Book picks similar to
Beach Blanket Homicide by Maggie March
mystery
cozy-mysteries
fiction
cozy
Murder In Half Moon Bay
Nancy Jill Thames - 2010
But a startling discovery draws Jillian and her garden club friends into solving a mystery that threatens her life and changes her future.The unlikely team helps the chief uncover a series of mysterious events that lead to solving several murders, both past and present. Could it be the mean spirited conference director? Perhaps it's the wealthy widow on the make for her next husband; or maybe the killer is the haughty business woman who shows no regard for her brow beaten husband.“Murder in Half Moon Bay,” Book 1 in The Jillian Bradley Mystery Series, introduces Jillian's little companion Teddy, a Yorkie who falls prey to danger but rises to become a sleuth dog in the next book.
If You See Kay Run
Quinn Glasneck - 2017
Plastic. But oh so real looking. And creepy enough to interrupt her romp in nature with hot cop, Peter Harris. Creepy enough that BJ and her best friend, Kay decide to retrieve the discarded mannequin from the park that night, tie it to the roof of their car, and drive it back to the bar she manages. Creepy enough that it lights up social media like a beacon calling in the crazies. Who knew curiosity could put her in so much danger? Quinn and Glasneck, high on the beer fumes from a signing party at a local brewery, decided to take a step away from their usual writing styles to put together a new mystery (for anyone who wants a laugh) in the style of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels – that is if Stephanie had a younger southern cousin, who ran a bar, and had a thing for police uniforms.
Strawberry Cream Cupcake & Murder
Ann S. Marie - 2015
Remember, ‘stressed’ is ‘desserts’ spelled backwards! Her ex-fiancé ran off with her money, her dreams, and her best friend. But that won’t stop Dana Sweet from trying to make a fresh new start. They say the best revenge is sweet success and that’s what Dana plans to do. Turn the struggling cupcake café she inherited from her grandmother into a success. Dana takes a chance and re-opens the café under a new name, Cozy Cupcakes Café, where frosted cupcakes are served with a spoon and delivered with a sweet fortune cookie-like message to brighten customers’ days. But moving back to Berry Cove in Ontario is not as easy as it looks. For one thing, Dana is not welcomed to town by her competitor. Moreover, the employees at the bake shop haven’t warmed up to her yet. And when the Berry Cove Gazette food critic who gave the café a scathing review turns up dead, all sticky fingers point to Dana. And now a gorgeous detective has her under surveillance... A Dana Sweet Cozy Mystery series: Strawberry Cream Cupcake & Murder (Book 1) Blueberry Cream Cupcake & Murder (Book 2) Chocolate Cream Cupcake & Murder (Book 3)
Baking is Murder
Kathy Cranston - 2016
Luckily for Jessie, Springdale is every bit as quirky and idyllic as she remembers, and Bee’s baking is just as mouth-watering. Then the unthinkable happens and there’s a murder on the outskirts of town. Worse still, Jessie’s new friend is the prime suspect. The cops think the case is cut-and-dry, but Jessie’s gut tells her there’s more going on than meets the eye. Can she get to the bottom of it? Baking is Murder is the first book in the Bee’s Bakehouse Cozy Mystery series. Each book is a standalone mystery.
Pancakes and Pleas
Gretchen Allen - 2019
Joss Rockwell has been a waitress at the Day and Night Diner for fifteen years, and while she loves her job, she’s about to find out that there are some things in life that are more important than work. When an old friend is found murdered, Joss realizes just how fragile life is and how dear her friends are. Determined to get to the bottom of the tragedy, she jumps into investigating the crime. Her boss is a task-master, and it seems that everyone in her life depends on her for something, but she’s determined to move forward with the case, no matter what. This determined, and a little bit snarky, amateur sleuth will use her wit and wisdom to find out the truth, even if it puts her own safety in danger.
Murder on the Menu
Nancy Skopin - 2015
When the brutal murder of socialite, (and stripper), Laura Howard lands on her desk, she finally encounters a case worthy of her talent.Murder on the Menu is the first in a series of mysteries featuring Nikki Hunter. The only child of a Cossack and a former nun, Hunter is a smart, tenacious thirty-five-year-old, who lives aboard a sailboat in the San Francisco Bay Area and works out of a ground floor office in the marina complex where she lives.When the Howard murder goes unsolved, the victim’s mother contacts Nikki, who agrees to a preliminary investigation, and discovers that Laura was about to inherit several million dollars. The list of suspects grows as Nikki delves into Laura’s past. Nikki befriends Homicide Detective Bill Anderson, and he confides to her that three recent murders, including Laura’s, have peculiar similarities.Nikki enlists the aid of her best friend and fellow boat-dweller, Elizabeth Gaultier, and while the two are conducting interviews they discover they’re being tailed by another PI. When the interviewees start turning up dead, Nikki tells Detective Anderson everything she’s uncovered, but it’s too late. Nikki has already become the killer’s next target.
The Gargoyle's Secret
Linn Chapel - 2020
When Laurel Bachmann arrives at Stonehaven Manor to craft a feature article on the historic coastal mansion near Bar Harbor, Maine, the talented young photojournalist quickly learns that the owner of Stonehaven resents her intrusion upon his privacy.Matters grow even worse when she stumbles upon a buried mystery that could cause a news sensation and ruin the Chevalier family’s sterling reputation.But that’s not the only enigma, for Marc Chevalier himself seems to be harboring more than one secret.A cozy paranormal mystery set on the rugged coast of Maine, The Gargoyle’s Secret has two mysteries wrapped up in one tale, with a touch of paranormal romance (for those readers who like a bit of romance to go with their mysteries) and a very unusual gargoyle.
Trouble Magnet
DelSheree Gladden - 2016
That couldn’t be truer than when she moves into the most bizarre apartment building on the planet. Weekly required dinners with the landlord and assigned chores are bad enough, but the rules don’t end there. Top most on the list of requirements is NO physical violence against the others residents. There have been issues. In the past. The young manager, Sonya, claims that hasn’t been a problem recently, but Eliza comes home from her first day of culinary school to find a dead resident, her next door neighbor looking good for the crime, and a cop that seems more interested in harassing her than solving the case. All Eliza wanted was to escape her past and start over, completely anonymous in a big city. That’s not going to be so easy when the killer thinks she’s made off with a valuable piece of evidence everyone is trying to get their hands on. The ultimatum that she turn it over to save her own life creates a small problem. Eliza has no idea what the killer wants, or where the mysterious object might be. If she can’t uncover a decades old mystery in time, surviving culinary school will be the least of her problems.
A Brushstroke with Death
Bethany Blake - 2019
And while it’s important for any artist to have a vision, Willow can sometimes see things others can’t, just like her mother and grandmother before her. Not that she would exactly call herself a witch . . .When some local merchants gather in the studio for a painting party, they focus their attention on a still life with flowers and an assortment of garden tools, including antique pruning shears that soon disappear—at the same time despised restaurant owner Evangeline Fletcher is murdered. Willow must use all her gifts to find the killer, although it means teaming up with a handsome, mysterious detective whom Willow fears she may have accidentally conjured from a canvas. This investigation is sure to be a hoot . . .
Peppermint Fudge and Fears
Patti Benning - 2019
Candy shop owner, Candice Rothberg, formerly Candice Darling, is excited for Christmas. It’s hard not to be, in a town as festive as Lake Marion, Michigan. When Candice learns that a local bakery is hosting a gingerbread house building contest, she eagerly dives right in. With her background in candy and all things delicious, she plans to rock the contest, whether she wins it or not. What starts out to be a fun and delicious contest, ends up being a holiday horror, when one of the competitors dies, under suspicious circumstances, leaving behind a mysterious candy wrapper and more questions than answers. When the killer targets a second victim, Candice realizes all of the mystery and intrigue, oddly, has something to do with her. Will she figure out who the culprit is, before it’s too late? Or will this be a season of suffering for Lake Marion? Find out in this delectably action-packed Cozy Mystery!
Fries and Alibis
Trixie Silvertale - 2019
A murder she didn’t commit. A barista in a latte trouble…Mitzy Moon believes she’s an orphan, so she’s dumbstruck when a special delivery to her low-rent apartment reveals a family. But her shock turns to awe when she discovers her grandmother left her a fortune and a bookshop of rare tomes brimming with magic.No sooner does she set foot in the quirky village of Pin Cherry Harbor to claim her inheritance, than the handsome sheriff catches her standing over a corpse. Desperate to prove her innocence, she’s forced to accept help from her granny’s entitled cat and a spirit from beyond the grave.Can Mitzy and her otherworldly helpers uncover the real killer before the long, sexy arm of the law hauls her to jail?Fries and Alibis is the first book in the hilarious paranormal cozy mystery series, Mitzy Moon Mysteries. If you like amateur sleuths, small town intrigue, and a dash of the supernatural, then you’ll love Trixie Silvertale’s twisty whodunit.
How to Leash a Thief
Cat Clayton - 2017
Normally.But nothing is pleasant or normal about murder.I never thought, in my wildest dreams at 26-years-old, I would see my first dead body. Or take over my grandmother’s floundering pet grooming business, without a lick of experience aside from managing the shop’s (Stone Age) back office, drain my savings account for the shop’s renovations, begin hearing my Chihuahua’s voice inside my head, and wind up a possible suspect in the murder of one of my employees.Now, if I can clear my name, discover the real killer—without getting whacked myself, come to terms with hearing my chatty pup, all while keeping the family business afloat, my life won’t slip down the proverbial drain.♥Author’s Note: Some, more mature, readers in the humorous, cozy mystery genre may love to hate my main character, Steely Lamarr, and that’s okay. But as the writer, it is my duty to remain true to her character and her story. Steely doesn’t claim to have all the answers, nor does she always make the wisest of decisions. Her character is loosely based on a few of my own experiences married to a law enforcement officer in my 20’s, and coupled with inspiration drawn from our oldest daughter’s personality, whose steely attitude and tenacious spirit kept her feet on the ground and her head held high during the difficulties in her young adult life. As with my own daughter, I have a deep appreciation for Steely’s growth, maturity, and her willingness to own and learn from her mistakes as the series progresses. My hope is readers will acknowledge and appreciate this as well. If not, remember, there’s always pie, and pie makes everything better.~Publisher's note: This is the 2nd edition of How to Leash a Thief. Many readers of the 1st edition stated it read like a "cozy" mystery. Although it does contain many cozy mystery elements, we at Pigasus Publications do not want to mislead readers. Our readers’ happiness is top priority. How to Leash a Thief does not contain explicit sex or excessive violence. Some cozy mystery fans might enjoy the story. But we want to inform readers, the book does contain minimal use of curse words and sexual innuendos. Thank you for your interest!
Literally Dead
Eryn Scott - 2017
Literally. While the detectives focus on crime scene forensics, Pepper can’t ignore the Shakespearian clues left by the killer.With the help of a handsome library clerk, a dog named Hamburger, and The Bard himself, this unlikely sleuth might just close the book on this case.
The Whistle Blower
Robin Merrill - 2019
So, why's she so bored?When a referee drops dead during her son's soccer game, and a short man claiming to be an angel asks her to help investigate--suddenly, her life's not so boring anymore.The angel (is he really an angel?) tells her to go undercover as a soccer referee, which, of course, is ridiculous. She hasn't run anywhere since high school.But Sandra will find out she is still capable of far more than she thought--with a little help from above.
Cozy Up To Death
Colin Conway - 2020
The cute shop has a loyal customer base as well as an ornery cat.Unfortunately, Brody doesn’t know the first thing about running a legitimate business, he doesn’t want to be in the small town, and he hates cats. On top of all that, he hasn’t read a book since high school.When a cute woman walks into the store, he thinks his bad luck is about to change. But as she starts asking about the previous owner’s whereabouts, his safe new existence begins to unravel.For Brody Steele is a man with a secret he must protect at all costs. The U.S. Government has invested a lot to keep it hidden, and his enemies will stop at nothing to expose him.Does happiness or death await Brody in this charming seaside community?If you like stories with a solid male lead, wonderfully odd characters, and a troublesome cat, then this book is for you.