So, ready for change and up for a challenge, she has decided to relocate to the beautiful coastal town of Swaddle, California to pursue her lifelong dream of opening her very own bakery! And, as a self-professed “Queen of Cakes”, she can’t wait to show the world what she can do! Sadly, not everyone shares her enthusiasm. While the majority of the locals are thrilled with her new Comfort Cakes Bake Shop, Rachel soon learns that the owner of a local café is determined to ruin her. Of course, business is business, and a bit of competition may even make things interesting. But when Rachel finds a dead body in her kitchen just before the Grand Opening and she is accused of the murder, she quickly realizes that this is more than a little friendly rivalry! From Book 2, Guilt & Galaxy Cake: Rachel’s newest assignment is to create an enticing galaxy cake to celebrate the latest release from popular science fiction author, Stan Stickman. But when the legendary scribe is killed in a manner eerily reminiscent of a murder found in his own book, Rachel finds herself sucked into a vortex of mystery & deceit from which she seems unable to escape. Now, if she hopes to get out with her own life intact, she must figure out who is to blame for the deadly deed. And with a cast of suspects including an astronaut-turned-senator, an obsessed fan and even her own ex-boyfriend, she is in for a wild ride! From Book 3, Strangulation & Strawberry Cake: When Rachel is hired to bake a special strawberry cake for Sheriff Scott’s grandmother’s 90th birthday, she works extra hard to make it as perfect as possible. After all, the sharp-eyed millionaire is known to have a hot temper & a short fuse. But, despite all of her hard work, there’s no way Rachel could have prevented this party from going awry. Not when someone is murdered right before dinner! Grandma Mallory’s accountant is the victim. It seems he’d learned something that someone wished to keep secret and, with nobody at the party other than members of the family, one of them must be the killer. Unless, that is, it’s the ghost in the attic… From Book 4, Bodies & Bundt Cake: How exciting! Rachel is off to spend a weekend serving as a judge for a baking contest! She&rsquo

     Recipes included in each book. In Castle Creek West Virginia, rivalries run deep, but has this tiny town’s biggest rivalry finally led to murder? When widely disliked socialite Macie Dixon is found dead on the set of her cooking show, suspicion falls on her rival, elderly family matriarch, and owner of the Red Herring Inn, Liddy Lou Cormier. As the investigation heats up, friendships will be tested, and long buried secrets will come to light. With the evidence stacking up against Liddy Lou, her granddaughter Q’Bita will risk her relationship with Sheriff Andy Hansen, and her own life, to clear her Nana’s name. It will take every ounce of Q’Bita’s culinary cunning, and a little help from her best friend Jamie and brother-in-law Rene, to figure out who’s behind the sinister cinnamon buns that killed Macie Dixon. Sign up for the Red Herring Inn newsletter using the link on the About J Lee Mitchell page to get access to contests, freebies, and an inside look at upcoming books. New subscribers will receive BONUS CONTENT as a thank you for signing up.

     Roxanne Boudreaux never knew her Aunt Roxy existed until notified of the woman’s death. Named as the sole heir to her aunt’s estate, the Pittsburgh tax attorney finds herself in a world of danger she never anticipated.  Intent on securing a partnership in her law firm, Roxanne dismisses her inheritance as irrelevant. But after an abrupt end to a serious relationship, she travels to Oilville, PA and reluctantly accepts help from DSS Agent John Callahan. They encounter several deadly obstacles including a member of the Irish Republican Army sent to retrieve money hidden years ago. Roxanne has no idea what to do with her small-town legacy when a shocking revelation from her mother adds to Roxanne’s confusion. As the chaos in her life grows, can she overcome both the threats and turmoil? Will she let Callahan defend her or go it alone?

    With the help of her cat, Stanley, she investigates crime in the magical town of Brimstone. There’s an increase in the illegal use of black magic in Brimstone resulting in the crime rate escalating. Taking her gran’s advice, Cassia takes up residence in town so she can observe anyone who’s acting out of character. It’s not long before Cassia comes across the murdered body of a vampire. Cassia discovers he was a particularly nasty vampire who had countless enemies – and there are many residents who are happy to see him dead. But which one of his enemies actually killed him? The Centaur's Last Breath: A centaur has died while out on a run in Brimstone. His death is confirmed as heart failure by a doctor. But the centaur’s father is adamant that his son was murdered and asks for Cassia’s help. Cassia starts to investigate the centaur’s death and is soon convinced it was murder. Furthermore, she discovers the centaur had made many enemies in the lead-up to his death. As Cassia and Stanley get deeper into the investigation, a stranger comes into their lives. This stranger is welcome, but things quickly take a turn for the worse and Cassia realises someone is out to cause her a great deal of harm. The Sleeping Goblin A goblin has been murdered at The Brimstone Hotel. Cassia and Stanley investigate and discover his death could be linked to his unusual job. They soon have a list of suspects who had a grudge against the goblin, including his family. Things don’t run smoothly and their investigation is sabotaged by someone who wants to get rid of Cassia and Stanley - and will stop at nothing until they achieve that.

     While still in Vegas, Loretta Sweet and (Uncle) Ichabod McCoy decide to do a little sightseeing and pay a visit to the Hoover Dam via a guided bus tour. The trip is wrought with mishaps, starting with the bus breaking down. The bus driver is able to fix the bus and the passengers climb aboard for the final leg of the trip. Uncle Ichabod and Loretta, who are the last to board, discover they are unable to sit together and Loretta ends up sitting next to a passenger who is quiet, and for good reason...he's dead. Loretta, once again, finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Will her final destination be the local jail? Book 6: Pups in Peril After returning from their harrowing trip to Las Vegas, the Sweet twins, Loretta and Lacy, along with Uncle Ichabod, are excited to celebrate Thanksgiving, but the celebration turns to sadness when they discover that their "adopted" Chihuahua, Barkley, has gone missing. The trio, along with Barkley's owner, Savannah Dogwood, set out to find their beloved pup and soon discover that several other small pedigree dogs have disappeared from Misery and the nearby town of Glimmer. Are the missing pets an eerie coincidence...or has someone targeted the furry friends for something much more sinister? Book 7: Dying to Get Married The Thanksgiving holiday is over and Loretta Sweet, vowing to work off some post-holiday pounds, heads out for an evening stroll along with her twin sister, Lacy, and the neighbor’s dog, Barkley. Barkley breaks loose from his leash and races across Mossy Manor Bed and Breakfast property. When the girls finally catch up with him, they find him in an empty building, standing guard over a young woman's body. Lacy and Loretta quickly discover that the poor victim had more enemies than friends, including Savannah Dogwood, their neighbor. The girls start digging around and the list of suspects quickly grows with Savannah as the prime suspect. Can Loretta and Lacy clear Savannah's name, or is she, as all the evidence seems to indicate, capable of murder? Bonus Book: Deadly Drive-In Spring is in the air and Loretta Sweet is looking forward to a fun-filled Sunday, participating in Misery’s annual Spring Splash events. She's especially excited because Pastor Alex Jessup has asked her to be his date for the evening's Spring Serenade dance. Loretta's twin sister, Lacy, who is desperate to win the mystery scavenger hunt's grand prize, a shopping spree, talks her sister into joining the hunt. The Sweet sisters, along with Uncle Ichabod and their friend and neighbor, Savannah, find much more than the items listed on the scavenger hunt when the clues lead them to the town’s abandoned drive-in movie theater. Will they survive the hunt or will they become the next mystery in Misery? ~~ Click the “Buy now with 1 click” button at the top of the page OR Read it for FREE with Kindle Unlim

    While the hunt has twists and turns, the girls never lose sight of their goal...to outwit the local Police Department and form their own sleuthing group...The We're Not Dead Yet Club. Join the fun as this mismatched group of friends and their men cohorts search for clues and almost end up in the hoosegow and the local cemetery.

    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.

    His latest case is intriguing and he gets perhaps a little too involved. Libby Richmond doesn’t believe in ghosts, messages from beyond the grave or any other superstitious nonsense – but when she returns to the old Derbyshire farmhouse to nurse her Great Aunt Lillian through the last stages of terminal illness, she finds all her beliefs turned upside down. Lil wants to discover the truth behind a long-ago family scandal before she dies – and Libby finds herself being drawn in until she too is obsessed with the outcome. Decima Watkins was hanged in 1859 for poisoning three of her older sisters. Now it seems she wants revenge! Libby realizes that there can be no happy ending to this story. Either Decima was a pathetic victim of her father’s fury and a gross miscarriage of justice, or she was the cold-blooded murderess of her own siblings. Whatever the truth, she appears to be taking out her anger on Libby, even managing to inflict physical harm on her hapless descendant. But what is really happening at Hill Farm? Libby has upset quite a few people by supporting Lil when the general opinion is that she should go quietly to a hospice and die there. Is the culprit one of those angry with Libby’s interference? Is it Brendan, the boyfriend she dumped to run off to Derbyshire to be with Lil? Or is Libby simply losing her grip on reality? DI Piper is the one who has to discover the truth when he arrests her and listens to her incredible tale.

    Betrayed by his employer and left for dead, Kovac decides to lie low in Tokyo.His plan? Revenge...But when a young woman asks him to protect her from the yakuza, Kovac feels duty-bound to help. She’s a victim of abuse, and long experience tells him if he doesn’t step in tonight she’ll be a corpse before dawn.As Kovac works to uncover the truth of his last job, he finds himself drawn into a conspiracy which goes well beyond the yakuza to a new and terrifying multinational cartel. One that will stop at nothing to control the global drug trade.The kingpins are certain they’ve covered all bases. They're well-funded and utterly ruthless. But they’ve failed to account for one man – John Kovac.SHADOW KILL is the first in a fast-paced, unflinching thriller series that won't in any way shortchange you on action. Perfect for fans of Lee Child, Mark Greaney and Mark Dawson.

    When professor Susan Lombardi learns that her friend John is the prime suspect, she sets out to clear his name, but her research uncovers some troubling secrets about the school's faculty and students. And soon it becomes clear that John is not the only one with a motive for murder. “This is a story about puzzles and people, and that’s where it shines.” - Kim Malo, Mystery Morgue “There is a continual twinkle in the author’s prose.” - Steve Lewis, Mystery File

    There’s something oddly familiar about the teacher’s death, but maybe that’s just Jill’s overactive imagination getting the best of her. Could the killer really have taken inspiration from a famous Edgar Allan Poe story? And if so, will Jill be able to convince Detective Fitts to take her theory seriously?

    Nostalgia City is the ultimate resort for anyone who wants to visit the past. A meticulous recreation of an entire small town from the early 1970s, it’s complete with period cars, music, clothes, shops, restaurants, hotels—the works. The relaxed theme-park atmosphere is just what Lyle needs—until rides are sabotaged and tourists killed. Then park founder, billionaire “Max” Maxwell, drafts Lyle into investigating—unofficially. As the violence escalates and employees get rattled, Lyle gets help. Kate Sorensen, the park’s PR director—and former college basketball player—becomes another incognito investigator. Except that she’s six-foot-two-and-a-half-inches tall and drop-dead gorgeous. So much for incognito. Together, Lyle and Kate unravel a conspiracy of corporate greed and murder.

    Circumstances kept her from getting her college degree out of high school, and now, at twenty-eight, she is finally getting her life on track. She and her mother, Janet, share a house, and they get along well. Nothing has prepared Mariah for the news heading her way via a letter from the law offices of Hardy, Hardy, and Hardy. From the letter, Mariah learns that she was born to a teenage girl named Kathleen Warren, the granddaughter of a wealthy woman named Cora. Cora’s legacy is one of pain and loss. Her daughter died tragically, and her granddaughter withered away behind the walls of the old Victorian house on the shore. Their pain was so great that it has lingered, and when Mariah is told she has inherited the house from her hitherto unknown great-grandmother, she must contend with the spirits dwelling there when she takes possession of the charming white house by the sea. Since she was a child, Mariah was a loner whose imaginary friends were her constant companions. Now, as an adult, when she is confronted by visions while packing up her dead relatives belongings, she isn’t afraid. She is, however, intrigued, and with the help of a mysterious man named Jerry and an investigator named Sam, Mariah seeks to discover what the “ghosts” are trying to tell her.

    

    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.