Barbara Barrett

Dog-sitting her son's pooch should be a walk in the park for Marianne Putnam-but then she meets Solomon Ridgedale and his golden retriever, Daisy, who's as excitable as he is. Daisy needs a dog park, and Solomon tries to recruit Marianne to his campaign to bring one to Serendipity Springs. But his fetching proposal to convert a city-owned field sparks a dogfight at the city council meeting. Two council members support the funeral home director next door, who says a park will be too noisy. With the proposal's fate in doubt, the mortician is murdered in his own mortuary. Solomon, worried he's the chief suspect, appeals to Marianne and her friends to clear his name. Working with former sheriff Rick Formero in his new private eye enterprise, the eclectic senior sleuths probe city hall politics, hidden agendas and the victim's well-kept secrets. With every twist in the case, they wonder if they're barking up the wrong tree. Can Marianne and company dig up the truth before one of them ends up in a coffin, too?

No good deed goes unpunished, as television star Marla Dane learns the hard way. The recently fired TV detective, trying to figure out her next move at her sister's Minnesota condo, reluctantly agrees to sub as Water Girl at a weekend pickleball match. Which makes her the first suspect of many when the team captain turns up dead. Eloise Wallace, owner of a local PR company, will never receive the title Boss of the Year. She's dragged her staff, her old college roommate, and even her ex-husband and ex-employees onto her pickleball team. No wonder their success on the court is so sad. They all have reasons for wanting her dead, and Marla and former cop Rex Alcorn are enlisted to figure out who poisoned her. As Marla's sister Kitty distracts them with a new obsession, pie baking, Marla and Rex find their suspects crusty and evasive. The victim excelled at making everyone around her miserable, so what did the killer have to gain by staying in her life - or ensuring her death? The answer may be more toxic than either of them bargained for.

Stuck in a rut at work, junior architect Lacey Rogers sees her new project as her ticket to the top, only to find herself shackled to the firm's golden boy, Scott Dalton. Worse, he treats her assignment to work with him as an insult. Struggling with his own aspirations, Scott finds his confidence taking a nosedive when he's assigned to work with Lacey on a secret project. Is this a subtle demotion, a sign that his star is waning? Despite his resistance to her unconventional methods, he can't help but be drawn to her. As they reluctantly team up to teach a Salsa class for seniors as research for their project, the pulsating rhythm of the music and the sensuous dance moves ignite a passion between them they can't deny. But can their connection survive beyond the dance floor? Is this just a workplace fling or the foundation for a future together?

Interior designer Rowena Summerfield is ready to add her festive flair to the reception for her Florida town's first marathon, even if a local Scrooge turns down her request for a donation. But when he's found dead under the wreckage of the race's reviewing stand, it's clear someone's reindeer game has turned deadly. Former homicide investigator Ro is once again recruited to help her former partner, Herc Morgan, find the killer. All of their suspects could be on Santa's naughty list. And given that the victim dumped coal on every life he touched, any one of them could have decided to frost him. Ro and Herc are eager to wrap up the case so they can get back to their yuletide fun. Herc's agonizing over picking the perfect gift for his new girlfriend. Ro's boyfriend, Chuck, hints that he has a very special ornament in mind. While Ro sorts through clues to discover the murderer, she must also sort through her loyalty to her late husband and her growing love for this new man in her life. Will the twinkle of the tree lights in her living room be outdone on Christmas Day by the sparkle of a rock on her finger? Maybe, but only if a killer doesn't murder their merriment first.

When her ex-husband calls her frigid, Jenna DiFranco takes some incredible risks to prove her sexuality, including picking up men in bars. Realizing her behavior is unsafe and irrational and finding herself facing several days on the road alone with Gray McKenna, she makes him promise not to respond to her overtures. Years ago, Gray swore off serious relationships with women, but that hasn't stopped him from casual hook-ups. From the moment he meets her, he recognizes Jenna as trouble, the kind of woman who wants permanence in a relationship. The kind of woman to avoid. But the promise and Gray's resolve don't stand a chance when close confinement, personal revelations and Jenna's need to prove she still has it ignite their mutual attraction.

Talent manager Alex Appleby needs Geoff McKenna's help. Her vicious client is threatening the reputation of Alex's television-star father if Alex can't convince her stepsister to go along with the client's demand. Alex turns to Geoff to make the case to her sister. Geoff has his own proposition for Alex. Thus far, his case of multiple sclerosis has been mild, but he's unsure of his future. When his girlfriend pushes for a stronger commitment, he enlists Alex as his new pretend love interest so his girlfriend will break things off. Discovering they actually are attracted to each other, they agree to keep things casual, since Alex is only in town briefly and Geoff isn't interested in anything serious. But fate intervenes as their feelings deepen. Alex must decide whether to relocate to Iowa from LA, and Geoff must place faith in his future.

Aubrey Carpenter has been running away from problems all her life, fearful of her mother's opinions. When her latest home reno project blows up in her face, she escapes LA and hides out in a small Iowa town where the motor coach for her sister's concert tour is being customized. That doesn't stop her from attempting to fix the dysfunctional lives of the three McKenna brothers who own the motor coach spa, particularly Mitch McKenna, the younger, hunky brother who has put his legal career on hold to help his brothers recoup their late father's financial losses. The more involved she gets, the more attracted she is to the man. Though irritated by her interference, Mitch finds it increasingly more difficult to resist her. When Aubrey's former client sues, Mitch can't allow her to face the music on her own. But to defend her, he must reveal his dream of returning to the law to his brothers. Their growing relationship is put to the test when she must decide whether to stay and ask her judgmental mother for help or hit the road again, leaving Mitch behind.

Nailed It Home Reno owners Rowena Summerfield and her daughter, Valerie, thought they'd seen it all, but the derelict Mehaffy House is a first. Rumor has it the place is haunted. Though the women scoff at the idea, there's no denying weird things are happening. But the job gets even stranger when their plumber, Harper, becomes the chief suspect in the murder of her male-model boyfriend. Once again, Ro is called upon to work with her old homicide partner, Hercules Morgan, to help find the killer. The plumber's snake might have been the murder weapon, but Ro isn't convinced the woman was careless enough to leave her tool behind. Is she being framed? And who else wanted her boyfriend dead? yThey don't have to look far for other suspects. The victim lived in a former motel turned modeling school and agency, and under the glitz and muscles they find dysfunctional relationships, drained finances, professional jealousy and suspicious behavior. And the victim might not have been so innocent either. Can Ro and Herc find the culprit before the case drives them plumb crazy?

The latest addition to the Macmillan Business Skills series, Networking in English is for anyone who finds it hard to `find the right words' when communicating informally in the workplace. It is a practical, engaging and easy-to-use course that will build confidence in a difficult area. It also includes an audio CD.