Marilyn Meredith
(aka F. M. Meredith)
(Writer)

Writing as Marilyn Meredith

Fiction

• Demon Fire (1984)

• Trail to Glory (1986)

• Two Ways West (1994)

• The Choice (2001)
  A small town's quiet peacefulness is shattered by the strange disappearance of small animals and then the contents of an infant's gravesite. No one wants to believe it's more than vandalism until it turns to kidnapping and then suicide. Will the local preacher and the lady sheriff's deputy be able to convince the authorities a Satanic group is responsible, or will they be the next victims? The choice is an utterly captivating and unnerving tale of what most of us would rather not admit happens in real life.- in our town!

• Guilt by Association (2002)
  While investigating a murder, Leslie York, the resident deputy of the mining town of Copper Creek, finds herself stranded on the wrong side of the creek when it turns into a raging torrent. Others driven from their homes by the flood gather together, but one of them turns up dead
  
  When Leslie begins to suspect the victim's death was murder, she suddenly finds herself in peril, struggling for life in the angry floodwaters.

• Kachima Spirit (2002)
  Ghost: Madeline Kennon, a young widow, along with her two children, Norman and Wendy, move into an old Victorian house in Ojai, California in an effort to begin life anew. The house is haunted by several ghosts. Norman, the collector of all things horrible, is delighted.

• The Astral Gift (2004)
  A victim of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather, Elaine Brinsfield can't bear the thought of being touched by a man. The coping mechanism of astral projection she used as a child returns unbidden, accompanied by the threatening appearance of ghostly evil spectral beings. The gift-or curse-of astral projection enables Elaine to solve a vicious murder, but skeptical cops make her the number one suspect.

• Wishing Makes It So (2006)
  In an effort to make a change in a child's life, Alyse and Steven take in a four-year-old who has been thrown out of several homes prior to theirs. Because of their successful parenting of three children of their own and Steven's career as a counselor, they feel sure they can help Belinda and give her a loving home. However Belinda quickly proves to be a great challenge. She is often disobedient and trouble making, hurting the other children and vandalizing their possessions. At times she seems sweet and innocent, easily charming the unwary. Her desire to be the only child takes a deadly turn.

Christian Horror

• Deeds of Darkness (2003)
  It must be obvious by now that I'm fascinated with small town culture. I grew up in Los Angeles but was married in a tiny town in the south. What a shock to a big city girl's system. Besides the obvious difference, they are many social differences too.
  
  Deeds of Darkness is another book that explores good vs. evil in the most primitive sense.
  
  I've always loved horror movies, but always thought, "Too bad the heroine or hero isn't a Christian so he'd know what to do." In this story, my heroine is a Christian, but because she's a teenager doesn't feel adequate to challenge the evil she knows has taken over her town.

• Cup of Demons (2005)
  “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.”   -- Corinthians 10:21
  
  Is the inheritance Maginel received from her Great Aunt Ruby a gift or a curse? Haunted by ancestral ghosts, plagued by demonic creatures, Maginel flees from her home. Seeking to remove the barrier that prevents her from marrying the man she loves, she enters into a life and death battle for her soul.

Tempe Crabtree Mystery Series

1. Deadly Omen (1999)
   Tempe Crabtree, the resident deputy of Bear Creek, a small community in southern Sierra, Tempe Crabtree must do her job while adjusting to a new marriage and raising her teenage son. Part Yanduchi, Tempe is in the process of learning about her heritage. Her involvement in Native American spiritualism cause problems in her relationship with her husband, Hutch, the minister of the local church. In Deadly Omen a candidate for princess is murdered in a Native American Pow Wow while Tempe is working there in her capacity as deputy. Tempe's investigation takes her onto the Yanduchi reservation. Hutch has difficulty with Tempe's growing interest in her heritage as she seeks the identity of the killer.

2. Unequally Yoked (2000)
   Deputy Tempe Crabtree is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a child with ties to the Yanduchi reservation. Her search leads her to seek the help of a Yanduchi shaman whose traditional ceremonials put Tempe at odds with her Christian pastor husband.

3. Intervention (2002)
   While Deputy Tempe Crabtree and her minister husband Hutch are spending a romantic weekend in a mountain lodge an unexpected blizzard takes out phone and electric services. Among the other guests are some folks from the film industry. When a guest disappears, Tempe's search for her puts her own life in danger.

4. Wingbeat (2004)
   A hidden marijuna farm and the murder of a long-lost granddaughter keep Tempe busy, while her husband has troubles of his own, when the description of a man who exposes himself to school children sounds like Hutch. The wingbeat of an owl is a harbinger of danger. Suspicious newcomers, false accusations, and a grandfather's heartache leads to murder.

5. Calling the Dead (2006)
   Tempe Crabtree is the resident deputy of Bear Creek, a small mountain community in the southern Sierra. Her continuing interest in the spiritual side of her heritage often causes unrest in her marriage to her minister husband. In Calling the Dead, Deputy Tempe Crabtree investigates a murder that looks like death from natural causes, and a suicide that looks like murder. Putting her job on the line, she investigates the murder on her own time and without permission from her superiors. Jeopardizing her marriage, she uses Native American ways to call back the dead to learn the truth about the suicide.

See also:

• Crabtree (1984)
  Tule River patriarchs; Early Springville history.

• Deadly Trail (2001)
  Deadly Trail is the prequel to the Tempe Crabtree mystery series.
  
  The tranquility of the village of Bear Creek in the Southern Sierra is disrupted by the suspicious death of the owner of the local Inn. Investigating a murder case isn't Deputy Tempe Crabtree's job, but when the detectives don't look any further than Nick Two John as the primary suspect. Tempe begins asking questions. Putting the planning for her wedding to Pastor Hutch Hutchinson on hold, it doesn't take long for her to discover there are several more people who wanted the victim dead, including his wife. Tempe follows the trail of clues putting her job, her upcoming marriage and herself in peril.

Collaboration with Central Coast Mystery Writers

• Gone Coastal  (2006)
  The fourth mystery anthology by the Central Coast Mystery Writers. A collection of both established authors and strong new voices designed to satiate mystery readers' hunger for good fiction. The compilers have selected a variety of stories based in U.S. Coastal Areas and sprinkled in a couple inland tales for contrast. Gone Coastal offers a complete menu of mysteries from cozy to hardboiled. Whatever your taste, you'll find something to satisfy your appetite for murder and mayhem.

• Never Safe (2006)
  Danger is everywhere – on the streets, at work, in our homes and at play. Death may follow us where we least expect it. We long for the good old days. But were they any safer? No. Seeking comfort and safety in a lover's embrace might prove fatal.
  
  Paranoid thoughts? Hardly.
  
  Prevention might be your best protection. See a shadow moving own a deserted street or country lane? Duck into a bar or dive behind the nearest bush. Alone in a building? Run and find safety in numbers. But choose your companions wisely and take care: confronting danger and taking charge may cause more problems than it solves.
  
  So how can we protect ourselves and loved ones? We can't. The awful truth hits home – we are truly NEVER SAFE.
  
  Includes stories by Bill Monson, Charla Maine, Chelle Martin, Frank Zafiro, Gary Philips, Gary R. Hoffman, Gay Toltl Kinman, James M. Murphy, Jane Denison, K. M. Kavanagh, Kathleen Delaney, Kris Neri
  Margaret Searles, Marilyn Meredith, Simon Wood, Sue McGinty, Sunny Frazier, Tim Wohlforth, Tony Burton, and Victoria Heckman

Writing as F. M. Meredith

Rocky Bluff Private Detective Series

• Final Respects (2004)
  in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, Final Respects is also set in a small town, but Rocky Bluff is a fictional beach community in southern California located near where Carpenteria is, but the geography is different. Though the characters in Rocky Bluff will also be in other books in the series, different folks will take center stage. My goal is to show how "the job" affects the police officer's personal life. The particular story ideas were sparked by incidents that happened when I lived in a similar beach town. My interest in police departments came from my son-in-law, Mike Cole, who took me on a ride-along and loved to tell me "what happened" on his night of duty.
  
  Mike was killed while working. I hope I'm honoring his memory.
  
  Mortician Stuart Honich dreams about sinking his teeth into the flesh of his tormentors-his boss's daughters.
  
  Being a cop was something Doug Milligan wanted since childhood, but his wife hates his profession and Doug will soon have to make a difficult choice.
  
  Doug's best friend, Al Bertalone, is the most popular man on the force with a wife who supports him all the way. Publicity hound, Rick Strickland, will do anything to further his career, and is having a secret affair with Liz Phelan, a divorcee with a drinking problem.
  
  The horrible murder of the Milligans' babysitter begins a series of events that could lead to the destruction of the entire Rocky Bluff Police department as well as many innocent citizens.

• Bad Tidings (2004)
  Lt. Tom Gilbreath, who is called "the old hound dog" behind his back, is the one who often delivers bad news. He is soon to receive some of his own. His wife, Marlene, often knows as much about what is going on with the Rocky Bluff P.D. as her husband, and she knows even more about the other officers' private lives.

• Fringe Benefits (2007)
  What's a married cop to do when his affair with a fellow policeman's greedy wife goes south because he doesn't make enough money? Commit the perfect murder!
  
  Officer Cal Sylvester finds himself out in the cold when gorgeous Darcy Gordon shoves him away. His answer is to kill his wife for her insurance money, and he's got a way to get away with it.
  
  In a volatile mix of crime and a cop on the edge of the law, F. M. Meredith gives readers a glimpse at police officers and their reactions to their jobs, families, and personal lives.