A Scone to Die For


H.Y. Hanna - 2016
     Armed with her insider knowledge of the University and with the help of four nosy old ladies from the village (not to mention a cheeky little tabby cat named Muesli), Gemma sets out to solve the mystery—all while dealing with her matchmaking mother and the return of her old college love, Devlin O’Connor, now a dashing CID detective. But with the body count rising and her business going bust, can Gemma find the killer before things turn to custard? (**Traditional English scone recipe included)

Death by Pink Flamingo


Elisabeth Crabtree - 2014
    Everyone in Hatter’s Cove is talking about her. They’re convinced she knocked off her sweet and kindly old uncle for her inheritance and if that weren’t bad enough, one person seems determined to make her pay for her supposed crime. Sylvia Sutton, her business partner and the other co-owner of the hotel, will stop at nothing to prove Anna’s guilt. Despite Anna’s love and affection for her Uncle Max, Sylvia’s convinced that Anna is a cold blooded murderer and has made it quite clear to anyone that will listen that she will put Anna behind bars if it’s the last thing she does. So, when Anna stumbles upon Sylvia’s dead body in the middle of the night and accidentally puts her fingerprints all over the murder weapon, there seems to be only one logical thing to do . . . bury the body and pretend she didn’t see anything. At least, that’s what her ex-boyfriend thinks. The same ex she’s loved since grade school. The same ex who left without saying good bye nine years ago. The same ex who suddenly reappeared that day. And the same ex who seems awfully anxious to get rid of the body.

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?

Deadly Summer


Denise Grover Swank - 2018
    Since then, she’s hit—what gossip sites just love to call—the gutter. Nearly bankrupt, betrayed, estranged from her greedy mother, and just about unemployable, she’s coaxed into that desperate haven for has-beens: reality TV. Winging it as a faux PI, she’ll solve off-the-cuff mysteries in her hometown of Sweet Briar, Alabama. For added drama, there’s police chief Luke Montgomery, inconveniently Summer’s first and only love. It’s when Summer stumbles upon a very real corpse that Darling Investigations takes an unexpected twist. The growing list of suspects is a big draw to viewers, but the reality is that Summer doesn’t know whom she can trust. Someone has written this killer new scene especially for her, and unless Summer gives the role everything she’s got, it could be her last…

Secret of the Painted Lady


Elizabeth Ashby - 2015
    But her recent acquisition of the stately Marlton House has led to a showdown with the town real estate mogul, and now she needs to restore the old house and flip it before time runs out. But Alex gets more than she bargained for when a Hawaiian shirt-clad tourist with a bullet in his head turns up in the home's bathtub. Pairing up with unlikely partner and town florist, George Fontaine, Alex vows to solve the murder before her flip becomes a flop.As Alex worries over deadlines, she stumbles across another body on the cliffs of Danger Cove. However, this "body" is a super-sexy man with amnesia...or so he says. Throw in a stash of stolen diamonds, a matchmaking grandmother, a foulmouthed parrot, and a mysterious killer with Alex in his sights, and Alex is in a race against the clock to salvage the job, solve the murder, and save her own life.

Black Magic Kitten


Sara Bourgeois - 2020
    At seventeen, she’d left Coventry and didn’t look back. But after a messy divorce, she packed up her stuff and drove toward the only place that she knew would accept her. Life hadn’t been easy for Kinsley since she left town. Despite wanting a family desperately, she was childless. She had a college degree but had just been fired… again… She’d spent her entire adult life rebelling against what she was, and that meant hiding her true self from the world. Kinsley left Coventry on a mission to be ordinary. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans… Coventry isn’t your typical small town. It’s home to the most powerful family of witches in the world. Two ancient witch families united when her parents married, and she was supposed to be their leader. Nobody ever asked Kinsley if that’s what she wanted, though. Funny how the universe worked because there she was divorced, childless, and jobless… again… rolling into Coventry in her broken-down car with a U-Haul full of everything she owned. The joyous welcome home party was short-lived, because a dead guy turned up, of all places, behind the diner. Of course, the town’s hunky sheriff starts to give Kinsley the side-eye. But, a lot of people wanted the victim dead, and that only complicates the investigation. There’s a murderer on the loose in Coventry, and Kinsley’s got to learn to harness her powers to avoid the killer’s snare. Oh! And, then there’s Meri, the black cat familiar. Someone decides to grant him one wish for his faithful service to his coven, and it doesn’t go as planned either… Welcome back to Coventry. The events in this story take place thirteen years after the final scene the Wicked Witches of Coventry series. It can be fully enjoyed on its own and is suitable for all ages. You’ll find no swearing, gore, or adult situations, but you will find magic, mystery, and a hint of lighthearted mayhem.

Bubba and the Dead Woman


C.L. Bevill - 2010
    His ex-fiancee is deader than a door nail and everyone thinks he dun did it. His house is haunted. His mother is running an illegal gambling ring. His dog likes to bite people too much. And he's got to find out who really did it before the sheriff throws him in jail...again.

Tempest in Teaberry


R.A. Wallace - 2018
    With the help of her friends, Megan untangles the clues to help solve the mystery. This cozy mystery offers a clean read with a female amateur sleuth and friends in a small-town setting. Teaberry Farm Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery Series Reading Order: Tempest in Teaberry Book 1 Trouble at TeaFest Book 2 Teaberry Mystery Theatre Book 3 Teaberry Baking Contest Book 4 Teaberry Farmers Market Book 5 Coming August 17, 2018: Teaberry for Two Book 6

Dead on the Vine


J.M. Harvey - 2014
    Helena's Violet Vineyards, has a husband who would rather date a teenager than raise one, an emotionally unstable daughter with a violent ex-boyfriend and a staff of two who treat her more like a mother than a boss. But she can handle all of that. After all, things could be worse. Much worse.Claire is preparing for the bottling of Violet's Vintner's Reserve, hoping to stave off bankruptcy for one more year, when her neighbor, Kevin Harlan, is found murdered in her vineyard. That's awful enough, but when her daughter is arrested for the murder Claire is forced to pursue the real killer on her own, placing herself and everyone she loves in the line of fire.

Murder Strikes a Pose


Tracy Weber - 2014
    Instead, the three strike up an unlikely friendship.Then Kate finds George's dead body. The police dismiss it as a drug-related street crime, but Kate knows he was no drug dealer. Now she must solve George's murder and find someone willing to adopt his intimidating companion before Bella is sent to the big dog park in the sky. With the murderer on her trail, Kate has to work fast or her next Corpse Pose may be for real.

Calamity Jayne


Kathleen Bacus - 2006
    Crowned "Calamity Jayne" by Iowa Department of Natural Resources officer Rick Townsend, Tressa's out to gain a little hometown respect --or die trying. Unfortunately for Tressa, that may be the case. She's just been handed the perfect opportunity to get "Ranger Rick," the doubting Don Juan of the DNR, and a skeptical citizenry to finally take her seriously. How? By solving a murder no one else believes happened...No one, that is, except the killer.Yup, Calamity Jayne is in it up to her hot pink snakeskin cowgirl boots and matching rhinestone belt. Tressa would tell you her momma never raised no dummies, but the jury's still out on that one.

The Fargenstropple Case (Terrence Morgan Mysteries #1)


Lia London - 2012
    He was wrong. This time stolen family jewels, an enigmatic debutante and radio-controlled ferrets make the case a real mystery. Full of witty dialogue, slapstick humor, and plot twists, THE FARGENSTROPPLE CASE is sure to amuse and intrigue you.

Bitter and Sweet in Dog Town


Sandy Rideout - 2018
    The promotion she craves is finally within reach. All she needs to do is land a big donation for the hospital foundation from a visiting heiress.Hannah Pemberton isn’t thrilled about being back in Dorset Hills to open an exhibit of her late mother’s art. “Dog Town” has become a joke and the visit is stirring up old ghosts. She can’t even remember Remi, the hometown advocate.Tiller Iverson broke Remi’s heart in high school and left town 12 years ago. Now he’s back with his annoying dog, using his charm on Hannah to win the donation and the job Remi wants. He only has Labor Day weekend to pull it off.Everyone’s stressed… even Leo. And when Leo’s misdeeds get him barred from duty, Remi’s budding confidence is shaken. She’ll never get the second chance she deserves without her canine sidekick.But in Dorset Hills, where there’s a dog there’s usually a way.Bitter & Sweet in Dog Town is the first book in a series of heartwarming romantic comedies set in a quirky but quaint town where the dogs always steal the spotlight.

Skeleton in a Dead Space


Judy Alter - 2011
    A nicely done debut by an author to watch.—Susan Wittig Albert, author of the China Bayles mysteriesKelly O’Connell never thought real estate was a dangerous profession, until she stumbled over a skeleton in a dead space in an early-twentieth-century Craftsman house she was transforming into a coveted modern home in an older urban neighborhood in Fort Worth, Texas.From that moment, she runs into teen-age gang members, a manipulative ex-husband, a needy and single pregnant friend, a cold-blooded murderer, and a policeman who wants to be more than her protector. As free-spirited as the chocolate-peanut-jalapeño candy she craves, Kelly barges through life trying to keep from angering her policeman-boyfriend, protect her two young daughters, pacify her worried mother a thousand miles away, and keep her real estate business afloat. Too often she puts herself in danger, and sometimes it’s the girls, not Mike, who come to Kelly’s rescue.

Death by a Honeybee


Abigail Keam - 2010
    They are not cozy or fuzzy, but they do try to be humorous and witty. Sometimes they succeed. Each novel/novella has a stand-alone mystery, but the stories are also about the continuing life saga of a middle-aged Southern woman as she faces many serious obstacles. Josiah faces the world with sarcastic humor and a number of quirky, oddball friends that can only be found in the Southern town of Lexington, the heart of the Kentucky horse country. Some mysteries end with a bang, some are not solved at all and the first one ends with a cliff hanger, but they always entertain in the sassy, humorous and suspenseful world as Josiah goes about sleuthing. The Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series is just like fried chicken . . . finger-licking good! Add some sweet tea and a piece of chocolate pecan pie with a scoop of ice-cream and you got yourself some tasty reading. Description Josiah Reynolds is a beekeeper trying to stay financially afloat by selling honey at the Farmers' Market. She finds her world turned upside down when a man is found dead in her beeyard, only to discover that the victim is her nemesis. The police are calling the brutal death murder and Josiah is the number one suspect! Josiah makes the rounds of quirky characters that can only be found in the lush Bluegrass horse country. Fighting an unknown enemy in the glamorous world of Thoroughbreds, oak-cured bourbon and antebellum mansions, Josiah struggles to uncover the truth in a land that keeps its secrets well. Death By A HoneyBee is the first of an episodic series and as such ends in a cliff-hanger which is crucial to the rest of the series. Attached to HoneyBee is a bonus chapter from Death By Drowning which continues our heroine's story in linear time. I hope you enjoy reading Death By A HoneyBee as much as I have enjoyed writing it. It was a labor of love.