Of Murders and Mages


Nikki Haverstock - 2017
    Now she’s drawn into a madcap investigation at the casino where she's managed to snag a job. She must navigate learning her new mage abilities, a topless burlesque show, a jealous girlfriend, gamblers of all varieties, and magical chocolate cake, all while not setting herself or others on fire before the murderer makes her the next victim. A humorous adventure! "Ella's new job turns out to be more than she bargained for when she finds herself immersed in a world of mages, spells, and murder. This imaginative and addictive read is sure to please fans of mystery and magic!" Kristina B., Proofreader, Red Adept Editing

A Dead Red Cadillac


R.P. Dahlke - 2011
    But when her trophy red Cadillac is found tail-fins up in a nearby lake, the police ask why a widowed piano teacher, who couldn’t possibly see beyond the hood ornament, was found strapped in the driver’s seat. Reeling from an interrogation with local homicide, Lalla is determined to extricate herself as a suspect in this strange murder case. Unfortunately, drug running pilots, a cross-dressing convict, a crazy Chihuahua, and the dead woman’s hunky nephew throw enough road blocks to keep Lalla neck deep in an investigation that links her family to a twenty-year old murder only she can solve.

Clammed Up


Barbara Ross - 2013
    But that was before a catered wedding on picturesque Morrow Island turned into a reception for murder. When the best man’s corpse is found hanging from the grand staircase in the Snowden family mansion, Julia must put the chowder pot on the back burner and join the search for the killer. And with suspicion falling on her old crush, Chris Durand, the recipe for saving her business and salvaging her love life might be one and the same.

Death by Dumpling


Vivien Chien - 2018
    . .The last place Lana Lee thought she would ever end up is back at her family’s restaurant. But after a brutal break-up and a dramatic workplace walk-out, she figures that a return to the Cleveland area to help wait tables is her best option for putting her life back together. Even if that means having to put up with her mother, who is dead-set on finding her a husband.Lana’s love life soon becomes yesterday’s news once the restaurant’s property manager, Mr. Feng, turns up dead―after a delivery of shrimp dumplings from Ho-Lee. But how could this have happened when everyone on staff knew about Mr. Feng’s severe, life-threatening shellfish allergy? Now, with the whole restaurant under suspicion for murder and the local media in a feeding frenzy―to say nothing of the gorgeous police detective who keeps turning up for take-out―it’s up to Lana to find out who is behind Feng’s killer order. . . before her own number is up.

The Hummingbird Wizard


Meredith Blevins - 2003
    AND SO HELPFUL IN A FAMILY MURDER! Once you marry into a gypsy clan, just try to get out! Annie Szabo loved her husband, but after his death, she was only too happy to leave his outrageous clan behind, especially her pushy mother-in-law, Madame Mina. But Mina wasn't just any pushy relative. As the heart of the close-knit Szabo family, she was also powerful, stubborn, and devoutly to be avoided. Well, too bad for Annie! When her oldest friend, Jerry, turns up dead, she’s plunged back into the family she tried to leave behind. She knows Jerry was murdered, but how is she supposed to prove it? Easy, if you’ve got a gypsy family. Or anyway, easier. So before you know it, Annie’s knee-deep once again in ancient curses, petty theft, and, everyone’s favorite--love magic. All thanks to Madame Mina’s psychic skills and a certain wildly sexy gypsy and his shady P.I. father.

Maui Widow Waltz


JoAnn Bassett - 2011
    But then Pali learns the lavish wedding must take place on Valentine’s Day—only nine days away. Oh, and one other little hitch—the groom’s been missing at sea for more than a week. But no worries, the bride assures Pali, with or without the groom the wedding will take place. She’s struck a deal with the groom’s best friend to be his proxy, if necessary. Two days before the nuptials, a male corpse floats ashore on a South Maui beach. Looks like the groom’s shown up just in time. But what’s it gonna be—a wedding…or a funeral?Show More Show Less

Likely Suspects


G.K. Parks - 2013
    Unfortunately, things don't always work out the way they should. Meet Alexis Parker, former OIO operative, currently trying to make a name for herself in the private sector. With a limited job history, the state of the economy, and her own internal struggle concerning her competence as an investigator, Alex is forced to take the only job she is offered.When eccentric, playboy, CEO James Martin's life is threatened, he decides to hire the attractive, feisty, former federal agent to be his new security consultant and personal bodyguard. As Alex attempts to navigate the minefield of potential suspects, she discovers an underlying conspiracy that has been brewing at Martin Technologies for almost half a decade. Anyone could be involved, making all of Martin's closest friends, acquaintances, and employees possible suspects. What starts out as a single death threat quickly morphs into a plot to overtake his entire company. Once the pieces fall into place, things explode, both literally and figuratively. This outwardly simple case is something neither Alex nor Martin ever imagined. It will take all of Alex's training and instincts to track down the criminal mastermind and stop the assassination plot before it's too late, and even that may not be enough.

Death on Canvas


Mary Ann Cherry - 2016
    Jessie, accompanied by her huge orange tomcat, Jack, returns to Sage Bluff to house sit for her dad and judge an art competition. She is painting the morning light on a golden haystack, and absentmindedly brushes a note of turquoise onto the canvas, echoing a spot of color she sees . Curious about the lovely spot of blue, the artist walks over to discover a shoe. The mate is still on the foot of a dying Native American girl crammed between the hay bales. She whispers to Jessie that her attacker was a cop. The story becomes personal when old flame, Sheriff Russell Bonham, reveals that the girl had been attacked while on her way to speak to Jessie's family about two missing Thomas Moran masterpieces worth millions. The paintings disappeared nearly a hundred years ago from St. Benedict's Mission School. Right after the unsolved murder of Jessie's great aunt Kate. Having no idea who to trust, Jessie teams up with Arvid Abrahmsen, a huge Norwegian cop, and FBI art theft agent, Grant Kennedy, to search for the lost artwork and solve the murders, both the past and the present. Death on Canvas is not a cliche "who-done-it" light mystery. It has unexpected twists and turns, art tips, humor and glorious description of both the past and present.

The Final Arrangement


Annie Adams - 2012
    But there’s a problem—Quincy is now the main suspect in The Vulture’s murder. Armed with only her Zombie delivery van, good intentions, and the business card of a handsome cop named Alex, she must find the killer, save the flower shop, and keep from ending up in the next casket. If she can dodge burning bushes, the plague of a polygamist ex, and her mother's Mormon Mafia Spy Network, her life with Alex and her shop could become the perfect arrangement.

Sweet Murder


Tegan Maher - 2017
    But that's just the beginning. She has the Magical Oversight Committee on her back because she can't keep her unruly little sister in line and the hunky new city-slicker sheriff would like to take her to dinner, except he suspects her of murder. To top it off, her possessed miniature donkey is being particularly calamitous and the old hens at the local beauty parlor are laying bets on her love life. A skydiving best friend and a bossy, living-impaired aunt become the least of her worries when the killer decides to bump up the plan by bumping her off. Can she figure it out in time to save all that she holds dear, or will Noelle be next on the list of folks who've turned up dead?

Murder in White Lace


Karen Sue Walker - 2016
    When her boss goes on vacation, things quickly unravel when one of her brides-to-be collapses in the shop during a fitting and dies at the hospital soon after, apparently poisoned. When her childhood friend is accused of the murder, Max decides to investigate and clear his name. With help from her new assistant, Keiko, and the other colorful residents of Crystal Shores, Max begins to weave together a list of suspects, much to the concern of the handsome Detective Cruz. Will she be able to tie up the loose threads and catch the murderer - or will the murderer get to her first?

At Wits' End


Kirsten Weiss - 2017
    She knows she can make the B&B work, even if there is a faux-UFO in the roof. After all, what’s not to love about a Victorian nestled in the high Sierra foothills? None of her carefully crafted policies and procedures, however, can prepare her for a corpse in room seven – the body of her small-town sheriff’s ex-husband. But Susan has her own plans to solve the crime. In Susan’s mind, Men in Black, conspiracy-crazed old ladies, and an angry sheriff are just part and parcel of catering to UFO enthusiasts. But is there a government conspiracy afoot? Or is the murder a simple case of small-town vengeance? Susan must keep all her wits about her. Because the killer isn’t finished, and if she isn’t careful, her fate may be written in the stars… Breakfast recipes in the back of the book!

Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle


J.A. Lang - 2015
    By this measure, Chef Maurice was very trustworthy indeed.” Take one sleepy Cotswold village, mix in one Poirot-esque murder mystery, add a larger-than-life French chef with an appetite for solving crime, and season with clues and red herrings galore . . . It’s autumn in the Cotswolds, and Chef Maurice is facing a problem of mushrooming proportion. Not only has his wild herb and mushroom supplier, Ollie Meadows, missed his weekly delivery—he’s missing vital signs too, when he turns up dead in the woods near Beakley village. Soon, Chef Maurice is up to his nose in some seriously rotten business—complete with threatening notes, a pignapping, and an extremely well-catered stake-out. Can he solve Ollie’s murder before his home-made investigation brings the killer out for second helpings?

The Quilt Ripper


Mary Devlin Lynch - 2015
    She likes to read mysteries, especially Sherlock Holmes. When someone breaks into the house of another guild member, rips apart an heirloom quilted skirt, and leaves the torn pieces behind, everyone in Cutler, Pennsylvania thinks Miranda can solve the mystery! Gabe Downing, a retired FBI agent from Boston, has recently joined the quilt guild as its first and only male member.Coincidence? Miranda doubts it but she finds herself attracted to this new man in town. He asks her to dinner and she's flattered at first, but then her suspicious mind wanders. Does he know more about the break-in than he's saying? Is he trying to find out what information she might have? Well, two can play that game! Can Miranda and Gabe find the "Quilt Ripper" before another vintage piece is destroyed? Gabe may have experience on his side but she has her own secret weapon. The ladies of Quilt Guild Number One are on the case!

Love Me If You Must


Nicole Young - 2007
    For a start she discovers something unsettling in the basement that interests the police officer next door.