Book picks similar to
Coffee and Crime by Kelly Hashway
mystery
cozy-mystery
e-books
novella
Candy Coated Murder
Kate Bell - 2017
But when the most hated woman in town is murdered, the police start looking in my direction and I have to wonder if moving home was a good idea.
In Pumpkin Hollow, Halloween is celebrated all year long. Mia Jordan has just moved home after being gone ten years, and when she discovers a neighbor has been murdered, it casts a shadow on the town's year-round Halloween theme. Can Mia find the killer and save the town's Halloween celebration before it's too late?
Steeped in Murder
Kirsten Weiss - 2019
She’s got the lease, the start-up funds, and the recipes. But Abigail's out of a tearoom and into hot water when the realtor turns out to be a conman… and then turns up dead.But not even death puts an end to the conman’s mischief. He rented the same space to a tarot reader, Hyperion Night. Convinced his tarot room is in the cards, Night’s not letting go of the building without a fight. Steamed, Abigail realizes the only way to salvage her tea room is to join forces with the tarot reader, even if he isn’t her cup of tea.But they must work together, steeping themselves in the murky waters of the sham realtor's double dealings, in order to unearth the truth – before murder boils over again.Steeped in Murder is the first book in the Tea and Tarot cozy mystery series. Buy the book to start this hilarious caper today.
Mark of the Loon
Molly Greene - 2012
She struggles with the inability to put down roots years after the sudden death of her beloved parents. Madison and her three wise, hilarious friends all wonder if she uses her busy, work-centric lifestyle as an excuse to avoid connection with anyone but them.When Madison checks out a probate sale outside Healdsburg, California, she falls in love with the European-style house on a private tract of land overlooking Lake Sonoma. In fact, she likes the place so much she climbs in the window for a private tour. With help from lawyer and friend Genevieve Delacourt, Madison soon learns that the estate’s corrupt attorney has manipulated the sale and is attempting to steer the purchase to an anonymous client in a deceitful plan for personal gain.Good fortune enables her to purchase the Blackburne’s property, but far more than a new home and lush gardens await discovery during this renovation. As Madison works on the remodel, she’s drawn into an old love story with dangerous consequences. In the process, she discovers herself as she unearths buried secrets. The series of events both endanger Madison and lead her to love – and a permanent home. Mark of the Loon is the skillful combination of history, mystery, and romance in a novel that explores deep friendship, choices, and how individuals cope with loss.
Bitter Roots
C.J. Carmichael - 2017
On the surface Lost Trail is a picture-perfect western town, offering a simple way of life revolving around the local ranches and ski hill, but Zak knows the truth behind the façade. When his old school friend Tiff Masterson, whose family owns a local Christmas tree farm, moves back to town, the two of them join forces to get to the truth about the murder. Bitter Roots is the first of three Bitter Root Mysteries.
The Housewife Assassin's Handbook
Josie Brown - 2011
Donna Stone has one…and it happens to be government-sanctioned. She earned it the hard way: her husband was killed the day she delivered her third child. To avenge his death, she leads a secret life – as an assassin. But espionage makes for strange bedfellows – and brings new meaning to that old adage, "Honey, I’m home…"
How to Leash a Thief
Cat Clayton - 2017
Normally.But nothing is pleasant or normal about murder.I never thought, in my wildest dreams at 26-years-old, I would see my first dead body. Or take over my grandmother’s floundering pet grooming business, without a lick of experience aside from managing the shop’s (Stone Age) back office, drain my savings account for the shop’s renovations, begin hearing my Chihuahua’s voice inside my head, and wind up a possible suspect in the murder of one of my employees.Now, if I can clear my name, discover the real killer—without getting whacked myself, come to terms with hearing my chatty pup, all while keeping the family business afloat, my life won’t slip down the proverbial drain.♥Author’s Note: Some, more mature, readers in the humorous, cozy mystery genre may love to hate my main character, Steely Lamarr, and that’s okay. But as the writer, it is my duty to remain true to her character and her story. Steely doesn’t claim to have all the answers, nor does she always make the wisest of decisions. Her character is loosely based on a few of my own experiences married to a law enforcement officer in my 20’s, and coupled with inspiration drawn from our oldest daughter’s personality, whose steely attitude and tenacious spirit kept her feet on the ground and her head held high during the difficulties in her young adult life. As with my own daughter, I have a deep appreciation for Steely’s growth, maturity, and her willingness to own and learn from her mistakes as the series progresses. My hope is readers will acknowledge and appreciate this as well. If not, remember, there’s always pie, and pie makes everything better.~Publisher's note: This is the 2nd edition of How to Leash a Thief. Many readers of the 1st edition stated it read like a "cozy" mystery. Although it does contain many cozy mystery elements, we at Pigasus Publications do not want to mislead readers. Our readers’ happiness is top priority. How to Leash a Thief does not contain explicit sex or excessive violence. Some cozy mystery fans might enjoy the story. But we want to inform readers, the book does contain minimal use of curse words and sexual innuendos. Thank you for your interest!
Jeopardy in January
Camilla Chafer - 2017
Welcome to Calendar where life is sweet, but death is murder. Sara Cutler loves her job as head librarian of the public library, an integral part of the historic heart of the picturesque mountain town, Calendar. The combination of old books, quirky clientele, and endless reading is nothing less than perfection for Sara. So when she discovers a body in the rare books section that threatens to destroy her quiet existence, along with the imminent demise of the library, Sara vows to find the killer. She never expects to receive any help from Jason Rees, the handsome, big city developer whose only objective is to get rid of the library. Sara assumes he is counting on the murder to serve as the final death knell his firm needs to demolish the library. However, that doesn’t prevent him from falling head over heels for the very woman with whom he’s clashing. When news arrives that the dead woman was nothing that she appeared to be, the whole town is instantly enthralled by the concept of having an actual jewel thief in their midst. Even more puzzling is: where did she hide her stolen treasure? All Sara must do to save the library is simply solve the murder, find the hidden jewels, and convince herself not to succumb to the one man she would rather see run out town. It doesn’t take long before she realizes that amateur sleuthing isn’t as easy in real life as it is in the stories she loves to read. Twelve cozy mysteries... one deadly town!
Double Whammy
Gretchen Archer - 2013
But once there, she runs straight into her ex-ex husband, a rigged slot machine, her evil twin, and a trail of dead bodies. Davis learns the truth and it does not set her free—in fact, it lands her in the pokey. Buried under a mistaken identity, her hot streak runs cold until her landlord Bradley Cole steps in. Make that her landlord, lawyer, and love interest. With his help, Davis must win this high stakes game before her luck runs out.
Murder by Chance
Pat Dennis - 2013
At fifty, Betty is unemployed, divorced and penniless, but with her stunningly beautiful niece Lori, she opens Take A Chance Tours, a Chicago-based company specializing in gaming destinations. Betty quickly becomes close friends with Tillie, the perky, effervescent bus driver who happens to be an ex-con. As soon as the tour bus arrives at Moose Lake Bay Resort and Casino in northern Minnesota, Betty and her driver Tillie, discover a dead body in the locked bathroom of their motor coach. The 350-pound corpse is riddled with stab wounds. With Tillie and Lori's help, Betty puts her amateur sleuth ability to work and searches for the killer.
Beautiful Mess
Lucy V. Morgan - 2011
Before she knows it, she's confessed that she's never had an orgasm with a man.Now Bailey has to navigate sappy couples at work, while her friends are hell-bent on helping her get revenge on evil Craig...by dressing up as werewolves, on YouTube.And one of those friends - the tall, shy-but-gorgeous Linc - might just want to help Bailey with that other little problem...
Trouble at Happy Trails
Minnie Crockwell - 2014
By night’s end, a death in the park finds her consoling the deceased man’s widow...or his killer. Whether the dearly departed died by his own hand or whether someone murdered him remains to be seen. It seems the deceased had a lot of character flaws. A lot! Peregrine Ebenezer Alvord, otherwise known as Ben, is tagging along with Minnie on her travels. That he is an early 19th century ghost is only a minor complication. Ben has the ability to venture unseen where others cannot. Minnie never imagined herself as an amateur sleuth, but with Ben’s help, she might just be able to discover the source of the Trouble at Happy Trails! Trouble at Happy Trails is Book 1 of a series of short stories featuring Minnie and Ben. Each story can stand alone, but to avoid extensive repetition of the back story, the stories would be best read in order. Look for Book 2 soon!
Friends and Foes
L.C. Turner - 2012
Can she figure out who is standing in her way before her dreams go up in smoke?In this Read Wine series prequel, Trixie is ecstatic that she is about to reach her lifelong dream of owning a bookstore, which will also have coffee, baked goods and a wine bar. It's everything she loves, all under one roof. To make it even better, she's doing it with her best friends, Sally and Cora.Just when they think they are close to opening Read Wine, strange things start to occur. Someone trashes their store mere days before they are to open. Then Sally gets stranded when someone puts sugar in her gas tank. And the competition in town is not happy another coffee option is opening.Who has it in for them? Is someone trying to sabotage Read Wine?
The Imperfect Psychic: A Dubious Death
Ashley King - 2020
Quiet and peaceful, the town offers the exact escape she needed. And when her own vision leads her to a charming historic for sale, she spontaneously decides to buy it and follow her forever dream of running a bed and breakfast.But Charlotte is in way over her head. Desperate to keep it running, she is forced to rely on her psychic abilities once again, and decides to open a psychic booth once again. Everything finally seems to be going her way—when a shocking murder puts her right in the middle of the crime.Now Charlotte must solve the case—or lose her bed and breakfast, her clients, and her future.A page-turning cozy mystery, packed with mystery, a touch of the supernatural and humor—THE IMPERFECT PSYCHIC is an un-putdownable cozy that will keep you turning pages (and laughing out loud) late into the night.
In for a Penny
Kelsey Browning - 2013
Desperate to keep up the family name and give the man a decent burial, penniless Lil cooks up a shady deal that lands her smack-dab in the slammer.Burdened by her shameful secret and a crumbling family estate, Lil entrusts Summer Haven’s care to her best friend, Maggie, who recruits two more over-fifty ladies to help. But when Maggie discovers that Lil’s restitution is ten times the amount she “borrowed” from the federal government, she’s convinced Lil has taken the fall for someone else’s crime.Will these gals be able to get some vigilante justice for Lil, or will the swindler get away with hoodwinking a sweet little old lady?Recipes included!(Originally published as In for a Penny in the Granny/G Team series)
Death of a Dapper Snowman
Angela Pepper - 2014
That is unless Jeffrey, the mischievous Russian Blue cat who led her to the icy body in the first place, can flick his sleek gray tail at the final piece in the puzzle.