The Haunted Ranch Mysteries Series by Sara Bourgeois

A haunted ranch. A clever fox. Ghosts who won't shut up. Claire Caldwell came to Arizona to sell her great aunt’s ranch, lick her wounds, and escape back to Chicago. Then the ranch decided it wanted a new owner. A copper furred fox starts leaving gifts on her doorstep. Translucent cowboys appear in the barn. A woman who died in 1985 cooks tamales in Claire’s kitchen like she never left. And somehow, the dead all seem to know one thing Claire does not. She can see them... moreA haunted ranch. A clever fox. Ghosts who won't shut up. Claire Caldwell came to Arizona to sell her great aunt’s ranch, lick her wounds, and escape back to Chicago. Then the ranch decided it wanted a new owner. A copper furred fox starts leaving gifts on her doorstep. Translucent cowboys appear in the barn. A woman who died in 1985 cooks tamales in Claire’s kitchen like she never left. And somehow, the dead all seem to know one thing Claire does not. She can see them. When the most hated man in Perdido Springs turns up dead on Claire’s property and the sheriff waves it off as an accident, the ghosts make it clear. Someone in town is lying. Someone is dangerous. And everyone had a reason to want the victim gone. With a mystical fox at her side, a house full of chatty spirits, and a too handsome veterinarian who keeps showing up just when she needs him, Claire has to solve a murder nobody wants solved. Before she becomes the next ghost haunting Whispering Saguaro Ranch. Welcome to the desert, where the dead do not rest and the living keep secrets. less

Claire Caldwell has finally found her footing. Six months after solving her first murder, she's turned Whispering Saguaro Ranch into a thriving animal sanctuary and embraced her ability to see the dead. But the desert has more secrets to reveal. When volunteers preparing for the Cactus Bloom Festival unearth human bones that have been hidden for thirty-five years, the whole town starts whispering about old scandals and vanished souls... moreClaire Caldwell has finally found her footing. Six months after solving her first murder, she's turned Whispering Saguaro Ranch into a thriving animal sanctuary and embraced her ability to see the dead. But the desert has more secrets to reveal. When volunteers preparing for the Cactus Bloom Festival unearth human bones that have been hidden for thirty-five years, the whole town starts whispering about old scandals and vanished souls. Then one of the most powerful man in Perdido Springs turns up dead in his office, and everyone Claire knows had a reason to want him gone. The man who foreclosed on half the town. .. dead. The festival meant to save local businesses. .. in chaos. The ghosts in Claire's kitchen. .. warning her that death isn't finished yet. As Claire digs into both the old bones and the fresh corpse, she discovers the two deaths are connected by threads of family, loss, and long-buried grievances that someone would kill to keep hidden. With her fox, Rusty, bringing ominous warnings, the ghost of a long-dead librarian helping her research, and her relationship with Sam strained by family obligations, Claire must navigate a town full of desperate people harboring deadly secrets. In Perdido Springs, old wounds never heal. .. and some debts can only be paid in blood. Welcome back to the desert, where the past never stays buried. less

Claire Caldwell has finally settled into her strange new normal. Two months after the Robert Harrison incident, she's learned to trust her spirit fox's warnings and Rosa's ghostly advice as she runs her animal sanctuary in the desert. But some visitors bring their own darkness to Perdido Springs. When famous artist Aurora Brightwater arrives to paint the "desert spirits," she brings more than just her canvases and her sparkling laugh... moreClaire Caldwell has finally settled into her strange new normal. Two months after the Robert Harrison incident, she's learned to trust her spirit fox's warnings and Rosa's ghostly advice as she runs her animal sanctuary in the desert. But some visitors bring their own darkness to Perdido Springs. When famous artist Aurora Brightwater arrives to paint the "desert spirits," she brings more than just her canvases and her sparkling laugh. She brings grudges, theft, and a cruelty that hides behind flowing scarves and talk of universal energy. Then Aurora turns up dead in her studio, a palette knife through her heart, and everyone she's wronged becomes a suspect. The artist who steals others' work. .. dead. The documentary filmmaker who seems cursed. .. filming everything. The exhausted ex-husband she abandoned. .. watching from the shadows. As Claire investigates with her veterinarian boyfriend Sam, she discovers Aurora left a trail of destroyed careers and stolen dreams across the Southwest. But in a town where the dead talk, the dolls in the motel have their own agenda, and something that used to be human roams the desert at night, finding the truth means distinguishing between those who wanted Aurora gone and whoever actually made it happen. In Perdido Springs, the veil is thin, the spirits are watching. .. Welcome back to the desert, where inspiration can be deadly. less

The dolls are always watching. Claire Caldwell learned that the hard way in Room 7 of the Desert Rest Motel. But now their owner has vanished, and those glass eyes might be the only witnesses to what happened. .. Sheriff Dobson isn't concerned. "Woman finally got tired of those creepy dolls and skipped town. Can't blame her. "But Claire knows Mavis would never abandon her collection. Those hundreds of Victorian dolls aren't just decorations. .. they're her life. Her family. Her obsession... moreThe dolls are always watching. Claire Caldwell learned that the hard way in Room 7 of the Desert Rest Motel. But now their owner has vanished, and those glass eyes might be the only witnesses to what happened. .. Sheriff Dobson isn't concerned. "Woman finally got tired of those creepy dolls and skipped town. Can't blame her. "But Claire knows Mavis would never abandon her collection. Those hundreds of Victorian dolls aren't just decorations. .. they're her life. Her family. Her obsession. With the sheriff refusing to investigate, Claire finds herself drawn into the dusty rooms of the Desert Rest, surrounded by glass eyes that follow her every move. The dolls saw what happened to Mavis. If only they could talk. Meanwhile, someone is stalking Whispering Saguaro Ranch. Cut fences. Threatening notes. A shadow in the barn at midnight. Claire's made some enemies, and one of them wants what she has. .. no matter the cost. As Claire searches for answers, she discovers that Mavis has secrets of her own. The Pioneer Cemetery behind the motel holds more than old bones. The dolls hold more than sawdust and porcelain. And the eccentric woman everyone dismissed as harmless may have been hiding something worth killing for. Now Claire must untangle two mysteries at once, with help from an unlikely her veterinarian fiancé Sam, whose rounds through the desert bring whispers of things people don't want known. Together, they'll learn that in Perdido Springs, the strangest people often have the darkest secrets. And some collections are worth more than anyone imagined. less

A dead tree. A dead podcaster. A desert that remembers everything. Claire Caldwell was ready for wedding planning, not another corpse. But when her fiancé’s vet call takes them down a lonely road outside Perdido Springs, Rusty blocks their path and leads them straight to Broken Acres, a long abandoned farmhouse with a twisted tree locals call the Wither. Beneath its dead branches lies Craig Dooley, better known to his listeners as Stone Coldwell, the loudmouthed host of The Cold Files... moreA dead tree. A dead podcaster. A desert that remembers everything. Claire Caldwell was ready for wedding planning, not another corpse. But when her fiancé’s vet call takes them down a lonely road outside Perdido Springs, Rusty blocks their path and leads them straight to Broken Acres, a long abandoned farmhouse with a twisted tree locals call the Wither. Beneath its dead branches lies Craig Dooley, better known to his listeners as Stone Coldwell, the loudmouthed host of The Cold Files. He came chasing ghosts, chasing fame, chasing the thrill he’d lost… and now he is the newest spirit the desert refuses to forget. His unhinged ex turns up screaming and clawing at the body, a will is found in the dirt, and two siblings are suddenly at each other’s throats over a secret fortune that should have died with their father. Then the whispers start. A grieving woman in old fashioned clothes begs Claire to help the man she has waited a hundred years to see, and the Wither’s shadow seems to sink into everyone nearby, feeding paranoia, greed, and old resentments until even the living feel haunted. Claire has solved murders before, but this one is different… because Sam is watching, and he is finally noticing the things Claire has been hiding. To catch a killer, Claire will have to face what waits under the Wither. And she might have to tell her fiancé the truth… before the desert takes someone else. less

A wine tasting. A viral treasure hunt. A body at the base of Dead Rock. Claire Caldwell thought she’d seen every kind of weird the desert could throw at her. Ghosts in her kitchen, omens from a spirit fox, and the occasional town scandal that required a very large cup of coffee. What she did not expect was a swarm of influencers descending on Perdido Springs for a luxury “Desert Vines Weekend,” complete with ring lights, sponsored smiles, and a limited edition bottle of Red Rock Reserve... moreA wine tasting. A viral treasure hunt. A body at the base of Dead Rock. Claire Caldwell thought she’d seen every kind of weird the desert could throw at her. Ghosts in her kitchen, omens from a spirit fox, and the occasional town scandal that required a very large cup of coffee. What she did not expect was a swarm of influencers descending on Perdido Springs for a luxury “Desert Vines Weekend,” complete with ring lights, sponsored smiles, and a limited edition bottle of Red Rock Reserve. The big gimmick is supposed to be harmless fun. Collect the special labels, piece together the artwork, and you get a treasure map to a legendary stash hidden near Dead Rock. Content gold. Tourist bait. Everyone wants in. Then the weekend’s headliner turns up dead at sunrise, the sheriff calls it a tragic accident, and the one bottle that completes the map disappears. Claire would love to let law enforcement handle it, but Buster is. .. Buster. Rosa’s ghost has opinions, Rusty is tracking something no living person can smell, and the closer Claire gets to the truth, the clearer it becomes that the “treasure” isn’t just old wine and a cute story. Someone in town has been protecting what Dead Rock is hiding for a long time, and they’ll do anything to keep it buried. Now Claire has to sift through secrets, suspects, and a trail of clues disguised as a party favor, before the killer strikes again… and the next toast becomes a death sentence. less

Join Claire, Rusty, Sam, and the rest of the Perdido Springs crew on another rollicking cozy mystery adventure! Full blurb coming soon.

Claire, Rusty, Sam and the whole Perdido Springs gang is back for another spooky (not scary) mystery! Full blurb coming soon!