Out of Options


Dianne Ascroft - 2019
     A dry district, a shocking secret, a missing person. When Lois Stone’s friend, Beth Darrow, arranges to meet her to reveal an astonishing discovery, Lois’s curiosity is piqued. Then Beth doesn’t keep their lunch date and Lois becomes worried. What has happened to her friend? Middle-aged widow Lois is settling into life on her own in her neighbourhood and in the library where she works, and she is just about coping with her fear of strangers after her husband was mugged and died in the park at the end of their street. But her quiet existence is rocked when her friend and fellow local historical society researcher, Beth, arranges to meet her to reveal an exciting and shocking discovery she has made about the history of prohibition in West Toronto Junction, the last dry area in Toronto, and then goes missing before she can share her secret with Lois. There isn’t any proof that Beth is missing so the police won’t actively search for her. Only Lois and Beth’s niece Amy are convinced that Beth’s disappearance is very out of character, and they are worried about her. Where has Beth gone? Is she in danger? And, if she is, who might want to harm her and why? Lois knows she must find the answers to these questions fast if she wants to help and protect her friend. And so begins a weekend of skulking in the park, apple and cinnamon pancakes, familiar faces staring out of old newspapers, calico cats, shadows on the windowpane, and more than one person who might want Beth to disappear from the quiet, leafy streets of the historic and staunchly dry West Toronto Junction neighbourhood. A tale for fans of Cindy Bell, Leighann Dobbs, Dianne Harman and Kathi Daley.

The Sound Of Footsteps


Diane Patterson - 2014
    Ghosts are easy to deal with. Ghosts aren’t real. Reality is where the trouble starts. Drusilla Thorne and her sister Stevie need a place to live in San Antonio while Drusilla sets up her new identity. The place they find is definitely cheap — the landlord can’t find tenants because it’s supposedly haunted. That’s fine with Drusilla, because she knows ghosts aren’t real. But something is making enough noise to keep her awake at night. And if it’s not ghosts making those noises, what is? Sometimes Drusilla needs to remember asking questions might bring answers nobody wants to hear.

My First Murder


Susan P. Baker - 2015
    When greasy-spoon cafe owner Carl Singleton shows up wanting to hire Mavis to solve the murder of one of his waitresses, Doris Jones, a woman with whom he has fallen in love, Mavis reluctantly takes the job especially when Carl confesses that all the other private investigators in Houston have turned him down. But, facts are facts, and Mavis has to face the fact that she has bills to pay that serving legal papers won't cover. Though the Houston Police Department, including Mavis' boyfriend Sgt. Ben Sorensen, get in her face and try to discourage her, Mavis dives head first into the case. What she learns is, there is scandal deep in the heart of Texas. She only hopes she can uncover it before it's too late for her.

Thirteen Chocolates (A Chandler's Chocolate Box Mystery, #1)


Agatha Chocolats - 2020
    Thirteen heirs. One stab at a decadent fortune. Legendary chocolatier, Ulysses Chandler has died, leaving his historic Smoky mountain mansion and world-famous chocolate factory behind. Single mom, Anna Clementine, has left her minimum-wage waitress job to collect an inheritance from a man she never met. The catch? There are twelve other heirs, with twelve killer personalities, all competing for the same prize. As chapters literally start counting down, confections and heirs simultaneously disappear. Until– Then there was one…and it’s a KILLER.

From Mangia to Murder


Caroline Mickelson - 2012
    But before Sophia’s chilled spoon hit the spumoni, someone plunged a knife into Vincenzo’s back and the word on everyone’s lips went from mangia to murder. Sophia soon finds herself trailing crime boss Frankie Vidoni, chatting with his mouthy mistress Maria, and dodging henchman Mooch DiMuccio. She’s suspicious of Vincenzo’s widow, Stella, and his assistant chef, Eugene, because they don’t appear the least bit dismayed by Vincenzo’s passing. There is no conversation Sophia won’t eavesdrop on, no question she won’t ask, and no danger she won’t face to find the killer.

Flea Market Fatal


Brianna Bates - 2016
    Too bad she also just found the owner of said cabinet dead in his house. She hasn’t seen her high school sweetheart, Tyler Brock, in years, and under normal circumstances she’d be excited to reconnect with him. But these aren’t normal circumstances because Missy is the prime suspect in the town’s first murder in years. Now with the help of her best friend, Noreen, and her mother (assuming Mom will actually share everything with her), Missy must prove her innocence and find the killer. But as she delves deeper into the investigation she uncovers some shocking secrets about the town, and her own family. Can this big, beautiful woman find the killer in time…and still be ready for the Flea Market? Flea Market Fatal is the first in the new Missy DeMeanor cozy mystery series. Look for Book Club Bloodshed, Diet Club Death, and Scrapbooking Slaying also.

A Precarious Homecoming: An Arabella Stewart Historical Mystery


D.S. Lang - 2021
    An immediate impediment arises when she becomes involved in a murder investigation. Helping solve the crime is crucial, but Bella must work with Constable Jackson Hastings. Once part of her life, Jax turned his back on Bella after her brother, his best friend, died in the trenches. His cold attitude hasn’t softened, but she can’t let that stop her. Both her hometown and family resort, once popular tourist destinations, may not survive if the crime isn’t solved quickly.Jax, a war veteran, faces his own challenges. Wounded in body and spirit, his dreams shattered, he finds himself doing what he said he’d never do—follow in his father’s footsteps as constable. When a wave of crimes hit the town, culminating in murder, his competence is questioned. In a struggle to find the killer and save his job, Jax needs all the help he can get—but he doesn’t want assistance from Bella. Not when he feels responsible for her brother’s death. But more is at stake than his job. He can’t stand by and let Moreley become a ghost town. Nor can he watch while Bella loses Ballantyne.Working together is the only way to solve the crime and offer hope—to their community and for themselves. Will their efforts succeed, or will it be a precarious homecoming?

A Cup of Murder


Cam Larson - 2014
    A new upscale chain coffeehouse, Sunrise, opened across the street, and Laila's customers are leaving. The owner of Sunrise, Michael Simms wants to put Roasted Love out of business and enjoys letting them know with his rudeness and his mean Doberman. Jacob Weaver, the owner of Roasted Love won't back down, and he's not being too quiet about it, either. When the owner of Sunrise, Michael Simms, is found murdered by poison in his coffee and the Jacob is the prime suspect, Laila has to decide if Jacob could be guilty and figure out how to save Roasted Love from closing - not to mention balance a cute paramedic and an orphaned Doberman. Between Jacob's mood swings and things not adding up, the clock is ticking on the future of Roasted Love. Book 1 of the Roasted Love Cozy Mystery Series. More Cozy Mysteries are coming. Book 2 of Roasted Love Cozy Mysteries is HOT COFFEE, ICED SANTA - part of a culinary cozy mystery series.

Pineapple Pack II


Amy Vansant - 2018
    Amateur sleuth Charlotte Morgan is commissioned to solve Bucky’s murder, but soon finds herself embroiled in a competition masterminded by her boyfriend’s crazy ex, the ever-nefarious Stephanie. When the Pineapple Port crew pack up a snake-bus and head to North Carolina for a vaction, the Outer Banks will never be the same... Pineapple Beach House The Pineapple Port crew takes a road trip to the Outer Banks, North Carolina, only to discover “body bits” in their vacation home. The nursing home next door is run by some suspicious characters and one of their residents is missing. Hmm... As the bits o' somebody pile up (and Mariska keeps the neat and safe in a butter dish), amateur sleuth Charlotte Morgan and her friends must solve the murder before a storm blows them all back to Florida! Pineapple Disco Humor, thrills and mystery abound in the SIXTH Pineapple Port Mystery. Charlotte, the 55+ community's young female sleuth is thrust into a thrilling struggle to survive when her friend Jackie's underground "mature" disco is infiltrated by violent criminals intent on claiming the club as their own. Even more frightening --- the ridiculously vengeful Gloria is back and on the warpath after a playful suitor goes missing. Charlotte must search for the connection between the two cases with the help of Declan, whose own secret past with crazy, serial killer-spawn Stephanie is beginning to show... Fans of female-sleuth authors like Jana Deleon, Lilian Jackson Braun, Gina Lamanna and Janet Evanovich will love the Pineapple Port series' abundant humor and clever plots --- as well as Charlotte's sharp intellect and the love and loyalty she holds for the wacky 55+ community who raised her.

Danger at the Dive Shack


Donna Amis Davis - 2019
    Shelby’s life gets interesting after the quirky and colorful resort baker takes her under her wing, a scruffy beach dog moves onto her porch, and she adopts an adorable kitten. When a disagreeable tourist dies, suspicion is cast on Shelby’s new friends and acquaintances. Wanting to clear their names, she dives into tracking down the real killer. But it may be perilous for Shelby! Danger at the Dive Shack, the first book in the Dive Shack Mysteries series, is a clean cozy mystery novella with a tropical twist. It can be read as a standalone, but you will enjoy reading the continuing series. Recipes included!

Risky Bisqueness


Elizabeth Rain - 2020
    It should be the other half~The Best Half...That's what Julienne Mason told herself as she stared at herself in the mirror the morning after her 40th birthday...Husbandless...Jobless...Childless...Julienne Mason's Ego has taken a Beating. In the space of a day, she nearly burnt down the pizza parlor, lost her job, and walked in on her cheating rat of a husband.To top it all off? She's 40 and no one has noticed.With nothing to show for a lifetime of chasing the Joneses and trying to conform to everyone else's expectations but her own...Juli is more than ready for a change of lifestyle. But nobody ever told her that answering the summons to a strange letter would turn her entire life on a dime, and challenge every notion she's ever had on what normal is...Add in a Strange Inheritence, an Overbearing Ghost, A Snobbish Talking Cat, and a Sentient Recipe Grimoire; Sprinkle Liberally with Magic...And Maybe even Misfits like her deserve a second chance to get things right...But first she'll need to solve her Uncle's Murder and learn to Embrace her inner Witchiness...before she runs out of time and the killer Strikes Again...

The Murder at Sissingham Hall


Clara Benson - 2013
    But in the dead of night Sir Neville is murdered. Who did it? As suspicion falls on each of the house guests in turn, Knox finds himself faced with deception and betrayal on all sides, and only the enigmatic Angela Marchmont seems to offer a solution to the mystery. This 1920s whodunit will delight all fans of traditional country house murder stories.

Second-Hand Murder


Blair Merrin - 2016
    Will Cassie, and her P.I. pal Dash, find out the meaning behind the unusual artifact before it's too late? This Paranormal Cozy Mystery is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat, and make you laugh out loud too!

A Bark in the Night


M.K. Scott - 2017
    The idea came from her ability to solve television mysteries before the sleuth did. Her agency motto is discreet inquiries, which means nothing to her wanna be action star father or her competitive mother who are determined to help. A hunky veteran turned cop, a helpful neighbor, and a rescue dog that talks only makes things interesting. Nala might even start to enjoy the job if whoever is trying to kill her would just give it a break.

Murder on the Hill


Kennedy Chase - 2014
    Until now she’s been know as many things: Thief, Bandit, The girl dressed like a ninja… When she’s offered an investigative position at the Silvers Finders Agency, she decides it’s time to go straight. But when a jewelry store break-in she’s investigating turns into a murder case, Harley will need all her skills to find the killer and avoid the attentions of a Russian crime boss. With the help of her new friends, and some from her underworld past, Harley faces a race against the clock. She’ll need to uncover the secret behind the artifact left at the jewelry store if she’s to catch the murderer. If she fails, it won’t just be the job she loses — but her life.