Lynn Franklin
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When Lynn Franklin was a child, she often accompanied her jeweler grandfather on his local buying trips. As they traipsed the grungy streets of Pittsburgh, Grandpa carried a battered briefcase filled with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires. These trips provided fertile ground for Lynn's imagination, allowing her to search the shadows for thugs, thieves and spies.
So it came as no surprise when at the age of eight, she demanded a deerstalker hat and wrote her first mystery novel. To hone her sleuthing skills, she studied the case files of Nancy Drew, Frank and Joe Hardy and Trixie Belden. In time, Lynn became a professional writer and an Accredited Jewelry Professional. But she never lost her fascination with gemstone history and lore. And so the Kimberley West Gemstone Mystery Series was born. Lynn and her Pulitzer Prize-winning husband, Jon Franklin, live in the Chesapeake Bay area with their standard poodle Dash. Dash and his best buddy, long-haired dachshund Bogie, conspire to create comic relief that Lynn can include in her books.
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The Turquoise Treasure: Kimberley West Gemstone Mystery Book 4
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Mystery, Humor, History
Kimberley West returns in Book 4 of the 5-star, award-winning mystery series A mysterious package. A legendary treasure. A cross-country trip filled with treachery ends in death and sets a killer on Kim's trail. "Come see what I found." The cryptic note arrived along with a rare variety of turquoise and a plane ticket to Arizona. How could Kimberley West resist? But Sherry Waters, Kim's long-time friend and treasure hunter, has more in mind than a quiet few days digging turquoise. Someone has been sabotaging Sherry's excavation. She enlists Kim's help to not only identify the culprit but to also secretly locate the singing dog rock formation that points the way to one of history's most famous lost treasures: Montezuma's Gold. A late-night phone call sends Kim fleeing back to Maryland, only now with a killer on her trail. The Turquoise Treasure is the fourth book in the Kimberley West Gemstone Mystery Series. Readers say they’ve fallen in love with the heart-warming cast of characters, savored the interwoven gemstone legends and lore and laughed at the antics of two precocious dogs. Although the books are written as a series, they can be read in any order. 
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The Carolina Emerald: Kimberley West Gemstone Mystery Book 3
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Mystery, Humor, History
EPIC AWARD FINALIST AND KINDLE BOOK AWARD SEMI-FINALIST A 60-year-old mystery. A one-of-a-kind emerald. In a small town steeped in secrets, a romantic weekend turns deadly. A college friend’s engagement gives Kimberley West the rare opportunity to dig in a private emerald mine. The fun weekend, however, quickly deteriorates when the friends stumble onto a plot fueled by revenge and greed. Events escalate and soon the sheriff pursues one of their group as a prime suspect. In true Indiana Jones fashion, Kim and her sidekick poodle uncover buried treasure – and trouble. The Carolina Emerald is the third book in the Kimberley West Gemstone Mystery Series. Readers say they’ve fallen in love with the heart-warming cast of characters, savored the interwoven gemstone legends and lore and laughed at the antics of two precocious dogs. Although the books are written as a series, they can be read in any order. 
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The Pirate's Ruby: Kimberley West Gemstone Mystery Book 2
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Mystery, Humor, History
An ancient ruby's trail of death. A looming hurricane. In a small beach town, a day that begins with a treasure hunt ends in murder When thieves plunder Osprey Beach’s new Pirate Museum, they leave behind the corpse of the town’s busybody. Police suspect the culprits are the same ones who’ve been robbing local homeowners. Kimberley West disagrees. Small-time crooks would never know where to sell a collection of antique cutlasses, daggers and swords, let alone the Museum’s prized treasure: a ruby amulet once owned by The Gentleman Pirate. Loyalty to a long-time friend plunges Kim into a deadly mystery involving small-town politics, rabid treasure hunters and the bully who haunted Kim’s childhood. As a hurricane descends on Osprey Beach’s fragile cliffs, a child who might have witnessed a murder disappears. Certain the girl’s destination coincides with the killer’s, Kim and her sidekick poodle rush into the storm. Can she save the child or will the hurricane provide the perfect cover for one more murder? The Pirate's Ruby is the second book in the Kimberley West Gemstone Mystery Series. Although the books are written as a series, they can be read in any order. 
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The Blue Diamond: Kimberley West Gemstone Mystery Book 1
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Mystery, Humor, History
Book 1 of the 5-star, award-winning mystery series A Rare Blue Diamond. An Unsuspecting Jeweler. When a killer stalks a small beach town, no one is safe. A gemologist’s world turns upside down when she interrupts an armed robbery in her grandfather’s jewelry store. Before being rushed to the hospital, Kimberley West’s grandfather entrusts her with guarding a five-carat, flawless blue diamond. There’s just one problem: Small-town jewelers seldom deal in rare gemstones worth millions. A mysterious phone call convinces Kim the diamond is connected to the recent murder of Grandpa’s best friend. As the attacks continue, she realizes no one will be safe until she solves the mystery surrounding the diamond.. Armed only with her standard poodle, expertise in gemstone lore and insight into the human obsession with all things shiny, Kim races to outwit a thief who’s not afraid to kill. The Blue Diamond is the first book in the Kimberley West Gemstone Mystery Series. Readers say they’ve fallen in love with the heart-warming cast of characters, savored the interwoven gemstone legends and lore and laughed at the antics of two precocious dogs. Although the books are written as a series, they can be read in any order. 
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