Book picks similar to
A Cop and a Coop by Hillary Avis


mystery
cozy-mysteries
cozy-mystery
fiction

Wine's Up?


Wendy Meadows - 2019
    They have been struggling with money and regular blow-ups – except this time, one snick of a match to light a candle causes Reginald to go up in flames.Rumors circulate in the small community of Rosemary Harbor. Was it an accident, or was there more to it? Chief Preston is sent out to investigate: the first step, tracing where the gift basket was purchased.Sometimes the best cure for a broken heart is a fresh start.Hilary Sheridan is a widow who has just opened her shop with her daughter, Annabelle, to lead a normal life out of the spotlight after so many years caring for her late husband. Being questioned about a possible murder case is not a welcome she expected. It doesn’t stop her curiosity, especially when the whole town is talking about it – inside and outside – of her shop.For Chief Preston, everything must be conducted by the book, but Reginald’s past comes back to haunt him. He was a man who had many debts, making investments that his body couldn’t insure.Debt wreaks havoc with people’s hearts and minds – even to commit the unthinkable. In this cozy mystery, expect more than one blow up!

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.

Mushing is Murder


Patti Benning - 2019
     Angie Seaver isn’t exactly thrilled to be moving back to her small hometown of Lost Bay, Alaska. Her mother’s health isn’t good, and her father is away much of the time, determined to win the Iditarod dog sled race, which leaves no one to run the family diner. A stranger in the harsh land that was once her home, Angie is faced with the challenge of figuring out how to run the business on her own. She soon realizes that many of the locals still see her as “little Angie Seaver,” and vows to prove herself by making the diner more successful than it’s ever been. When the unexpected death of a friend casts suspicion on her father, Angie is determined to prove her father’s innocence, and discovers that things aren’t as they seem in the small town. With help from a handsome young acquaintance, she uncovers secrets that have been buried for decades…but will what she finds clear her father’s name, or condemn him? Will the answers leave her heart colder than the Alaskan wilderness?

Killer Apple Pie


Carolyn Q. Hunter - 2017
    HUNTER!!!Bertha Hannah’s two passions in life are books and piping hot homemade pies, and when an opportunity arises for her to open her own pie and book shop, she jumps in headfirst, only to find that preparing to open her own shop isn’t exactly a piece of cake.In the midst of getting organized and putting the pieces in place for her grand opening, tragedy strikes, far too close for comfort. All the while mourning the untimely death of an old friend, Bertha finds herself having to deal with pompous detectives, money-grubbing investors and unruly customers, which truly threatens to upset her apple cart.Will she be able to unravel the mystery which has presented itself at the worst of times? Or, will her dream business be finished before it even starts?

Murder Under Construction


Maddie Cochere - 2014
    She wants two things in life - a new career as a private investigator, and to lose the sixty pounds she packed on after her divorce.When she crashes her bike in a construction site, she lands on a girl with a large knife in her chest. Jo enlists her sister, Pepper, and their journalist friend, Jackie, to help solve the dead girl's murder. Things become creepy for Jo when the murdered girl appears in her dreams to offer unusual clues to her death.Murder Under Construction is a humorous mystery with Jo's family adding to the antics of the three women. Mama caterwauls, Jackie's two children offer sleuthing assistance, and her brother, Hank, laughs at all of them from the sidelines. Murder Under Construction is light, easy-breezy reading from Maddie Cochere.

Who Shot the Serif?


Daisy Robyns - 2019
    Jamie confronts Earleen Culp, the ruthless owner of the local stationery shop, in front of the most popular breakfast spot in the small town of Cedar Valley. Of course, Earleen professes shock and innocence, so when she’s found dead in front of Jamie's home the next morning, Jamie becomes the prime suspect.Jamie's one cross-stroke short of acquittal, and even her best friend has her doubts. But Jamie's not the only one in town with a motive for wanting Earleen silenced for good. To clear her name, Jamie's going to need every last drop of ink in her quill. With the hot police chief Ridge, and her makeup artist friend Nora on her side, she’s prepared to go out with a flourish if that's what it takes to catch the real murderer. She’s desperate to save her hand lettering business, but will her quest lead her right into a killer’s snare?

Mourning Routine


S.E. Babin - 2018
    Now, in desperate need of some way to make ends meet, she skulks back to her hometown of Asheville. Unfortunately, the employment offers are slim pickings for a has-been whose sole talent is being able to cry on cue. That is, until one odd turn leads to another, which leads to the little-known profession of Personal Mourning. Here, the better Kitty can fake it, the more dollars she’ll find stacked up in her bereft bank account. Talk about a role she was born to play! And townsfolk are just dying to hire her. Her first gig casts her as the bereaved girlfriend of one newly deceased Chase McCormick, someone she would never have dated in life. Still, Kitty will have to act like her life depends on it, because--OMG!--it does. Can she perform an investigation that could turn out to be murder before she gets her own curtain call? Find out whodunit in this hilarious mystery series filled with fake tears and a very real body count... Order your copy and start reading today! Mourning Routine is book one in The Funeral Fakers series. Each book stands completely on its own, but you'll have more fun if you read them all together!

The Return of Betty Snickerdoodle


Pepper Frost - 2021
    Bea's made millions off those syrupy holiday romance novels — and now Cash wants a piece of the action! What Cash doesn’t know is that Bea’s no ordinary septuagenarian millionaire. She’s a fearless, wily ex-poker pro who loves nothing more than being underestimated. And now she’s concocted a high-stakes plan to teach Cash a lesson. It’s a gamble that just might blow up in Bea’s face. Luckily, she has a friend in her corner — Angela Garcia, the brilliant, beautiful marketer who used social media to make Betty Snickerdoodle a publishing phenomenon. Cash will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Can Bea and Angela stop him – and save their publishing enterprise – before it’s too late?

Peonies and Peril: A Cozy Animal Mystery


Sue Hollowell - 2020
    

Sweet Deal Sealed


Judith A. Barrett - 2020
    She moves to her hometown in southern Georgia and buys a charming, old-fashioned donut shop, complete with the owner's dog, cat, and secret recipes. Karen O’Brien begins her new life as the Donut Lady.Karen's struggles to solve the prison murder and adapt to civilian life become even more complicated when a neglected boy suddenly disappears from his sketchy living conditions. While the Donut Lady searches for the missing boy and pursues clues to solve the prison murder, the killer stalks her.The Second Edition of BOOK 1 of SWEET DEAL SEALED, DONUT MYSTERY SERIES includes all of the FIRST EDITION story PLUS murders to solve and a killer to stop. Right up Donut Lady's alley!

Mixing Up Murder


Emmie Lyn - 2019
     Hi, I’m Dani Mackenzie and I’m the unfortunate soul who owns said diner. Looks like business is going to be slow for a little while as the whole town scrambles to find whodunnit. At first I just needed something to keep me busy while on my forced vacation, but now as the clues stack up, I’m caught in the middle of this crazy mixed-up murder. And I’ll do anything to get to the bottom of what really happened and why it happened in my kitchen. Too bad the only known witness to the crime is the victim’s terrier, Pip, and no one believes she bludgeoned her owner to death. But if not her… then who? And, perhaps more importantly, who’s next?

Asking Fur Trouble


Ally Roberts - 2018
     Back home on Sweetwater Island after a decade long absence, Wendy is looking to start anew. Armed with a place to live and her trusty dog, Trixie, all Wendy needs is…well, everything. Money. A job. A plan. When one of the locals on the island assumes she’s a dog walker, she jumps at the chance to make a little money. But walking dogs leads her directly into the path of Caroline Ford. Or, rather, the body of Caroline Ford. An unfriendly police chief soon suspects that Wendy might be involved in the crime and she immediately sets out to prove her innocence. As she works to clear her name, she meets several islanders who already have the wrong impression about her…and who might be the one responsible for Caroline Ford’s murder. The situation turns dire when Wendy realizes she’s not just a suspect…she might soon be a victim, too. She knew coming back home wouldn’t be easy. She just didn’t expect it to be deadly, too.

French Vanilla & Felonies


Erin Huss - 2018
    She's got a nice home for her daughter, a steady source of income, and the cute maintenance guy is certainly a nice perk! But her luck takes a bad turn again when a dead body turns up, a crime spree takes over the community, and Cambria finds her complex squarely at the center of it all! With her dream job suddenly on the line, Cambria dons her detective hat to get to the truth—after all, she's watched enough crime shows on TV to know how to catch a perp! Or so she hopes as she wades through a streaker in apartment 40, an ex-con with a shady agenda, an overly frisky retired couple, and the suspiciously sneaky dealings of the dentist in apartment 36. But will Cambria be able to catch a killer... or will she get caught up in his game and lose it all?

Killer Bait


Martina Dalton - 2019
     Much to the chagrin of her brother, Zen, a homicide detective, Clarity throws caution to the wind and jumps into the investigation with both feet. Zen’s ultra-handsome detective partner, Hunter, encourages Clarity to learn self-defense—especially since she’s getting closer to discovering who the killer is. Using her social media sleuthing skills, she sets out to bait the murderer. Is she clever enough to entrap the killer? Or will she end up as the catch of the day?

Like a Bad Penny


Harper Crowley - 2019
    The good, the bad, and the ghoulish, streaming live and in color to thousands of subscribers. When Meredith and her team of ghost hunters take on a case in the tiny town of Oak Cliff, Georgia, they don’t expect anything out of the ordinary, just a ghost in a white dress that may or may not be related to a missing persons investigation. But this case is unlike anything Meredith has taken on before. Oak Cliff is a town awash in mysteries and lies, and the spirit Meredith’s searching for may not be the only one haunting the MacIver mansion.Determined to unearth the truth, Meredith and her team dig their way through layers of mysteries and strange occurrences, getting closer to the truth—and real danger. Because it’s becoming clear that someone, or something, wants the past to stay buried, at any cost, and Meredith’s search for the truth just might get her and her team killed. Fans of Amanda Lee and Rose Pressey, get ready to start an exciting new series...