Most families have skeletons in their closets…
Moving back into her parents’ house with her teenage daughter had not been Georgia Thackery’s “Plan A.” But when she got a job at the local college, it seemed the sensible thing to do. So she settled in and found herself face to face with the family skeleton.
A skeleton named Sid.
Sid walks, he talks, he makes bad jokes, he tries to keep Georgia’s dog from considering him a snack. And he’s Georgia’s best friend.
Together, they solve crimes!
It all started with the first installment of the Family Skeleton series: A Skeleton in the Family. Read an excerpt »
Recent News
New release!
In July 2024, Crippen & Landru published a collection of short stories by Leigh and her alter ego Toni L.P. Kelner, and the title story features our favorite skeletal sleuth.
The stories included are:
“Murchison Solves a Mystery” • “Where Does a Herd of Elephants Go?” • “Security Blanket” • “Sleeping With the Plush” • “Skull & Cross-Examinations” • “Kangaroo Court” • “Kids Today” • “Bell, Book, and Candlepin” • “Now Hiring Nasty Girlz” • “Rage Warehouse—Ire Proof” • “Nasty” • “The Skeleton Rides a Horse”
The book will be available as a trade paperback, ebook, and a signed, limited edition hardback. (The hardback edition includes a chapbook of “An Unmentionable Crime.”)
New editions!
The first three Family Skeleton books are back in print from JABberwocky Books.
They’ll be available as trade paperbacks and ebooks, and the audio editions are still available, too.
Excitement for Leigh’s alter ego
Toni L.P. Kelner’s short story “Baby Trap” has been selected for inclusion in Best American Mystery and Suspense 2024, edited by S.A. Cosby and Steph Cha.
“Baby Trap” was originally published in School of Hard Knox (Crippen & Landru), edited by Donna Andrews, Greg Herren, and Art Taylor.
To add to the excitement, School of Hard Knox has been nominated for an Anthony Award for Best Anthology.