Book picks similar to
Murder Now & Then by Diana Jackson


ukindielitfest1
fiction
cozy-mystery
local-history

The Sea Breeze Cottage:


Amy Rafferty - 2020
    Along the way, Jennifer and her family will discover the true meaning of trust and friendship as they learn to open their hearts to love.The Sea Breeze Cottage. A La Jolla Cove Series is a heartwarming, edgy, and all-around entertaining read filled with romance, excitement, intrigue, butterflies, and adventure.This must-read book rekindles hope after a tragic loss, trust after bitter heartache, shows that life lessons are learned throughout your life and that finding your soulmate has no time or age limit.An ageless inspiring adventure romance that can be enjoyed by everyone.La Jolla, a hilly sea-side coastal town, perched along the rugged shores of the Pacific Ocean forms part of the city of San Diego. Having spent the summers there with her Aunt, it was the place Jennifer had called home as a young girl. It had always been a place filled with the happiest of memories and times for Jennifer. Even as an adult, La Jolla was Jennifer’s haven and place to recuperate from the fast-paced world of New York where she had moved to so she could pursue her career after law school.Now a single mother of three children and a messy divorce behind her, her safe haven is scarred by a tragic accident that rips a hole in her world. Not only does she lose someone she loves dearly, but she unwittingly gets tangled up in a web of betrayal, mystery, and lies.The Sea Breeze Cottage. Book 1 is the first in a series of sun, mystery, and romance. Join Jennifer, her family, and friends as they learn that even the closest of families have secrets. Get tangled in the many twists and turns Jennifer, along with her family, starts to unravel as they dig up buried family pasts to reveal shocking revelations.Fall in love with each of the characters as they each play their part in the mysteries of the cove. Follow them through their heartaches, betrayals, and adventures as they find a way to open their hearts and let true love in.

Peacock's Tale: A Tartan Noir Murder Mystery (Peacock Johnson Scottish Mystery Series Book 1)


Stuart David - 2015
    Peacock’s wife thinks he did it, the police think he did it, even Frank McAlpine said he did it, moments before he died. But Peacock knows he’s innocent, and he knows he’s going to work out who really killed Frank to clear his name. But commiting crimes are more in Peacock’s line of work, he doesn’t have the first clue about how to solve one. Luckily, though, he knows a man who does, a man who owes him a favour. A second Scottish noir writer, Ian Rankin, has featured Peacock as the main villain in one of his bestselling Rebus novels- A Question of Blood. And Peacock feels he was somewhat misrepresented, made out to be much more of a hardened criminal than he actually is. He’d been planning to seek compensation from Rankin, on a massive scale, but now he sees an opportunity for Ian to make things good. If Rankin can use his detective skills to work out who actually killed Frank McAlpine then Peacock is willing to drop the action for libel. The only questions are, will Rankin agree. And is he up to the job.

Richter Ten


Rob Leininger - 2014
    In Eastern Oregon, 90,000 cubic feet of mantle-hot gas is roaring out of the Devil's Pore fumarole every second. To Bell, this is just a "leak," a pinhole, relatively speaking. But what is leaking? Where is all that gas coming from? And why is 700 square miles of land subsiding, inch by inch, year by year? The fumarole, it turns out, is just the visible tip of an iceberg. A disaster of monstrous proportions is brewing. Bell wants the fumarole plugged in order to study the problem, but the hot gas is carrying with it a rare-earth element worth billions, an element with military applications. The U.S. government wants Bell to shut up and go away; Drew Gannon wants Bell dead; 14-year-old Lissa Bell just wants to spend the summer with her dad; and gorgeous ex-model Kate is caught in the middle, forced into a disturbing agenda of her own. Forces of nature, government, greed, and love collide with the potential for an explosion that could make a major earthquake on the San Andreas Fault look like a whisper in the wind.

Silenced by Fear: A Suspense Thriller


Nicholas Jordan - 2017
    She was wrong . . . 16-year-old Kitty has worked hard to get her life back on track after years of traumatic abuse at the hands of her stepfather. And with the support of her boyfriend Aaron and her best friend Lexi, she really starts to believe she can put the past behind her for good. Until girls at her school start getting assaulted. Someone is stalking and targeting her friends one by one. The local sheriff has no idea who the attacker is or how to find him. Which means Kitty must try to discover the identity of this masked serial rapist herself, while also battling demons from her past. Can she put an end to this man's spree of violence, or will she herself become a victim once again? If you like a thrilling and suspenseful mystery with a twist ending that you will not see coming, then you'll love this book! Get Silenced by Fear today to find out if Kitty can triumph over both the terrors of the past and present!

The Locust Point Mystery: 3 Book Set


Libby Howard - 2019
    She's working as a skip-tracer for a PI who is desperate to land his own reality TV show. She has a new roommate who arrived with more than the usual amount of baggage. And her attempts at knitting are less than stellar – way less than stellar. Worse, the cataract surgery that restored her sight has also delivered an unexpected and disturbing side-effect. Kay sees ghosts. And when the dead turn to her for help, she just can't say no. The Tell All - The town party planner has a secret, and it'll be the death of her. Junkyard Man - Kay finds the eccentric recluse across the street murdered and herself in the middle of the investigation. Antique Secrets - When an auction antique comes with a troubled ghost, Kay digs into the past and uncovers a whole host of secrets.

The Family Dictionary


Lisa Walker - 2013
    Quiet, that is, until threatening notes show up to disturb the peace. Trying to discover who is sending the notes leads them to investigate long-dead relatives and a family heirloom, the dictionary passed down through generations. Connie and Rebecca rush to figure out the secrets enclosed in the family dictionary with the help of local cop, Brad Hamilton. But will they find the clues in time?

The Milburn Big Box Set: Two Complete Series: "A Murder In Milburn" & "Return To Milburn"


Nancy McGovern - 2020
    

The Adams File


Diana Xarissa - 2021
    

Murder At The Fourth: A Forest Pines Mystery


Duncan Whitehead - 2016
    That is until local businessman, Donald Sands, is found murdered on the local golf course. Young and inexperienced Sheriff, Steve Calder, needs help and turns to Jenny to assist him in his investigation. Suddenly Jenny is plunged into a mystery unlike any other she has encountered and faces a multitude of suspects who all have a reason to rejoice the victim's death. It isn’t going to be as easy as Jenny thought, as she tries to find out who killed the most unpopular man in town. A string of mistresses, a jealous husband, a shady realtor as well as a down on his luck store owner, who couldn't repay a debt, are just some of the suspects as the plot thickens, and twists abound. Meanwhile, skeletons from Jenny's past are rattling their unwelcome bones. The truth contorts to a climax that will leave readers breathless.

Bloodline; Master Of The Game; Rage Of Angels


Sidney Sheldon - 1993
    

The Old Tile House (A Cornish Mystery)


Daphne Neville - 2017
     ************************************ Anna Greenwood had never been to Cornwall yet she’d had a strong desire to visit the county for as long as she could remember. As her twenty-third birthday drew nearer she decided to satisfy that yearning by booking a fortnight’s holiday. After searching the internet, she finally chose to stay at The Old Tile House in Penzance, for no other reason than she was fascinated by an old picture of the building and in particular its three tall chimneys. Her holiday began well. The weather was kind, she made friends and enjoyed the sights, but then new guests arrived at The Old Tile House and things changed in a most peculiar way.

The Beasts of Juarez: An Atlas Hargrove Novel: Book 2


Ryan Schow - 2021
    

The Dead Girl's Shoes


Angela Arney - 2017
    But if she thinks she’s in for peace, she is sadly mistaken, as the countryside itself may be tranquil, but people are the same wherever you go. Lizzie’s daughter Louise works in PR. When she asks Lizzie to attend a perfume launch at Country House Hotel, the grand estate in Stibbington, Lizzie’s main concern is how uncomfortable her high heels will be. She does not want to go, but it is important to Louise. The perfume has been created by Simon Villiers, the son of the owner of Avon Hall, from some of their famous roses. Lizzie notices that Simon is drunk and obnoxious at the launch, especially to his cousin, Jemima Villiers. Jemima, who is working at the event, was raised by her aunt and uncle at Avon Hall after her own parents died. As Lizzie leaves the party she sees Jemima get into a small red car, and thinks nothing of it – until pretty Jemima is found dead the next day. Suddenly Lizzie is caught in the middle of a murder investigation. Once prosperous, Avon Hall has hit hard times. Money is scarce, and family tensions are rife. When Jemima turns up dead, DCI Adam Maguire has his work cut out for him. But Lizzie, who has grown jaded with the medical profession, has taken an interest in police work, and soon finds herself in the middle of the investigation, an investigation that will tear apart the Villiers’ family, and reveal secrets that will change the lives of everyone involved.

All The Hidden Pieces


Jillian Thomadsen - 2018
    Within minutes, she and her family hastily pack up their belongings and abandon their home. Where did the family go and why? Det. Roberta Hobbs has been assigned to uncover the family's whereabouts. Hobbs is a confident, intelligent police veteran. However, each passing day brings her closer to her unresolved past. When Hobbs digs deeper into the mystery, all leads point to her own longtime ex-boyfriend - a former drug dealer turned philanthropist named Steven Vance -- as the primary suspect. This riveting dual-timeline suspense novel takes us back to 2004 -- the year Greta Carpenter first realizes something is wrong with her young son, John. Over the course of his childhood, John's learning disabilities become apparent. Greta's unfaltering advocacy on his behalf puts her at odds with the school system and strains her relationship with her husband Griffin. Eventually Greta and Griffin's marriage falls apart, and during the divorce trial, Greta reveals that she was a teenage runaway, and a local entrepreneur named Steven Vance rescued her from the streets. Vance is certainly a man of many shades - a local celebrity for his philanthropy, a cunning CEO who sits atop a questionable mini-empire, a benevolent former father figure to Greta and a lying, evasive former companion to Hobbs. It seems that only Vance has the power to make people disappear in this small town and he emerges as the most obvious suspect...but Hobbs remains uncertain of his role. While her colleagues question whether she can truly be impartial, Hobbs realizes she has a reason to suspect them as well. Nothing is obvious in this thrilling mystery...except that Hobbs must race to solve the mystery before it's too late.

Nightsong: A Neanderthal mystery


M.J. Rhodes - 2016
    When Bronwyn learns later that she was the only witness to the abduction of a young boy, she takes it upon herself to find the boy. Her obsessive search for the boy triggers deep memories of her own—Neanderthal—ancestor. Can these memories from 40,000 years ago help her to find the boy, and also help her to understand who she really is?