Joyce Oroz: 9 books

No one in Josephine's plein-air watercolor class thought that Mary Milford, known by her friends as Mary Christmas because of her fabulous Christmas decorations, would topple off a Capitola Cliff into the Pacific Ocean. One minute she was there--painting--and the next minute her red sweater swirled...

Josephine Stuart, a fifty-year-old widow, is blessed and cursed with an overactive curiosity, a strong sense of right and wrong and a willingness to put herself on the line for her friends. Josephine has been hired to paint murals in the secluded Munger Mansion, located at the top of a wooded mountain....

An accountant working at the Thornton Therapy Center dies from a fall down the stairs. Josephine Stuart has been hired to paint murals at the Center and happens to be the first person at the tragic scene. The dying man indicates he was struck from behind. The outraged and ever-curious Josephine finds...

Josephine discovers Inez, a Guatemalan woman, hiding in a field after she witnessed a murder. Inez speaks little English and is fearful of the police. Jo reluctantly takes the woman to her home and keeps her hidden while she tracks down the murderer. The victim was a part owner of the hotel where...

Josephine teams up with her Aunt Clara to solve a murder mystery involving Clara’s old high school friend, Joey Gianelli. He is found dead on the railroad tracks on a cold winter night. The women suspect foul play because Joey was not dressed for the cold weather and why was he there in the first...

Josephine divides her time between her mural contract with a local gallery and her self-imposed duty to keep old Mr. Hooley safe. Hooley and his sister lived next door until the sister was blown to heaven when their house exploded. Mr. Hooley wasn't home at the time and wants to know who murdered...

Josephine goes to great lengths to learn about the secrets hidden in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Her basset, Solow, leads the journey while David and Alicia try to slow her down, afraid she will find more than she can handle. The set-painter for the Ben Lomond Theater is found dead in the hot attic--the...

Mario Portello is run over by a black sedan while sitting at his desk at Ralph"s Roller Rink. Josephine happens to be painting a mural at the rink the day he was rubbed out, making her the only witness to the hit-and-run event. Everyone assumes it was an accident caused by an octogenarian with bi-focal...

Scent of a $windle is flush with provocative foreign intrigue and unforgettable characters--including a menagerie of animals that consists of a dog, a cockatoo, a goat and a rooster. A disturbingly tragic murder has upset the balance of life on the white carpets of Pirunedale, California. Muralist...