Book picks similar to
The Witch Who Settled the Account by Emma Belmont
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Booking a Killer Vacation
J.R. Ripley - 2020
Think innkeeper Dick Loudon and mystery writer Jessica Fletcher. Put 'em together, flip 'em around and what do you get? Kelly Green and Harry Leland. One is the new owner of the Beach Lovers Inn in Myrtle Beach, SC. The other is a mystery writer staying at the inn who sees mysteries and murders everywhere.When Kelly’s aunt decides to retire, she jumps at the opportunity to run the inn. But soon after, a guest is murdered and Kelly and Harry are determined to find the killer before any more guests check out for good.First in a new cozy series by critically-acclaimed, bestselling author J.R. Ripley.
Murder Most Pumpkin
Stella Berry - 2019
He will take whomever he can.
He’ll take an animal each Halloween. But he’d rather have your children if he hears them scream.
So, when resident witch Morgana finds the body of a man with a pumpkin for a head on Halloween, she instantly recognizes what it’s supposed to be. The trouble is that the body in question had upset a lot of people, most notably by destroying everyone else’s pumpkins in order to take first prize at the village show.She knows she should leave it to the police to figure out, but it wasn’t the pumpkin that killed him, it was the knife in his back, and the knife belongs to her.
Hellish Debts (Broken Gods #1)
Brook Rogers - 2020
. . complicated.From her chance meeting with a sexy Irishman, who keeps mysteriously vanishing --to stupidly getting suckered into a trip to the Hell Plane --the Valkyrie just can't seem to catch a breakWhen a simple scouting mission goes off the rails, Raywen finds herself in a violent and bloody race against time to protect everyone she loves. As questions multiply even faster than the body count, she begins to doubt everything she thought she knew.The Fates may have a sense of humor, but Raywen isn't laughing.Hellish Debts is the first book in Brook Rogers' new Broken Gods series.Are you ready for a fast-paced, kick-ass romp through Hell?
Craks in a Marriage
Barbara Barrett - 2018
A few days later, the husband is found dead, his head bashed in. Fearing she’ll be considered the most likely suspect, the widow prevails upon Sydney and her three friends—Marianne, Kat and Micki—to find out who really killed him. Though none of these four fun-loving, take-charge retirees has any training as detectives, the women agree to launch a secret investigation. As they dig under the happy veneer of their community’s social life, they find more than enough suspects, from shady ladies to resentful golf buddies, to keep them looking over their shoulders. Could the murderer be lurking among the talent in a chaotic production put on by Sydney’s husband, who will do anything to keep busy in retirement? Could the sheriff, who may have more than a professional interest in chanteuse Kat, end up pinning the crime on the women instead? Each discovery during their investigations and their weekly mah jongg game keeps them running as they close in on the killer—but the killer may also be closing in on them. This cozy mystery, the first in the Mah Jongg Mystery series, features four retired amateur sleuths who live in the small Florida town of Serendipity Springs, all female and all friends who play the game of mah jongg together. Though they don't set out to investigate murder, after their first experience in this story, others start looking to them to help investigate subsequent homicides and questionable accidents. In this first book, Sydney Bonner takes the lead, although she turns to her three friends for help. Though this series features four protagonists, the others will take the lead in subsequent stories. Two are married, one is divorced and the fourth, who has been single all her life while she tended to her ailing mother, now finds herself the object of the sheriff's attention in this series. The four don't seek out murder; somehow the circumstances and those affected drag them in. Meanwhile, as they attempt to gather information, life goes on in their community in such activities as a women's club, a social group for those over 50, real estate transactions, numerous stops at the local coffeehouse, and even a shopping trip to Naples. Sydney's husband, Trip, and her friend Marianne Putnam's husband, Beau, are golf buddies who spend many a day on the course. When not there, Trip is busy seeking to build a new post retirement life, and Beau is often prevailed upon to join in Trip's latest activity, which in this first book is a town follies. Kat Faulkner has lived a frugal life until winning big in a lottery shortly after her mother's death; suddenly, Kat has money and doesn't know how to spend it. But her divorced friend and freelance writer, Micki Demetrius, does, even if it's to guide Kat through a makeover and wardrobe change for her lounge act. This cozy mystery is the first book in the Mah Jongg Mystery series. Barbara Barrett is already published in contemporary romance. She is a member of the Mystery/Romantic Suspense chapter of Romance Writers of America. Like her protagonists, she is retired and is a resident of Florida, although she spends her summers in her home state of Iowa. She spent over three decades as a human resource management analyst with Iowa state government. She can be contacted at barbarabarrett747@gmail.com. Check her website at barbarabarrettbooks.com.
Bound for Magic
Constance Barker - 2021
But when a witness claims to have seen a strange animal with a human in its mouth, can Mary believe it, even if her instincts tell her it's true?Her cat Ugly seems to be making noises other than the usual meows...like she's trying to communicate. Is Mary losing it or is Ugly attempting to speak or something even more unusual?Mary's dreams are also trying to tell her something....that a group called the Soul Brokers are in need of payment. Make remuneration or forfeit an innocent soul. What the heck has she gotten herself into?***Find out in the First book of the Tortie Kitten Mystery Trilogy***
The Witch Squad #1-3
M.Z. Andrews - 2017
Causing problems with the law in her hometown, she’s faced with two options. Go to a correctional institution or get shipped off to witch boarding school, or as her mother prefers to call it, finishing school. Choosing the latter, Mercy’s mother, Linda, drives her daughter cross-country to the Paranormal Institute for Witches, situated high in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains in cozy, Aspen Falls, Pennsylvania.Upon arrival, Mercy is faced with cheerful smiles, friendly people, and a sticky sweet roommate who has turned their dorm room into an advertisement for the Pottery Barn. Mercy had hoped her fellow witches would be more like her, dark, dreary, and a little bit self-destructive.When the murder of a local teenager takes place on the first day of class, Sorceress Stone, headmistress of the college for wayward witches, takes the class on a consulting job to help the Aspen Falls Police Department solve the murder. Mercy and her mismatched classmates find themselves in the heart of the murder investigation and when the body of the murder victim suddenly goes missing, Mercy must put aside her feelings of resentment about her gift and put her paranormal abilities to good use.Son of a Witch – Book 2Mercy Habernackle has just gotten the surprise of a lifetime. She has a brother – and not just any brother, a dark, mysterious, and incredibly hot brother.Given up for adoption twenty-four years ago, Reign Alexander just wants to get to know his long lost sister, but things take a dangerous turn when on his first night in Aspen Falls, a woman ends up dead, in Reign’s bed!Desperate to prove her brother’s innocence and save her mother from heartache, Mercy enlists the help of the Witch Squad to find out who really killed Harper Bradshaw. But when Mercy discovers that her brother has been lying to her since he got to town, she must ask herself is her brother really as innocent as he begs her to believe?Witch Degrees of Separation – Book 3The first six weeks of witch college has been emotionally draining and physically exhausting for Mercy Habernackle. She’s had to adjust to a new environment and to a new group of friends, she’s solved several murders, saved her roommate from an abduction, found out she had a brother, AND her mother came to town. All she wants is a break.When her roommate suggests the Witch Squad take flying lessons as a way to unwind, Mercy is happy to cut loose.
Lost Souls ParaAgency and the Three Witches of Burberry
K.M. Waller - 2018
The Assignment—stop witches from creating magical chaos in the small town of Burberry, South Carolina. There’s no dead body… yet. And there won’t be if Lex Dimas takes this assignment. Forced to take on the occasional paranormal case by his manipulative grandfather, he’d prefer to spend his days striking deals in the boardroom. Instead, he’s stuck in small town Burberry searching out witches who intend to harm the unsuspecting townspeople. Only, he doesn’t come upon a group of hateful witches—instead he finds a sweeter-than-peach-pie tea shop owner who wouldn’t harm anyone. Amira Walker and her two sisters come from a long line of witches who harness the power of emotional manipulation. But the Walker girls aren’t interested in fulfilling their witchy destinies, much to the chagrin of their three powerful aunts. When Lex shows up, Amira mistakenly believes he's spelled by the aunts in a love match attempt. To her mixed delight and disappointment, she discovers he’s there to apprehend a paranormal villain. As Burberry becomes a hotbed of magical activity, Lex is sure Amira’s youngest sister is to blame. It’ll be up to Amira to prove her sister’s innocence and help Lex find the true culprit. Can they survive malicious witchcraft and come together as a paranormal investigative team before it’s too late?
Hopeless Pocus
Rachel Rivers - 2021
What could go wrong?Witch out of water, Violet Vance, believes she’s run out of luck, when the truth is…she never had any in the first place. The poor girl’s not even a witch.Or so she thinks.Fired from her dream job as an investigator, Violet moves to the tiny town of Hex Falls seeking a new start where she discovers her somewhat-wacky, and terribly over-protective family has followed her. Being the only member of a paranormal family born without powers in the last hundred years, Violet has always been the anomaly. She was born human, never to become magical, but her family doesn’t seem to want to give up on that idea. Despite it all, she settles in, becomes an interior decorator, and right away strange things begin to happen. The winds of change begin to blow, and the waterfall next to her house flows backwards. But it’s when Violet’s fingertips begin to twitch, and her nose to itch, and a long-lost heirloom shows up out of nowhere that Violet begins to panic. But the slime really hits the cauldron when she’s followed by an overweight talking fox who claims to be her familiar. Could it be she has powers after all?Violet is then hired to restore a place called Murder Manor, to its former glory. She should have run screaming from the place when the house smelled like rotting corpse and the owner looked as white as a ghost… but, what can she say, she needed the money. Then a head rolled out onto the carpet of the blood-stained study, and well…what was an ex-investigator-turned-interior-decorator to do—just let a perfectly good murder lie there unsolved?Hex Falls Cozy Mysteries Series:Hopeless Pocus, Book 1, Now AvailableBedknobs & BroomHilda Sticks, Book 2, Now AvailableWitchity, Glitchy, Boo, Book 3, Now AvailableAbracastabra, Book 4, Now AvailableIn Charm’s Way, Book 5, Now AvailableWitchy, Glitchy, Glamour, Now AvailableThe Poof! Is In The Pudding ~ a special Christmas Novella to complete the series ~ Now Available
Her Hidden Secret
Alexandria Clarke - 2020
Until a one hundred year old case gives her a new purpose.When Jacqueline, a self-professed detective with a dark secret, arrives in Whitechapel, she becomes embroiled in one of London's greatest mysteries.Buried SecretsWhen Jacqueline Frye heads to Chicago for a wedding, she never expects a homicide case to land in her lap. Another copycat killer is on the loose, and this time the culprit is obsessed with America’s first serial killer, H. H. Holmes. As Jack navigates secret passageways, coded journals, and charming locals, more victims disappear and the mystery deepens. Then there’s Jack’s best friend, Evelyn, who seems to be hiding a big secret…
The Almost Good Witch
Erin Huss - 2020
Cursed with eternal life because of a hex gone wrong many centuries ago, Abigail spent her days exacting revenge on those she found to be the vilest of humans, from evil dictators to shoppers who didn't return their grocery carts. The line between good and annoying may have gotten blurred over the years. Sick of spending immortality frozen at the age of twenty-five, Abigail does the only thing she can--turn herself into the Supernatural Crimes Department. Now she's a member of Dark Magic Anonymous with a three year probation and a parole officer who is annoyingly powerful and more annoyingly cute. Oh, and she's traded in her broomstick for a Prius. After centuries of being evil, Abigail struggles with entering the workforce and being good. But that pesky probation means one slip up will result in a life sentence. She's not about to let that happen, and things are going well until her boss turns up dead with all evidence pointing to her. Will Abigail be able to maintain her new good witch ways while she hunts a killer, or will she slip up and spend the rest of forever behind bars?★Recipe Included★
The Pine Hill Inn
J.A. Whiting - 2019
A. Whiting.Ella Daniels, a professor of American history at Green Hill University, comes from a family with many talents, and seeing ghosts is one of them. The family matriarch, Aunt Jin, has agreed to allow a journalist to do a story on their business, Green Hill Investigations.When the man accompanies Ella to a centuries-old inn to try to help a ghost cross-over, they stumble over the body of a dead man in the garden.Who killed him? Why? Will more bodies pile up?With the help of her brother, sister, and a black cat named Raisin, will Ella and her family find the killer before he or she strikes again?This story has ghosts and mild paranormal elements.
The Curse: A Cozy Mystery From the 1920s
Alice Simpson - 2018
Jane grapples with a vandalized shop, a kidnapping, a creepy doll with seemingly supernatural powers, and a stolen diamond necklace. What do all these have in common? It's up to Jane to find out. About the Jane Carter Historical Cozy Mystery Series: This quirky historical cozy mystery series is set in the fictional American city of Greenville during the 1920s, and features Jane Carter, a young widow who returns home to live with her father after the tragic death of her journalist husband. Jane’s father owns a local newspaper, and wants Jane to take it over someday, but Jane is adamant that she has no desire to be a reporter. Instead, she turns her talent for writing to concocting melodramatic romances for fly-by-night rags who almost never pay on time. This work pays so poorly that Jane supplements her income by becoming an agony aunt, soliciting letters from the lovelorn through advertisements in the back of women’s weekly magazines. Jane dispenses advice to all and sundry, but her personal life is in shambles. Jane claims that she's holding out for a millionaire before she marries again, but the only man who makes her heart beat faster is Jack, a reporter on her father's staff. Not only has Jane vowed she will never be a newspaper man herself, she's doubly insistent on never again marrying one. While trying to turn out enough column inches of overwrought romantic bilge to keep her old car on the road, and herself in shoes, Jane runs into the most extraordinary circumstances. In Jane's madcap world, it's a constant round of kidnappings, curses, stolen jewels, counterfeit paintings, and hidden stashes of gold. There's plenty of crime to go around, but nary a murder. Accompanying Jane on her adventures is her best friend, Florence. Jane and Flo may get into one perilous situation after another, but they are never damsels in distress, because, as Jane puts it, "A real lady always carries her own pocket knife." Neither Jane nor Flo think it beneath them to slip a cosh into their handbag, either, should the situation call for it. All this getting into harm's way alarms the Carter's housekeeper, Mrs. Timms. Mrs. Timms believes it's her mission in life to turn motherless Jane into a proper lady, but seeing as Jane has just turned twenty-four, Mrs. Timms considerable efforts appear to have been in vain. However, the housekeeper won't give up trying, just as Jane won't give up on seeing Mrs. Timms and her father center-aisling it to the alter and saying, "I do." If you like light-hearted historical mysteries with quirky characters and a bit of zany humor, this may be the series for you! These are murderless mysteries. Despite a constant crime wave, there seem to be no murders in the city of Greenville. There may be plenty of peril in the form of kidnappings, heists, and the occasional assault, but nobody ever dies, and justice is always served. There’s plenty of romance, but sex is strictly behind closed doors. Suitable for readers looking for a "clean" mystery novel. This series may be of interest to fans of: Lee Strauss (Ginger Gold Mysteries), Jaqueline Winspear (Masie Dobbs Mysteries), Patricia Wentworth (Miss Silver Mysteries), Jessica Ellicot (Berl and Edwina Mysteries Series), Clara Benson, L. B. Hathaway (Posie Parker Mysteries), Leighann Dobbs (Hazel Martin Mysteries), T. E. Kinsey (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries), Margarete Addison (Rose Simpson Mysteries), Emily Organ (Penny Green Mysteries), and the Phryne Fisher Mystery Series.
All I Got Was The Headache
Anne Avery - 2016
Literally. Life, for Maxie, has never been the same since. Amelia has rotten taste in clothes, a fondness for single malt scotch, and an annoying penchant for meddling where she’s not wanted. As far as Maxie’s concerned, her fairy godmother’s “assistance” isn’t wanted anywhere, at any time, for any reason whatsoever. Unfortunately for Maxie, when it comes to heeding hints (not to mention demands and outright threats), Amelia has the hide of a rhinoceros—nothing gets through! Maxie is the owner and sole employee of Maxie Peterson Investigations. When she discovers her newest, richest, and (sadly) only client dead on her office floor with her letter opener through his heart, she isn’t surprised to find Amelia’s already on the job—Amelia can always be counted on to be in the middle of things, making them worse. What Maxie isn’t prepared for is the hunky new detective in charge of the case. Ben Trueblood is as hard-nosed as Maxie, and just as determined to find the killer, but he’s got a major advantage—he doesn’t have a fairy godmother making a mess of everything before he even gets started!
Cupcakes and Crime
April Browne - 2020
Sophia Bell, owner of Mama Ginger's Bakery and a not very skilled kitchen witch, is hired to cater the highly anticipated event.But the job is no icing on the cake, especially when she winds up as the prime suspect in the murder investigation. Her mother's legacy on the line, Sophia launches her own investigation. With the help of her southern assistant, some honesty magic, and two fluffy dogs, Sophia uncovers a secret she never thought possible.A murderer is living in Gold Valley, and Sophia is next on the list.
The Gossiping Gourmet
Martin Brown - 2014
But for love of his caramel chicken and cherry fudge brownies, everyone has a story to share regarding their fellow citizens—Stories that too often find their way into his weekly gossip-filled newspaper column, "Heard About Town." When the great chef and his admirers, the Sausalito Ladies of Liberty, take offense to a newly arrived Manhattan power couple, their insular world of tasty sauces and stinging insults leads to deadly results.Everyone has their own theory about who killed Warren. But it takes the combined efforts of Rob Timmons, the local newspaper publisher, and Eddie Austin, his childhood friend and Marin County’s top detective, to unravel this tale of delicious dishes and malicious deception.