Valerie Wilson Wesley

Valerie Wilson Wesley's Tamara Hayle mystery series featuring Newark, New Jersey's number one private investigator are loved for their smart, sexy protagonist who "has a way with a wisecrack that is positively lethal" (Washington Post). Now in Dying in the Dark, Hayle is entrenched in a sinister investigation that will demand her best detective work yet.Tamara Hayle's past has come back to haunt her--literally. She's been plagued by terrifying dreams about Celia Jones, an old friend whose walk on the wild side led her to a horrible death. Celia's teenage son, Cecil, begs Tamara to find his mother's killer . . . only to end up dead himself, stabbed through the heart.The search for Celia and her son's killer pulls Tamara deep into her friend's troubled love life, where everyone adored her but somebody held a murderous grudge. There's her bullying thug of an ex-husband; a handsome ex-lover who woos Tamara with charm and lies; and an angry, jealous woman who claims that Celia broke her heart. And those were just the obvious people with axes to grind.Despite her better judgment and the admonitions of the police department, Tamara refuses to back away from the mystery surrounding her old friend's death and the tragedy that met her son. All clues lead to the past Tamara shared with Celia Jones, and Tamara fears that that past will threaten her own son. But she uncovers more than she bargained for--and unearths secrets someone would kill to keep in the shadows.From the Hardcover edition.

When Willimena Thomas worries that no one will send her Valentine's Day cards, she cooks up a scheme with her sister, Tina, that goes sour.

Twenty years after their mother abandons them, Dani and Rose, both in dysfunctional relationships that make them fear they are following in their mother's footsteps, must come to terms with the past when their mother re-enters their lives.

A tough and savvy Newark cop-turned-P.I., Tamara Hoyleis a sister with a mission: to raise her kid right in a mean town. But now the post has come knocking -- bringing trouble to her door in the person of her "dog" of a former husband, DeWayne. Suspicious "accidents" have claimed the lives of two ofDeWayne's sons from different marriages. And though goodsense warns Tamara to steer clear of her charming, lowdown ex, she has little choice but to offer him her investigative expertise -- because a killer may now be drawing fatally close to home -- to Tamara's only son.

Tina, Willimenas know-it-all big sister, advises Willimena just to smile and be nice. But a smile and nice wont get you very far if the class bully - also known as mean Irene - jumps in your face. And thats just what happens to Willimena.

New Jersey African-American private investigator Tamara Hayle delves into the secret, unglamorous past of a popular female radio talk-show host to find out which of her friends and enemies is determined to drag her off her pretty perch.

Willimena feels left out when her cousin Teddy comes to visit. When Teddy catches a big fish, Willimena decides to catch an even bigger one.

Darnella Desmond is disturbed to learn that her former roommate has been murdered by a serial killer who is stalking Atlantic City's runaway population, but when her mother hires Tamara Hayle to catch the murderer, she uncovers extremely perverse truths about the deceased's family.

When third-grader Willimena loses the class pet, her teacher helps her to understand that responsibility means doing one's best, and that animals can't always be controlled.

Nia and Marcus, two of the very few African American students at a snooty prep school, struggle to find out what they want to do with their lives.

Contains: "Remember This" / by Renée Watson, illustrated by Shadra Strickland "Handle Your Business" / by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James "Not a China Doll" / by Grace Lin "The Bike" / by Wade Hudson, illustrated by E. B. Lewis "The Way of the Anigiduwagi" / by Traci Sorell, illustrated by MaryBeth Timothy Untitled / by Daniel Nayeri, illustrated by Zeke Peña "Why Are There Racist People?" / by Duncan Tonatiuh "Never Be Afraid to Soar" / by Valerie Wilson Wesley, illustrated by Don Tate "My Olmec" / by Selina Alko "F.R.I.E.N.D.S.: Looking Back, Looking Forward" / by Torrey Maldonado, illustrated by Natacha Bustos "TEN" / by Tracey Baptiste, illustrated by April Harrison "I'm a Dancer" / by Sharon Dennis Wyeth, illustrated by Raul Colón "Hablar" / by Meg Medina, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez "Our Inheritance" / by Adam Gidwitz, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds "Tough Tuesday" / by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Erin K. Robinson "The Road Ahead" /by Minh Lê, illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera "Mazes" / by Christopher Myers

A family is strained to the limits when a husband walks out on his forty-year-old wife and two adult children to search for happiness and everyone must pick up the pieces.