Book picks similar to
The Agora Letters by Clay Boutwell
mystery
historical-fiction
hidden-gems
first-in-series
Death Below Stairs
Jennifer Ashley - 2018
Kat is unbothered by the family’s eccentricities as long as they stay away from her kitchen, but trouble finds its way below stairs when her young Irish assistant is murdered. Intent on discovering who killed the helpless kitchen maid, Kat turns to the ever-capable Daniel McAdam, who is certainly much more than the charming delivery man he pretends to be. Along with the assistance of Lord Rankin’s unconventional sister-in-law and a mathematical genius, Kat and Daniel discover that the household murder was the barest tip of a plot rife with danger and treason—one that’s a threat to Queen Victoria herself.
To Catch A Spinster
Megan Bryce - 2012
She has her studies and her duties, what need does she have of a husband? With five sisters married she knows the reality does not live up to the promise, and does not need to personally experiment with the state to know she would be ill-suited to it. However, she finds herself envious of at least one aspect of marriage. But to experience the physical side of marriage, one doesn't need a husband, all one needs is the right man...Nathaniel Jenkins knows his duty. Marry a young girl from a respectable family and father an heir, no matter how cold the endless parade of suitable girls leaves him. But a shocking proposal from a scholarly spinster leaves him wondering if unsuitable is just what he's looking for. Can he convince his spinster that marriage is the greatest experiment of all?
Murder at Merisham Lodge
Celina Grace - 2016
Unfortunately, it’s not enough to prevent her being bludgeoned to death one night in the study of Merisham Lodge, the family’s country estate in Derbyshire. Suspicion quickly falls on her ne’er-do-well son, Peter, but not everyone in the household is convinced of his guilt. Head kitchen maid Joan Hart and lady’s maid, Verity Hunter, know that when it comes to a crime, all is not always as it seems. With suspicions and motives thick on the ground, Joan and Verity must use all the wit and courage they possess to expose a deadly murderer who will stop at nothing to achieve their aim… Murder at Merisham Lodge is the first in a new series of historical mysteries, Miss Hart and Miss Hunter Investigate, set in the 1930s. The author, Celina Grace, is the creator of the bestselling The Kate Redman Mysteries and The Asharton Manor Mysteries, as well as several standalone thrillers.
Down on the Charm
E.L. Wilder - 2019
Several, really. There’s her knack for stealing the limelight. The one for working the red carpet. For charming producers and audiences alike. And the one she’d rather not talk about. The Knack. The one for magic. She’s been ignoring her destiny as a witch since she ran away to Hollywood, but when one very public slip of magic derails her career, she returns to idyllic Vermont. Only it’s true you can never go home again, and Hazel finds the twenty-first century is fast encroaching upon Bennett Farms, threatening its status as a haven and gateway to the magical world. To top it off somebody is murdered before Hazel can even unpack—crushed by the business end of an antique tractor. Now Hazel must prove her sister’s innocence without the faintest idea how. There is no script. No direction. And improv has never been her strength. And that Knack she’s been ignoring all these years? It could be the key to saving both her sister and the farm before all its secrets become tabloid fodder. Down on the Charm is the first in the Farm to Fable Paranormal Mysteries, a cozy mystery series that is packed with spell casters, mythical creatures, and all the things that make Vermont the quirky little state it is. Sometimes deadly serious, sometimes deadly funny, and sometimes just deadly.
Murder at the Mayfair Hotel
C.J. Archer - 2020
Solve the puzzle in this new mystery from USA Today bestselling author of the Glass and Steele series.December 1899. After the death of her beloved grandmother, Cleopatra Fox moves into the luxury hotel owned by her estranged uncle in the hopes of putting hardship and loneliness behind her. But the poisoning of a guest throws her new life, and the hotel, into chaos.Cleo quickly realizes no one can be trusted, not Scotland Yard and especially not the hotel’s charming assistant manager. With the New Year’s Eve ball approaching fast and the hotel’s reputation hanging by a thread, Cleo must find the killer before the ball, and the hotel itself, are ruined. But catching a murderer proves just as difficult as navigating the hotel’s hierarchy and the peculiarities of her family. Can Cleo find the killer before the new century begins? Or will someone get away with murder?
Nox Dormienda: A Long Night for Sleeping
Kelli Stanley - 2008
He is Agricola's doctor and friend. And Agricola is the governor of Britannia. On a frozen December afternoon, he learns the governor is in trouble. The Emperor Domitian has sent a spy to Britannia -- a spy carrying papers demanding Agricola's resignation. It doesn't make Arcturus any warmer to know that the spy, Vibius Maecenas, is betrothed to the woman who brings him the story. The woman -- Gwyna -- is as unforgettable as her information. When Arcturus sends his freedman Bilicho to follow her, he finds himself, hours later, in an underground temple, staring at a shapeless hulk on top of the altar. It's the trussed body of Maecenas, with a gaping hole in place of a throat. If Arcturus doesn't find out who murdered him and why, Domitian might think the governor is responsible. The dead Maecenas will ignite a civil war, one hot enough to thaw the ice in frozen Britannia.
Grammy's Secret Recipe
C.C. Dragon - 2015
Divorced, she's already earned her amateur sleuth badge by proving her super rich ex-husband cheated on her (and getting her share of the money per the pre-nup). A prize-winning cook and blue ribbon baker, she was a fabulous wife and hostess but now she's starting over.It’s fun to be home with friends and family but even quiet little towns have problems. Secrets and lies make people do desperate things-small towns just hide them better. When someone steals Grammy's precious family recipe book, Stacey must track it down or never hear the end of it. That book means the world to the family and, since cooking is Stacey's future, no one is going to steal her family's culinary heritage and get away with it!
Ratcatcher
James McGee - 2006
Hunting down highwaymen was not the usual preserve of a Bow Street Runner. As the most resourceful of this elite band of investigators, Matthew Hawkwood was surprised to be assigned the case - even if it did involve the murder and mutilation of a naval courier. From the squalor of St Giles Rookery, London's notorious den of thieves and cutthroats, to the brightly lit salons of the aristocracy and the heart of the British government, Hawkwood relentlessly pursues his quarry. As the case unfolds and another body is discovered on the banks of the Thames, the true agenda begins to emerge. And only Hawkwood can stop a dastardly plot that will end British mastery of the seas forever.
What Angels Fear
C.S. Harris - 2005
Then a beautiful young woman is found raped and savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient church near Westminster Abbey. A dueling pistol discovered at the scene and the damning testimony of a witness both point to one man, Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, a brilliant young nobleman shattered by his experience in the Napoleonic Wars.Now a fugitive running for his life, Sebastian calls upon his skill as an agent during the war to catch the killer and prove his own innocence. In the process, he accumulates a band of unlikely allies, including the enigmatic beauty Kat Boleyn, who broke Sebastian's heart years ago. In Sebastian's world of intrigue and espionage, nothing is as it seems, yet the truth may hold the key to the future of the British monarchy, as well as to Sebastian's own salvation....
True Blue Detective
Vito Zuppardo - 2015
You’ll meet Zack Nelson, a former police officer, now living in a retirement center because of his daughter-in-law’s illness. While he’s not keen to move, he does so temporarily to help his son, Tom, and Patty cope with the medical issues. Zack still got a lot of detective in him and senses that something is wrong with all the supposedly natural deaths that are happening, not only to his family but with the older folks who are seemingly in good health. He works with the police officers to help untangle and solve several ongoing crimes that seem to surround and affect him. Along with his new roommate Dave, and two engaging sisters, Pearl Ann and Emma Lou (genteel Southern women), the foursome are involved with touring New Orleans, getting involved in social events, tasting an amazing array of New Orleans food and drink, participating in shoot-outs, and creating a few hijinks of their own. This fast-paced story is filled with mystery, humor, international black-market sales, Southern charm, and characters you won’t soon forget. You’ll visit the French Quarter, the Garden District, the Warehouse District, and be a guest at an unusual funeral held in a true New Orleans custom. This is the first book in the True Blue Detective series. The author, Vito Zuppardo, is a former resident and New Orleans expert who helps create a visual tour through the Crescent City that makes it come alive for the reader.
The Stranger She Married
Donna Hatch - 2008
Desperate to save her family from debtor's prison, Alicia vows to marry the first wealthy man to propose. She meets the dashing Lord Amesbury, and her heart whispers that this is the man she is destined to love, but his tainted past may forever stand in their way. Her choices in potential husbands narrow to either a scarred cripple with the heart of a poet, or a handsome rake with a deadly secret.Cole Amesbury is tormented by his own ghosts, and believes he is beyond redemption, yet he cannot deny his attraction for the girl whose genuine goodness touches the heart he'd thought long dead. He fears the scars in his soul cut so deeply that he may never be able to offer Alicia a love that is true.When yet another bizarre mishap threatens her life, Alicia suspects the seemingly unrelated accidents that have plagued her loved ones are actually a killer's attempt to exterminate every member of her family. Despite the threat looming over her, learning to love the stranger she married may pose the greatest danger to her heart.
Bound for Magic
Constance Barker - 2021
But when a witness claims to have seen a strange animal with a human in its mouth, can Mary believe it, even if her instincts tell her it's true?Her cat Ugly seems to be making noises other than the usual meows...like she's trying to communicate. Is Mary losing it or is Ugly attempting to speak or something even more unusual?Mary's dreams are also trying to tell her something....that a group called the Soul Brokers are in need of payment. Make remuneration or forfeit an innocent soul. What the heck has she gotten herself into?***Find out in the First book of the Tortie Kitten Mystery Trilogy***
Promotions & Poisons
Laina C. Turner - 2020
Presley has to clear her name before not only does she lose out on this big promotion, but even worse - she ends up in jail!Do you love cozy mysteries with a quirky, strong female lead that just can’t keep her nose out of police business? Do you enjoy a touch of romance with your cozies? Then the Presley Thurman series is for you!
The Presley Thurman Cozy Mystery Series
Prequel: Promotions & Poisons (listed as Book 14)Book 1: Stilettos & ScoundrelsBook 2: Necklaces & NoosesBook 3: Handbags & HooligansBook 4: Mistletoe & MurderBook 5: Gems & GunshotsBook 6: Tiaras & TexansBook 7: Cupids & CrooksBook 8: Vows & VictimsBook 9: Romance & RevengeBook 10: Accessories & AlibisBook 11: Bats & BlingBook 12: Weddings & WeaponsBook 13: Diamond & DisguisesBook 15: Keys & Kidnappers Book 16: Icicles & Icepicks
Other cozy mystery series by Laina Turner:
The Spencer University Cozy Mystery SeriesThe Read Wine Bookstore Cozy Mystery Series
Still Life with Murder
P.B. Ryan - 2003
Born into dismal poverty, young Nell Sweeney scratches by on her wits and little else until fortune blesses her with a position as nursery governess to the fabulously wealthy Hewitts. But she soon learns that ugly secrets lurk beneath the surface of their gold-plated world.The Hewitts’ eldest son, William, a former Union Army battle surgeon and the black sheep of the family, was reported to have died three years before in a notorious Confederate prison camp. But one snowy February afternoon, his parents learn that he is, in fact, still alive—and in jail for having murdered a man while intoxicated on opium. Infuriated by his son’s deception and convinced of his guilt, August Hewitt forbids his wife from coming to Will’s aid, so she begs Nell to help exonerate him. Nell finds that she must delve into the kind of dark and treacherous underworld she thought she’d left far behind if she is to unearth the truth before the hangman’s noose tightens around William Hewitt’s throat.
The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds
T.E. Kinsey - 2021
Mysterious deaths. And all that jazz.London, 1925. With their band the Dizzy Heights, jazz musicians Ivor ‘Skins’ Maloney and Bartholomew ‘Barty’ Dunn are used to improvising as they play the Charleston for flappers and toffs, but things are about to take a surprising turn.Superintendent Sunderland has had word that a deserter who stole a fortune in diamonds as he fled the war is a member of the Aristippus private members’ club in Mayfair—where the Dizzy Heights have a residency. And the thief is planning to steal a hoard of jewels hidden there under the cover of a dance contest.As mutual pal Lady Hardcastle has suggested, Skins and Dunn are perfectly placed to be Sunderland’s eyes and ears—and Skins’s wife Ellie soon lends a hand with a bit of light snooping. But the stakes change dramatically when a mysterious death at the club brings a sinister note to the investigation.With the dance contest fast approaching, the trio must solve the mystery of the missing diamonds, unmask the murderer, and prevent more deadly crimes—all without missing a beat.