Book picks similar to
So About the Money by Cathy Perkins


mystery
mysteries
fiction-contemporary-setting
mysteries-thrillers-suspense-crime

The Temporary Detective


Joanne Sydney Lessner - 2010
    Think breaking into show business is hard? Try landing a temp job without office skills. That’s the challenge facing aspiring actress Isobel Spice when she arrives in New York City, fresh out of college and deficient in PowerPoint. After being rejected by seven temp agencies for her lack of experience, Isobel sweet-talks recruiter James Cooke into letting her cover a last-minute vacancy at a bank. New to his own job, and recently sober, James takes a chance on Isobel, despite his suspicion that she’s a trouble-magnet. His misgivings are borne out by lunchtime, when she stumbles across a dead secretary in a bathroom stall. With her fingerprints on the murder weapon, Isobel sets out to prove her innocence by investigating the crime herself. While learning to juggle phone lines and auditions, she discovers an untapped talent for detective work—a qualification few other office temps, let alone actresses, can claim.Please note: this is a contemporary cozy with an edge; contains some adult language.

Murder by the Bay


Tonya Kappes - 2016
    The Blossom Bay Short Series is a series of short stories based on the characters of Blossom Bay. Some of the short stories will be mystery, some will be romance, while others will be woman's fiction. One thing is for sure, each short story with have the fun and charm of the Tonya Kappes novels you are use to reading. Murder By The BayJulia France has had a reoccurring dream of the same house for years. On her way to meet up with a group of friends for a get-away weekend, the dream house appeared right before her eyes. Lucky her! The house was not only a bed and breakfast for the quaint community, it was for sale! Julia knew it had to be fate and bought the house. Blossom Bay Inn is open for business and Julia's dream come true has come to a halt when someone is found dead at the Inn. Is Julia's dream over before it even started?

Bloodshed in the Bayou


Leslie Langtry - 2015
    Life is good until the father who abandoned her as an infant turns up dead in the swamp. Who else can help her but Ida Belle, Gertie and Fortune? And they've got their work cut out for them as they try to solve two mysteries - who Hugo Ancelet really was, and who killed him?

Better Off Wed


Laura Durham - 2005
    Annabelle knows that even her trusted wedding emergency kit won't be able to salvage their careers if she and Richard can't find the real culprit.It's no easy task since the slain matron was perhaps the most hated socialite in DC, but Annabelle navigates through the city's colorful wedding industry and powerful social scene on the deadly trail of a killer. Always the bridal consultant and never the bride, she's seen her fair share of bouquet tosses. But there's no telling what surprises a ruthless killer will throw her way if she gets too close.

A Rip Roaring Good Time


Jeanne Glidewell - 2015
    But surprise quickly turns to shock when a party guest is found murdered and Lexie Starr, a friend of the Ripples, is hauled off to jail as suspect number one. Determined to exonerate Lexie, the Ripples put the Chartreuse Caboose in park and their investigating tactics in drive. But more than a simple frame-up is afoot when the victim's stepfather, who is also the local Police Chief, ignores the Ripple's findings. Reviews: "Glidewell succeeds in maintaining a rapidly paced story line that dramatically builds tension, while her tongue-in-cheek sense of humor provides plenty of laugh-out-loud moments." –Booklist on Leave No Stone Unturned THE RIPPLE EFFECT MYSTERIES A Rip Roaring Good Time Rip Tide THE LEXIE STARR MYSTERIES, in order Leave No Stone Unturned The Extinguished Guest Haunted With This Ring Just Ducky The Spirit of the Season - a holiday novella Cozy Camping ABOUT JEANNE GLIDEWELL: A pancreas/kidney transplant recipient and former RV Park owner, Jeanne lives in Bonner Springs, Kansas. When not writing, Jeanne is wade-fishing with her husband near their waterfront condo in Rockport, Texas, or volunteering as a mentor for the Gift of Life organization.

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.

Gator Bowl


J.J. Cook - 2015
    He still has the old Airstream trailer he once used for his own restaurant many years before, and Zoe is sure she can convince him to let her make a food truck out of it.After making the perilous journey from Mobile, Alabama into the backcountry, Zoe finds her uncle embroiled in a cook-off with his neighbor—with the life of Saul’s albino alligator, Alabaster, in the balance. Once again, the gator has eaten chickens that didn’t belong to her. So Saul and his neighbor will each prepare a meal for a church social, and if Saul wins, the gator lives.Now it’s up to Zoe to prove herself in the kitchen and come up with something no one has seen before—the biscuit bowl!

Sinfully Delicious


Anna Snow - 2014
    Now, Gertie, Ida Bell, CIA Assassin in hiding Fortune Redding, and hunky Sheriff Carter LeBlanc know they had better solve the mystery of the missing pudding fast, because if they’ve learned anything since Fortune came to town, it was that the simplest of mysteries could turn the town of Sinful upside down… especially where Francine’s pudding was concerned.

The Wedding Cake Wish : (Little Duck Pond Cafe, Book 17)


Rosie Green - 2021
    

Peril for Your Thoughts (Kindle Serial)


Kari Lee Townsend - 2013
    But when a freak accident gives her such a gift, her life becomes anything but easy, especially after her best friend is accused of murder…Kalli’s a shy, slightly OCD, mind-reading fashion designer with a prissy calico cat and hand sanitizer always at the ready. Nik’s a loud and boisterous half-Greek detective with a big, sloppy St. Bernard and a devil-may-care attitude. In other words, Kalliope Ballas and Nikos Stevens are not a good match, despite the opinions of Kalli’s overbearing mother and the rest of her tight-knit adoptive Greek family.So when a murder investigation brings the mismatched pair together and Kalli must use her newfound ability to clear her best friend’s name, how can she explain how she knows what she knows without confessing her mind-reading ability to Nik?This book was initially released in episodes as a Kindle Serial. All episodes are now available for immediate download as a complete book. Learn more about Kindle Serials

Front Page Fatality


LynDee Walker - 2013
    She assumes it will be routine, a scene like many other accidents she's covered.She's wrong.This was no ordinary accident.And as Nichelle digs deeper into the case, people and evidence begin to disappear. Someone is one step ahead of her, desperate to cover their tracks. A master criminal with a deadly secret, who will stop at nothing to keep the truth hidden...But as she draws closer to unraveling the mystery of two dead cops, Nichelle realizes she's become the next target. Can she survive this murderous game of cat and mouse long enough to solve the mystery? Or will Nichelle fall prey to a killer?

See Isabelle Run


Elizabeth Bloom - 2005
    This gutsy move captured the heart of New Yorkers who dubbed her "Give 'em hell, Isabelle," and of media maven Becky Belden, who hires Isabelle to work at her magazine. When Isabelle discovers the many--seemingly random--deaths of Belden employees, she begins to wonder if the Becky Belden empire has a darker side behind its sweet, wholesome facade. She's about to find out...

Campbell Agency


Clara Kendrick - 2017
    Lots of suspense, mystery, and romance. No cliffhangers! Book One Gwen Grange doesn’t exist, as far as the world is concerned. She disappeared after her father was accused of horrendous crimes, and has been presumed dead. In reality, she’s simply living off the grid, surviving on her own. But when she comes across Jason O’Neil of Campbell’s Agency in the unlikeliest of places, she’ll be forced to come to terms with what happened to her family and become a functioning part of society once again. Book Two Bridget Barden’s greatest joy in her life is her son, Wyatt, despite the fact that his father died suspiciously after getting involved in the wrong investigation. The last thing she ever expects to do is get involved with another private investigator, but when her connection to Gwen Grange puts her in danger and her home is set on fire as a message to the Campbell Agency men, she finds herself relying on the head of the organization, Alex Campbell, to keep her and her son safe. Book Three Caleb Robinson has been charged with looking after his best friend’s sister while she works to recover from a difficult past. The problem is, he’s falling for her fast. But when his health gets in the way, he’ll doubt whether or not he’s right for the woman who has already overcome so much. Only her persistence and a case that helps him realize what’s most important in life can help him get past his doubts and accept love. Book Four Mark Thompson is determined to track down the man who has for so long been plaguing Campbell’s Agency, and having a source on the police force is a great asset. He’s eager to help Rachel when she asks, but the chemistry between them starts to get distracting. What he could never have predicted is that helping her with her own secret investigation might just crack his own wide open. Book Five Sylvia Lyons is a freelance cartoonist who works in Jackson Square in the historical district of New Orleans. Her boyfriend, Ken, works as a security guard, but he doesn’t tell her much more than that until the day he drags her to Campbell’s Agency where he proceeds to confess the fact that he’s gotten in over his head with the worst criminal possible. Their unhealthy relationship explodes, and Sylvia commits to helping Campbell’s Agency clean up the mess Ken created. When Spencer Nichols takes her under his personal protection, Sylvia is grateful, but both of them are wary of the intense connection between them and distracted by the threat on all of their lives.

Destined for Trouble


Claudia Lefeve - 2014
    All she wants to do is unwind, forget about her failed relationship, and work on her tan.But when the owner of the local crab shack is murdered at Jules’s welcome-home party, she is forced to scrap her rest-and-relaxation plans. Now her best friend, Abby Lee, is the prime suspect, and her high school sweetheart, Deputy Chief Justin Harper, is working the case. Even though Jules knows she shouldn’t, she just can’t keep herself from getting involved in the investigation—and entangled with handsome Assistant District Attorney Hartley Crawford. While an old flame threatens to rekindle and a new one sparks, Jules must find a killer and prove her friend’s innocence. But will she put two and two together before trouble catches up with her?Revised edition: This edition of Destined for Trouble includes editorial revisions.

A FROND IN NEED: A Flower Shop Mystery Summer Novella


Kate Collins - 2020
    Is Blake being targeted unfairly or has Nikki gotten herself involved with a real life lady-killer?The days are long and humid, the clues are leading in all directions, and the responsibilities are piling up as Independence Day quickly approaches. Abby can't turn down a friend in need, but can she solve Nikki's dilemma and handle all her other concerns before the fireworks?