About Carolyn Mulford

Carolyn grew up on a farm near Kirksville, Missouri. Summer days meant helping in the fields, pumping water for the cows, and climbing trees to read books that took her to other times and places. After completing a master's degree in journalism at the University of Missouri, she taught as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia, a place where farmers tilled as they did centuries ago and students walked days to reach the province's only high school.


Her novel, The Feedsack Dress, is set in Northeast Missouri in 1949, the year electricity came to farms. Carolyn captures a special place and time that marked a major economic and social transition for farmers and the nation. In the novel, this transition begins for one 13-year-old farm girl when she starts school in town.


A wonderfully talented author, Carolyn has written articles and nonfiction books for special and general audiences. She also has edited magazines, newsletters, reports, and books. The Feedsack Dress is her first novel for young people.

Read Carolyn's "Ten Common Mistakes" featured on Kristina Stanley's "Mystery Mondays"

Read an article in Vox Magazine featuring Carolyn: "The Write Stuff "

Show Me the Sinister Snowman

North Missouri has seldom been snowier and the mysteries more perplexing than in Show Me the Sinister Snowman, the fifth novel in Carolyn Mulford’s Show Me detective series.

Was the ailing congressman’s death an accident, suicide, or perhaps even murder? And if it was murder, could it be that he was the wrong victim and the murderer might be poised to strike again? We watch as the action zeroes in on a snow-bound estate to provide a new twist on the classic country house mystery.

The questions and perils build up, but retired CIA operative Phoenix Smith—with help from her faithful canine assistant, Achilles—is on the case.


Praise for the Show Me Mystery Series

Show Me the Sinister Snowman

Dru's Book Musings: "I enjoyed the tantalizing trails that the author planted for me in this engrossing drama of suspense and intrigue. The narrative pulled me in immediately as I had to know who was behind the threats and possibly the murder. The author took great care to craft a novel that was tightly woven with the elements one expect in a mystery, that included a list of suspects, clues buried for me to find, the victim or victims and the protagonist whose role is to ferret out the culprit. With masterly adept dialogue and a snowbound setting where no one can escape, this drama kept me engaged in all that was happening and entertained as step by step, the plot thickened to a frenetic tempo as the story came to a fitting conclusion. This was a terrific read and I look forward to the next exciting adventures with Phoenix, Achilles, Connie and Annalynn."

Show Me the Murder

Library Journal: “The friends’ search for the truth, enriched by their individual and group histories, forms a solid foundation for a tightly woven tale of love and hard times in a small town.”

Show Me the Deadly Deer

Kirkus Reviews: “Small-town Missouri again proves almost as dangerous to a former CIA agent as European back alleys. Mulford’s second provides plenty of excitement as readers wend their ways through a slew of suspects.”

Show Me the Gold

Library Journal: “This character-driven series will intrigue fans of female PIs such as Sharon McCone, Kinsey Millhone, or Joanna Brady.”

Show Me the Ashes

Kirkus Reviews: “A former CIA agent must find a way to solve a cold case without hurting her best friend’s feelings. Phoenix’s fourth provides both plenty of action and enough likely suspects to keep you guessing.”