Book picks similar to
Tomes and Terriers by Hillary Avis
mystery
cozy-mystery
mystery-cozy
first-in-series
Designs On Murder
Gayle Leeson - 2019
She didn't realize a ghost came with the property! But soon Maxine "Max" Englebright, a young woman who died in 1930, isn't the only dead person at the retail complex. Mark Tinsley, a web designer with a know-it-all attitude who also rented space at Shops On Main, is shot in his office. Amanda is afraid that one of her new "friends" and fellow small business owners is his killer, and Max is encouraging her to solve Mark's murder a la Nancy Drew. Easy for Max to want to investigate--the ghostly fashionista can't end up the killer's next victim! “As a sucker for a fun ghost story, I can say Gayle Leeson’s DESIGNS ON MURDER scores on many levels including a spunky entrepreneur and a charming setting. Now that I’ve read the first one, I’ll be counting the days until the next in the series arrives.” --Lorna Barrett, author of the New York Times Bestselling Booktown Mysteries In DESIGNS ON MURDER, Gayle Leeson sketches a stylish plot accessorized with a spectral fashionista sidekick. This series debut is a delight!" -Diane Vallere, national bestselling author
Haunted And Hexed
Misty Bane - 2019
Probably. Instead, I'd been lured in by the cute little beach town, a handful of instant friends, and a hunky local. My name is Dru Rathmore Davis, and In my defense, my life had pretty much just fallen apart. So, after learning that I'd inherited a bookstore from a grandmother that I never even knew existed, I was desperate to make this my fresh start. I daydreamed of owning a quaint little bookstore and spending my weekends reading on the beach. Sounds great, right? And what could possibly go wrong? Turns out, everything. The bodies start piling up along with my arrival in town, someone may have murdered Granny… and that’s only the beginning. As a former private investigator, I really can't help but find myself drawn (or pushed) into doing a little investigating of my own. It also helps that the Police Sergeant is super hot… cliché, I know, but what's a girl to do? Things are much more complicated than they first appear though, and being new in town certainly has its disadvantages. No one is who they seem to be. Not even me.
The only ones I can trust are the dead. Well, and my cat. But none of them are talking. Or are they?
Witch on Ice
Cat Larson - 2019
And you thought you had problems.Hi, my name is Sammara Eve Hain and I don’t admit that to just anyone.Especially the witch part.If it were up to me, I would’ve been born into a nice, normal family. One that went camping on weekends and played board games and watched television.Not one that spent their Saturday nights cackling around a cauldron and turning people into frogs.Okay, that’s an exaggeration. They don’t cackle.But they’re definitely not normal. And the frog thing?May I introduce my fiancé, Fernando? Mr. Short, Green, and Bewitched. Courtesy of my sister.All I ever wanted when I left my small town of Bigfoot Bay thirteen years ago was to disappear into the big city and lead an ordinary life.I never expected to return.And when I stumbled upon my childhood nemesis frozen solid inside a wall of ice, I never expected I’d be forced to stay.With my betrothed frog at my side and no sister in sight.** Witch on Ice is the first in a new humorous cozy mystery series. Suitable for all ages. **
Risky Relics
E.Z. Pennington - 2017
The strange thing is that Pauline had been gone for years, simply disappearing from the face of the earth. Then one day, Becky received a letter via her aunt's lawyer, telling her she'd inherited an antique shop. She wasn't a very impulsive person, but Becky took up the offer, packed up her life and moved to Rose Hollow. Rose Hollow was a tiny town in Maine, wildly wealthy and full of strange residents: there was always something going on. An uncomfortable chill runs just below the surface, belying a community that plays for keeps but plays it closer to the chest. The residents are nice, but nosy and Becky feels sort of out of place after she moves in and re-opens the store that that been closed for years. Then, after one late night, a dead body turns up in Becky's store, and it is up to her to find out who did it or risk losing her store and the new life she's just begun! This Cozy Mystery Novel is packed with quirky characters, rousing romps and a whodunnit that wraps up cleanly. No cliffhangers, no curse words and no obscenity.
Cursive, Foiled Again!
Daisy Robyns - 2019
When a friend, desperate to save an inheritance, asks for her help, she must put her hand lettering skills and powers of deduction to work in the charming small town of Cedar Valley, WA. If you enjoy cozy mysteries with something new, or if you're a fan of hand lettering, pen and ink art, graphic design, watercoloring, typography, calligraphy, and creative inspiration, this series is for you! Indulge your inner artist and sleuth. Welcome to Cedar Valley, a thriving tourist town and popular wedding venue. Once you slip into town, you'll want to stay and grab a cup of coffee with Jamie while she solves crimes. Get your copy today! Please Note—This is a short story, not a full-length novel. It's just a taste of this brand new craft and hobby cozy series, like those samples at the grocery store. Don't worry—there's plenty more to come!
A Witch's Guide to Murder
Aubrey Harper - 2015
She convinces her best friend Scott to come with her, not knowing what awaits for them there. It seemed that her grandmother was a witch of sorts, because the shop she left her, Book & Candle, definitely caters to the occult community. Things get even weirder when her grandmother's ghost appears and demands that her murder be solved. Rory is in over her head, but with the help of her mystery-loving friend Scott and her witchy cousin Rhi, she's determined to track down her grandmother's killer. Jack, the sexy new detective in town, and Hunter, the mysterious new arrival only complicate matters more. Will Rory uncover the killer before the killer comes for her?
Over My Dead Husband's Body
Etta Faire - 2018
She got a dead roommate.
The first in the paranormal series The Ghosts of Landover Mysteries.
Carly Taylor thought her luck was finally changing. Being broke, divorced, and living in her mother’s basement wasn’t where she thought she’d be at thirty-one. So when her ex suddenly dies and leaves her his family’s Victorian, she can’t sign the paperwork fast enough.That’s when she realizes there’s a catch. And it’s a lying, cheating, annoying one she can’t get rid of.Her ex is haunting the house and wants her to solve his murder case, which Carly figures is the only way to get the jerk to leave once and for all.Through channeling with his ghost, Carly is taken straight to the day her ex was poisoned at a strip club to relive the memory with him moment by moment, take down clues, and figure out what happened.But just like a free house, nothing is ever as easy as it seems, at least not in the strange county of Landover where small-town secrets meet the paranormal. And it’s a toss up about which is weirder.
Sleeping Dogs Don't Lie
Chloe Grace - 2019
Two super cute animals. And a multitude of suspects. But, no-one hears me.
Hey there. Pleased to meet you. I’m Albertus Eagle. I’m now known as the Detective Beagle. I see things. And I hear more. But what’s best is that no-one suspects me of being the guy who feeds back what the humans can’t unearth.It all started with one case.The one where my owner, Milly was bumped off. It landed me, and the cat, otherwise known as Cleo to her friends, not that she has many, in a shelter for unwanted animals.But, I didn’t let that stop me. Here’s my story.
Sleeping dogs don’t lie is the prequel to the Cozy Mystery series of novels starring Albertus Eagle, his two sidekicks, Cleo the cat and Bella Schuhmann, the smart human who actually understands him. In this wonderful short which is packed with humour and satire, we see the world of murder and intrigue set up through the eyes of a loyal dog turned amateur sleuth.
Witch's Tail
Melanie Snow - 2020
Divorced and jobless, she relocates to the enchanting village of Witchland intent on solving the murder of her late mentor. But as she pursues clues buried in the man’s fight to save the endangered forest-dwelling lynx, she makes an enemy of a ruthless land developer.Encountering fairies in the woods, Sarah discovers she’s been repressing unique gifts passed down from her ancestor and founding witch, Lativia Spellwood. But though she can now hear her deceased friend’s dog speak, she isn’t sure her abilities are enough to expose the greed and corruption covering a killer’s lies.Can Sarah work with the magical beings to bring a murderer to justice?Witch’s Tail is the charming first book in the light-hearted The Spellwood Witches cozy mystery series. If you like paranormal puzzles, delightful canine companions, and environmental enlightenment, then you’ll love Melanie Snow’s wagging-ly fun whodunit.
Buy Witch’s Tail to set a snare for an assassin today!
Sinfully Delicious
Amanda M. Lee - 2020
She sold her novel not long after college, did relatively well, and then fell off a cliff into obscurity. Now, without a book contract, she’s back at her family restaurant in a one-stoplight town … and she’s convinced things couldn’t possibly get worse. That feeling only lasts until her first shift, when on a trip to the storage building behind the restaurant, she literally trips over a body. Roy Axe, Shadow Hills most hated “Axehole,” died a hard death only feet from the restaurant (and the second-floor apartment Stormy currently resides in). The detective on the case is none other than Hunter Ryan, Stormy’s high school boyfriend, and the man who occasionally still calls to her in dreams. Hunter only cares about solving a mystery – nothing else – so their reunion is tense. In an attempt to distract herself from what’s happening, Stormy and her cousin Alice get drunk one night and pull out their great-grandmother’s old Ouija board, and it sets off a strange string of events, most of which seem magical … if you believe in that sort of thing, and Stormy isn’t sure she does. Stormy has trouble deciding which problem to focus on, so she avoids them all until things start blowing up in her face.Shadow Hills is a small town but the secrets that plague it run deep. Stormy is a woman – or maybe a witch – lost in a sea of magic and despair … but murder might just lead her out of it. That is if she can survive to solve the case, that is.
Dark, Witch & Creamy
H.Y. Hanna - 2017
This series has me completely bewitched!"Caitlyn's world changes when she learns that she was found as an abandoned baby and adopted by her American family. Now, her search for answers takes her to the tiny English village of Tillyhenge where a man has been murdered by witchcraft - and where a mysterious shop selling enchanted chocolates is home to the "local witch"...Soon Caitlyn finds herself fending off a toothless old vampire, rescuing an adorable kitten and meeting handsome aristocrat Lord James Fitzroy... not to mention discovering that she herself might have magical blood in her veins!When she's dragged into the murder investigation and realises that dark magic is involved, Caitlyn is forced to choose. Can she embrace her witchy powers in time to solve the mystery and save those she loves?
The Silence of the Elves
Meg Muldoon - 2016
FREE for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. If there’s one thing that every elf in the North Pole knows, it’s this: Never get on Mrs. Claus’s bad side. Never. Ever. Ever... After getting reassigned from the North Pole by a jealous Mrs. Claus, misfit elf Holly Hopewell is sent to work in the worst place imaginable: The North Pole Emporium Department store in Mistletoe, Oregon. The elves call it Mistletoe Row: a place so devoid of joy and Christmas spirit, that many a curly-toed folk has lost their poor mind working there. But just when Holly thinks things can’t get any worse, the store’s manager, who also happens to be Mrs. Claus’s nephew, is found murdered in his office. And good-natured Holly Hopewell finds herself as the prime suspect in the local police’s investigation. Will Holly be sent to a row of a different sort for a crime she didn’t commit? Or will the handsome yet mysterious homicide detective assigned to the investigation find the real murderer before the gumdrops hit the fan for Holly?
The Secret Staircase
Melanie Jackson - 2011
In her unknown relative's ancient house, she discovers that the sins of the past are very much alive and able to be visited on the children. Smugglers and pirates and an old curse are not just things of the past, but dangers and mysteries to be reckoned with today.
Murder in the Bookstore
N.C. Lewis - 2018
When Alan Earl, a well-known Austin antiquarian book dealer, is found dead at his 12th street bookstore, a tangled web of secrets, lies, deceit, and betrayal is exposed. For Amy King, Alan's death threatens disaster, because his bookstore was the first ever client event for her fledgling professional staging business. Quickly, Alan's death turns into something more than she ever anticipated. Things get worse when an elder of a local religious cult accuses Amy's company of unleashing a curse. Now no one's booking and Amy's dream of running a staging business lies on the brink of ruin. To save her business and protect her reputation, Amy must find out why Alan Earl died and who did it. Join Amy, her detective husband Nick, and friends, as they try to reverse the curse, solve a murder and save Amy's new business venture. MURDER IN THE BOOKSTORE is the first in a series of page-turning cozy mysteries set in Austin, the capital of Texas. Pick up this TOTALLY ABSORBING COZY MYSTERY FULL OF STUNNING TWISTS AND TURNS.
A Treasure to Die For
Terry Ambrose - 2017
What could be better for the reputation of a quaint coastal California town like Seaside Cove?Local eyebrows go up when eight friends come searching for a 16th Century Spanish galleon. After all, everybody knows there’s no such thing as Spanish gold off this part of the California coast. The group’s visit turns ugly when a killer strikes and leaves Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast owner Rick Atwood with a trunkful of questions. Who murdered one of his guests? Will his precocious ten-year-old daughter stop interfering in his investigation? And can he squelch the latest town gossip? Which is, of course, can Rick and his daughter do what the cops can’t and solve the crime?