The Painted Trunk

banner image with Da Vinci in the vintage-colored background, a large trunk in the foreground, and the title text

Mysteries and paranormal adventures are fun to read. Sometimes they’re even more fun to watch in movies or your favorite series. But when it comes to real life, to the peculiar and strange and downright dangerous lurking in the dark… or in your bedroom, it’s really not fun. At all.

                              ………………………………………Tabitha Spencer Pruitt

black and white illustration of an old chest

The Painted Trunk Mysteries

The Painted Trunk Mysteries is a paranormal mystery series, part of the August Grove Collection. The opening trilogy introduces Tabitha Spencer Pruitt, a best selling mystery writer who resides in August Grove, Georgia. Drama, chaos, and murder are her jam. But Tabitha is a Paper Detective, and now that ink has spilled into real life, the true crime detective is forced to step off the page.

The Painted Trunk :: Book 1

young african american woman wearing glasses and long braids

It’s always hard to lose a friend. Sometimes it’s even harder to lose a friend.

When Cleopatra Gleason—super model, super star, and super bitch—dies under unusual circumstances, Tabitha is surprised she feels a loss. Cleopatra was her nemesis since childhood, but now Tabitha can’t let go of two things. She doesn’t believe Cleopatra would ever commit suicide. No way.

Which begs the question: Who killed Cleopatra.

But Tabitha’s surprises are only beginning. She soon learns she is the beneficiary to a trunk, but like everything Cleopatra touched, the trunk comes with a catch. “Use the trunk to figure out who killed me.”

And so begins a real life mystery. How can she use an old trunk to find a killer? And is the trunk the reason Cleopatra was murdered? And finally, the most important question: Is Tabitha now a target for murder, now that she owns The Painted Trunk?

 

 

Books 3 & 4 :: A Darker Kind of Justice

Tabitha came home to August Grove two years ago when her father was shot in the back while serving as an August Grove Police Officer. He almost died, and the injury created by the bullets left him impaired and potentially paralyzed.

And now her father, Jasper, must face his enemies once again as memories from that dreadful night, and perhaps the person who tried to kill him, return to not only threaten his life, but the life of his daughter as well.

And justice fails as Jasper is not only threatened, but accused of murder.As he’s taken in by the police, all who love him know jail is the most dangerous place he could be.

But even as all seems lost, a new entity comes into play, and Tabitha enlists Salai’s help to enact a darker kind of justice.

black and white illustration of an old chest

Crystal Orb Status & Progress Report

The Painted Trunk
100% Complete
104,000 of 104,000 words
Publication Date 3/31/2024

 

Series Report

The Painted Trunk 100%
A Darker Kind of Justice 70%
The Queen Arises 15%
Moonlight Grave & Yellow Flowers 88%

 

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