Book picks similar to
Death at a Diner by Nancy McGovern


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

Bed, Breakfast & Bones


Carolyn L. Dean - 2016
     Sure, she could pack her bags and travel back to LA…or should she dig in, heal from her failed romance, and find a whole new set of friends and adventures in Ravenwood Cove? And how could a quiet little coastal village have so many secrets? Includes the free recipe for Amanda’s (and the author’s) favorite cinnamon rolls. First novel in the Ravenwood Cove ebook series. Paperback and audiobook (with Whispersync) versions coming soon. Mild PG rating (because hey, there's a dead guy in it).

Cupcakes and Conspiracies


Katherine Hayton - 2017
    Small town. Big secrets. With a divorce pending and her career hanging in the balance, Holly Waterston returns to her hometown of Hanmer Springs to lick her wounds. According to her accountant, she also needs to sell the cupcake bakery owned and operated by her family for three generations. The bakery is the only place Holly's younger sister Crystal has ever worked. But when their mortgage holder suffers anaphylactic shock after eating a cupcake, Crystal is chief suspect for the attempted murder. Despite being labeled allergy-free, the cake was chock full of peanuts. Holly must dig in her heels and don an apron if she's to clear her sister's name, uncover the real culprit, and find out why their booming business is hemorrhaging money. If she can't, then Holly might lose Crystal to prison and lose the one place she can truly call home. This Sweet Baked Mystery is certified allergy-free of the following ingredients: No Swearing No Gore No Graphic Scenes and absolutely No Cliffhangers! Warning: May contain traces of danger and good humor. Scroll up to solve the conspiracy today!

Playing With Poison


Cindy Blackburn - 2012
    But when a body lands on her couch, and the cute cop in her kitchen accuses her of murder, even Jessie isn't sure what will happen next. Playing With Poison is a cozy mystery with a lot of humor, a little romance, and far too much champagne.

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.

Up in Smoke


Shannon VanBergen - 2017
    Geraldine is her quirky grandmother. Mix in a bunch of gun-toting grannies, an outrageous retirement home, and an unsolved mystery and there's bound to be some excitement. Follow along as Nikki and the cast of retirement home vigilantes work to solve the mystery before everything goes up in smoke. Specially priced at $0.99 for a limited time only Always FREE on Kindle Unlimited Up in Smoke is part of the Glock Grannies Cozy Mystery series. If you like fun cozy mysteries and outrageous characters, you are going to love Up in Smoke. Buy Up in Smoke and start solving your next mystery today! Always FREE on Kindle Unlimited

And Then There Were Crumbs


Eve Calder - 2019
    But sometimes that’s just the way the cookie crumbles, and soon she finds herself starting from scratch in the island town of Coral Cay, Florida. It has everything she’s looking for: sunny beaches, friendly locals, and a Help Wanted sign in the bakery shop window. Once she convinces the shop’s crusty owner Sam Hepplewhite to hire her, Kate can’t tie on her apron fast enough. Little does she know that trouble, like warm dough, is on the rise. . .WHERE CRIMINALS GET THEIR JUST DESSERTSStewart Lord is a real estate developer with a taste for a different type of dough: the green kind. He knows that he could make a killing by purchasing the Cookie House from Sam, who flat-out refuses to sell. But when Stewart turns up the heat on Sam―then turns up dead after eating a fresh batch of Sam’s cinnamon rolls―all eyes focus on the town’s beloved bakery. When the police arrest Sam for murder, Kate must somehow prove that her curmudgeonly boss is innocent. Enlisting the help of a team of lovable locals, Kate sets out to catch the real culprit with his hand in the cookie jar…before someone else gets burned

Death of a Dead Man


Karin Kaufman - 2017
    So when a stranger arrives in town and stirs painful memories of a baffling episode in the town’s past, Rachel vows to put an end to his mischief.But events take a nasty turn when Rachel discovers a body in her own backyard and suspicion for the murder falls on her widowed neighbor. Despite being warned off the case by the town’s handsome but aloof police chief, Rachel makes it her mission to clear her neighbor’s name and find the real killer. Can she crack the case before another body turns up?This light, cozy mystery offers a clean read with a female amateur sleuth in a small-town setting. No foul language, sex, gore, or graphic scenes of any kind.

Jammed


Deany Ray - 2016
    Right: negative - Healthy diet: cookies and all things sweet At age twenty-nine, Charlie Cooper’s life is not exactly a hit. Working as a precinct secretary at the Boston Police answering phones, making appointments and writing up crime reports means she might not be on the fast track to her ultimate dream job. And her living situation? She is the proud inhabitant of the most minuscule “master suite” she can afford to pay, where she can brush her teeth, get her clothes out of the dresser drawer and turn on the hallway light without getting out of bed. But when a job opportunity arises, she’s ready to take the bull by the horns and prove she is more than just a fast typist. Sure, she has to bite the bullet by returning to her hometown and living with her wacky family, but this is only the cover for her real assignment: finding clues involving a real big drug case. What starts out to be just harmless snooping turns into a pile of dead bodies, slashed tires and threatening notes. But Charlie is determined to solve the case and catch the killer before he catches her. Throw in two fearless waitresses and a hot fry cook who is not what he seems and you’ve got the perfect mix of a fast-paced and exciting mystery.

Vanilla Vendetta


Rosie A. Point - 2020
    As an ex-spy, the inn is about as exciting as runny cupcake batter. But Charlie’s got no choice. It’s hideout in her grandmother’s inn or risk discovery by the rogue spy who’s out to make her pay. Her ex-husband. Being a maid and waiter at the Gossip Inn isn’t as simple as Charlie anticipated, even with a superstar ex-agent granny for company. Her first day on the job is a total disaster made even worse when one of the guests drops dead on the dining room floor. It’s murder, and Charlie’s the prime suspect. Can she find the truth or will her ex find her first?

Mercy & Mayhem


Ava Mallory - 2015
    A new job posting halfway across the country promises to satisfy one of those needs, but when her patient's spouse dies within minutes of meeting her, she will soon find out that she's going to need a lot more than car repairs. What was touted as the friendliest town in America soon turns on her and it will be up to her to connect the dots and find the true murderer, but doing so will be no easy feat. With memory impaired witnesses, a meddling medical staff, and a cast of characters dead set on keeping their community free of strangers, Mercy will need a little help from her loved ones and a lot of luck to get herself out of this jam or risk losing everything she's worked so hard to achieve. Find out what happens when mayhem becomes synonymous with Mercy in this humorous, slightly irreverent Cozy Medical Mystery novel!(This a previously-published edition of ASIN B010EJQT6K, which is located at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4....)

Bed and Breakfast and Murder


Patti Larsen - 2017
    Instead, I forced myself to smile and swallow and remind myself the elbow length yellow rubber gloves grasping the handle of the standard issue plunger were all that stood between me and Pooageddon.Suck it up, Fee. Big girl panties and adulting and all that."At what point," I waved the dripping plunger, wincing as droplets of yuck flew, "did I think owning a bed and breakfast was going to be glamorous and romantic?"Fiona Fleming hasn't lived in Reading, Vermont in over a decade, her escape from small town living leading her to New York City and a life of adventure. An adventure that has left her with no career, an ex who cheated on her and zero plans for the future. Her grandmother's death grants her a new chance--inheriting Petunia's, Iris Fleming's bed and breakfast, seems like the ideal fresh start. But when Fee finds out ownership of the property Iris willed her might be in question, she's drawn into the seedy underbelly of the cutest town in America after being singled out as the main suspect in a murder.

Pancakes and Corpses


Agatha Frost - 2017
    With a new smug Detective Inspector in town who underestimates her every move, Julia makes it her mission to discover the real murderer, before her village friends are dragged into the frame, and more bodies are discovered.A light, cozy mystery read with a cat loving and cafe owning female amateur sleuth, in a small village setting with quirky characters. No cliffhanger, swearing, gore or graphic scenes

Who, What, Where, When, Die


Amanda M. Lee - 2011
    First, she had to cover a story on a barricaded gunman who likes to dance naked in his window. Second, she's receiving death threats with her morning newspaper. Lastly, and most importantly, her mom keeps vetoing her outfit choices.It's all in a day's work for this hardworking, if easily distracted, reporter.Avery Shaw is hot on the trail of the story, even if it means tangling with her hot ex-boyfriend -- the county sheriff -- and the equally hot, if slightly shadier pawnshop owner down the street.Getting the story is going to be totally worth it -- that is if Avery can survive the week.

Last Chance for Murder


Estelle Richards - 2017
    Too old for Hollywood at age 29, Lisa Chance leaves her failed acting career and a cheating boyfriend in LA and goes home to Moss Creek, Arizona. The Folly, a stately 1870s mansion in the middle of her hometown, has always drawn Lisa like a magnet. She thought she was done with that place, but now she has the chance to turn it into the coffee shop of her dreams. But when a dead body turns up on the property, she’s the prime suspect in the murder. Can Lisa figure out whodunit, or will she lose her last chance at happiness?

Cappuccinos, Cupcakes, and a Corpse


Harper Lin - 2015
    She spends her days making delicious artisan cappuccinos, until she stumbles upon her neighbor’s dead body. When the police discover Mr. Cardosi was poisoned, Francesca becomes a suspect. The victim’s son, Matty, happens to be Francesca’s old high school friend. Together, they uncover the secrets of the locals in order to find the killer in their idyllic beach town. Includes two special cupcake recipes!