Book picks similar to
The Scrying Game by Christine Zane Thomas


mystery
giveaway-books
shifter-vampire-elf-witch-etc
cats

Under Lock & Skeleton Key


Gigi Pandian - 2022
    A family legacy. The intrigue of hidden rooms and secret staircases.After a disastrous accident derails Tempest Raj’s career, and life, she heads back to her childhood home in California to comfort herself with her grandfather’s Indian home-cooked meals. Though she resists, every day brings her closer to the inevitable: working for her father’s company. Secret Staircase Construction specializes in bringing the magic of childhood to all by transforming clients’ homes with sliding bookcases, intricate locks, backyard treehouses, and hidden reading nooks.When Tempest visits her dad’s latest renovation project, her former stage double is discovered dead inside a wall that’s supposedly been sealed for more than a century. Fearing she was the intended victim, it’s up to Tempest to solve this seemingly impossible crime. But as she delves further into the mystery, Tempest can’t help but wonder if the Raj family curse that’s plagued her family for generations—something she used to swear didn’t exist—has finally come for her.

Make Me Exist


Brittany Ziegler - 2020
    She isn't even human. Hunted by an alien race, can she discover the truth before it's too late?Valerie Carling's life is quite normal for a divorced, single mother. She misses her ex-husband, but her world now revolves around her young daughter. That is, until a band of strangers show up and turn everything upside down.It's Charlotte's sixth birthday, and she's loving it. Presents, games, and cake! For Valerie, it's not that simple. Being with her ex and his new wife is always a strain, but not as hard as finding out that you're not who you think you are.When a group of strangers unexpectedly shows up at the party, suddenly Valerie's whole life feels like a lie. Why do they look so familiar? Why do they act like they know her? Stranger yet, why do they have the same startling green eyes as Charlotte?Catapulted into a world she doesn't remember, Valerie needs to trust these strangers to help save her daughter and herself from a terrible fate. She and Charlotte are pure-bloods, the only chance for an alien race on the brink of extinction.On the run and hunted like animals, her enemies will not rest until they have them in their clutches. But as her memories return, can Valerie tap into the powers she didn't even know she possessed and save their lives?Make Me Exist is a heart-pounding sci-fi adventure that will keep you riveted to your seat in a journey of mind twisting awakenings.

Be My Ghost


Carol J. Perry - 2021
    . .Maureen's career as a sportswear buyer hits a snag just before Halloween, when the department store declares bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Finn's lost his way as a guide dog after flunking his test for being too friendly and easily distracted. Sadly, only one of them can earn unemployment, so Maureen's facing a winter of discontent in Boston--when she realizes she can't afford her apartment.Salvation comes when she receives a mysterious inheritance: an inn in Haven, Florida. A quaint, scenic town on the Gulf of Mexico hidden away from the theme parks, Maureen believes it's a good place to make a fresh start with a new business venture. But she gets more than she bargained for when she finds a dead body on her property--and meets some of the inn's everlasting tenants in the form of ghosts who offer their otherworldly talents in order to help her solve the mystery...

Paws and Probable Cause


Molly Fitz - 2021
    Thanks to my thieving ways—or rather, the fact I got caught—I have to live the next three years as a cat, unable to shift back to my human form or use magic of any kind.Just when I think I’m about to lose my mind for good, an agent breaks me free on one condition. I have to help her with a case. So now I must serve and protect, using my criminal wiles to catch others doing the same kinds of things that got me locked up in the first place.It beats languishing at the cat rescue—sure—but will I be able to catch the super-powered bad guys without having any powers of my own to call on?

Southern Sass and Killer Cravings


Kate Young - 2019
    . .For generations, the women of the Brown family on Peach Cove Island have been known for their Southern sass and sweet homemade desserts at their beloved Peach Diner. Since their mother's passing two years ago, Marygene has been stuck in Atlanta while her sister Jena Lynn has been running the family business. Now Marygene has left her husband and returned to her hometown, where she can almost feel Mama's presence.But all is not peachy back home. Marygene has barely tied on an apron when a diner regular drops dead at the counter. When it turns out the old man's been poisoned, Jena Lynn is led away in handcuffs and the family eatery is closed. Now, to save her sister and the diner, Marygene must find the real killer. With some startling assistance from her Mama's spirit, Marygene will be serving up a special order of just desserts . . .Includes Seven Recipes from Marygene's Kitchen!

Agatha Christie Investigates Omnibus


Alison Joseph - 2018
     “Wickedly clever - written with a sharp eye and elan. Guaranteed to make every Agatha Christie fan smile.” - Peter James Murder Will Out (Agatha Christie Investigates Book 1): 1923. The Great War is over, but the ghosts of the dead still linger. Agatha Christie was one of the lucky ones - her husband returned from the conflict - and for her, and her local neighbours, life has resumed. Agatha is beginning to gain some notoriety for her crime writing and she is busy working on her latest novel. But then her neighbour tells her there has been a real ‘murder at the vicarage’ - a young man, Cecil Coates, has been poisoned, and due to Christie’s expertise, the neighbourhood wants her to investigate. What secrets and lies are lying beneath the village’s tranquil exterior? Can Agatha Christie use her imagination to draw the murderer out? ‘Christie herself is the fulcrum of this highly diverting piece, delivered with all the quirky skill that is Joseph’s trademark.’ - Barry Forshaw, Crime Time. Hidden Sins (Agatha Christie Investigates Book 2): Summer, 1925 Life is starting to go back to normal after the shock of the Great War. Agatha Christie, now a successful crime author, is holidaying in Cornwall. And when her husband, Archie, has to leave early, she decides to use her alone time to work on a romance novel. But it isn’t long before she finds herself thrown back into the world of murder and intrigue. A fellow guest at Agatha’s hotel is murdered in the early hours of the morning, and all guests become suspects. Agatha soon discovers that there is far more going on in the sleepy Cornish town than first meets the eye. Her enquiries unearth tales of ghosts, secret affairs and mysterious ship wrecks. Tension escalates amongst the residents of the hotel when they realise that the murderer is somewhere in their midst. Can Agatha Christie unmask the identity of the killer before anyone else becomes a victim? ‘Christie herself is the fulcrum of this highly diverting piece, delivered with all the quirky skill that is Joseph’s trademark.’ - Barry Forshaw, Crime Time. ‘Clever and intriguing - a must for all Agatha Christie fans’ - Peter James Death in Disguise (Agatha Christie Investigates Book 3): Some people want to be fooled… 1920s, London Agatha Christie, the famous detective writer, is struggling to come to terms with her divorce. So much so that she can barely bring herself to say the word.

Witch on Ice


Cat Larson - 2019
    And you thought you had problems.Hi, my name is Sammara Eve Hain and I don’t admit that to just anyone.Especially the witch part.If it were up to me, I would’ve been born into a nice, normal family. One that went camping on weekends and played board games and watched television.Not one that spent their Saturday nights cackling around a cauldron and turning people into frogs.Okay, that’s an exaggeration. They don’t cackle.But they’re definitely not normal. And the frog thing?May I introduce my fiancé, Fernando? Mr. Short, Green, and Bewitched. Courtesy of my sister.All I ever wanted when I left my small town of Bigfoot Bay thirteen years ago was to disappear into the big city and lead an ordinary life.I never expected to return.And when I stumbled upon my childhood nemesis frozen solid inside a wall of ice, I never expected I’d be forced to stay.With my betrothed frog at my side and no sister in sight.** Witch on Ice is the first in a new humorous cozy mystery series. Suitable for all ages. **

Chili Cauldron Curse


Lynn Cahoon - 2020
    When Mia Malone’s grandmother asks her to take a week away from her restaurant job and come to Magic Springs, Idaho, she’s happy to oblige. Like Mia, Grans has witchcraft running through her veins, and life with her is never boring. Plus, the cause is a good one—helping Grans get the local food bank up and running again. But there’s an unappetizing surprise in store. While Mia is knee-deep in boxes of donated produce, she encounters the body of Dorian Alexander. Dorian was a warlock, leader of the local coven. He was also her Grans’ new beau. There’s no potion that’ll make this trouble disappear. But if Mia wants to keep her Grans—now a prime suspect—from serving a spell in prison, she’ll have to unearth the real killer fast. . . .

Wheeler-Dealer


Rita Moreau - 2021
    But will it spring her spectral friend from Purgatory? Mabel Gold still isn’t sure what happened. Traded by her husband for a busty bimbo the same age as their youngest daughter, the feisty sixty-something rejects the retirement community and heads west in a vintage camper. But the RV comes complete with a ghost who needs a good deed to get into Heaven, and cracking open a homicide at their first stop in Savannah could give them both a new lease on life. Determined to dig up the dirt on the dead wheeler-dealer, Mabel and her phantom companion tackle the crime. But with two rich dudes from Dubai, a Willie Nelson lookalike mobster, and a widow nicknamed The Barracuda all on the suspect list, conjuring up the truth could take a real live miracle. Can Mabel catch the killer before she’s the next soul crashing the Pearly Gates? Wheeler-Dealer is the high-spirited first book in the hilarious Ghost & the Camper kooky mystery series. If you like golden-girl sleuths, zany characters, and sardonic humor, then you’ll love Rita Moreau’s witty whodunit.

Tea & Sympathy


J. New - 2021
    Former Agony Aunt. Purveyor of Fine Teas. Accidental Sleuth.When Lilly Tweed former agony aunt with the local newspaper is made redundant, she takes the opportunity to pursue a lifelong ambition, to open The Tea Emporium in the small market town of Plumpton Mallet.But with her replacement making a hash of the column, it’s not long before she is once again being sought for valuable advice.When the body of a local woman is found drowned in the river, the contents of her pockets reveal a letter from Lilly and she’s unwillingly drawn into the case.But is it just a tragic accident, as the police think? Lilly isn’t convinced, but pursuing her own inquiry means it isn’t long before she gets into hot water.

I Know You


Erik Therme - 2019
    But I need something from you ...' Sisters Bree and Alissa Walker share a special bond. Neglected by their parents, they have always looked out for one another. But one day, sixteen-year-old Alissa goes missing. When Bree discovers her green backpack with all her belongings, abandoned on the steps of their run-down trailer, she knows that something bad has happened ... Then she receives a chilling text message. Someone has Alissa. But Bree will have to give up something very precious in exchange. Desperate to save Alissa, Bree looks at everyone close to their family. She's sure that Alissa's best friend is keeping something back about her little sister and a boy at school, and why has their estranged uncle, who they've not seen in years, been hanging around again? It soon becomes clear that the person behind the message knows a lot about the dark truths within the Walker family and will go to any lengths to get revenge. And as the search for Alissa continues, Bree discovers something about her brother Tyler that she wishes she hadn't, a dangerous secret, which is also the key to bringing her little sister back home ...

Rosa's Castle


Deanna Edens - 2016
    An investor in the growing railroad industry, he played host to US presidents. And when he fell in love, he fell hard. Rosa Pelham was almost two decades younger than Suit, who courted her unsuccessfully for five long years. Then, in 1883, he found the chink in Rosa’s romantic armor. She dreamed of living in a castle. Suit vowed to build her one if she accepted his proposal. He was as good as his word, and Berkeley Castle became part of West Virginian history. Some say the story of Rosa and her castle ended badly, with heartache, financial ruin, and insanity. Some darkly hint that vengeful ghosts now walk the halls of Berkeley Castle, tormented by secret misdeeds. Others tell a different tale—one of love and courage in the face of changing fortunes. Rosa’s Castle tells this tale—a dazzling “what if” based on one of America’s most striking love stories. As for ghosts…well, not all are vengeful shades. Some haunt out of love for those they left behind.

Pivot


L.C. Barlow - 2019
    Through Cyrus, Jack receives a full education in all usual subjects―economics, literature, mathematics, history―as well as one unique skill useful to a person in Cyrus's position: assassination. With the help of Roland James, a man incapable of dying, Cyrus hones Jack into the perfect weapon to use against all who oppose him.It is not long, however, before Jack discovers that Cyrus and Roland are not the only ones living in Cyrus’s mansion. There, too, exists a mysterious creature in the depths of the house with supposed immortal magic. According to Roland, this creature is responsible for all the miraculous things Jack has witnessed throughout her childhood, including Roland’s resurrection. The creature, potent and powerful, only weakens in the presence of Cyrus’s red velvet box―a dark, enchanted tool that grants Cyrus his invincibility and ensures his reign.Lonely and terrified by her life in the cult, under Cyrus's neverending watch, Jack desperately pursues the mysterious being. When they finally meet, her world is turned upside down, as he offers her more than she could have ever expected―the possibility of escape and her own secret, magical power.

Killer Tiramisu


S.Y. Robins - 2015
    However, she gets her chance at a big break when the regular dessert chef calls in sick and Hannah is asked to make the dessert for a huge wedding reception that the restaurant is catering. Hannah decides to make her famous Tiramisu recipe - a family recipe that has been passed down for generations, and taught to her by her grandmother. Hannah is sure nothing can go wrong with a recipe she knows so well. However, disaster strikes when the restaurant manager dies after sampling a trial version of the dessert. Has Hannah's carelessness struck again? Or, are one of her co-workers out to get her? After Hannah is fired and disgraced she sets out to clear her name - and to restore her Tiramisu's reputation.

Sleighed


T. Lockhaven - 2019
    You better watch out, sometimes Santa isn't who you think he is. Christmas has descended on Lana Cove. It should be a time of merriment, but in one swoop, a news broadcast changes everything….Michael, an author, finds himself on the trail of a rogue Santa intent on ruining Christmas - and the lives of some residents. George is the usual Santa for Lana Cove, so who is the secretive newcomer, and why is he taking over all of George's jobs? Along with his friends, Ellie and Olivia, Michael needs to find out what's going on before things get out of hand. But when a body is found, things take a sinister turn. Another bizarre bend in Michael's investigative road is a mysterious stranger asking to meet him - alone.Who killed the victim? Why have they gone to such lengths with a smoke-and-mirrors approach? And will Michael, Ellie, and Olivia catch the person responsible for creating so much unhappiness in the season that has turned into anything but jolly?Buy Sleighed today and follow the clues of this lighthearted, charming, cozy mystery with a little spice thrown in.