Historic homes, centuries-old churches, and amazing miracles and mysteries await you.
Historic homes, centuries-old churches, and amazing miracles and mysteries await you. We’ve created charming stories set in Charleston. Meet the characters here and then read the stories for free.
Download Our Cozy Short Mysteries in Our Free eBook Here
Charleston, South Carolina, is a city steeped in architectural history. Today the skyline is famous for its beautiful church spires and steeples that rise above rainbow-colored homes and historic buildings. Charleston has survived fires, pirate attacks and hurricanes, and yet it still stands as beautiful as ever—waiting to welcome visitors like you with a cold glass of sweet tea and warm southern hospitality. This picturesque town, with buildings dating as far back as the 17th century, is the perfect setting for intriguing mysteries!
2 of 9 Escape to a World Sparkling with Southern Charm
Join four friends on faith-affirming adventures, as they gather clues to solve unexplained mysteries, witness profound miracles and behold unexpected answers to prayers. Walk alongside the four plucky women when they learn that during the Civil War, a massive fire swept through Charleston, destroying much of the city, including Mercy Hospital—or so it was originally thought. But when the rubble was being cleared, the townspeople discovered that one of the hospital’s wings remained standing: the one that was located closest to the statue of a praying angel.
When Mercy Hospital was rebuilt in the early 1900s, the just-formed preservation society ensured that the old wing and its guardian angel—and all its closely guarded secrets—would remain.
Fast forward to the present time, when the excitement and intrigue begins. Four women from different walks of life—Anne, Joy, Shirley and Evelyn—meet through their work at Mercy Hospital. The women bond over their faith in God and their love of adventure. They enjoy spending their days helping patients and other staff members, but as they do, the friends encounter strange happenings and puzzling mysteries. Together the women search for clues that lead them down shadowy secret hospital passageways and right into some very curious situations. Soon they begin to wonder if the rumors of Mercy Hospital’s Guardian Angel are true.
4 of 9 You’ll Love Getting to Know Anne Mabry
When Anne’s husband Ralph, a recently retired pastor, takes on the new role of Mercy Hospital chaplain, Anne decides to volunteer at Mercy to share in its atmosphere of help and healing. Little did she dream that she would soon form strong bonds of friendship with three other women. Nor did she think she’d be parenting again after a decade of living in an empty nest. However, when their single-parent daughter is deployed to Afghanistan, she and Ralph take on the rearing of their fourth-grade granddaughter, Madison. Anne is known for her Southern hospitality and her proprietary pecan pie, for which all of her church friends would love to get the recipe! A sturdy woman with a larger-than-life personality and a laugh to match, Anne has a heart of gold and always knows just how to help in any situation.
5 of 9 Evelyn Perry Loves Solving Mysteries
Evelyn Perry has been at Mercy Hospital for decades as supervisor of the hospital’s Records Department. An avid history buff, she often sniffs out clues…or mysteries…amid the antebellum hospital’s files. When Evelyn needs help with historical research, she turns to her husband, a history professor and map expert. Although Evelyn and her husband have never had children, Evelyn serves as a surrogate grandmother to many of the sick children who are patients at Mercy.
6 of 9 Shirley is New to Charleston
Shirley is a no-nonsense but goodhearted charge nurse who just moved to Charleston from Atlanta in order to be near her elderly mother. (Back in the ‘60s, her mother also worked at Mercy, but as a chambermaid. African American women weren’t afforded the opportunity to work as nurses there back then.) Shirley blames her all-consuming occupation, with its crazy work hours, for her single status. She’s truly devoted to her healing work, but sometimes, when her guard is down, she allows the others a glimpse of her heart, which holds the longing for someone special. Her newfound friends can’t help but wonder if the all-business hospital administrator might just be Shirley’s perfect match.
7 of 9 Meet Joy
Joy just recently returned to Charleston to be closer to her son and his family after her husband, Carl, died. An avid gardener, whose window boxes have won several prizes in local competitions, Joy finds that helping at the hospital gift and floral shop is as healing for her as it is for the folks she meets each day. The quietest and most introverted of the four friends, Joy has a knack for helping people choose just the right gift to cheer up each patient. She is also the most observant of the quartet, the quickest to spot someone’s need for help, as well as the one most likely to notice the mysterious and often miraculous events that take place at Mercy.
You’ll love spending time with Joy and her three smart—and just a little bit sassy—friends, as they get pulled into one miraculous and mysterious adventure after another.
8 of 9 Uncover Cryptic Clues, Walk Down Hidden Passageways and Decipher Antique Maps
When they aren’t caring for the patients at Mercy Hospital, Evelyn, Joy, Anne and Shirley quickly discover that the hospital, with its secret passageways and hidden historical treasures, is a place of intrigue, adventure and amazing miracles. The friends wonder if the rumors that Mercy Hospital is under the protection of a guardian angel are true, especially when the stone angel statue goes missing. When Joy leaves the hospital late one night, she passes by the angel statue, and gives her a quick wink—a habit she started when she first came to Charleston. But the next morning (just hours later), on her way back to the hospital, Joy discovers that the beloved marble statue is gone! How on earth could a statue that weighs hundreds of pounds simply disappear? Then, the day after the angel statue goes missing, a new nurse begins working at Mercy, and the friends can’t help but notice that she bears a striking resemblance to the statue. What’s more, the newcomer always seems to be on hand—just when a patient is in need of a miracle.
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
9 of 9 Have Fun Exploring Beautiful, Historic Charleston
Get to know four strong, funny, kind and compassionate women, who are drawn together to face life’s challenges and discover God’s plan for their lives. You’ll love seeing how their new roles of bringing hope and healing to patients draws them into exciting, mysterious and miraculous events.
Download Our Cozy Short Mysteries in Our Free eBook Here
In Held in His Hand, you’ll find stories showcasing God’s interventions that provide safety in danger, offer reassurance in times of exhaustion or grief, foster friendships and support, and guide individuals on their journeys.
