Book .5

In this short story, Michael Abruzzo is on the edge of a big decision--go back into the Abruzzo family or try making a life of his own. When his father's emissary brings Mick a contract, he sets out to learn exactly what happened to a promising young doctor who was killed by a drug dealer. MIck's investigation takes him from the mansions of the Main Line to the dangerous neighborhoods of Philadelphia where he meets old friends and meets some of the quirky characters author Nancy Martin is known for. Readers of the popular Blackbird Sisters will enjoy this peek into the past. And reading the rest of the books in the series will never be the same.


Book 1

How to Murder a Millionaire

by Nancy Martin

Published 1 October 2002
Nora Blackbird, society columnist and down-and-almost-out former debutante, reclaims her place within Philadelphia's elite when she stumbles upon the murdered body of a millionaire art collector.

Book 2

When a high society jewel thief winds up drowned at the bottom of a pool with a tacky garden gnome tied to her ankles, Nora must swing into action to save her old flame from a hasty murder charge.

Book 3

Some Like it Lethal

by Nancy Martin

Published 6 April 2004
When the husband of a wealthy dog food heiress is found bludgeoned to death at an exclusive hunt club, Nora Blackbird is as surprised as anyone. Worse still, the evidence points toward a devious blackmail scheme-with Nora's sister, Emma, as the main suspect. Investigating with the help of friend and foe alike, Nora uncovers the secrets of some of Philadelphia's high-and-mightiest-and attracts the unwanted attentions of the real killer...

Book 3.5

Slay Belles

by Nancy Martin

Published 1 July 2012

Whoever coined the phrase “Shop till you drop” certainly never meant “Shop till you drop dead.” But premier personal shopper Popo seems to have done just that—except this shopper’s been murdered. After Popo’s body is found on a display bed in the luxurious Haymaker’s department store, Nora Blackbird is forced to put solving a murder before finishing her Christmas shopping. With sister Libby off on a spending spree and sister Emma checked into rehab, it’s up to Nora to see who had a personal vendetta against this personal shopper—and to determine if a certain designer handbag was worth killing for.


Book 4

You could say my sisters and I are hot-blooded bluebloods with a flair for fashion—and for solving crimes. But things have NOT been going well for us Blackbirds: Emma has busted out of a very exclusive clinic. Libby’s hormones are in overdrive from selling paraphernalia for Potions and Passions, a company that promises its customers full satisfaction. And I’m still dating mobster’s son Mick Abruzzo, which keeps me in a permanent tizzy. At least, nobody in my vicinity has been knocked off lately. Oops—looks like I spoke too soon…

A TEMPEST IN A C-CUP

Nora’s next journalistic assignment: the unveiling of the most miraculous bra in fashion history. But before Nora can hand in her uplifting story, her boss is found shot execution-style and trussed up in expensive panty hose—an Abruzzo family trademark. Now Nora must find the killer before her innocent lover takes the rap. That means shadowing the most glamorous suspects in Philadelphia—including a bad-boy designer, a former child star, a high-strung ad exec, and a pair of luscious twin models. Though Nora’s accustomed to upper-crust murder, cross your fingers for the Blackbird sisters, because this time, high society has never seemed so low-down dirty.


Book 5

When the tycoon owner of a spectacularly tacky sports bar is killed, Nora Blackbird suspects a secretive politician, a shady former rock star doubling as a pastry chef, and a dangerous aristo-brat on the verge of stardom.

Book 6

Nora Blackbird has made the society pages yet again.  The impoverished Philadelphia heiress has agreed to wed Mick Abruzzo, son of New Jersey’s most notorious mobster.  Now Nora has to help him survive the Blackbird curse: Every time a Blackbird sister marries, the groom is bound to die.
 
But Nora’s superstitions are eclipsed by some ominous news.  Penny Devine, ex-Hollywood starlet and daughter of the Philadelphia Devines, has disappeared, and strangely, her family is very eager to have her declared dead.  When it’s revealed that Nora has inherited Penny’s extensive couture wardrobe, eyebrows rise even higher.  The only way for Nora to keep her name clear and save her sanity is to snoop among the snooty…until she sniffs out the truth.


Book 7

Murder Melts in Your Mouth

by Nancy Martin

Published 1 March 2008
Down-to-earth debutante Nora Blackbird is having a meltdown. A noted Philly philanthropist has taken a swan dive from an office balcony and Nora's friend Lexie stands accused of the murder. Then her scheming parents reappear, sending all three Blackbird sisters into a panic. Now Nora must uncover her parents' scandalous high jinks before she winds up taking the heat.

Book 8

No Way to Kill a Lady

by Nancy Martin

Published 1 August 2012
Not much is going right these days for once rich, now impoverished Nora Blackbird—what with her lover under house arrest and her best friend in the slammer. Then Nora and her sisters receive word of a million-dollar inheritance....
Great-aunt Madeleine Blackbird has died in a volcanic eruption on an Indonesian island and left her fabulous Bucks County estate to the three Blackbird sisters. But when Nora and her scandal-ridden sisters, Libby and Emma, go to claim their windfall, they find the house in decay and all of their aunt’s to-die-for treasures gone. They also find a woman’s body.... 

Nora feels compelled to seek out the truth, but even with help from her mobster boyfriend, Mick Abruzzo, who provides distractions both dark and delightful, solving this case proves challenging. Relatives are circling to claim a share of Madeleine’s property, the suspect list is growing, and Nora’s wild and wacky sisters are adding one surprise after another. It’s enough to put Nora’s couture undies in a serious twist!

Book 9


Book 9.5

The son of New Jersey's last remaining mob boss, Mick Abruzzo wants to live in the real world with a legitimate job, a wife and happy family. But when his family needs him, Mick feels obligated to help. This time, it's his presumed-dead brother, Little Frankie Abruzzo, who needs help getting out from under a pushy bookie. But the simple job of getting Frankie out of debt soon escalates into bad business that threatens the life Mick wants with his lover, Nora Blackbird.


Book 10

A Little Night Murder

by Nancy Martin

Published 5 August 2014
"Nora Blackbird--pregnant at last!--is spending summer afternoons wallowing in the Bucks County pool of her best friend, Lexie Paine, who has just been released from prison. At night, Nora is covering Philadelphia's high-society events for the local newspaper. And this time she doesn't have to look far for a good story. Next door, a Broadway show is in rehearsal at the estate of Toodles Tuttle, the long-deceased but ever-legendary composer. Reigning over the estate is Toodles's diva widow, Boom Boom. The demanding old broad still rules with an iron fist, and considering the chorus line of enemies she's racked up over the years, her death has been a hotly anticipated event. So imagine everyone's dismay when it's her beloved daughter, Jenny, who drops dead--from a cause that is anything but natural--just as the lights are set to go on for the lucrative new Toodles musical. Yet murder is only an overture to the drama to come.... Nora's sister Libby, a soon-to-be-grandmother, has gotten herself into a sticky situation, wooed by both a lowly bug exterminator and a cheesecake-loving Broadway impresario. Edgy sister Emma has a dangerous new boyfriend who may jeopardize her show-jumping exploits. And the love of Nora's life, Mick Abruzzo, has been desperate to prevent Nora from meeting the most notorious member of his mobbed-up family--his mother. Now Nora has to deal with the bump-and-grind of her personal life, and also bring the curtain down on a daring killer--before he forces her to exit stage left, permanently"--

Book 11

Bye, Bye Blackbird

by Nancy Martin

Published 11 October 2016

Nora Blackbird is finally having her baby! But even that comes with complications. Sisters Emma and Libby have their own problems, but they try to join forces to help Nora live happily ever after. And nothing could go wrong. Or could it? 

Michael is the target of a Mob plot, and the cops have set up an observation post right outside the delivery room. Is he going to make it into fatherhood without going to jail? And Nora's trying to cope with a new job offer as she labors to bring her baby into the world. Big changes are in store for everyone. In other words, it's life as usual for the Blackbird sisters!


Lady Be Good

by Nancy Martin

Published October 2014

While launching her new career as the etiquette expert Dear Miss Vanderbine. Grace Vanderbine finds herself snowbound in Pittsburgh, of all places, and the hero who rides to her rescue turns out to be a local celebrity who has a few insights into the good manners business. But Luke "the Laser" Lazurnovich is a retired football player with more on his mind than helping a damsel in distress. Their initially chilly relationship turns into a road trip filled with quirky characters and unlikely social situations--not to mention a few hot nights. Grace's sister-in-law Nora Blackbird needs help, though, so Grace and Luke become detectives. Nora's sister Emma Blackbird has gone missing--and perhaps she's mixed up in the mysterious death of football quarterback Jake Kendall, who died before his involvement in illegal gambling came to light. Grace and Luke may be the only ones who can crack the case. But what they learn may jeopardize the feelings that are blooming between them.