Category: Cozy Mystery

A Murderous Tangle by Sally Goldenbaum

Posted November 30, 2019 by Marsha in Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Series / 0 Comments

Birdie, Nell, Cass, and Izzy are prepping their coziest handiwork for a holiday gathering in Sea Harbor, Massachusetts. But as murder makes waves in their tightly knit coastal village, can the Seaside Knitters prevent a deadly trend from catching on?

While the Seaside Knitters get ready to showcase their new Danish-inspired event, locals can’t stop talking about Tess Bean–a bright-eyed environmental activist with a way of charming both animals and humans alike. Birdie’s granddaughter is mesmerized by ethereal Tess’s passion for saving the earth and ocean, and even Izzy’s old Irish setter becomes attached to the young woman’s gentle touch.

Except not everyone is a fan of Tess and her strong opinions, especially after she starts questioning the “clean” practices of small-business owners. So when a popular bar owner whom Tess publicly calls out for bad practices is found dead from a fall off his club’s deck, it’s not long before she tops the suspect list for murder.

In addition to a murderer walking their streets, the knitters are also grappling with an unusual wave of thefts up and down Harbor Road. Now, as Birdie’s granddaughter struggles to protect her mentor’s reputation, the Seaside Knitters must solve a dangerous mystery that not only threatens to unravel the fabric of their community and the approaching holiday, but also the lives of those they care about the most.

Titles in the Seaside Knitters Society Mystery series include – Patterns in the Sand – How to Knit A Murder – A Murderous Tangle –

Cobblered to Death by Rosemarie Ross

Posted November 27, 2019 by Marsha in Cozy Mystery, Series / 0 Comments

Courtney Archer is known for hosting the show Cooking with the Farmer’s Daughter . . . despite the fact that she’s actually a pediatrician’s daughter. Now she’s signed on for a role on The American Baking Battle. On this reality show, she can start developing a more authentic image for herself—and as a bonus, the usual backstabbing and manufactured drama isn’t part of the Baking Battle script. But genuine drama is heating up behind the scenes . . .

During a film shoot in the scenic Pocono Mountains, Courtney has to juggle career commitments like pots on a six-burner stove. Adding to the stress is Mick, a contestant who finds out about her fake farm-girl story. Determined to succeed at her new gig, she whips up a cherry cobbler in a cast-iron fry pan one evening and leaves it out to cool. But the next morning, it’s Mick’s body that’s cooling—right next to Courtney’s pan, now classified as a murder weapon.

Titles in the Courtney Archer Mystery series include – Cobblered to Death –

Potions Are for Pushovers by Tamara Berry

Posted November 26, 2019 by Marsha in Cozy Mystery, Paranormal Cozy Mystery, Series / 0 Comments

It may have been a ghost that led Eleanor Wilde to set up shop in a quaint English village. But now that she’s established herself as the town witch, Ellie’s contentedly casting spells on anyone desperate enough—or gullible enough—to request her mysterious potions…

Selling mystical elixirs and tantalizing tonics is a pretty good way for a fake medium to earn a living. Or at least it’s Ellie’s main source of income—until a villager turns up dead. The cause? Murder by poisoning. And though Ellie’s concoctions don’t include anything worthy of a skull and crossbones, suddenly she’s the prime suspect. Her only recourse is to find the culprit who did do away with Sarah Blackthorne. No one liked the mean old battle-ax. But did anyone hate her enough to kill her?

It’s enough of a mystery to make Ellie hang up her witch’s hat and take millionaire beau Nicholas Hartford up on his offer to keep her afloat. Except Ellie is not the kind of woman to lean on a man—least of all a man she adores but whose place in her life is uncertain. Besides, Ellie’s taken on two young witches-in-training—apprentices if you will—and both of them are convinced a werewolf is the murderer.

Just as Ellie’s wondering if there really is something otherworldly going on, animals suddenly begin to disappear—including her beloved cat, Beast. Now Ellie’s on the warpath to uncover the wicked truth about the people and the place she’s only just begun to call home…

Titles in the Eleanor Wilde Mystery series include – Séances Are for Suckers – Potions Are For Pushovers –

Christmas Cow Bells by Mollie Cox Bryan

Posted October 18, 2019 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Series / 0 Comments

Christmas is a time for new beginnings, so after her big breakup, Brynn MacAlister takes the gouda with the bad. With her three Red Devon cows, she settles in bucolic Shenandoah Springs, eager for a new life as an organic micro-dairy farmer and cheese-maker. Then her dear cow Petunia’s bellows set the whole town on edge. But it isn’t until Brynn’s neighbor, Nancy, dies in a mysterious fire that her feelings about small-town life begin to curdle . . .

It seems some folks were not happy with Nancy’s plan to renovate the Old Glebe Church. But is a fear of change a motivation for murder? As a newcomer, Brynn can’t ignore the strange events happening just on the other side of her frosty pasture—and soon on her very own farm. Suddenly Christmas doesn’t feel so festive as everyone demands she muzzle sweet Petunia, and Brynn is wondering if someone wants to silence her—for good.

Titles in the Buttermilk Creek Mystery series include – Christmas Cow Bells –

Spirits, Pies & Alibis by Nicole St. Claire

Posted October 17, 2019 by Marsha in Cozy Mystery, Paranormal Cozy Mystery, Series / 0 Comments

She’s a kitchen witch who can’t cook and there’s a dead guy haunting her dreams. When Tamsyn’s life starts to feel like one big hex, will moving to her aunt’s B&B on a remote Maine island work like a charm, or be her worst choice ever?

Tamsyn Bassett is having a bad week. Like, losing your job and getting dumped by your boyfriend kind of bad. So when her great aunt invites her to spend the summer at her inn, Tamsyn jumps at the chance. Instead of the peaceful getaway she expected, she’s immediately confronted with the preposterous revelation that she’s descended from a long line of kitchen witches and is the last hope of her generation to keep magic alive in Pinecroft Cove. That she’s the world’s worst cook could be an issue.

As if navigating a strange new world of spells, magic, and exploding blueberry pies isn’t enough to handle, that awkward boy who had a crush on her when they were kids seems to turn up everywhere she looks. Only now that he’s a super dreamy doctor, it’s Tamsyn’s turn to be the awkward one. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear someone put a hex on her.

One more thing. Tamsyn’s pretty sure she’s being haunted, and not by just any ghost but by Doctor Dreamy’s dead uncle. If she can’t harness her powers in time to figure out the truth behind his mysterious death, she may never have a moment of peace again.

When death strikes the island’s controversial real estate mogul, will Tamsyn’s newly discovered powers be any match for murder?

Titles in The Witches of Pinecroft Cove series include – Spirits, Pies & Alibis – Covens, Cake & Big Mistakes – Magic, Lead, and Gingerbread –

Deadly Spells and A Southern Belle by Amy Boyles

Posted October 12, 2019 by Marsha in Cozy Mystery, Paranormal Cozy Mystery, Series / 0 Comments

Escape to Witch’s Forge, a magical town tucked deep in the heart of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains. Only Witch’s Forge isn’t a supernatural paradise—here spells backfire, kudzu bites and magic is broken.

That is until Charming Calhoun arrives.

Charming has everything a Southern Belle could ask for—a thriving matchmaking business and great employees. But when one of her employees goes missing in Witch’s Forge, she quickly realizes there’s something sinister afoot.

Once she arrives, Charming discovers a world of strange. Her house has a mind of its own—adding rooms and coughing up objects. There’s also a broomstick that likes to spank and a pot-bellied pig with an appetite for chocolate.

Then she butts heads with the local vampire chief of police. What? A handsome vampire cop in a town full of witches? Vampires and witches are mortal enemies. But Charming better stay on the vampire’s good side because when someone winds up dead, everyone’s a suspect.

She’s got her work cut out for her. Can Charming solve the mystery and return to her old life? Or will she discover that in the Smoky Mountains her life truly begins? And if so, can Charming survive long enough to enjoy it, or will she become the murderer’s next victim?

Titles in the Southern Belles and Spells Matchmaker Mystery series include – Deadly Spells and A Southern Belle – Cursed Brides and Alibies – Magical Dames and Dating Games –

Here Comes Santa Paws by Laurien Berenson

Posted October 9, 2019 by Marsha in Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Series / 0 Comments

It’s the most wonderful time of the year in Connecticut, but Melanie Travis finds surviving this December may take a real Christmas miracle when a yuletide murderer comes to town

As Melanie attempts to deck the halls in a house overrun by pampered Poodles, her event planner friend, Claire, is busy playing Santa—beard, and belly not included—for the wealthiest clientele on Connecticut’s Gold Coast. A personal shopper gig in the affluent town of New Canaan seems like business as usual. Except Claire’s stylish stint comes at a higher price than she bargains for when she stumbles over her newest customer’s dead body on the job. Named a prime suspect for murder, she begs for Melanie’s help, then vanishes like cookies and milk on Christmas Eve . . .

Determined to track down Claire, Melanie, and her nosy Aunt Peg dash into a dizzying investigation that leads to even more questions. Why was homicide victim Lila Moran, a secretive woman with an untraceable past, permitted to live on a well-known socialite-turned-recluse’s private estate, and is Claire keeping her own incriminating secrets under wraps? Now, with a grinchy New Canaan detective on their case and disturbing clues piling up like presents beneath the tree, the crime-solving duo must rein in a sinister Kris Kringle before they’re the next ones on someone’s deadly wish list.

Titles in the Melanie Travis Canine Mystery series include – Underdog – Dog Eat Dog – Hair of the Dog – Watchdog – Hush Puppy – Unleashed – Once Bitten – Hot Dog – Best in Show – Jingle Bell Bark – Raining Cats & Dogs – Chow Down – Hounded to Death – Doggie Day Care Murder – Gone with the Woof – Death of a Dog Whisperer – The Bark Before Christmas – Live and Let Growl – Murder at the Puppy Fest – Wagging Through the Snow – Ruff Justice – Bite Club – Here Comes Santa Paws –

Slay Bells Ring by Nancy Robards Thompson

Posted October 9, 2019 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Series, Tule Publishing / 0 Comments

It’s one thing to write a mystery, but when your daughter is the suspect — you solve it.

Wedding planner Jenna Bell doesn’t panic when the groom is a no-show to the ceremony – even though he is her former high school sweetheart and this wedding is the small town’s event of the year. However, when he turns up dead and she is falsely accused… well, yeah, now it’s the time to panic.

Jenna’s mother, Maddie, puts her cozy mystery-writing skills to use to try to clear her daughter’s name, stepping on by-the-book Chief of Police Jackson Bradley’s toes in the process. No matter how enticing he finds her, he doesn’t want this writer-turned-amateur-sleuth interfering with his murder investigation.

With nearly all of Hemlock, North Carolina, picking sides and the town’s own Gossip Brigade churning out the rumors, Maddie discovers the mystery isn’t very cozy when it hits this close to home.

Titles in The Wedding Bell Mysteries series include – Slay Bells Ring –

Fudge Bites by Nancy Coco

Posted October 8, 2019 by Marsha in Cozy Mystery, Series / 0 Comments

Halloween on Mackinac Island is a season of fun tricks, but finding a corpse is no treat for fudge shop owner Allie McMurphy . . .

NIGHT OF THE REALLY DEAD

It’s late October, the off-season for tourists, but locals are up and lurching for the annual zombie walk charity event. Though everyone’s living it up, trouble is just a few pawprints away.

Allie’s followed the bloody tracks of her calico cat, Carmella, to a body in the alley behind the Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop. Unlike the island’s other walking dead, this one’s flatlined for good. It seems that someone is using the zombie fest as the perfect backdrop for murder.

Now amateur sleuth Allie and dreamboat officer Rex Manning must use every trick in their treat bag to unmask a killer in disguise.

Titles in the Candy-Coated Mysteries series include – All Fudged Up – To Fudge or Not To Fudge – Oh Say Can You Fudge – All I Want for Christmas is Fudge (3.5) – All You Need is Fudge – Oh, Fudge! – Deck the Halls with Fudge (5.5) – Forever Fudge – Fudge Bites –

Black Cat Crossing by Kay Finch

Posted September 29, 2019 by Marsha in Cozy Mystery, Series / 0 Comments

Sabrina has never been the superstitious type. Still, when she moves to Lavender, Texas, to write her first novel and help her Aunt Rowe manage her vacation rental business, Sabrina can’t avoid listening to the rumors that a local black cat is a jinx—especially after the stray in question leads her directly to the scene of a murder.

The deceased turns out to be none other than her Aunt Rowe’s awful cousin Bobby Joe Flowers, a known cheat and womanizer who had no shortage of enemies. The only problem is that Aunt Rowe and Bobby Joe had quarreled just before the cousin turned up dead, leaving Rowe at the top of the long list of suspects. Now it’s up to Sabrina to clear her aunt’s name. Luckily for her, she’s got a new sidekick, Hitchcock the Bad Luck Cat, to help her sniff out clues and stalk a killer before Aunt Rowe winds up the victim of even more misfortune.

Titles in the Bad Luck Cat Mystery series include – Black Cat Crossing – The Black Cat Knocks on Wood – The Black Cat Sees His Shadow – The Black Cat Steps on a Crack –

Murder in the First Edition by Lauren Elliott

Posted September 26, 2019 by Marsha in Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Series / 0 Comments

Addie Greyborne is preparing for the holidays at her bookstore in seaside New England–but a winter storm is coming, in more ways than one . . .

Addie’s getting into the spirit for the upcoming Charity Auction—especially since she’s got an 1843 copy of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol to donate. Her former colleagues at the Boston Public Library have confirmed that its worth runs toward the high five figures, which should help with the new pediatric wing. Her mood darkens, though, when a visitor from the past appears—Jonathan Hemingway, the father of her late fiancé. His presence stirs up sad memories for Addie but also has her fuming when Jonathan, true to his womanizing ways, runs off for a lunchtime liaison with Teresa Lang, who’s in charge of the auction.

Soon after, Addie heads to Teresa’s office at the hospital—and finds the poor woman’s dead body. What she doesn’t find is her valuable first edition. What sort of Scrooge would steal from sick children and commit murder in the process? As a Nor’easter bears down and a mystery emerges about Jonathan’s past, Addie must find out if she can appraise people’s motives and characters as well as she can appraise rare books.

Titles in the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series include – Murder by the Book – Prologue to Murder – Murder in the First Edition – Proof of Murder –