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Shakespeare's Landlord: A Lily Bard Mystery (Lily Bard Mysteries #1)
By Charlaine Harris. 1996
Welcome to Shakespeare, Arkansas. Lily Bard came to the small town of Shakespeare to escape her dark and violent past.…
Other than the day-to-day workings of her cleaning and errand-running service, she pays little attention to the town around her. So when she spots a dead body being dumped in the town green, she's inclined to stay well away. But she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and despite her best efforts, she's dragged into the murder case. Lily doesn't care who did it, but when the police and local community start pointing fingers in her direction, she realizes that proving her innocence will depend on finding the real killer in quiet, secretive Shakespeare.Shakespeare's Landlord is the first book in Charlaine Harris's Lily Bard mysterious series.Marriage Is Pure Murder (A Blossom Valley Mystery #6)
By Staci Mclaughlin. 2017
Wedding bells are ringing at the O’Connell Organic Farm and Spa in California’s postcard-perfect Blossom Valley. The entire staff is…
pitching in to send one of their own down the aisle. But no one knew the nuptials could turn up so many secrets—or that marriage and murder could go hand in hand . . .Dana Lewis is marrying Jason Forrester, a talented reporter and the love of her life. She couldn’t dream of a better venue than the farm where she works, and her friends are determined to give her the wedding of her dreams. Even her florist, Bethany Lancaster, is making sure she has just the right flowers. But Dana’s happiness wilts when she finds Bethany shot dead—and discovers her friend was a busybody with a blackmail list longer than a cathedral veil. With so many enemies, finding Bethany’s killer seems all but impossible. And when Dana herself is eyed as a suspect, she’ll have to chase down the culprit faster than she can say, “I do”—or she’ll be trading in her wedding dress for prison stripes . . .Praise for The Blossom Valley Mysteries!“Cleverly plotted…Plenty of suspects and potential motives keep readers guessing until the very end!” —RT Book Reviews on Green Living Can Be Deadly“A fun, light read.” —Library Journal on Going Organic Can Kill YouYews with Caution
By Kate Collins. 2017
Flower shop owner Abby Knight is out to help a friend in need but soon finds herself in the weeds…The…
Spring of Abby’s DiscontentIt’s April in New Chapel, and Abby and her husband, Marco, are off to buy shrubs for their new house. But the owner of the local landscaping company is nowhere to be found. Abby’s best friend, Nikki, meanwhile, believes she unwittingly helped a group of her hospital coworkers conspire to kill the man.After the police get involved, Nikki becomes a suspect. Abby digs deeper for clues to save her friend only to discover bushels of folks bearing a deep-rooted hatred for the two-faced business owner. Marco attempts to help Abby with the case but soon falls critically ill. Now Abby must find the real culprit on her own before everything goes to pot…Demise in Denim
By Duffy Brown. 2015
It's springtime in Savannah, Georgia, in the newest Consignment Shop Mystery from the national bestselling author of Pearls and Poison.…
The azaleas and magnolias are in bloom--and Walker Boone is on the run. . . When Reagan Summerside turned the first floor of her old Victorian home into a consignment shop, she never imagined she'd be harboring a fugitive in her attic. But after a dead man is found in a bathtub and local lawyer Walker Boone is accused of doing the dirty deed, she suddenly has a new houseguest.Having the lawyer who took her to the cleaners in her divorce settlement--and who has been getting under her skin ever since--in close proximity is enough to drive Reagan to distraction. For the sake of her sanity--and Walker's freedom--they need to put their heads together to find out who is trying to get the lawyer out of the picture . . .One Book in the Grave: A Bibliophile Mystery (Bibliophile Mystery #5)
By Kate Carlisle. 2012
There may be grave consequences for bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright as she attempts to solve two murders tied to one book...…
Brooklyn's chance to restore a rare first edition of Beauty and the Beast seems a fairy tale come true--until she realizes the book belonged to an old friend of hers. Ten years ago, Max Adams, a brawny renowned papermaker, fell in love with a stunning beauty, Emily, and gave her the copy of Beauty and the Beast as a symbol of their love. Soon afterward, he died in a car crash, and Brooklyn has always suspected his possessive ex-girlfriend and her jealous beau. Now she decides to find out who sold the book and return it to its rightful owner--Emily. She believes a rare book dealer can assist her, but when she arrives at his shop, she finds him murdered. Is it possible that the same couple who may have killed Max are now after his edition of Beauty and the Beast? With the help of her handsome boyfriend, Derek Stone, Brooklyn must unravel the murder plot--before she ends up in a plot herself....Die, Die Birdie
By J. R. Ripley. 2016
For Amy Simms, hatching a birding shop in her hometown of Ruby Lake, North Carolina, hasn't exactly been a breeze.…
But could a deadlydiscovery clip her wings for good? It's just days before Amy plans to open Birds & Bees on the first floor of her creaky Victorian house, but delayed seed shipments have prevented the fledging owner from stocking her shelves. And it doesn't help that Amy's best friend and business partner is out of town indefinitely. With locals skeptical about the niche shop taking flight, the last thing Amy needs now is a dead man in her storeroom--or for a crotchety tenant to catch her holding a bloody birdfeeder hook over his body . . . Pigeonholed as a leading murder suspect by police and lacking a solid alibi, Amy's delving into the victim's ugly past and buzzing around Ruby Lake for clues on his killer . . . beforeshe ends up like so many of her beloved feathery friends--trapped behind bars!To Helen Back
By Susan Mcbride. 2014
In this fun and sassy new mystery, USA Today bestselling author Susan McBride introduces us to Helen Evans, a modern-day…
Miss Marple who must expose a murderer in a town full of suspects!When Milton Grone turns up dead in tiny River Bend, Illinois, nearly all the would-be suspects have the perfect alibi: attending Thursday night's town meeting. And as Milton was hardly beloved, plenty of folks had a reason to do him in ... Grone's next-door neighbor was furious about a fence that encroached on her property, among other wicked deeds. A pair of zealous tree huggers wanted Grone's hide for selling a parcel of pristine land to a water park. Grone's current and ex-wife both wanted a cut of the profits, which Grone seemed unwilling to share. Even the town preacher knew Grone's soul was beyond saving. Though most of River Bend would rather reward the killer than hang him, Sheriff Biddle's not about to let this one go ... and neither is Helen Evans. With a penchant for puzzles and an ear for innuendo, Helen quickly fingers the culprit before Biddle puts the wrong suspect in jail.Plaid and Plagiarism: Book 1 (Highland Bookshop Mystery Series #0)
By Molly Macrae. 2017
A murder in a garden turns the four new owners of Yon Bonnie Books into amateur detectives, in a captivating…
new cozy mystery novel from Molly MacRae. Set in the weeks before the annual Inversgail Literature Festival in Scotland, Plaid and Plagiarism begins on a morning shortly after the four women take possession of their bookshop in the Highlands. Unfortunately, the move to Inversgail hasn’t gone as smoothly as they’d planned. First, Janet Marsh is told she’ll have to wait before moving into her new home. Then she finds out the house has been vandalized. Again. The chief suspect? Una Graham, an advice columnist for the local paper—who’s trying to make a name for herself as an investigative reporter. When Janet and her business partners go looking for clues at the house, they find a body—it’s Una, in the garden shed, with a sickle in her neck. Janet never did like that garden shed. Who wanted Una dead? After discovering a cache of nasty letters, Janet and her friends are beginning to wonder who didn’t, including Janet’s ex-husband. Surrounded by a cast of characters with whom readers will fall in love, the new owners of Yon Bonnie Books set out to solve Una’s murder so they can get back to business. A delightful and deadly new novel about recognizing one’s strengths and weakness—while also trying to open a new book shop—Plaid and Plagiarism is the start of an entertaining new Scottish mystery series.When the Grits Hit the Fan (A Country Store Mystery #3)
By Maddie Day. 2017
Despite the bitter winter in South Lick, Indiana, business is still hot at Robbie Jordan’s restaurant. But when another murder…
rattles the small town, can Robbie defrost the motives of a cold-blooded killer? Before she started hosting dinners for Indiana University’s Sociology Department at Pans ‘N Pancakes, Robbie never imagined scholarly meetings could be so hostile. It’s all due to Professor Charles Stilton, who seems to thrive on heated exchanges with his peers and underlings, and tensions flare one night after he disrespects Robbie’s friend, graduate student Lou. So when Robbie and Lou go snowshoeing the next morning and find the contentious academic frozen under ice, police suspect Lou might have killed him after their public tiff. To prove her friend’s innocence, Robbie is absorbing local gossip about Professor Stilton’s past and developing her own thesis on the homicide—even if that means stirring up terrible danger for herself along the way . . .Trouble Is Brewing: A Bakeshop Mini-Mystery
By Ellie Alexander. 2017
Introducing Sloan Krause—main character of Death on Tap, the first in a new cozy series from Ellie Alexander! Jules Capshaw,…
owner of the charming bakeshop Torte, meets Sloan Krause, who's in from out of town for the beer festival that has landed in Ashland, Oregon. Sloan is the brewmaster at the famed der Keller brewing company that operates out of Leavenworth, Washington, and she’s come to the festival to show off the newest spring brew. When Sloan drops in to Torte for a pistachio bar and a latte, she meets Jules, who is instantly smitten with the idea of incorporating beer into some baked goods. But when the two go off to sample some of der Keller’s brews, they realize that one of the kegs have gone missing. Is someone trying to steal the secret recipe? It’s up to Sloan and Jules to get to the bottom of this—and soon.Death at the Seaside: A Kate Shackleton Mystery
By Frances Brody. 2016
Frances Brody returns with an intricate, absorbing plot while capturing the atmosphere and language of 1920s England in the eighth…
book of her cozy mystery series.Nothing ever happens in August, and tenacious sleuth Kate Shackleton deserves a break.Heading off for a long-overdue holiday to Whitby, she visits her school friend Alma who works as a fortune teller there. Kate had been looking forward to a relaxing seaside sojourn, but upon arrival discovers that Alma's daughter Felicity has disappeared, leaving her mother a note and the pawn ticket for their only asset: a watch-guard.What makes this more intriguing is the jeweler who advanced Felicity the thirty shillings is Jack Phillips, Alma's current gentleman friend.Kate can't help but become involved, and goes to the jeweller's shop to get some answers. When she makes a horrifying discovery in the back room, it becomes clear that her services are needed. Met by a wall of silence by town officials, keen to maintain Whitby's idyllic façade, it's up to Kate - ably assisted by Jim Sykes and Mrs Sugden - to discover the truth behind Felicity's disappearance.And they say nothing happens in August...Murder on the Blackboard (The Hildegarde Withers Mysteries #3)
By Stuart Palmer. 1960
Schoolteacher sleuth Miss Withers finds a dead body during detention in this mystery starring “one of the world’s shrewdest and…
most amusing detectives” (The New York Times). Anise Halloran is young to be teaching school, and much too pretty, but third-grade teacher Hildegarde Withers is not the sort to condemn a coworker just because she wears high heels. When she overhears nine-year-old Buster Jones spreading rumors about Miss Halloran being sweet on the principal, Miss Withers orders the schoolyard quarterback to write discipline on the chalkboard one hundred times. Anise Halloran stays late after school, too. In fact, she stays forever. Miss Withers finds Anise in the cloakroom, her head bashed in, and her high heels strewn across the floor. She sends Buster to fetch Inspector Piper, the hard-nosed detective whom she occasionally assists with murder inquiries, but by the time he arrives, the body has vanished. There is a killer inside the elementary school, and Buster Jones is not the only person whom Miss Withers will have to teach a lesson about discipline.Nipped in the Bud (The Hildegarde Withers Mysteries #12)
By Stuart Palmer. 2013
A comedian is dead, a witness is missing, and only Miss Withers can set things rightIn comedy, timing is everything.…
If Tony Fagan were a better comic, perhaps he would’ve known when to keep his mouth shut. After weeks of jokes at the expense of businessman Winston H. “Junior” Gault, the sponsor of Fagan’s television show, Fagan is found with his head bashed in, and Gault is charged with the murder. The case seems open and shut, but Gault has the money to buy himself an acquittal. The only witness against him is Ina Kell—a small-town dreamer who came to New York to find fame—and she’s disappeared. It’s up to Hildegarde Withers, a retired schoolteacher with expertise in solving crime, to find the vanished witness. Ina may have come to New York seeking excitement, but she didn’t deserve to get caught in the line of fire. Nipped in the Bud is part of the Hildegarde Withers Mysteries series, which also includes The Penguin Pool Murder and Murder on the Blackboard.The Green Ace (The Hildegarde Withers Mysteries #11)
By Stuart Palmer. 1989
Miss Withers has nine days to save a press agent from death rowOn a steamy day on Staten Island, a…
speeding car tears past a couple of beat cops and smashes into a delivery truck. In the front seat is Andy Rowan, pale and unconscious. In the back is a blonde—beautiful, naked, and dead. She was an aspiring Miss America, minted in the wilds of Brooklyn, and he was the press agent who wanted to make her a star. Now she will never walk a runway again. Police, judge, and jury all consider the case open and shut, and a year later, Andy’s awaiting his turn in the electric chair. But Hildegarde Withers, a retired schoolteacher with a zest for crime, believes the frightened little man innocent of the killing. She has nine days to save his life. It will take a miracle, but Miss Withers has worked miracles before. The Green Ace is part of the Hildegarde Withers Mysteries series, which also includes The Penguin Pool Murder and Murder on the Blackboard.Entertaining Death: The Alexandrians Series Book Two
By Lesley Cookman. 2017
Death of a Bachelorette (A Jaine Austen Mystery #15)
By Laura Levine. 2017
Freelance writer Jaine Austen thought working for a knock-off reality show in the tropics would be paradise. But when she…
and her kitty Prozac find themselves trapped between a dimwitted leading man, catty contestants, and a cold-blooded murderer, the splashy gig becomes one deadly nightmare...Jaine’s life has been a royal pain since she started penning dialogue for Some Day My Prince Will Come—a cheesy dating show that features bachelorettes competing for the heart of Spencer Dalworth VII, a very distant heir to the British throne. As if fending off golf ball-sized bugs on a sweltering island wasn’t tough enough, Jaine must test her patience against an irritable production crew and fierce contestants who will do anything to get their prince...But Jaine never expected murder to enter the script. When one of the finalists dies in a freak accident, it’s clear someone wanted the woman out of the race for good—and the police won’t allow a soul off the island until they seize the culprit. Terrified of existing another day without air conditioning and eager to return home, Jaine is throwing herself into the investigation. And she better pounce on clues quickly—or there won’t be any survivors left...OUTSTANDING PRAISE FOR LAURA LEVINE’S JAINE AUSTEN MYSTERIES MURDER HAS NINE LIVES “Enjoyable . . . This outing will keep cozy readers amused and wondering what absurdity will happen next.” —Publishers Weekly“Jaine’s flair for the well-turned phrase puts her in the top tier of do-it-yourself detectives.” —Kirkus Reviews“Jaine pursues justice and sanity in her usual hilarious yet smart way, with Levine infusing wit into her heroine’s every thought. A thoroughly fun read that will interest Evanovich fans.” —Booklist“Another expertly conceived whodunit.” —Fresh Fiction KILLING CUPID “Jaine is absolutely hysterical . . . this author continues to write the best cozies.” —Suspense MagazineDEATH OF A NEIGHBORHOOD WITCH “Levine’s latest finds her at her witty and wacky best.” —Kirkus Reviews THIS PEN FOR HIRE “Laura Levine’s hilarious debut mystery, This Pen for Hire, is a laugh a page (or two or three) as well as a crafty puzzle. Sleuth Jaine Austen’s amused take on life, love, sex and L.A. will delight readers. Sheer fun!” —Carolyn HartMurder at the Puppy Fest (A Melanie Travis Mystery #20)
By Laurien Berenson. 2017
Frolicking with dogs is Melanie Travis’s idea of heaven. So when she’s invited to be a “puppy wrangler” at a…
benefit for a local dog rescue, the last thing she expects is to be chasing after a tricky killer...As a busy mom and pedigree Poodle owner, Melanie has little time to spare. Still, she doesn’t mind helping out at Puppy Fest, an annual fundraiser to benefit Puppy Posse, a local dog rescue organization. Considering the venue—Belle Haven mansion, owned by wealthy philanthropist Leo Brody—it’s shaping up to be the can’t-miss charity event of the summer. Unfortunately, when Melanie’s breeding background lands her in the doghouse with Jane, Leo’s snappy daughter who runs the rescue, Melanie finds herself simultaneously managing Puppy Fest and the millionaire’s hopelessly fractious family.But once Puppy Fest kicks off, Leo is nowhere to be found—until Melanie discovers his current mistress crouching over his dead body. According to police, the father of nine’s severe nut allergy went into overdrive after he accidentally consumed a contaminated cookie. However, Libby, one of Leo’s children and a friend of Melanie’s Aunt Peg, believes someone deliberately put him down for good. And now, she’s begging a reluctant Melanie to unearth the secrets hidden by the Brody pack. But the closer Melanie gets to fetching answers, the higher the stakes become—and the more she realizes that she’s chasing a criminal who’s been groomed to win...Dead and Ganache (A Chocolate Whisperer Mystery #4)
By Colette London. 2017
On a trip to the culinary paradise of France’s Brittany region, Hayden Mundy Moore is all set to reunite with…
her chocolate-making mentor. The lovable old man is the head of a long-established business that’s about to merge with one of its cacao competitors—united by a marriage between the two rival families. That is, until he’s murdered during a nighttime festival in the picturesque locale . . . Was it a case of literal corporate backstabbing? Is there some connection to the Paris film crew that’s invaded the victim’s chateau to shoot a music video? It could take forever to find out, considering the relaxed pace of the rural police. But with the unexpected arrival of her financial advisor, Travis, Hayden is determined to investigate, with only occasional breaks for salted butter caramels and Breton buckwheat galettes. It’s time to unwrap a killer—and get to the deep, dark center of a bitter crime . . . “Chocoholics and food cozy fans rejoice! With prose as smooth and delicious as its theme, this quality debut cozy introduces a smart protagonist with an unusual and tasty profession.” —Library Journal (starred) on Criminal ConfectionsYuletide Homicide (A Wiccan Wheel Mystery #3)
By Jennifer David Hesse. 2017
It’s Christmas in Edindale, Illinois, and family law attorney Keli Milanni is preparing to celebrate the Wiccan holiday Yuletide, a…
celebration of rebirth. But this Yuletide someone else is focused on dying . . . After years of practicing in secret, Keli has come out as a Wiccan to her boyfriend, and she feels like this Yuletide she’s the one who’s being reborn. But the Solstice is the longest night of the year, and Keli is about to stumble on a mystery so dangerous, she’ll be lucky to make it to morning. Paired with her unbearably stuffy colleague Crenshaw Davenport III, Keli goes undercover at a real estate company owned by mayoral candidate Edgar Harrison. An old friend of Keli’s boss, Harrison, is being blackmailed, and it’s up to her to find the culprit. But the morning after the company holiday party, Harrison is found dead underneath the hotel Christmas tree. The police rule the death an accident, but Keli knows better—and she’ll risk her own rebirth to nab a missing killer. “Enjoyable . . . A wintry, woodsy setting.” —Kirkus Reviews on Bell, Book and CandlemasDial Meow for Murder (Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery #2)
By Bethany Blake. 2017
Even an experienced pet sitter like Daphne Templeton can be fooled by animal behavior: how can an adorably tiny fuzz…
ball named Tinkleston be capable of sudden flying leaps with cat claws bared? But human behavior remains even more mysterious, especially when Tinkleston’s owner is murdered on the night of a gala fundraiser for Fur-ever Friends Pet Rescue.Accompanied by her unflappable basset hound, Socrates, Daphne plans to take charge of Tinks the Terror and leave the crime-solving to handsome detective Jonathan Black. But while luring the prickly Persian out of hiding, she uncovers clues that might take suspicion off her own mother. Maeve Templeton already has a reputation as a killer—in real estate. How far would she go to bag Sylvan Creek’s most coveted property, the Flynt Mansion?To expose the truth, Daphne finds herself donning a deranged clown costume on an autumnal adventure that might just be crazy enough to work—if it doesn’t get her killed. Includes recipes for homemade pet treats! “Doggone charming from start to finish!” —Cleo Coyle, New York Times bestselling author on Death by Chocolate Lab