Unfortunately, the series didn't attract the attention GHP was hoping so when the second book came out, they gave the whole series a makeover. Enter Gilda's Brunette phase. Definitely looks like a cozy mystery series. I probably would've liked them better if they weren't bright pink. Just me.
In March 2018, GHP decided the books weren't selling to their satisfaction and released them back to me. Since I already had my Wild Blue Mystery series with BWL Publishing, I offered the series to them. If they declined, the series would become my first foray into self-publishing. Lucky for me, BWL took them on and Gilda and the gang received new titles and new covers.
Gilda Wright thinks she’s landed a dream job as the receptionist at a karate school except she’s surrounded by handsome instructors, a local bookie, and more mysteries than she’d counted on.
As I mentioned earlier, I used to be the receptionist at a local martial arts school, so stepping in to write a martial arts mystery series just came naturally. Egos get bruised just as easily as shins and thighs. I transformed the dojo into a school where many people might be afraid to set foot in and let Gilda Wright take over to solve crimes in Sandstone Cove.
Gilda took the job at Yoshida Martial Arts to mend a broken heart and find her own inner strength after a bad breakup. It was less painful for her than Detective Jason Thayer who ended up head first in a fifty-pound bag of coffee beans. That was three years ago. Now that Gilda’s a blue belt heading for a brown belt grading (Sh! If you’ve already read Dead Without Pride, don’t give away how that turns out!), Thayer’s afraid to set foot in the school – or her house.
Lucky for Gilda, she has Sensei Mick on her side. As well as Marion Yearly, her best friend, and Kane Garrick…Gilda’s not sure what he is yet.
Here's the blurb for each book and their current covers!
Book 1 - Dead
Without Honor
The scroll
of the Four Possessions of the Samurai holds the key to a deadly mystery…
Gilda Wright
thinks she’s landed a dream job as the receptionist at a karate school. Her
boss, Sensei Mick Williams, is almost as demanding as he is sexy, but Gilda is
inspired by the strength and courage of the people around her. When Gilda finds
the body of one of the instructors in the dojo with a sword through his chest,
she must find her own inner strength and fast! The police regard everyone in
the school as suspects, including her boss, and it’s up to Gilda to find out
what really happened. She follows the clues of the missing scroll of the Four
Possessions of the Samurai down a deadly path filled with lies, deceit, and
poisoned ninja stars. If she doesn’t watch her back, she just may become the
killer’s next target.
Book 2 – Dead Without Glory
One body on
the beach.
One crazy
man with a sword accused.
One feisty
receptionist on the case.
Gilda Wright’s life seems to finally be on track. Her love life is looking up and she’s planning and promoting a grand opening extravaganza for Sensei Mick Williams’ new martial arts school. But things go awry when their special guest referee for the opening exhibition match is found dead on the beach. To make matters worse, the school’s new weapon’s instructor Kane Garrick, who is enough to make any woman lose her head and her heart, stands accused of his murder. In spite of her promise to Mick and nearly everyone else in Sandstone Cove not to get involved, Gilda wades into danger one more time. The only question is, can Gilda catch the killer before the killer catches up to her?
Book 3 – Dead Without Pride
Gilda Wright has always had an open
mind about the spiritual world. Dating the hot sensei at her martial arts school,
Mick Williams, has taught her that mind, body, and spirit have a strong
connection. But when her good friend and sometimes flirtation, Kane Garrick
hires a pretty psychic at his New Age store, Gilda finds herself torn between being
glad he's distracted and feeling just the teeny-tiniest bit jealous. A feeling
that quickly turns to suspicion when the psychic's predictions begin to come
true—including one about the murder of a well-known person in their small town!
Suddenly Gilda wonders if the psychic's involvement in both her predictions and
Kane's life are mere coincidence or a clever set up. It's up to Gilda to find
the truth and track down a killer...before her own death becomes next on the psychic's
prediction list!
Book 4 – Dead Without Shame
Once more, Gilda considers leaving the karate school to work for her friend Happy (no one has ever called him Harvey). When three men rob Happy Harvey’s Hangover Hut killing the woman at the front counter, Gilda is stunned to think that could have been her. Was this a mere robbery, or does someone have a vendetta against Happy, including his good friend Gary del Garda? The evidence keeps piling up while both her mother and another karate instructor come to town bearing secrets that may cost Gilda the life she loves in Sandstone Cove.
Book 5 – Dead Without Remorse
The fifth Gilda Wright Mystery arrived in August 2021 even though Book 5 was technically Book 2.5 - a bridge between Books 2 & 3 – and finally answered the mystery of how Mick lost his hearing.
Someone has destroyed the building that housed the former Yoshida Martial Arts School leaving numerous people injured and one dead. Considering Sensei Mick Williams owns the building, Gilda Wright needs to clear his name, plus track a killer before her suspects scatter like debris.
Book 6 – Dead Without
Malice (June 2024 No Cover Art Yet!)
A family wedding is the last thing on
Gilda Wright’s mind as she prepares to grade for her Black Belt. That is until one
of the men in her life turns up dead after a post-karate training dinner and
Gilda has a breakdown. Just when she thinks things can’t get any worse, her
good friend Kane Garrick disappears. Can she straighten everything out before the
wedding and her grading, or will she pack up and leave Sandstone Cove behind
for once and for all?
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