Book picks similar to
Involuntary Turnover by Cheri Baker


mystery
cozy-mystery
cozy-mysteries
first-in-series

Mushing is Murder


Patti Benning - 2019
     Angie Seaver isn’t exactly thrilled to be moving back to her small hometown of Lost Bay, Alaska. Her mother’s health isn’t good, and her father is away much of the time, determined to win the Iditarod dog sled race, which leaves no one to run the family diner. A stranger in the harsh land that was once her home, Angie is faced with the challenge of figuring out how to run the business on her own. She soon realizes that many of the locals still see her as “little Angie Seaver,” and vows to prove herself by making the diner more successful than it’s ever been. When the unexpected death of a friend casts suspicion on her father, Angie is determined to prove her father’s innocence, and discovers that things aren’t as they seem in the small town. With help from a handsome young acquaintance, she uncovers secrets that have been buried for decades…but will what she finds clear her father’s name, or condemn him? Will the answers leave her heart colder than the Alaskan wilderness?

Murder in the Aisle


Kris Pearson - 2019
    That’s until Vicar Paul and I find Isobel Crombie lying dead in a sea of flowers in the aisle of Saint Agatha’s church. Who’d kill a harmless old girl like her?In no time flat I’ve scored a house-and-pet sitting gig – Isobel’s remote seaside cottage and her two darling dogs. It comes complete with hollyhocks and seagulls and a SEAL from California who looks a lot like a younger Jon Bon Jovi. He's certainly cute, but aren’t his questions about Isobel's house a bit – well, suspicious? Then I find a secret office stuffed with alarming files about car thefts and Black Ops assassins. Maybe Isobel wasn't as harmless as we all thought? Sleuthing’s more fun than I’ve had in ages, but how safe am I on my own now things are unraveling? Little white Bichons are hopeless attack dogs.

BBQ, Bikers, and Murder


Summer Prescott - 2016
    Faced with the reality of starting a new life with her teenage son, after her heroic husband is killed in the line of duty, she knows that she has to do whatever it takes to survive.Irresistibly drawn to a mysterious little building in a small town, the determined single mom uses every dime she's got to buy it, with plans to turn it into a diner that her late husband would have loved. When Rossalyn finds herself caught up in the middle of a murder investigation, however, she begins to wonder if the challenges she faces will defeat her.A body is found on her property, the sheriff in town suspects Rossie of the murder, and it looks like her world is falling apart. It's up to this determined mom to prove her innocence and save her small family. Can she do it?

Murder at the Snowed Inn (Claire Andersen Murder for All Seasons Cozy Mystery Series Book 1)


Imogen Plimp - 2020
    She knew her fresh start would be exciting, but she never expected it to be tinged with enthralling adventure, romance that’s sweet as sweet can be … and murder!Adorable and resilient, former NYC chef Claire Andersen is no stranger to second chances. She and her stock trader husband George had decided long ago to trade in their life of ambition for one of quaint & quiet adventure—by opening up a cozy neighborhood coffee shoppe on the ground floor their Brooklyn brownstone. He was the coffee-connoisseur, she was the baker extraordinaire. Claire was so happy, she could just die. But fate had other plans—it came for her husband instead.After George’s passing, Claire decides (with a nudge from her doting foster daughter Al) to trade in her life of brews and baked goods for breakfast—bed and breakfast, that is! And what better setting in which to start over than Galway, Maryland—a charming, snowy mountain town (and favorite cross-county ski destination of Claire’s youth).All is well in Claire’s new B&B venture—and with her new oven constantly in use, it’s mouth-watering, even—until her first guest is murdered in-house. It’s not long until one of the suspects Claire questions about the murder winds up dead, too. Suddenly, Claire finds herself starting over yet again—and trading in her hostess hat (she’d just dusted it off, too!) for a secret life as an amateur sleuth.But it’s not all B&B business and bodies: Claire also finds herself in the throes of not one, but two potential romances—each more toe-curling and butterflies-in-the-stomach inducing than the other.Alongside her trusty new pal Evelyn (who’s feisty enough to make anyone blush) and her faithful bloodhound Rupert, Claire races the clock to get to the next victim—before the killer does. And she knows she’d better hurry. Because if the killer catches her first, she might run out of second chances.Author's Note: This book contains a non-binary character whose preferred pronouns are they/them. If the notion of a non-binary character (and its resultant use of grammar) is offensive, then this book is not for you!

Mrs. Jones


William Cain - 2019
    Detective Adelaide Henson of the Asheville PD lands the case because she’s iron tough.When she begins her investigation she surprises herself, though, and cautiously begins a romance with the son of a strange witness. She also finds the dangerous mobster has a human side too – even when he’s surrounded by enemies.Someone murdered his wife and now they want him to meet his fate. And he’s not waiting. He’s got an army of killers at his disposal and he’s going to use them.A hitlady with a reputation is on her way to seal his destiny!

All Things Considered


A.B. Plum - 2019
    Sound asleep. Dead-to-the-world asleep.An insomniac with a long history of sleepwalking, night terrors, and other sleep disorders, Ryn’s dodging a life-changing decision. Should she leave her iconic rock-star lover? Is his fame and money worth his mood swings? After a particularly explosive argument, she goes to bed. He follows. The argument escalates. Exhausted, she goes to the guest bedroom. She pops a sleeping pill. Technically, a hormone. Not a drug. One melatonin, she rationalizes, determined to think more clearly.She wakens the next morning, groggy and disoriented. Fragments of a dream fade in and out of memory. Not the argument with Stone … but something more disturbing. When she enters their bedroom, she sees him in bed—a red hibiscus blooming on his chest.Unable to produce the melatonin bottle, Ryn acts more and more defensive and guilty. The police ridicule her testimony. Definitely bitter, can she prove how an insomniac slept through two bullets?For fans of Alison Gaylin, Meg Abbott, Laura Lippman, and authors writing about strong women sleuths.

Frozen Fear: Murder In Season - Book 1


Anne Shillolo - 2020
    But injured cop Claire Beckett is right in the path of a killer. The death of a look-alike friend brings murder right to the front door of Claire’s quaint log cabin. After being shot in the line of duty she’s spending the winter in cottage country to recover, but it’s more than a vacation. Much more. The picturesque village of Falcon Lake serves up murder, kidnapping, a mysterious new neighbor, and a blizzard of clues and suspects. When Detective Constable Claire Beckett decides to spend the winter up north with her partner’s dog, Kojak, mistaken identity leads to a web of death and corruption that may lead all the way back to the city where Claire is still on the payroll. For the moment. An evening visit to Marina’s Café brings more than latte and dessert. Claire visits with her artist friends and enjoys some music, but by the end of the night, one person is dead. The local police are working hard, but Claire thinks the ‘crime of opportunity’ theory is all wrong. Falcon Lake just doesn’t seem like the kind of place where thugs wait outside the local businesses to rob them. She’s determined to find out who killed her friend Kayla, and why. Her neighbor is newcomer Miles Gallagher, and he’s distant and as chilly as the winter weather. But helping Claire stay alive and stop a killer may thaw his heart. Meanwhile things aren’t adding up for Claire at work. The tragedy of her boss’s ambush, where she herself was injured, is being laid at her doorstep. How can she clear her name and get back to work? Book 1 of the Murder In Season cozy mystery series.

The Case of the Waffling Warrants


Rosie A. Point - 2021
    

Asking Fur Trouble


Ally Roberts - 2018
     Back home on Sweetwater Island after a decade long absence, Wendy is looking to start anew. Armed with a place to live and her trusty dog, Trixie, all Wendy needs is…well, everything. Money. A job. A plan. When one of the locals on the island assumes she’s a dog walker, she jumps at the chance to make a little money. But walking dogs leads her directly into the path of Caroline Ford. Or, rather, the body of Caroline Ford. An unfriendly police chief soon suspects that Wendy might be involved in the crime and she immediately sets out to prove her innocence. As she works to clear her name, she meets several islanders who already have the wrong impression about her…and who might be the one responsible for Caroline Ford’s murder. The situation turns dire when Wendy realizes she’s not just a suspect…she might soon be a victim, too. She knew coming back home wouldn’t be easy. She just didn’t expect it to be deadly, too.

Harry Hunter Mystery Series: Book 1-2


Willow Rose - 2020
    Another is found dead in a dumpster. All five of them go to the same school and are on a list of witnesses to another crime.Because he's in bad standing with his boss, Harry is given the task of protecting a possible future victim, but Harry isn't always known to follow his boss's orders.Soon, he'll risk everything while racing to stop a killer who has left everyone else in the homicide squad shaking in terror.BOOK 2: RUN GIRL RUN:When a mother and her child are pulled out of the harbor in their car, the case seems pretty straightforward for Miami PD and Detective Harry Hunter.Everything points to a murder-suicide.They were homeless, living in their car, and the mother decided to end it all for them both by driving into the water.But the case is not what it looks like, Detective Harry Hunter soon realizes.Harry’s daughter is carrying devastating knowledge about their deaths, and soon she becomes the killer’s next target.As Harry races to protect her, he is betrayed by someone he thought he knew, leaving him terrified of trusting anyone in a town filled with liars.

Case of the One-Eyed Tiger


Jeffrey M. Poole - 2020
    Armed with a determination to clear his name, Zack sets out to solve the case with the help of a feisty canine companion with an uncanny ability to sniff out clues. With evidence mounting against him, can Zack identify the killer and locate the missing sculpture before he ends up in the doghouse?

A Devilish Punishment


Jennifer Bramseth - 2018
    A dead mentor. A new boss. What else could go wrong? Lillian Booth is pushed to her limits when she’s assigned the worst yet most important case of her career. Trying to disbar a lawyer who abused his clients for years behind closed doors.But after a series of sinister events, she’s forced to co-counsel with Henry Alton, a man who detested her beloved and now-deceased mentor.Lillian and Henry have one goal. To win.But Lillian fears failure if she and Henry can’t get along. And to get along requires her to uncover the origin of Henry’s hatred.Then survival becomes more important as a mysterious attacker targets them as the case races toward a possibly deadly conclusion. A Devilish Punishment is the first book in the Devil Springs Cozy Mysteries Series.

Patent Pending and Death


Patti Larsen - 2019
    At least this time she’s actually legit. Acting as local investigator for her co-owned Fleming Investigations private eye firm while her father, John, takes care of things more far flung, Fee not only uncovers the wrongdoings she's been hired to solve, but stumbles yet again over death, mayhem and murderers bent on keeping their secrets to themselves. Welcome back to Reading, Vermont, the cutest (and deadliest!) town in America!

Sweet Saboteur


C.A. Phipps - 2020
    But when a murder in Cozy Hollow points to the café as a likely cause, Scarlett must put all fears aside to solve the mystery before everything she’s fought to keep is lost—or worse!Cozy Hollow might never be the same again.The Cozy Café mysteries are light, cozy mysteries featuring a family-focused café owner who discovers she’s a talented amateur sleuth—and a magnet for animals.Other books in the series:Book 1 Sweet SaboteurBook 2 Candy CorruptionEnjoy a FREE sweet treat recipe in every book!

Tail Wagging Trouble


Leona Fox - 2016
    Now, Ellen is fully invested in finding the murderer. With handsome police chief Andy, her precocious friend Kelly, and Scampy the dog by her side, Ellen is determined to find the killer before he or she goes free.