Going Home:
Michelle DePalma expected to jet into Two Wells, Texas, check on her elderly mother, and get back to her orderly life in Atlanta, where she has a happy marriage and satisfying career. Instead, she finds her mother, Lola Hanson, hovered over the bludgeoned body of her caregiver, Brittany Landers.
Since the events of 9/11, one month earlier, Lola's memory loss has amplified, and the family has started suspecting Alzheimer's. Now Lola can’t tell anyone what happened to Brittany.
The agency that provides home care for Lola promptly withdraws its services. Michelle is stuck in her hometown longer than planned as she cares for a mother with whom she was never close and tries to prove her innocence. The police officers who investigate the crime turn out to be old enemies from grade school. A secret thought to be long buried—that Michelle bore a son out of wedlock and gave him up for adoption—surfaces when a long-lost daughter-in-law and granddaughter show up, distracting Michelle from her quest to solve the murder. And then she stumbles upon a motive that makes Lola appear even more guilty.
Secrets of the Galapagos:
Shattered by a broken engagement and a business venture derailed by Jerome Haddad, her unscrupulous partner, Giovanna Rogers goes on a luxury Galapagos cruise with her grandmother to decompress.
At least that's what her grandmother thinks. Giovanna is determined to make Jerome pay for what he's done, and she has a tip he's headed for the Galapagos.
While snorkeling in Gardner Bay off the coast of Española Island, Giovanna and another cruise passenger, tortoise researcher Laurel Pardo, both become separated from the group and Laurel is left behind. No one on the ship will acknowledge Laurel is missing, and Giovanna suspects a cover-up.
When the police come on board to investigate a death, Giovanna is sure the victim is Laurel. She's anxious to give her testimony to the attractive local detective assigned to the case. Instead, she learns someone else is dead, and she's a person of interest.
Resolved to keep searching for Laurel and make sense of her disappearance, Giovanna finds that several people on board the cruise ship have reasons to want Laurel gone. One is a scam involving Tio Armando, the famous Galapagos giant tortoise and a major tourist attraction in the archipelago. And Jerome Haddad has a hand in it. Thinking she's the cat in this game, Giovanna gets too involved and becomes the mouse, putting her life in jeopardy. But if she doesn't stop him, Jerome will go on to ruin others.
Live Well, Grow Wealth:
Live Well, Grow Wealth is Personal Finance 101, a commonsense guide to shrinking your financial footprint. Sharon Marchisello compares managing your financial life to reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, and in ten easy-to-follow steps, she shows ordinary people how to build wealth by living within their means without compromising their values.
About the Author:
Sharon Marchisello is the author of two mysteries published by Sunbury Press. Going Home (2014) was inspired by her mother's battle with Alzheimer's disease. Secrets of the Galapagos (2019) deals with mayhem on a Galapagos cruise.
Besides novels, Sharon has written short stories, travel articles, corporate training manuals, screenplays, and book reviews. Her blog, Countdown to Financial Fitness, and nonfiction book, Live Well, Grow Wealth, deal with personal finance. She earned a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is an active member of Sisters in Crime.
Sharon grew up in Tyler, Texas, and earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Houston in French and English. Retired from a 27-year career with Delta Air Lines, she now lives in Peachtree City, Georgia, and does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society.