Book picks similar to
Vetted for Murder: A Tori Mulligan Mystery by D.W. Earnhardt
mystery
first-in-series
fiction
first-reads
The Case of the Flashing Fashion Queen
N.L. Wilson - 2011
firm where she's worked for years, Dix Dodd has hung out her own shingle at the ripe age of 40. There are plenty of cheating husbands to go around, and Dix has a knack for busting them. Problem is, it doesn't always pay so well. Conscious that the guys back at the old firm are laying bets about how soon she'll come crawling back, she figures she's got six months to make a go of it.The going gets even tougher when she hires Dylan Foreman. But when he told her about getting fired from his law firm and disbarred for putting common decency before the firm's interests, she hired him on the spot. In addition to being smart, he's gorgeous enough to remind her she's a woman. And at 28, young enough to make her feel like a total cougar.Things start looking up when Dix gets hired by millionaire businessman Ned Weatherby's wife Jennifer Weatherby, to tail Ned 24/7 for a week, for a cool ten grand. Easy-peasy, right? Wrong! The job lands Dix in the middle of a murder investigation - with her as the prime suspect and her arch-enemy Detective Richard Head (a.k.a., Dickhead, one of the cheating husbands she'd nailed) gunning for her.Dix will need all her ingenuity, as well as the help of Dylan and her oddball cast of supporters to extricate herself from this one.
A Shot in the Bark: A Dog Park Mystery
C.A. Newsome - 2011
Neither do her friends at the Mount Airy Dog Park. When the apparent suicide of Lia's deadbeat boyfriend draws the attention of Detective Peter Dourson, he decides to adopt the dead man's dog to infiltrate the tight group he's certain conceals Luthor Morrissey's killer. As his investigation uncovers secrets, a grieving Lia fights her growing attraction to the laid-back detective. Meanwhile, Luthor's killer lurks, desperate to stay ahead of the investigation--no matter who has to die... If you like believable characters, a multi-layered plot, and a compelling sense of humor with your intrigue, pick up this can't-put-down whodunit for a romp through the dog park with Lia and the gang. This extended edition includes new and expanded scenes. (69,000 words)
No Filter
Heather Day Gilbert - 2020
She joins forces with her brother Bo in his crazy new venture—the Barks & Beans Cafe, which caters to dog lovers and coffee drinkers alike.When a golf instructor is murdered at the nearby spiritual center, Macy winds up adopting his Great Dane. Just after Macy finds a mysterious message sewn under the dog's collar, her Dane is dognapped. She launches into a relentless search for her newfound canine friend, but along the way, she digs up a cruel and confident killer.Join siblings Macy and Bo Hatfield as they sniff out crimes in their hometown...with plenty of dogs along for the ride! The Barks & Beans Cafe cozy mystery series features a small town, an amateur sleuth, and no swearing or graphic scenes.
Witch Way to Nightshade
Penny Brooke - 2021
But she hadn’t perceived the extent of her powers…or the fact she was a witch.An elderly woman moving in across the street sets off a series of events that leads to Salem attending Nightshade Village, a college for women with “special abilities.”But upon arrival at the bizarre school, just as Salem’s true purpose reveals itself, tragedy strikes, and one of their own dies mysteriously.Will Salem be able to use her growing powers to solve the mystery surrounding the witch’s death? Or will her own life be in jeopardy before she can realize her full potential?Join Salem Donovan in the Nightshade Village series, a paranormal cozy mystery featuring a witch sleuth, magic and mayhem, and a mystery to solve.
Marshmallows and Murder: A Comedy Cozy Mystery (Mom and Christy's Cozy Mysteries Book 7)
Christy Murphy - 2018
Read in any order. Fletcher Canyon is hosting its first fair! But when Christy finds a dead body and the mayor becomes the prime suspect, the town's reputation nosedives.Meanwhile, Christy's relationship with DC Cooper slips into crisis mode after an awkward interview with a TV reporter. Can Mom and Christy save the mayor, Fletcher Canyon's reputation, and Christy's relationship with DC?Find out in this cute, comedy cozy.
Jack Be Nimble Jack Be Dead
Wendy Owens - 2017
Five years ago, Penny Preston found herself divorced and alone in San Diego, CA. With only her Dachshund named Piper and the possessions she could fit in her beat up Chevy Malibu, Penny decided to take her Aunt up on her offer to move in with her in Wyoming, Ohio, and help her run her coffee shop. She never imagined her Aunt passing away or her leaving the shop to her, but that’s exactly what happened. Besides the occasional nosy community member creating a stir around unsubstantiated gossip, life was peaceful—that’s until Penny’s life got messy . . . as in red body messy. Jack Eggerton, the local dog catcher, is found dead in the back of the animal shelter Penny runs in her spare time. After a heated argument between her and Jack about a missing dog, it appears the finger is pointed directly at Penny Preston. Enlisting the help of her seamstress neighbor, Linda, and her chubby Dachshund, Piper, with whom she has a rather peculiar connection to, Penny sets out to unveil the killer before she is left paying for a crime she didn’t commit . . .
Catch Handle
Alison O'Mara - 2021
They are beautiful, intelligent, and remarkable animals. As a newly minted veterinarian, Vivian Anderson knows and loves horses better than most. With an important horse show on the line and the search for a full-time vet job fast-approaching, Vivian is fully occupied at her Aunt’s Arabian horse ranch and her equine medical externship. Vivian’s world is abruptly shaken by a shocking murder that casts suspicion on the people she thought she knew best. Stolen medications, fatal “accidents,” unsavory horse handling, and a handsome newcomer have Vivian reeling. She cannot shake the feeling that the seemingly random events are all part of the same puzzle, but who can she trust? Vivian is about to learn just how dangerous her world of horses can be.
Pretty is as Pretty Dies
Elizabeth Spann Craig - 2009
Blessed with good looks and business sense to boot, she should have been content.Instead, Parke makes trouble in her small town. When retired octogenarian schoolteacher Myrtle Clover discovers her body, no one in Bradley is particularly upset.Myrtle decides to show up her police chief son and investigate the crime herself. And, just in time to play detective, she meets a widower newcomer who proves the perfect sidekick.
Ladd Springs
Dianne Venetta - 2013
Both are after title to Ladd Springs, a mecca of natural springs, streams and trails in the eastern Tennessee mountains, a tract of land worth millions. But Ernie Ladd, current owner of the property and uncle to Delaney, is adamantly opposed to them both.Felicity Wilkins, Delaney’s daughter, deserves to inherit her family’s legacy, but neighbor Clem Sweeney is working against her, ingratiating himself with Ernie Ladd. Clem is also harboring a secret that will make him a very wealthy man—unless the others stop him before he can bring it to fruition.Complicating matters is Annie Owens. Ex-girlfriend to Jeremiah Ladd, Ernie’s estranged son lining in Atlanta, she declares her daughter Casey is Jeremiah’s, making Casey every bit as entitled to the property as Felicity—only Annie hasn’t proven this claim. Yet.All are fighting to get the property, but only one will walk away with the gold.
Getaway With Murder
Diane Kelly - 2021
With the old inn teetering on both a bluff and bankruptcy, she must have lost her ever-loving mind.Luckily, handyman Rocky Crowder has a knack for rehabbing virtual ruins and for doing it on a dime, and to Misty’s delight, the lodge is fully booked on opening night, every room filled with flexible folks who’d slipped into spandex and ascended the peak for a yoga retreat with plans to namastay for a full week. Misty and her guests are feeling zen—at least until the yoga instructor is found dead.With a killer on the loose and the lodge’s reputation hanging in the balance, Misty must put her detective-skills to the test. Only one thing is as clear as a sunny mountain morning—she must solve the crime before the lodge ends up, once again, on the brink.
Across the Street
Laurie Lisa - 2013
For Sam, years of infertility, followed by an unthinkable tragedy, have left her despairing of ever having a child. Money is tight, and IVF is expensive. Sam’s only hope may be to ask her sister to be a surrogate. Alex will do anything for Sam, but when the sisters embark upon an unorthodox route to surrogacy, jealousy, guilt, and legal complications soon follow.As the limits of sisterly devotion are tested, the family’s hidden wounds and secret addictions come to light, shaking the foundation of their marriages and their lives.An emotional story of a woman’s struggle with infertility and a riveting book about the complexities of family, Across the Street makes an excellent selection for book clubs.
Dog Collar Crime
Adrienne Giordano - 2013
A move that brings her back into the tempting arms of Frankie Falcone, the ex that never fails to make her heart sit up and beg.When Lucie parlays her temporary dog-walking gig into a career making fancy dog accessories, Frankie becomes her number one supporter. Life starts to look like a walk in the park…until three of her bling-wearing clients are dogjacked. Despite help from the on-again, off-again Mr. Fix-It in her life, Lucie is thrown into an investigation that’s more Goodfellas than good doggie. One that could shatter her new life and her second chance at love.
Middle Finger of Fate
Kim Hunt Harris - 2013
But Lord have mercy on anyone who has Salem for their last hope, because that girl is a piping hot mess and always has been. Everyone knows that, including Salem.But Salem is trying. She quit drinking, and even started praying. Maybe if she can prove Tony's innocence and find the real killer, it would balance out some of the mistakes she's made in her past -- a past that includes betrayed best friends now bent on vengeance, ex-crushes who were supposed to be old and fat by now, and an ex-husband who might, possibly, not be an ex after all. If Salem can catch a break from reaping all the wild seeds she's sown, she might have a chance to redeem herself.Then again, maybe she should just settle for being a piping hot mess.
Stiff in the Sand
Winnie Reed - 2019
She's got a new job blogging about food and she's super-thrilled to be traveling to a new resort to sample the fare and meet local celebrities. One of who is First-Kiss-Robbie. The first boy to kiss her, he's a famous chef now.She finds out her photographer is a hot guy with a major chip on his shoulder. More like an iceberg, considering the way Deke treats her.She's not so thrilled when she discovers a body in the sand dunes. One with a knife sticking out of him. A chef knife. Robbie's chef knife.She's even less thrilled when she makes the mistake of handling the knife.Now, she's under suspicion and Detective McHottie's got his eye on her--and not in a good way.Can she find the real killer before she becomes his target?
Pancakes and Pleas
Gretchen Allen - 2019
Joss Rockwell has been a waitress at the Day and Night Diner for fifteen years, and while she loves her job, she’s about to find out that there are some things in life that are more important than work. When an old friend is found murdered, Joss realizes just how fragile life is and how dear her friends are. Determined to get to the bottom of the tragedy, she jumps into investigating the crime. Her boss is a task-master, and it seems that everyone in her life depends on her for something, but she’s determined to move forward with the case, no matter what. This determined, and a little bit snarky, amateur sleuth will use her wit and wisdom to find out the truth, even if it puts her own safety in danger.