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Terry Ambrose

Terry Ambrose

Home of Mysteries with Character

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    • Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mysteries
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    • Trouble in Paradise Mysteries
    • License to Lie Thriller Series
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Trouble in Paradise Mysteries

He used to hunt deadbeats for a living. Then he moved to Hawaii. Now, he’s the one being hunted.

McKenna was one of the best skip tracers in the business. Finding people who didn’t want to be found was his specialty, and he loved the game of cat and mouse. The problem for the skips? McKenna always caught his prey.

He thought he’d left that life behind when he moved to Hawaiʻi. But paradise has a way of complicating even the best-laid plans. Before long, McKenna finds himself caught up in a different kind of cat-and-mouse game—and this time, everyone’s playing for keeps.

Start your Hawaiian adventure with PHOTO FINISH: Book One

McKenna wants nothing to do with trouble. So when his tenant claims she saw a body thrown from a plane off Oʻahu’s North Shore, his first instinct is to stay out of it.

Then again, his tenant is drop-dead gorgeous, and when she turns on the charm, McKenna’s resistance doesn’t stand a chance.

Before he knows it, he’s tangled up with an island drug ring, has a psychopath gunning for him, and is fighting to stay alive. His best chance of making it out in one piece? Find the killer before he becomes the next victim.

Turns out, paradise can be murder.

Photo Finish
A beautiful woman whose allure is as intoxicating as a pīkake lei lures ex-skip tracer McKenna into a murder investigation, landing him in trouble up to his board shorts. Read more
Kauai Temptations
After McKenna becomes the victim of identity theft, he vows to find the person responsible. He succeeds, but also lands himself in the middle of another murder investigation. Trouble in Paradise #2. Read more
Big Island Blues
McKenna flies to the Big Island of Hawaii to help find his best friend’s missing niece and finds himself fending off a hacker while he's trying to find a killer. Read more
Mystery of the Lei Palaoa
McKenna witnesses a fight over a precious lei niho palaoa in a coffee shop and soon finds the man dead on the streets of Honolulu. McKenna and PI wannabe Chance Logan are determined to find the lei palaoa and the killer. But at what price? Read more
Honolulu Hottie
From Honolulu’s ghetto to its wealthiest communities, McKenna and Chance follow a trail of deceit to find a con man’s killer and save a decorated war hero. Read more
North Shore Nanny
Amateur sleuth McKenna’s latest client is ten-year-old surfing sensation Kai Palakiko. Kai wants McKenna to prove her nanny didn't commit murder, but the deeper McKenna digs, the more trouble in paradise McKenna unearths. Read more
A Damsel for Santa - Trouble in Paradise McKenna Mystery
A Damsel for Santa
An elf's murder during a Christmas play forces McKenna into the role of sleuthing Santa in Trouble in Paradise Mystery #7. Read more
Terry Ambrose
Maui Magic
McKenna’s plans for a romantic getaway on Maui are put on hold when one of his girlfriend’s family is accused of murder. As McKenna digs into the case, he quickly learns nothing is as it seems on Maui, and the questions he’s asking might get him killed. Read more
The Scent of Waikiki
The Scent of Waikiki
The Scent of Waikīkī is a "...convoluted story of lies, half-truths, and deception." — Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book Read more
On the Take in Waikiki
The disappearance of a Honolulu businessman pulls McKenna and his sidekick Chance Logan into a world filled with greed, lies, and betrayal. Read more
Mystery of the Eight Islands
Mystery of the Eight Islands
Apartment manager and amateur sleuth McKenna and his PI wannabe sidekick Chance Logan are out to solve the murder of a prominent attorney when they discover a link to a 125-year-old jewel theft. Read more

What readers are saying about this series

PHOTO FINISH — “… a mystery as refreshing as a visit to the islands themselves.” — Deborah Coonts, author of the Lucky O’Toole Vegas Adventure Series

BIG ISLAND BLUES — “Likable characters, witty dialogue, and ample amounts of humor ensure that readers will be captivated by this Hawaiian Getaway of a mystery.” — Kings River Life

ON THE TAKE IN WAIKIKI — “… a delightful page-turner of murder and mayhem…” — Muddy Rose Reviews

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Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mysteries

Welcome to Seaside Cove, a small town on the California coast that has earned its reputation as the place where murder meets the sea.

Beachtown Detective Agency

After taking over her father's detective agency, Jade Cavendish finds herself dealing with murder and much, much more.

Trouble in Paradise Mysteries

Former skip tracer McKenna moved to Hawaii to escape drama, but ever since he arrived, all he's found is trouble in paradise.

License to Lie

A con artist and a former criminologist are forced to work together and fight for their lives in this thrilling series.

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