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BOOK THREE IN THE SHIRES MYSTERIES - A GRIPPING NEW WHODUNNIT SET IN THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE.All is not well in…
the village. The local meadows have been the pride of Bishops Well for hundreds of years, but now they are facing the sharp blades of developers. The landowner is a rich and reclusive author who is happy to see them destroyed, but the villagers - including Sam Dee and Maggie Kaye - are fighting back.Until, that is, someone decides to silence one of their number permanently.As Maggie and Sam soon discover, there is more than a quick buck to be made in the developers' plans. There are age-old secrets and personal vendettas that could have deadly repercussions in Bishops Well today.With Sam's legal expertise and Maggie's... well, Maggie-ness, they delve into the past, determined to unearth the truth. And, as sparks begin to fly, could there finally be something more between this sleuthing duo?A GRIPPING NEW COSY CRIME SERIES, FOR FANS OF BETTY ROWLANDS, FAITH MARTIN AND JOY ELLIS.What readers are saying about Anna Legat:'Brilliant. I didn't want to put it down!''It's a rare author who can keep me guessing until the end - and the ending was a shocker''Plenty of twists and turns''A brilliantly complex spaghetti of unrelated sub-plots to challenge any armchair sleuth''I thoroughly enjoyed this book, reading it cover to cover in a weekend''I shall look out for more from Ms Legat'How can a man drown in a hot air balloon? Can a boxcar disappear off a moving train, and is…
it possible for flying horses on a merry-go-round to fly away? These are just some of the impossible crimes Detective Heinz Noonan, the Bearded Holmes, is called upon to solve. Every story has all the clues necessary to see if you can solve the impossible crime as fast as the detective! (And if you can't, you'll have to read to the end of the story!) Want more! Then there's the mystery of why anyone would steal water from a water truck night after night. And why would someone steal 40 pairs of shoes from a thrift store? How could 16 bars of gold vanish from a vault, and how is a vegetarian anaconda part of a robbery scheme? Here are 15 short stories of impossible crimes to give you the chance to prove you are brighter than the detective!Plot Boiler (Black Cat Bookshop Mystery #5)
By Ali Brandon. 2015
It's almost Fourth of July, and to boost customer traffic in their Brooklyn neighborhood, bookseller Darla Pettistone decides to throw…
a block party. All the local shop owners are thrilled--except the proprietor of Perky's Coffee Shop, who thinks Darla is trying to poach his customers by selling her own caffeinated brew in her new bookshop café. But when Hamlet comes upon the owner's not-so-perky wife, it's clear a killer has crashed the party. And when a second local business owner shuffles off this mortal coil--as Hamlet's namesake would say--Darla and her curious cat must perform some fancy footwork to shine a spotlight on a secret worth killing for...From the Paperback edition.Double Shot Death (A Ground Rules Mystery #2)
By Emmeline Duncan. 2022
Sage Caplin is taking her Portland coffee cart on the road to a sustainable music festival, but murder is an…
unwanted special guest . . . At Campathon, an annual eco-friendly festival held on a farm outside of Portland, fans celebrate the Pacific Northwest&’s music scene in quintessential PDX style—with gourmet food carts, reusable utensils . . . and lots of coffee. How else to get through three days of nonstop entertainment? Sage has scored a coveted place for her Ground Rules coffee cart thanks to her new-ish boyfriend, Bax, who&’s friendly with Maya, one of the musicians performing. The festivities begin with a stream of customers, friends, and acquaintances stopping by for Ground Rules&’ world-class blends, expertly brewed by Sage and her newest barista. But there are tensions between Maya and her former bandmates, who are on the cusp of making it big, and with Ian, the band&’s manager. When Sage stumbles upon Ian&’s dead body in the nearby woods—his hand still clutching one of her coffee mugs—it&’s clear that someone&’s grudge boiled over into murder. Can Sage work out who&’s responsible before another innocent life fades out, and the curtain falls on Campathon, and maybe her own future, for good?Praise for Fresh Brewed Murder&“Lively characters help propel the intricate plot. Cozy fans will hope to see a lot more of Sage and friends.&” —Publishers Weekly'Til Death (A Witch City Mystery #12)
By Carol J. Perry. 2022
The staff at Salem, Massachusetts&’s local station, WICH-TV, is looking forward to the wedding of their program director, Lee Barrett.…
But when Lee heads off on her Maine honeymoon, she&’ll be haunted by the ghosts of her own past . . . Lee and Detective Sergeant Pete Mondello are finally tying the knot—and Lee is tying up loose ends before the big day. It&’ll be an adjustment moving out of Aunt Ibby&’s house, but the couple will stay nearby—after all, they have to share custody of O&’Ryan, their clairvoyant cat. And Aunt Ibby will be renting out Lee&’s old apartment . . . though she&’s getting some bad vibes from her current prospective tenant. After the celebration, complete with a cake made by the station magician, there should be time to relax—but the Maine island happens to be near the site of the crash that long ago killed Lee&’s parents, a mystery she&’s never been able to solve. Soon she&’ll be putting wedding gifts aside and turning to her psychic gifts instead, to wrap up crimes both past and present . . . Praise for the Witch City Mysteries&“Yet another hit in the Witch City Mystery series!&” —Fresh Fiction on Murder, Take Two&“Carol J. Perry juggles these details with finesse and moves the plot toward a creepy conclusion that adds a few shivers to this cozy.&” —BookPage on Late Checkout&“This delightful read set against the Halloween festivities in Salem is perfect cozy read for a blustery autumn evening.&” —The Intelligencer on Late CheckoutA Margin for Murder: A Charming Bookish Cozy Mystery (A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery #8)
By Lauren Elliott. 2022
In the riveting new mystery from the USA Today bestselling author, a murder and a missing first edition of Robert…
Louis Stevenson&’s A Child&’s Garden of Verses send rare bookstore owner Addie Greyborne on an investigation to challenge even the most distinguished of bibliophiles… Addie leaves her Greyborne Harbor bookstore, Beyond the Page Books and Curios, in the capable hands of her assistant while she travels to the neighboring town of Pen Hollow to attend a book sale at a library that is closing due to lack of funding. But the real find is a bookmobile bus, which she&’s excited to refit as a traveling bookstore to hit all the summer festivals. The bookmobile also holds a surprising treasure: several classic first editions and an early edition of Robert Louis Stevenson&’s A Child&’s Garden of Verses. But before the bookmobile can be delivered to Addie, a fatal car crash occurs. When an autopsy reveals poison in the victim&’s system and the first editions go missing, it&’s up to Addie to determine what would drive someone to murder. If she&’s not careful, however, she may be the next one to be dead on arrival . . . &“Plenty of specialized knowledge, local color, and romance.&”— KirkusThree Tainted Teas (Kitchen Witch Mysteries #3)
By Lynn Cahoon. 2022
Aspiring witch and culinary entrepreneur, Mia Malone, must dispel a deadly plot to wreck her clients&’ wedding in this charming…
continuation of New York Times bestselling author Lynn Cahoon&’s Kitchen Witch Mystery series. Business is bubbling at Mia&’scatering service and cooking school, Mia&’s Morsels, but toil and trouble are not far behind. Mia just accepted her toughest gig yet: last-minute wedding planner for Magic Springs&’ own Romeo and Juliet. Though the small town is fairly accepting of magic, two families have been locked in a vicious feud spanning generations. Unfortunately for both families, they&’re about to become in-laws! Amethyst and Tok are excited to wed in a few weeks and somehow Mia must ensure the event is flawless. But when she goes to pick up paperwork from the couple&’s previous wedding planner, Mia discovers the woman murdered in an apparent attempt to stop the contentious union. Now, not only is Mia a prime suspect, as the new planner she may also be the killer&’s next target. Backed by her squad, her charms—literal and figurative—and a protective amulet from her Grans, it&’s up to Mia to save the star-crossed couple&’s wedding, her professional reputation…and maybe even her life! Includes Recipes! Praise for Lynn Cahoon&“One Poison Pie deliciously blends charm and magic with a dash of mystery and a sprinkle of romance.&” —Agatha Award–winner Daryl Wood GerberFleece the Cat (The 9 Lives Cozy Mystery Series #7)
By Louise Clark. 2022
The Late Frank Jamieson Had a Secret Life…Cat says, “NO,” in Fleece the Cat, a 9 Lives Cozy Mystery from…
Louise Clark--Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada—Pam Muir claims the late Frank Jamieson is the father of her child and wants money from the family trust. But Frank, the cat, denies the allegations. Christy believes the woman is on the hustle, planning to fleece the Jamiesons with a tall tale and phony documents.Then, on the day Pam is supposed to supply her proof, she is killed, murdered on her way to the meeting. To protect the family trust and Frank’s reputation, Christy investigates, and it isn’t long before she discovers Pam’s sordid past and a long history of duping men.With secrets abounding, one of those men is angry enough to kill. Now, Christy must protect the family Trust, Franks’s reputation, and her own life.Publisher Note: The 9 Lives Cozy Mysteries, while containing some very mild profanity, will be enjoyed by readers of clean and wholesome cozy mysteries. Cat lovers and those fond of all things feline, as well as readers of Amanda Lee, Denise Grover Swank, Rita Mae Brown’s Sneaky Pie Brown Mysteries, and Shirley Rousseau Murphy’s Joe Grey Mysteries, will not want to miss this series.The 9 Lives Cozy MysteriesThe Cat Came BackThe Cat’s PawCat Got Your TongueLet Sleeping Cats LieCat Among the FishesCat in the LimelightFleece the Cat About The Author: Louise Clark has been the adopted mom of several cats with big personalities. The feline who inspired Stormy, the cat in the 9 Lives books, dominated her household for twenty loving years. During that time, he created a family pecking order that left Louise on top and her youngest child on the bottom (just below the guinea pig), regularly tried to eat all his sister’s food (he was a very large cat), and learned the joys of travel through a cross-continent road trip.The 9 Lives Cozy Mystery Series—as well as the single title mystery, A Recipe For Trouble, are all set in her hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia.The Bangalore Detectives Club (The Bangalore Detectives Club Series)
By Harini Nagendra. 2022
'A gorgeous debut mystery with a charming and fearless sleuth . . . spellbinding' SUJATA MASSEY'Told with real warmth and…
wit. . . A perfect read for fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Vaseem Khan' - ABIR MUKHERJEE'A cosy mystery that warmly illuminates a time and place not often examined in fiction' VASEEM KHAN'A beautifully painted picture of a woman's life in 1920s India' M W CRAVEN'A delight' CATRIONA MCPHERSON'The classic whodunnit with the added appeal of a female sleuth in Colonial India. . . fascinating' RHYS BOWENMurder and mayhem . . . monsoon season is coming._____________________________Solving crimes isn't easy.Add a jealous mother-in-law and having to wear a flowing sari into the mix, and you've got a problem.When clever, headstrong Kaveri moves to Bangalore to marry doctor Ramu, she's resigned herself to a quiet life.But that all changes the night of the party at the Century Club, where she escapes to the garden for some peace - and instead spots an uninvited guest in the shadows. Half an hour later, the party turns into a murder scene. When a vulnerable woman is connected to the crime, Kaveri becomes determined to save her and launches a private investigation to find the killer, tracing his steps from an illustrious brothel to an Englishman's mansion. She soon finds that sleuthing in a sari isn't as hard as it seems when you have a talent for maths, a head for logic and a doctor for a husband.And she's going to need them all as the case leads her deeper into a hotbed of danger, sedition and intrigue in Bangalore's darkest alleyways . . .BOOK ONE IN THE BANGALORE DETECTIVES CLUB SERIES*INCLUDES A BONUS CHAPTER OF DELICIOUS INDIAN RECIPES* ___________If you love murder mystery series like Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Vaseem Khan's Baby Ganesh Agency and Ovidia Yu's Crown Colony series, you won't want to miss THE BANGALORE DETECTIVES CLUB, Book One in a brand new series from Harini Nagendra'Told with real warmth and wit. . . Harini Nagendra has created an intricate and fiendish mystery with a wonderful duo of amateur sleuths Kaveri and Ramu at its heart, and capturing the atmosphere and intensity of Bangalore in the roaring twenties. I can't wait for the next instalment. A perfect read for fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Vaseem Khan' - ABIR MUKHERJEE'Riveting. [Nagendra's] use of colonial history is thoroughly fascinating, with devastating depictions of the airy condescension of the British. A fine start to a promising series' BOOKLIST Starred Review'Harini Nagendra takes us to a wonderfully unfamiliar world in this delightful debut mystery. . .I couldn't put it down' VICTORIA THOMPSON, USA Today bestselling author of Murder on Madison Square'Absolutely charming . . . this one is a winner!' CONNIE BERRY, USA Today best-selling and Agatha-nominated author of The Kate Hamilton Mysteries.'This lush mystery will transport you to heady 1920s Bangalore, where new bride Kaveri stumbles into sleuthing-while dragging her doctor-husband into the fray. Mouth-watering fashion and food set against simmering colonial intrigue in this delicious whodunit can be devoured in one sitting.' SUMI HAHN author of The Mermaid from Jeju'I loved The Bangalore Detectives Club . . . Kaveri especially is charming' Ovidia Yu, author of The Cannonball Tree MysteryThe Marlow Murder Club: A Novel (The Marlow Murder Club #1)
By Robert Thorogood. 2022
"An absolute joy to read. Funny, entertaining, and beautifully written." —B. A. Paris, New York Times bestselling authorA delightfully clever…
new mystery from creator of BBC One's hilarious murder mystery series Death in ParadiseMeet Judith: a seventy-seven-year-old whiskey drinking, crossword puzzle author living her best life in a dilapidated mansion on the outskirts of Marlow.Nothing ever happens in Marlow. That is, until Judith hears her neighbor shot while skinny-dipping in the Thames. The local police don't believe her story. It's an open and shut case, of course. Ha! Stefan can't be left for dead like that.Judith investigates and picks up a crew of sidekicks: Suzie the dogwalker and Becks the vicar's wife. Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.When another body turns up, they realize they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. And the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape...Robert Thorogood, has turned the Christie-mystery on its head with this ever-so-sly cozy perfect for readers who love Richard Osmond's Thursday Murder Club and An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good."Lightweight but no-nonsense and genuinely brainy"—Kirkus Reviews"Damn right funny and heartwarming...great fun"—Crime Time"I love Robert Thorogood's writing."—Peter James, international bestselling authorMurder Lo Mein (A Noodle Shop Mystery #3)
By Vivien Chien. 2019
The third in a tasty series, Murder Lo Mein by Vivien Chien is a delight!Everyone agrees that the food at…
Ho-Lee Noodle House is delicious—unless it happens to be deadly. Lana Lee’s stake in her family’s Chinese restaurant is higher than ever now that she’s been made manager. So when she enters Ho-Lee into Cleveland’s Best Noodle Contest, Lana makes it her business to win—at all costs. But when a local food critic receives a threatening note in a fortune cookie and is later found dead, face-down in a bowl of lo mein, all bets are off. . .Now, along with her sweet-and-sour boyfriend Detective Adam Trudeau, Lana decides to take matters into her own hands and dig into the lives of everyone involved in the contest. But when she receives an ill-fated fortune, Lana realizes that in order to save the reputation of her restaurant, she needs to save herself first. . .“Thoroughly entertaining...fun and delicious.”—RT Book ReviewsThrill of the Hunt: A Novel ("Sister" Jane #14)
By Rita Mae Brown. 2022
A blackmailer targeting wealthy members of &“Sister&” Jane Arnold&’s club has turned the hunters into the hunted in this thrilling mystery from New York…
Times bestselling author Rita Mae Brown. &“Cunning foxes, sensible hounds, and sweet-tempered horses are among the sparkling conversationalists in this charming series.&”—The New York Times Book Review It&’s the start of fox-hunting season and Sister is training a new generation of hounds in eager anticipation of Opening Hunt. But before they make it to that exciting day, several members of the hunt club receive ominous videos in which they appear to be doing scandalous, career-ending deeds. The videos are doctored, but does it matter? The unknown blackmailer promises to publish the clips if they don&’t get paid, and even the most upstanding citizen can be brought down by the court of public opinion. While Sister and her friends try to unmask the dastardly mind behind the videos, mysteries abound in their beautiful Blue Ridge Mountain town home. Two men die, apparently by suicide, shocking a community that never saw their deaths coming. And rumors abound that Old Paradise, the estate being lovingly restored by Crawford Howard, houses a secret stash of gold from its original owner. Does someone want the treasure badly enough to kill for? Sister and her fellow Jefferson Hunt Club members, including friends both two- and four-legged, are on the case—and with any luck, they&’ll catch the criminals before the first horn sounds on opening day.No Big Rip (A Ripple Effect Cozy Mystery #7)
By Jeanne Glidewell. 2022
Road-Trip Assault Entangles Seniors in No Big Rip, A Cozy Mystery Adventure from Jeanne Glidewell-- Rockdale, Missouri --When ex-lawman and…
senior citizen, Rip Ripple, is assaulted by a strung-out young man at a rest area outside Rockdale, Missouri, he assures his wife, Rapella, it’s “no big rip.” Aboard their travel-trailer, the “Chartreuse Caboose,” the couple is destined to see their friends Lexie Starr and Stone Van Patten at their bed and breakfast, The Alexandria Inn.Pressed by Rapella to report the crime, Rip meets with Det. Wyatt Johnson, who dutifully documents the details with a promise to investigate.When the attacker turns out to be the son of Lexie’s recently deceased neighbor, Lillian Sparrow, the two amateur sleuths are compelled to investigate the truth behind her death. Before long, Rapella and Lexie find themselves in a life-or-death situation.Retirement can be dangerous!From The Publisher: The Ripple Effect series will be enjoyed by fans of Joanne Fluke, Madison Johns, Ceecee James, and readers of cozy mysteries who enjoy light-hearted, clean & wholesome, mysteries featuring female amateur sleuths and senior citizens.“Glidewell succeeds in maintaining a rapidly paced storyline that dramatically builds suspense, while her tongue-in-cheek sense of humor provides plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.” ~Booklist on Leave No Stone Unturned“Jeanne Glidewell’s mysteries are fast-paced, complex, and has just the right hint of romance.” ~Jill Churchill, author of the Jane Jeffry and Grace and Favor Mysteries“I hope this series continues. Being Rip and Rapellas’ age I am happy to see them featured in adventures. I can recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries, cozy or not.” ~Anna, ReviewerTHE RIPPLE EFFECT MYSTERIES, in series orderA Rip Roaring Good TimeRip TideRipped to ShredsRip Your Heart OutRipped ApartRipped OffNo Big RipThe Grim RipperTHE LEXIE STARR MYSTERIES, in series orderLeave No Stone UnturnedThe Extinguished GuestHauntedWith This RingJust DuckyThe Spirit of the Season - a holiday novellaCozy CampingMarriage & MayhemFatal Flowers: A Flower House Mystery (Flower House series #3)
By Jess Dylan. 2022
Fatal Flowers is the third in a colorful cozy mystery series from Jess Dylan, set in the Flower House—where you’re…
as likely to find a killer as a chrysanthemum. As Aerieville, Tennessee’s Flower House finally gains in popularity, Sierra Ravenswood finds herself feeling ready for new challenges. Luckily, the shop has grabbed the attention of the mayor’s daughter, and bride-to-be, Marissa Lakely. Sierra is thrilled, and nervous, to land her most important job yet: providing flowers for the biggest wedding Aerieville has ever seen.Fortunately, Marissa bucks all stereotypes and is far from a bridezilla—but her wedding planner, Taz Banyan, has apparently taken on the role for himself. He’s uptight, intense, and a little intimidating. But Taz aside, everything seems to be under control...until Sierra makes a startling discovery in the great room: the wedding planner, lying in a heap at the bottom of the stairs, in very bad shape. In fact, he survives only long enough to mutter: "It was the snake." As Granny Mae would say, seeing a snake is rarely a good sign, and this was clearly no exception.With the town on edge and the wedding up in the air, Sierra refuses to stop asking questions in her determination to put an end to this latest danger—so both Aerieville and the Flower House can flourish once more.'Animal lovers will delight' Ann Granger on The Cat and the Corpse in the Old Barn'A real treat . .…
. I loved it. Cats, dogs, murder and a credible and relatable heroine' Barbara Nadel onThe Cat and the Corpse in the Old Barn Driving home from a ceramics evening class, Clarice Beech reflects on the absence of one of her students, Colin Compton-Smythe. Later, Emily, Colin's daughter, telephones to say her father has died during routine surgery. Distraught, Emily opens up to Clarice about his wretched childhood and the day five-year-old Colin returned home to discover Avril, his mother, gone. Colin never believed she would have left without him and had been trying to find out more about Avril's disappearance all those years ago.Clarice readily agrees to accompany Emily to Colin's funeral. On arriving at the stunning Victorian Gothic manor house, with Bellatrix, the majestic stone Siamese cat reposing at its entrance, Clarice soon becomes drawn into the fractious world of the Compton-Smythe family: Colin's argumentative father Ralph and his equally combative partner Tessa, their daughter, Dawn, being stalked by an ex-lover and, most unsettling of all, Ernestine, Ralph's emotionally unpredictable sister. And then there's Johnson, Ralph's menacing manservant.Clarice discovers the nearer she gets to the truth, the greater she is in danger as somebody is intent that the mystery of the missing wife should never be resolved.'Animal lovers will delight' Ann Granger on The Cat and the Corpse in the Old Barn'A real treat . .…
. I loved it. Cats, dogs, murder and a credible and relatable heroine' Barbara Nadel onThe Cat and the Corpse in the Old Barn Driving home from a ceramics evening class, Clarice Beech reflects on the absence of one of her students, Colin Compton-Smythe. Later, Emily, Colin's daughter, telephones to say her father has died during routine surgery. Distraught, Emily opens up to Clarice about his wretched childhood and the day five-year-old Colin returned home to discover Avril, his mother, gone. Colin never believed she would have left without him and had been trying to find out more about Avril's disappearance all those years ago.Clarice readily agrees to accompany Emily to Colin's funeral. On arriving at the stunning Victorian Gothic manor house, with Bellatrix, the majestic stone Siamese cat reposing at its entrance, Clarice soon becomes drawn into the fractious world of the Compton-Smythe family: Colin's argumentative father Ralph and his equally combative partner Tessa, their daughter, Dawn, being stalked by an ex-lover and, most unsettling of all, Ernestine, Ralph's emotionally unpredictable sister. And then there's Johnson, Ralph's menacing manservant.Clarice discovers the nearer she gets to the truth, the greater she is in danger as somebody is intent that the mystery of the missing wife should never be resolved.The Cat Who Could Read Backwards (Cat Who #1)
By Lilian Jackson Braun. 1995
The world of modern art is a mystery to many. But for Jim Qwilleran, it turns into a mystery of…
another sort when his assignment to the art beat for The Daily Fluxion leads down the path to murder. A stabbing in an art gallery, vandalized paintings, a fatal fall from a scaffolding--this is not at all what Qwilleran expects when he turns his reportorial talents to art. But Qwilleran and his newly found partner, Koko the brilliant Siamese, are back in their element--sniffing out clues and confounding criminals intent on mayhem and murder.A Fatal Booking: A Booklover's B&B Mystery (BOOKLOVER'S B&B MYSTERY, A #3)
By Victoria Gilbert. 2022
Victoria Gilbert&’s third Booklover&’s B&B Mystery, a treat for fans of Mary Daheim and Kate Carlisle, finds owner Charlotte Reed…
and her former spy neighbor, Ellen Montgomery, pitted against a tea-party poisoner.Booklover Charlotte is delighted to welcome an eclectic group of guests to Chapters Bed and Breakfast for a book club retreat focused on fairy tales and classic children&’s literature. But when one of the guests is poisoned at a Mad Hatter tea party, Charlotte realizes she&’s fallen down a rather unpleasant rabbit hole The victim – an opinionated busybody whose jewelry store sold original designs, along with some possibly &“hot&” merchandise – had plenty of enemies, spurring Charlotte and Ellen to offer their well-honed investigative skills to assist the local police. But as they delve deeper into each of the guest&’s stories, they realize all of them had a motive, and the means, to close the book on the unfortunate victim. Enlisting the aid of a few local residents, as well as their new ally, agent Gavin Howard, Charlotte and Ellen vow to reveal the truth, even if the path to any sort of happy ending is strewn with deadly danger.Death By Beach Read (A Lighthouse Library Mystery #9)
By Eva Gates. 2022
Librarian Lucy&’s new historic house comes with a lot of baggage and family secrets. Can she put them to rest…
or will a killer bring Lucy&’s family to their downfall, in the 9th Lighthouse Library mystery. It&’s spring in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and Lucy and Connor have moved into their new home at last, a historic cottage on the Nags Head Beach. The house needs a lot of renovations, but they worked hard over the winter to get it ready. Lucy is now happily immersed in her work at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, planning her wedding, and decorating the house. That is, until a dead body disrupts their peaceful new abode. The first night Lucy&’s alone in the house, with the company of Charles the library cat, she hears sounds. Investigating they see footsteps in the dust of the unfinished living room, and the door to the outside is open. Lucy's reminded that the house is said to be haunted: forty years ago the teenage daughter of the owners fled in the night, and never again stepped foot inside her family home. But the sounds have an all-too-human origin and one evening Lucy and Connor find the dead body of a man they don&’t even recognize in their kitchen. They soon realize he has a long-time connection to their house. Lucy's forced to find out what happened all those years ago and why it&’s threatening her happiness today. Meanwhile, the Classic Novel Reading Club is reading The House of the Seven Gables by Nathanial Hawthorne, a book about another old house full of secrets. Can Lucy find parallels to her own situation in Hawthorne&’s fiction before the killer strikes again?Clause of Death (A Booktown Mystery #16)
By Lorna Barrett. 2022
Bookstore owner Tricia Miles tries to open a new chapter in life, but murder mars the pages in the latest…
entry to Lorna Barrett's New York Times bestselling Booktown series. Tricia Miles and her sister, Angelica, are the co-presidents of the Stoneham Chamber of Commerce. Things are changing in the booktown, and some merchants would say not for the better. They grumble that too many non-book-related stores are moving into the village, taking up the most visible storefronts on Main Street, diluting the &“Booktown&” moniker. Of course, the members with other businesses, like the latest, The Bee&’s Knees, are fine with other businesses moving in. No matter what side of the argument they're on, all the business owners agree on one thing: Tricia and Angelica are to blame. Still, it's a pretty typical day in the life of a small-town Chamber of Commerce until one of the disgruntled bookstore owners is killed—Eli Meier from The Inner Light Bookstore, the most vocal of the Chamber complainers. He sold religious and other spiritual books, but also stocked books on wild conspiracy theories and sold incense, crystals, etc. Eli had never been a member of the Chamber until Angelica recently convinced him to join. He hit on her and she, having good taste, turned him down. He hounded (but not stalked) her, and some might think that was a motive for murder. Stoneham's new police chief is an old friend of Tricia's, but that doesn't mean he's going to go easy on her sister. One might even say that he's going to throw the book at her.