Books

Item Description

Four autographed books by Judy Clemens, including her first thriller under the pen name J. C. Lane

J. C. Lane is the pen name of Judy Clemens, a daughter of the Mennonite Church. Judy has lived in several Mennonite communities, including her birthplace of Harrisonburg, VA; Goshen, Indiana, where she grew up and graduated from Bethany Christian Schools and Goshen College; Hesston, KS, where she graduated from Hesston College; southeastern PA, where her husband, Steve, taught at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School; and Bluffton, Ohio, where she now attends Grace Mennonite Church with Steve and their two children.

Signed copy of first edition thriller:

TAG, YOU'RE DEAD, by J. C. Lane

Synopsis:

Sis teenagers play a dangerous Game of Tag in pubic, chasing through the crowed, streets and buildings of Chicago. This secret, one-of-a-kind, wildly expensive Game offers a macabre twist to the childhood version . . .if you get Tagged, you get Dead.

TILL THE COWS COME HOME, brand-new hardcover copy

By Judy Clemens

First in the Anthony- and Agatha-nominated Stella Crown series. Published 2004, now out-of-print in hardcover

Description

Stella Crown works hard and loves her life. She runs her own Pennsylvania dairy farm with the trusted help of longtime farmhand Howie who stuck with her after her parents died, rides her Harley on the weekends, and has just enough friends to suit her fiercely independent nature. But on her twenty-ninth birthday, things start to change. A local child dies from a strange and threatening illness, a string of mysterious disasters place Stella and her farm in peril, and her childhood friend Abe shows up with a new woman on his arm, creating a storm of confusing emotions all around. To this charged atmosphere add electrical outages, flooded barns, and cows running loose in the countryside. It seems like bad luck run amok, but when her livestock begins turning up dead, Stella knows that something, or someone, is out to get her. Meanwhile, though doctors announce they’ve identified the cause of the illness running through the community, another child is stricken before they can declare victory, sending everyone into a state of near panic. While trying to solve the puzzle behind her own troubles, Stella begins to think that she alone might hold the answers to the horrifying medical mystery. Striking out on her own, afraid to trust anyone—friends, neighbors, or the gorgeous barn painter she’s fallen for—Stella goes after her enemy, determined to protect everything, and everyone, she loves.

Reviews

"The author excels at drawing true-to-life characters." --Publishers Weekly "Talented first-timer Clemens's solid, commendable prose, in-depth characterization, and sympathetic subject matter make this a good choice for regional and larger mystery collections."--Library Journal

EMBRACE THE GRIM REAPER, brand new hardcover

By Judy Clemens

First in the Grim Reaper mysteries, Published 2009

Description

Casey Maldonado’s life is over—at least as she knows it. In one brief moment of fire and wrenching metal, everything important was gone. The car manufacturer was generous with its settlement, but it can never be enough. Her family and friends—not to mention her lawyers—want her to go for more. More money. More publicity. More everything. But Casey is done. No financial gain or courtroom retribution will bring back what really matters. So she packs up, puts her house on the market, and leaves town. Her only companion: Death, who won’t take her, but won’t leave her alone. She stops on a whim in tragedy-stricken Clymer, a small blue-collar town in the midst of Ohio farmland. Not only is HomeMaker, the town’s appliance factory and main employer, moving to Mexico, but the town has been rocked by the suicide of a beloved single mother. Casey is drawn to the town, and soon realizes that many of the citizens don’t believe the verdict of suicide at all.  Death encourages her to investigate, and she uncovers information that points to the factory. Was the victim’s death a cover-up? Did she truly have the means—as she claimed—to keep the factory from leaving town? When Casey begins to receive messages that she should leave well enough alone, she decides she’d be better off back on the road, but the murderer can’t let her go with everything she knows….

Reviews

"Clemens is adept at creating an appealing cast of characters while keeping the plot moving at a fast clip. Casey and Death make an oddly entertaining pair, and readers will hope to see their relationship fleshed out in future titles." --Publishers Weekly

"An interesting premise (shades, almost, of The Fugitive) and a vulnerable but strong protagonist are the highlights here, though the character of Death adds an unexpected dimension. Clemens, author of the Stella Crown series, could have another winner--Booklist

LOST SONS, by Judy Clemens

Published 2008, now out of print!

 Detective Stan Windemere's son, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, disappears in the frozen tundra of Russia, and Stan finds himself unable to focus on his job. He soon learns of another lost son, Clayton Kratz, a Mennonite missionary who also disappeared in Russia in 1920. Stan dives into this mystery and prepares for the truth that his own son, like Kratz, may never come home.

Item Special Note

Books can be mailed for additional cost.