Book picks similar to
Deadmistress by Carole B. Shmurak


fiction
mystery
reviewed
first-in-series

Massage & Murder


Jenn Cowan - 2018
    A professional. A healer. Not a killer. When a client ends up dead on my massage table, I become the number one suspect. I have Means. Motive. Opportunity. But I didn't kill her. The clock is ticking, someone is stalking me, I have to find out who before I end up in jail or worse...dead.

Collateral Damage (Iris Reid Mystery #4)


Susan Cory - 2020
    Her client becomes the prime suspect and Iris sets out to find the real killer. Things go from bad to worse when Iris' boyfriend reconnects with an old flame, bringing up buried secrets and unintended consequences that threaten to change Iris' life forever.“Mystery and distinctive characters hone this remarkable tale.”Kirkus ReviewsCory teases out her twisty plot at the perfect pace, leaving readers on the edge of their seats. Her multilayered characters are working at cross purposes, and even the most astute mystery reader won’t see where everything is headed until the final thread is unknotted. Completely absorbing, fast-paced, well-written and with a shocking ending guaranteed to satisfy.P.M. Steffen, best-selling author of The Profiler’s Daughter and Killing Ulysses.

Final Chapter: A Megan Montaigne Mystery (Megan Montaigne Mysteries)


Pam Stucky - 2018
    At least it was, before the murders started. Megan Montaigne has always secretly wanted to be a forensics investigator. The small-town library director has just begun rebuilding her life after tragedy tore it apart less than a year ago, and is happily settling into her new apartment on the top floor of the library by the river. But when a local celebrity turns up dead, the time has come to put her sleuthing fantasies into action. Has she unwittingly invited the murderer into her own home? And will she be able to prove her innocence before she becomes a victim herself?

Escape to Osprey Cove


Luisa Marietta Gold - 2016
    It will also change Catherine’s. Doug and Catherine come from two different worlds. Catherine’s world is one of privilege and wealth. Doug grew up dirt poor and full of envy of others who had the things that he wanted but could not have. His goal was to one day have all the things he coveted. Their worlds collide when Catherine, VP of a large New York City marketing firm, hires Doug. As soon as Doug learns of Catherine’s wealth, he sees Catherine as his ticket to all the things he covets. After a whirlwind courtship, they are married. Poor boy meets rich girl should have resulted in “happily ever after” — not exactly. Doug quickly learns he also covets independence. Events begin to unfold in each of their lives. For Doug, it is his mysterious discovery in the secret compartment of the Corvette. For Catherine, it is a business meeting with Alex Droxell at the Osprey Cove Lodge. When Catherine enters the beautiful and serene lodge, it’s as though she is entering another place and time. The lodge is an escape from the nightmare she is living back home. Follow the twists and turns of Book 1 of the Osprey Cove Lodge Series. Follow Doug and Catherine’s story to see if there is a “happily ever after” and with whom. EXCERPT: It appeared to Catherine as though she had just approached Mr. Darcy’s Pemberly in all its magnificence. Now she knew how Elizabeth felt at her first sighting of Pemberly. But unlike Elizabeth, Catherine thought, there would be no happy ending. This would not become her home one day, as Pemberly had become Elizabeth’s, and live happily ever after. Catherine did not covet the house that lay before her. In fact, Catherine was wealthy enough to buy a home like it, if she so desired. What Catherine did long for was what Pemberly represented to all Jane Austen lovers — the culmination of a beautiful love affair. Catherine was not naive enough to expect her life to be storybook in nature. But she did not expect her life with Doug to disintegrate into shambles just two years after marrying him. She did not understand why it was happening. She did not know how to fix it.

Mrs. Jones


William Cain - 2019
    Detective Adelaide Henson of the Asheville PD lands the case because she’s iron tough.When she begins her investigation she surprises herself, though, and cautiously begins a romance with the son of a strange witness. She also finds the dangerous mobster has a human side too – even when he’s surrounded by enemies.Someone murdered his wife and now they want him to meet his fate. And he’s not waiting. He’s got an army of killers at his disposal and he’s going to use them.A hitlady with a reputation is on her way to seal his destiny!

Walk Into Silence


Susan McBride - 2016
    Did she simply run off, or is something darker at play?When Patrick Dielman shows up at Detective Jo Larsen’s desk insisting that his wife, Jenny, is missing, Jo wonders if it’s a case of a bored housewife running away.But as she digs deeper into Jenny’s life, Jo learns that Dielman keeps a stranglehold on the family finances, down to the last nickel, and that Jenny’s first marriage dissolved following the death of her young son. By all accounts—including her doctor’s—she never recovered from the loss. Between a controlling husband, a tragic past, and a callous ex-husband, Jo can’t be sure if she should suspect foul play or accept that the woman may have wanted to disappear.For Jo, whose own demons are shadowing her every step, finding Jenny becomes more than the typical protect-and-serve.

Murder on Potrero Hill


M.L. Hamilton - 2012
    Jake truly loved his wife. So what went wrong?Stepping into the circle of the social elite, Peyton finds that things work differently when you’re at the top. And Jake Ryder seems to be caught in the epicenter.Ultimately, Peyton finds that you never know what darkness lurks in the human mind and that some will murder to keep that darkness hidden.

Rose Hill Mystery Series Three-Book Collection: Books 1-3


Pamela Grandstaff - 2017
    In this cozy mystery series, amateur female sleuths (also cousins) Maggie, Hannah, and Claire navigate the challenges of marriage, family, children, and nosy neighbors as they solve crimes and entertain each other. If you like small town cozy mysteries with a little humor and romance, you will love the Rose Hill mystery series. From readers: “I just happened upon this series and I am hooked. These three cousins are nosy and lovable. I can't wait to see what they get up to next.” “Lots of fun. The people are real, and after reading book one, I binge-read the following seven....Can't wait for book nine!” “I am addicted to this series. I feel connected to the characters and like how each book develops a different character. “I really enjoyed the whole series, and read them one right after the other and am waiting for the next one. You get very attached to the characters. Don't start reading at night or you will miss your sleep.” “I really love the characters and love the way Pamela Grandstaff manages to keep each book a stand-alone novel and yet intertwines the characters from previous books to make us remember them perfectly.” Please also look for book sets 4-6 and 7-9. Pumpkin Ridge (Book 10) new in October 2017.

Coming Unclued


Judith Jackson - 2014
    The lights are up, the presents are — actually, only the lights are done, but Val still has a week! Once the dreaded office party is over she can make quick work of the rest of her list.There’s only one, big problem with that plan. The morning after the party, after passing out in the living room, Val stumbles into her bedroom and finds her boss, Mr. Potter, lying in her bed. Okay — two, big problems. Mr. Potter is dead, murdered; his blood soaking into Val's new, 400-thread-count sheets.Val knows that regardless of a couple minor incidents where she was a teensy bit hostile after one too many drinks, there is no way she killed her cheap, petty, world-class halitosis suffering boss. May he rest in peace. The problem is, the police are convinced it was she who stabbed Mr. Potter. Someone has to find the real killer and it looks like it will have to be Val. But she's not alone; her best friend and her seventy-four-year-old neighbor are along for the ride. Coming Unclued is Book One in the humorous Val Valentyn series.

Mushing is Murder


Patti Benning - 2019
     Angie Seaver isn’t exactly thrilled to be moving back to her small hometown of Lost Bay, Alaska. Her mother’s health isn’t good, and her father is away much of the time, determined to win the Iditarod dog sled race, which leaves no one to run the family diner. A stranger in the harsh land that was once her home, Angie is faced with the challenge of figuring out how to run the business on her own. She soon realizes that many of the locals still see her as “little Angie Seaver,” and vows to prove herself by making the diner more successful than it’s ever been. When the unexpected death of a friend casts suspicion on her father, Angie is determined to prove her father’s innocence, and discovers that things aren’t as they seem in the small town. With help from a handsome young acquaintance, she uncovers secrets that have been buried for decades…but will what she finds clear her father’s name, or condemn him? Will the answers leave her heart colder than the Alaskan wilderness?

Death In December - A Short Mystery: A Jayne Belmont Mystery Series (Jayne Belmont Mysteries Book 1)


Shonah Stevens - 2016
    It pulls the reader in and holds on! I cannot wait for more from this writer! Wish I could give her ten stars myself!" When headmaster James Leibinger finds one of his teachers dead, the police write it off as suicide. After all Dorian Jones had plenty of problems. However James is convinced Dorian was murdered, but how can he prove it? The he remembers a chance encounter with a female private detective – Jayne Belmont. Would she be able to solve this mystery? Jayne is faced with an entire staff of teachers and an ex-wife who would all like to see the back of Dorian. What's more they all seem to have had opportunity. Jayne slowly narrows down her suspects, but when another body falls to their death and all the suspects were in the same room, the case becomes impossible to solve. Or does it? Join Jayne on her ups and downs in this murder mystery set in the city of Palmerston in Australia's torrid Northern Territory where the heat and humidity combine with circumstances to test Jayne's wits almost to breaking point. Scroll up, buy now and see if you can find out who did it!

Dog Gone Lies


Ted Clifton - 2015
     The trio are pulled into a mystery immediately when an abandoned show dog appears at Ray’s cabin and the dog’s owner is reported missing. Ray and his team pursue leads that bring them into confrontations with the local sheriff, the mayor, and the FBI, while in the meantime two bodies are found—neither of which is the missing woman.

Cold Waters


Debbie Herbert - 2019
    After a summer-night swim with her best friend, Ainsley, Violet is found confused, wandering in the forest—and Ainsley’s never seen again. But without a body, murder charges won’t stick, so Violet is sent away.After more than a decade in a psychiatric ward, Violet returns to her broken-down hometown of Normal, Alabama, to claim her dead mother’s inheritance and help her overworked sister care for their unstable, alcoholic father. Violet, still haunted by that night eleven years ago, endures horrific flashbacks and twisted hallucinations while townsfolk spit accusations—and for all she knows, they’re right.As the summer heats up, details of Ainsley’s fate appear like a beast’s wild eyes, watching in the darkness, and grim revelations about Violet’s family threaten to devour her. Already on the edge of madness, Violet must fight to keep her sanity long enough for the terrible truth to burst from the cold, dark waters.

Trust No One


Debra Webb - 2020
    She’s locked in a bitter struggle with her ex-husband and teenage daughter, and her reckless new partner is anything but trustworthy.Still, she has a job to do: there’s a killer at large, and a pregnant woman has gone missing. Once Devlin and her partner get to work, they quickly unearth secrets involving Birmingham’s most esteemed citizens. Each new layer of the investigation brings Devlin closer to the killer and the missing woman, who starts looking more like a suspect than a victim.But just as answers come into view, the case twists, expands, and slithers into Devlin’s personal life. There’s a much more sinister game at work, one she doesn’t even know she’s playing—and she must unravel the truth once and for all to stop the killer before she loses everything.

I Always Wanted to be a Spy


Judith A. Barrett - 2019
    A heart-wrenching murder changes her life forever, and Maggie transforms from prey to predator. Will the librarian with the soul of a spy and the unusual support team stop the desperate kingpin or will she become the latest victim? It all comes down to kill or be killed.