Books with author Alison Gardner

From USA Today bestselling author A. Gardner comes the latest deadly delicious Poppy Peters installment...Poppy Peters, sometimes-sleuth and recent pastry school graduate, is soaking up the southern sun as the new official pastry chef of Magnolia Harbor Inn and Spa. But the sunny tourist town of Gator Bay is anything but pleasant when a country music star turns up dead in one of the hotel rooms...after eating one of Poppy's pastries! Ready to do anything to prove her tasty strawberry tartlets aren't to blame, Poppy's search for the killer takes her everywhere from a local fish n' fry to an abandoned gator farm. With the help of her kitchen mate Bree, an old flame, and a not-so-sweet cat named Muffin, Poppy finds herself wrapped up in a hurricane of clues. But which ones lead to the killer? Poppy must solve the riddle quickly or else she too might be fed a bite of a deadly dessert. **Recipes included!**Poppy Peters Mysteries:Southern Peach Pie & A Dead Guy (book #1)Chocolate Macaroons and a Dead Groom (book #2)Ice Cream Bombes and Stolen Thongs (short story in the "Killer Beach Reads" collection)Bananas Foster and a Dead Mobster (book #3)Strawberry Tartlets and a Dead Starlet (book #4)Wedding Soufflé and a Dead Valet (book #5)What critics are saying:"A charming cozy mystery featuring likable characters. A. Gardner does a marvelous job at keeping the storyline fresh and entertaining. I look forward to seeing what surprises A. Gardner has in store for us next!"—Fresh Fiction"If you are a fan of tasty mysteries that showcase delectable desserts and a strong heroine, this is one to pick up."—Night Owl Reviews"One of the best perks of summer is eating a warm slice of Georgia peach pie. Throw in a murder and you’ve got the makings of a juicy cozy mystery. Southern Peach Pie and a Dead Guy: A Poppy Peters Mystery by debut author A. Gardner is a delicious e-book."—MomTrends, Ebook Pick for Summer

Misty is the beautiful, grey daughter of Cirrus, the white stallion of the New Forest and Jet, the mare he took from the man. Misty develops the same curiosity as her father for man and his ways. While they are out together in the forest they come across the man asleep in his tent. Cirrus and Misty look around. As they explore Cirrus shows her the man’s car. Liquid is dripping from the car, Misty licks it. It’s sweet and tastes good. On their way back to the herd, Misty begins to feel unwell, tragically the liquid was poisonous. Jet tells Cirrus they need help; she must risk her own freedom to go and find her old master. Only he can save Misty now. If she lives, will Misty ever be able to return to her herd? Will the man try to turn her into a tame pony or will he set her free once more into the forest she loves.

Luke and Amy Robertson, together with their Mum and Dad, move from a northern town to the countryside of Cheshire. Luke is 8 years old and Amy is 10. The house they are moving to is called Herron Cottage, its old and hasn’t been lived in for a very long time, it’s on a hill, next to a cycle path. Luke meets a mysterious old man called Bill, he tells Luke about when the cycle path was a railway line and steam trains used to run along it. Luke also meets a boy called Nick, whose granddad owns the local farm, and they become good friends. One night when Luke is in bed, he is woken by the sound of a steam train whistle. Luke decides that he will stay awake and find out for himself if there really is a steam train. He sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night and goes to the bridge. He hears the whistle and sees smoke but not the train. Bravely, Luke goes down the steps into the blackness of the cycle path to have a look and there, stood in a patch of moonlight, he sees a boy about his age. Before he can say anything the boy smiles, then just vanishes. Luke goes back home very confused. Luke finds out that Nick’s Granddad might have to sell the farm and move away. Nick tells Luke about the legend of the lost family treasure. They decide to look for it together to save the farm. Finally, Luke meets the strange boy that he’d seen stood in the moonlight on the cycle path; he says his name is Albert and he’s a friend of Bills. He’s very strange, he has a funny accent and is dressed very scruffily, he isn’t even wearing any shoes, and every now and then he just seems to disappear into thin air.Luke finds an old, forgotten summer house at the bottom of the garden; Luke, Nick, Albert decide to have it as their den. Whilst they are cleaning away years of dirt and rubbish they find a trap door in the floor, it’s the entrance to a tunnel and hasn’t been opened for a long time. Could they amazingly have stumbled upon where the treasure has been hidden for all these years?On a wall in Nick’s granddad’s office Luke finds a faded picture of a boy that looks surprisingly like Albert. Nick’s Granddad tells him it is a very old family picture and that the boy’s Father started the farm. But the photo is ancient; could it possibly be Albert... could Albert have come back from the past to help them save the farm, it’s too unbelievable to be true.

On a stormy night in the New Forest; Bramble is waiting patiently to have her foal. As the snow starts to fall, her tiny white foal is born. Bramble names him Cirrus for the clouds that race across the sky. They belong to Moon’s herd. Moon is a magnificent albino stallion who can trace his family back to when the forest was new. Cirrus is helped along the way by Rufus a red squirrel, whose family have always been friends with Moon and his mares. Rufus tells Cirrus of a hidden meadow that will keep him safe from the men when it’s time for the drifts.As he grows, the other ponies begin to realise Cirrus will one day be a special pony. Then Cirrus risks everything to take a beautiful tame pony. Can he outwit the man and keep the mare to live wild and free in the forest.

Luke, Amy, Nick and Albert are back solving clues. After successfully solving the mystery of the Shaw family treasure, Albert needs their help to solve the case of the missing dog. The friends travel back in time with to 1886. But it’s no ordinary dog, it belongs to Nick’s great, great, great granddad Shaw, and the dog is an ancestor of Harry, the puppy Luke will soon be bringing home. Can they use their detective skills and foil the dog-snatchers and rescue the dog in time for him to be entered into the Great Terrier Show. If they can’t, the future looks bleak for Harry.

Fourteen year-old Alex Weston has marooned himself and his sassy hamster, Skoodle, onto the magical island of Eridor while seeking his vanished parents. Yet Alex has no magic; he must rely on bravery, quick thinking and a few ounces of rodent as he fights to survive. Alex, Skoodle and Tariq, a bear, attempt to rescue a wizard boy, Luke, who is trapped on a remote mountainside by merciless, disgusting goblins. Risking his life, Tariq is transformed into a marble statue and held ransom by a vicious gargoyle; the price for his life is for a friend to turn traitor. Their wizard friend, Zorrin, has his mind corroded by an enchanted sapphire as he attempts to return it to a mountain with a living brain; once loyal, he is now a powerful mortal enemy. Determined to save Tariq, Alex seeks help from sleeping stone lions, discovering that solving an ancient armadillo alchemist’s puzzle might give them a chance of saving Eridor from destruction by Zorrin. Yet Zorrin outwits them. Betrayed, he’s furious beyond reason; mighty beyond measure.With no spells, no weapons, Alex must somehow save his dying friends in the few minutes remaining before Zorrin murders them all. Alchemy is a fast-paced fantasy novel, threaded with humour, which will appeal to children aged 9-11.

Boy versus wizard... Let the battle commence! Attacked by an assassin, and positive that the next attempt will be fatal, 14-year-old Alex Weston seizes the slim chance of survival, choosing to abandon ship in a tropical typhoon. Subsequently shipwrecked onto the island of Eridor with his hamster Skoodle, Alex unwittingly crosses the barrier into a world of enchantment. He soon discovers that his beloved pet is not just a hamster, but rather a funny, opinionated, reluctant hero who regularly takes advice from his dead uncle. While on the island, they befriend a brilliant, ebullient monkey, a warrior bear and a sarcastic snake. Possessing no magic abilities himself, Alex is armed only with bravery, loyalty, sheer cussedness and wit as he fights to save his life and his friends. He must also wrestle with the suspicion that a few ounces of added rodent doesn't make him the strongest fighting unit on the island. On his journey, Alex is pursued by murderous crocodiles, engulfed by a man-eating mud swamp and attacked by vengeful wizards. But all that feels like a warm-up in comparison to his final challenge... The Serpent of Eridor is an adventure thriller threaded with humour that will appeal to children aged eight-twelve. Vivid, graphic and containing both the wonderful and the weird, it is a fast-paced story full of twists and turns. Inspired by authors such as C. S. Lewis and Anthony Horowitz, author Alison is fascinated by the genre of fantasy and enjoys weaving wild and bizarre aspects into her adventure series, including the sequel Alchemy.

From #1 bestselling culinary cozy mystery author A. Gardner comes the latest deadly delicious Poppy Peters installment... Poppy Peters, sometimes-sleuth and recent pastry school graduate, is soaking up the southern sun as the new official pastry chef of Magnolia Harbor Inn and Spa. But the sunny tourist town of Gator Bay is anything but pleasant when a country music star turns up dead in one of the hotel rooms...after eating one of Poppy's pastries! Ready to do anything to prove her tasty strawberry tartlets aren't to blame, Poppy's search for the killer takes her everywhere from a local fish n' fry to an abandoned gator farm. With the help of her kitchen mate Bree, an old flame, and a not-so-sweet cat named Muffin, Poppy finds herself wrapped up in a hurricane of clues. But which ones lead to the killer? Poppy must solve the riddle quickly or else she too might be fed a bite of a deadly dessert. **Recipes included!** Poppy Peters Mysteries: Southern Peach Pie & A Dead Guy (book #1) Chocolate Macaroons and a Dead Groom (book #2) Ice Cream Bombes and Stolen Thongs (short story in the "Killer Beach Reads" collection) Bananas Foster and a Dead Mobster (book #3) Strawberry Tartlets and a Dead Starlet (book #4) What critics are saying: "A charming cozy mystery featuring likable characters. A. Gardner does a marvelous job at keeping the storyline fresh and entertaining. I look forward to seeing what surprises A. Gardner has in store for us next!" —Fresh Fiction "If you are a fan of tasty mysteries that showcase delectable desserts and a strong heroine, this is one to pick up." —Night Owl Reviews "One of the best perks of summer is eating a warm slice of Georgia peach pie. Throw in a murder and you’ve got the makings of a juicy cozy mystery. Southern Peach Pie and a Dead Guy: A Poppy Peters Mystery by debut author A. Gardner is a delicious e-book." —MomTrends, Ebook Pick for Summer

A killer is at large, and Essie is about to offer herself up as bait.Springtime in Bison Creek means mountain blossoms, berry pies, and another dead body. The Hummingbird Inn Bed & Breakfast is the last place Essie Stratter expects to find a crime scene. And with the grand opening just around the corner, Essie joins in the hunt for the killer. But to find the murderer, she must solve one of the town's oldest mysteries – the curse of the Weston house. After a book club feud, a string of gift shop robberies, and an impromptu wedding, Essie realizes her time is up. Now, her only hope at stopping a killer is to offer herself up as bait.