News from Dead Mule Swamp: Anastasia Raven is running from the pain of a failed marriage and hopes to hide from the world in an old farmhouse she has purchased at the edge of Dead Mule Swamp. When a hundred-year-old newspaper she finds inside a wall is stolen by Cliff Sorenson and then Cliff disappears, Ana is convinced that the paper holds the key to the mystery. But what old news could be important enough to put Cliff in danger?

The Hollow Tree at Dead Mule Swamp: Anastasia Raven finds a secret hidden in a hollow tree near Dead Mule Swamp. She thinks she's seeing things, as the discovery appears to have come straight from a Nancy Drew story. With some simple sleuthing, Ana catches Jimmie Mosher, whose grandfather used to own the house she has recently purchased. But what else does Jimmie have to hide?

These two stories introduce the primary characters and where they live. If you enjoy rural and small town series, these books are for you!