The third book in a terrific series by New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams.

Welcome to Hope Street Church, where friendships are formed, fresh starts are encouraged, and mysteries are solved.

Cooper Lee is on top of the world, thanks to her great friends at Hope Street Church and the satisfaction of having solved two perplexing mysteries. And with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, she’s hoping that love is in the air for her and her new boyfriend, Nathan. But Cooper’s faith is about to be tested when her sister, Ashley, discovers a corpse and is implicated in the gruesome murder. And just as troubling, a darkly handsome and exciting man has come into Cooper’s life and just might tempt her to stray.

As Cooper and her friends from the Bible study group once again spring into action to root out a killer—and Cooper digs deep to solve a more personal mystery—she discovers that following the clues is raising more questions than answers. But one thing’s for certain: when cold-blooded criminals mess with Cooper’s family and friends, the killers haven’t got a prayer.

Includes heavenly recipes from Magnolia Lee’s kitchen!

A Note from the Author:

*Dear Reader,

The Hope Street mysteries were originally published by St. Martin’s Press and written under the name Jennifer Stanley. The titles, in order, were Stirring Up Strife, Path of the Wicked, and* The Way of the Guilty.

I have completely rewritten all three novels and am now publishing them under the name Ellery Adams as The Path of the Crooked, The Way of the Wicked, and The Graves of the Guilty.

*If you’ve read the original books, you will find the basic plot of the above titles unchanged. My intention was to polish the writing in each installment and rerelease the novels as crisper, cleaner, more engaging books. Stay tuned for forthcoming novels in the Hope Street mystery series as well.

Thank you for supporting cozy mysteries.

Your friend,
Ellery Adams*

About the Author:

New York Times Bestselling author Ellery Adams grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound. Having spent her adult life in a series of landlocked towns, she cherishes her memories of open water, violent storms, and the smell of the sea. Ms. Adams has held many jobs, including that of caterer, retail clerk, car salesperson, teacher, tutor, and tech writer, all the while penning poems, children's books, and novels. She now writes full-time from her home in Virginia.

Review

Jennifer Stanley’s engaging new series makes your attendance at Hope Street Church mandatory.” —Emilie Richards, author of the “Ministry is Murder” mystery series

“Stanley’s faith-based crime detection has plenty of charming appeal.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A DELIGHTFUL SURPRISE, a lovely, never-preachy story of friends.” —Donna Andrews, award-winning author of Swan for the Money

“INSPIRED…Stanley never preaches to her readers but lets deeds, not words, accomplish their goal.”— Richmond Times-Dispatch

From the Back Cover

At Hope Street Church, you always know who your friends are.
But knowing who your enemies are is a whole ’nother story…

Cooper Lee has a new outlook on life, thanks to her friends at Hope Street Church. Spending time with the Sunrise Bible Study Group nourishes her mind and soul. But home is where the heart is—along with Mrs. Lee’s baked treats—and Cooper is indeed happy to have such a great family to come home to when not spending time with Nathan, a friend from the group who just might be (fingers crossed) The One. So when her sister, Ashley, is implicated in a gruesome murder, Cooper snaps into action. Along with Nathan and her friends from Hope Street, Cooper vows to solve this unholy mess—with a wing, a prayer, and a small dose of snooping…

“THIS ISN’T YOUR GRANDMA’S SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS.

Jennifer Stanley’s engaging new series makes your attendance at Hope Street Church mandatory.” —Emilie Richards, author of the “Ministry is Murder” mystery series

“Stanley’s faith-based crime detection has plenty of charming appeal.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A DELIGHTFUL SURPRISE, a lovely, never-preachy story of friends.” —Donna Andrews, award-winning author of Swan for the Money

“INSPIRED…Stanley never preaches to her readers but lets deeds, not words, accomplish their goal.”— Richmond Times-Dispatch

About the Author

Ellery Adams is the New York Times bestselling author of the Books by the Bay Mysteries and the Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries. Ellery has held many jobs, including caterer, retail clerk, car salesperson, teacher, tutor, and tech writer, all while penning poems, childrens books, and novels. She now writes full-time from her home in Virginia.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

1
The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones.
Esther 1:6 (NIV)
If Cooper Lee had known she would spend Friday night chugging champagne at an unfamiliar woman’s mansion while a trio of busty coeds modeled lingerie, she would have come up with any number of creative excuses in order to avoid the whole thing. Unfortunately, Cooper had completely misunderstood her sister’s invitation to accompany her to “a pajama party” being hosted by one of her church friends.
“Georgia Ferguson has such a gorgeous house! Wait ’til you see it!” Cooper’s sister Ashley had shouted over the roar of Cooper’s power sander the weekend before the infamous fete. “Can you turn that damned thing off for a second?”
After gently putting down the tool, Cooper slid her safety goggles onto the crown of her head, picked up a piece of sandpaper, and began working on the rough areas on a chapel-shaped bird house. “And why exactly should I be interested in Georgia Ferguson’s house?” she asked her sister while gently stroking the wood smooth. “I don’t even know this woman.”
Stopping Cooper’s hand with her own, Ashley announced, “Because I’m going to a party there next weekend and you’re coming with me.”
Imagining a room populated by Ashley’s worldly acquaintances, Cooper grimaced. “In case you’ve forgotten, I repair office equipment for a living.” She rubbed the tip of the steeple gently with a folded scrap of sandpaper. “Why would I want to go to Georgia’s party? These are your church friends. I’ve got my own,” she added happily.
Ashley drummed her fingers against the workbench and Cooper couldn’t help but admire her sister’s pristine French manicure. “You’re going to this party because you’re a mature, confident woman. That’s just the kind of woman I need by my side to help me select an array of fabulous new night things with which I can seduce my husband.”
Cooper’s neck flushed as it always did when she was embarrassed. “I am well aware that you’re trying to get pregnant, but I’d rather not have to hear too many details, okay? Some things are meant to be kept private.”
“Some things? You can’t even say the word!” Ashley giggled. “Go on, I dare you. Say ‘sex.’ Say it! Sex, sex, sex!”
“You talk about it enough for both of us, thanks very much,” Cooper retorted. “I’m going to start calling you Dr. Ruth.” She playfully elbowed her sister out of the way and reached for the power sander. Removing her safety glasses from the top of her wheat-blonde hair, she stared at Ashley with her intriguing, mismatched eyes. “Is that all? I’d like to get back to this.”
“Don’t you give me that blue-eyed, green-eyed glower,” Ashley commanded and then began to push sawdust scraps around with her finger, forming the outline of a wobbly heart on the surface of the table. “The truth is that I could use Dr. Ruth’s advice these days. Listen to me, Coop. I need to go to this party. I’m looking for a way to knock Lincoln’s socks off. To make him sit up and take notice of me like he used to.”
“Are you two having difficulties again?” Cooper looked at her sister with concern though she couldn’t comprehend how a party could change how Ashley and her husband felt about one another. “Over the baby issue?”
Looking miserable, Ashley marred the sawdust heart with a sweep of her hand. “I think Lincoln’s avoiding me. For the last few months he’s been going to all these late meetings. Then there’s the golf outings with his daddy and brother every weekend—not to mention the poker nights.” Tears pooled in her lovely azure eyes. “I feel like I’m losing him.”
Pulling off her gloves, Cooper put her arm around her sister’s tiny waist and squeezed. “He loves you, Ashley. He’d be crazy not to.”
Ashley sighed. “Love is hard work, isn’t it? Harder than I ever thought it would be. I had my dream wedding, Lincoln carried me over the threshold of our perfect house, and for a while, everything was wonderful. A fairy tale. But then I was supposed to get pregnant and grow all round and cute and waddle and have that glow. I’d deliver the most precious beautiful little baby this world has ever seen and give it like five names and dress its precious little body in hand-embroidered smocks and Robeez booties. When we’d stroll around downtown, people would stop us on the street and just stare at my Gerber baby.” She sniffed. “Instead I find out I have a bicornuate uterus and even after surgery will have a tough time getting pregnant. It’s all I think about now!” She thumped the workbench and then eyed the sawdust on her palm in distaste. “I’ve never wanted anything so badly as I want this baby! Why did there have to be something wrong with me?”
Cooper cleaned up the sawdust using a small broom and dustpan. “Ashley, maybe you need to take a break from thinking about babies all the time. It obviously upsets you and if you’re worried about your marriage, perhaps you and Lincoln need some time alone together.”
“That’s exactly what I’m planning!” Ashley’s good humor immediately returned. “I’ve booked us a romantic cruise to the Bahamas as a surprise, but I need something incredible to wear when I tell him about the trip. Something that will ensure he won’t say no to taking a week off work. That’s why we’re going to Georgia’s party. I feel compelled to buy a whole bunch of things that’ll be on display there.”
“So it’s like a trunk show?” Cooper asked, silently wondering if she had the name right.
“Exactly. And all the women attending are married and go to my church, so I doubt there’ll be anything too scandalous for sale.” Ashley added, “I know it’s not your scene, Cooper, but it would really mean a lot to me if you were with me. And you might even find yourself picking out something to wear for that magical moment when you and Nathan are ready.”
“So this is all about buying pajamas and nightgowns?” Cooper shook her head. What a bizarre reason to have a party, she thought.
Ashley scrunched up her lips as though stifling a smile and said, “Precisely. Nightgowns and robes and stuff. And what ever you set your cap on will be my treat. It’s the least I can do since you’ve agreed to come.” Shouldering her bright orange purse, Ashley flicked a wave of glossy blonde hair off her shoulder and smiled. “This whole plan has given me a fresh dose of hope, Coop! I’ll pick you up at seven. Georgia always serves the most unbelievable desserts, but make sure you eat something for dinner.” She straightened several gold bangles on her wrist. “You’re going to need something in your stomach to soak up all the alcohol.”
During the following week, Cooper forgot all about the Pajama Party. This was understandable, being that a manufacturer recall on one of Canon’s most popular copiers had every employee from Make It Work! scurrying to replace drums and fuser units across the city of Richmond as quickly as possible.
Cooper was just returning from an assignment updating all the copiers at a pharmaceutical company’s headquarters when she was accosted in the break room by one of her coworkers.
“Cooper!” She drew back as Emilio Calabria’s bass voice with its heavy New York accent boomed in her ear. The dark-haired, square-jawed, muscular hunk grabbed her by the elbow. With his nut-brown eyes ablaze, he looked more like a romance cover model than ever, but Emilio was too arrogant and chauvinistic for Cooper’s tastes. “You gotta help me!” he insisted without preamble. “I mean, you’re a girl, so you must get how girls think.”
“Glad you noticed,” Cooper replied ruefully as she looked down at her ink-stained uniform top. “What’s the problem?”
“It’s our three-month anniversary. Me and Carla’s. I need to think of something cool to do. Should I take her out to dinner? Buy her something? How much is it gonna cost for me to show her I’m better than all her ex-boyfriends? Do I have to get her some ice?”
“As in diamonds?” Cooper inquired after a moment’s puzzlement. When Emilio nodded glumly, she tried to reassure him. “I don’t think ‘ice’ is necessary. Unless you’re preparing to propose?”
Emilio paled. “Hell, no! I like this girl, but I am not ready to wear the old ball and chain. No way, man.”
Grinning, Cooper moved over to the sink and began to scrub her hands. It was too easy to push Emilio’s buttons. Still, her coworker had earnestly sought her help, so the least she could do was take him seriously. “You don’t need to buy anything. You could take Carla somewhere special. What does she like to do?”
“Same as me. Watch ESPN and reality shows on TV. Go out for big slabs of steak and cold beers. And when we wanna get our groove on, we go clubbin’.”
“You could make her a mixed CD of her favorite dance songs,” Cooper suggested.
He frowned and handed Cooper twice the number of paper towels she needed to dry off her hands. “No dice. Did that for our two-month anniversary.”
Two months? This is so junior high school, Cooper thought.
“What ab...