruth's footwork dazzles, and Jay Giannotti charms the couple into auditioning for Shall We Dance?, a TV talent show.Then Ruth is sidelined by a brutal attack, and Hutch partners with Melanie, whose deafness has been no bar to success. Alas, the auditions end in tragedy when a dancer collapses on stage and dies, and a second is drowned. Accidents or murder? Hannah is on the case.

Book 11

The Last Refuge

by Marcia Talley

Published 1 January 2012

Book 12

Dark Passage

by Marcia Talley

Published 1 January 2013

Super-sleuth Hannah Ives must conjure up all her detective skills when her niece does a vanishing act on a family cruise.

Hannah, her sisters and fourteen-year-old niece Julie set sail from Baltimore on a bonding cruise, and have a dramatic first night when Pia Fanucci, a bubbly bartender magician's assistant whom Hannah befriends, narrowly escapes injury during an illusion. But while Pia may make light of the incident, it's no laughing matter when Julie suddenly disappears. Has she gone overboard, or is she injured somewhere on the enormous ship?

To make matters worse, Hannah meets David Warren, a grieving father whose twenty-two-year-old daughter vanished without trace from an earlier cruise. With claims of a proper investigation proving to be an illusion too far, Hannah teams up with David and Pia in desperation. Can they see through the ship's smoke and mirrors to reveal the identity of a dangerous sea-faring predator?


Book 13

Tomorrow's Vengeance

by Marcia Talley

Published 1 May 2014

A brutal murder draws Hannah Ives into a mystery where to understand the present, she must uncover a dark past.
While at Calvert Colony, a life care community centre in Maryland, and at lunch with her friend, retired mystery author and amateur painter L.K. 'Naddie' Bromley and her neighbour Sophia Milanesi, who survived the closing years of the Second World War in a convent in Italy, Hannah meets Filomena Buccho, a personable young Argentine server. Her brother, Raniero, also works at the Colony as chef. But when Masud Abaza and his wife, Safa, move into the community and Masud is found murdered, his head bashed in by a croquet mallet, suspicion falls on Raniero, who has made no secret of his neo-Fascist sentiments. Hannah and Naddie agree to investigate, uncovering old crimes and reigniting ancient quarrels that know no boundaries of place or time."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":14593,"3":{"1":0,"3":1},"11":4,"14":{"1":2,"2":0},"15":"Calibri","16":11}" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, Arial;">A brutal murder draws Hannah Ives into a mystery where to understand the present, she must uncover a dark past.
A brutal murder draws Hannah Ives into a mystery where to understand the present, she must uncover a dark past.
While at Calvert Colony, a life care community centre in Maryland, and at lunch with her friend, retired mystery author and amateur painter L.K. 'Naddie' Bromley and her neighbour Sophia Milanesi, who survived the closing years of the Second World War in a convent in Italy, Hannah meets Filomena Buccho, a personable young Argentine server. Her brother, Raniero, also works at the Colony as chef. But when Masud Abaza and his wife, Safa, move into the community and Masud is found murdered, his head bashed in by a croquet mallet, suspicion falls on Raniero, who has made no secret of his neo-Fascist sentiments. Hannah and Naddie agree to investigate, uncovering old crimes and reigniting ancient quarrels that know no boundaries of place or time."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":14593,"3":{"1":0,"3":1},"11":4,"14":{"1":2,"2":0},"15":"Calibri","16":11}" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, Arial;">
A brutal murder draws Hannah Ives into a mystery where to understand the present, she must uncover a dark past.
While at Calvert Colony, a life care community centre in Maryland, and at lunch with her friend, retired mystery author and amateur painter L.K. 'Naddie' Bromley and her neighbour Sophia Milanesi, who survived the closing years of the Second World War in a convent in Italy, Hannah meets Filomena Buccho, a personable young Argentine server. Her brother, Raniero, also works at the Colony as chef. But when Masud Abaza and his wife, Safa, move into the community and Masud is found murdered, his head bashed in by a croquet mallet, suspicion falls on Raniero, who has made no secret of his neo-Fascist sentiments. Hannah and Naddie agree to investigate, uncovering old crimes and reigniting ancient quarrels that know no boundaries of place or time."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":14593,"3":{"1":0,"3":1},"11":4,"14":{"1":2,"2":0},"15":"Calibri","16":11}" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, Arial;">While at Calvert Colony, a life care community centre in Maryland, and at lunch with her friend, retired mystery author and amateur painter L.K. 'Naddie' Bromley and her neighbour Sophia Milanesi, who survived the closing years of the Second World War in a convent in Italy, Hannah meets Filomena Buccho, a personable young Argentine server. Her brother, Raniero, also works at the Colony as chef.
A brutal murder draws Hannah Ives into a mystery where to understand the present, she must uncover a dark past.
While at Calvert Colony, a life care community centre in Maryland, and at lunch with her friend, retired mystery author and amateur painter L.K. 'Naddie' Bromley and her neighbour Sophia Milanesi, who survived the closing years of the Second World War in a convent in Italy, Hannah meets Filomena Buccho, a personable young Argentine server. Her brother, Raniero, also works at the Colony as chef. But when Masud Abaza and his wife, Safa, move into the community and Masud is found murdered, his head bashed in by a croquet mallet, suspicion falls on Raniero, who has made no secret of his neo-Fascist sentiments. Hannah and Naddie agree to investigate, uncovering old crimes and reigniting ancient quarrels that know no boundaries of place or time."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":14593,"3":{"1":0,"3":1},"11":4,"14":{"1":2,"2":0},"15":"Calibri","16":11}" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, Arial;">
A brutal murder draws Hannah Ives into a mystery where to understand the present, she must uncover a dark past.
While at Calvert Colony, a life care community centre in Maryland, and at lunch with her friend, retired mystery author and amateur painter L.K. 'Naddie' Bromley and her neighbour Sophia Milanesi, who survived the closing years of the Second World War in a convent in Italy, Hannah meets Filomena Buccho, a personable young Argentine server. Her brother, Raniero, also works at the Colony as chef. But when Masud Abaza and his wife, Safa, move into the community and Masud is found murdered, his head bashed in by a croquet mallet, suspicion falls on Raniero, who has made no secret of his neo-Fascist sentiments. Hannah and Naddie agree to investigate, uncovering old crimes and reigniting ancient quarrels that know no boundaries of place or time."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":14593,"3":{"1":0,"3":1},"11":4,"14":{"1":2,"2":0},"15":"Calibri","16":11}" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, Arial;">But when Masud Abaza and his wife, Safa, move into the community and Masud is found murdered, his head bashed in by a croquet mallet, suspicion falls on Raniero, who has made no secret of his neo-Fascist sentiments. Hannah and Naddie agree to investigate, uncovering old crimes and reigniting ancient quarrels that know no boundaries of place or time.


Book 14

Daughter of Ashes

by Marcia Talley

Published 29 May 2015

When Hannah loses out on the cottage of her dreams because of an unscrupulous real estate agent, she and her husband, Paul, buy a fixer-upper instead. But contractors restoring the chimney soon make a tragic discovery: the mummified body of an infant.

Hannah, already researching the history of her home in the county archives, is searching for clues to the dead infant's identity when more shocking events occur. Suddenly, her access to the courthouse is denied and the records she has been examining are slated for destruction. Someone with money, influence, or both is trying to make sure incriminating information stays buried. Can Hannah solve the crimes before the evidence and over one hundred years of county history go up in smoke?


Book 15

Footprints to Murder

by Marcia Talley

Published 31 August 2016

When a man is murdered in the woods and the main suspect appears to be a giant ape, Hannah steps in to solve the mystery. Does Bigfoot really exist?

Hannah is delighted to reconnect with her former roommate, Susan Lockley, owner of Scarborough Fairs, at a college reunion, and agrees to step in when Susan's assistant drops out of managing the Sasquatch Sesquicentennial in Granite Falls, Oregon. But when Martin Radcliffe, a professional debunker, is found murdered, surrounded by gigantic footprints, the culprit appears, or was meant to appear, obvious: Bigfoot.

Fantasy or fact? As the conference disintegrates into a chaos of finger pointing, mistrust and fear, it falls to Hannah to restore order. Working closely with Jake, a retired policeman and his K-9, Harley, Hannah hastens to stave off the vigilantes and solve the crime before Bigfoot, if he exists, comes one step closer to extinction.


Without a Grave

by Marcia Talley

Published 3 April 2009

All Things Undying

by Marcia Talley

Published 2 June 2010

Through the Darkness

by Marcia Talley

Published 29 August 2006

Quiet Death

by Marcia Talley

Published 1 January 2011
After being involved in a train accident, Hannah finds herself in possession of her injured seatmate's bag and her efforts to return it soon set in motion a chain of events that put her life in grave danger.

This Enemy Town

by Marcia Talley

Published 30 August 2005

Mile High Murder

by Marcia Talley

Published 29 December 2017

Hannah Ives embarks on a trip to the Mile High City on a fact-finding mission. But is she about to get 'high' on murder?

It's a well-known fact that some of the Reach for Recovery cancer support group survivors Hannah Ives works with take marijuana. Recreational use of the drug may be illegal, but a few, like Maryland State Senator Claire Thompson, are prescribed it on medical grounds.

Claire has co-sponsored a Cannabis Legalisation Bill and wants Hannah to be part of a fact-finding task force that testifies before the Maryland State Senate.

Before long, Hannah is in Denver, Colorado - the Mile High City - staying at a B&B with a group of pot pilgrims and medical refugees - some of whom, like her, are on a mission for information. But when one of the group is found dead, and a closer inspection of the body reveals they may not be who they seem, Hannah is plunged into a dangerous cocktail of drugs and death.


Tangled Roots

by Marcia Talley

Published 29 March 2019
Can Hannah Ives untangle the roots of her ancestry to solve murders from the past and present?

Hannah Ives's sister, Georgina, has some astonishing news. A DNA test has revealed she is part Native American, and Hannah's test has similar results. The link seems to come from their late mother. But how?

As Hannah dives into constructing her family tree, she uncovers a heart-breaking love story and a mysterious death, while DNA matching turns up two second cousins, Mai and Nicholas. Hannah and her niece, Julie, are eager to embrace their new relatives and learn about their surprising ancestry, but Georgina's husband, Scott, isn't so keen. Are there more shocking revelations to come? And can Hannah untangle her family roots to uncover the truth behind a devastating tragedy?

Done Gone

by Marcia Talley

Published 29 January 2021

Hannah Ives' neighbour is on the run, but the past is about to catch up with her in this compelling mystery.

Hannah Ives is worried when her friends and long-time neighbours, Peter and Trish Young, are a surprising no-show at her Italian night. The couple seem to have vanished without a trace. Have they made a quick getaway and 'done gone'?

As she struggles to make sense of the Youngs' disappearance, Hannah gets a call from Trish. But when she meets up with her heavily disguised friend, their reunion takes a devastating twist. Keen to help Trish, Hannah's investigations lead her to a series of dark discoveries and secrets involving powerful political figures. With stakes getting higher and her own life on the line, can Hannah survive her journey into Trish's past long enough to find out who wants to silence her, and why?


Disco Dead

by Marcia Talley

Published 1 November 2022

A trip to the local cemetery draws Hannah into a puzzling case stretching back forty years.

It may seem creepy, but Hannah Ives enjoys her expeditions to the local cemetery to help people find their deceased relatives. Usually a quiet affair, Hannah is surprised when she encounters Isabel 'Izzy' Randall laying flowers on the grave of Amy Madison, a college senior who was killed in 1978. Last seen in a popular Annapolis disco bar, Amy's murder remains unsolved.

Hannah's interest in the case leads her to join Silent Sleuths, a small, passionate group of 'citizen detectives' dedicated to trying to solve cases like Amy's, and their research soon suggests that Amy may have been the first of several victims targeted by a serial killer. As DNA from the scene of the murder throws up surprising results, their investigation takes them down unexpected avenues. Is Amy's killer still alive, or has an untimely death taken them beyond justice?


Circles of Death

by Marcia Talley

Published 5 March 2024