Book picks similar to
Deadly Desires by Joyce Lavene


mystery
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Picture Imperfect (The Leafy Hollow Mysteries Book 7)


Rickie Blair - 2019
    A double murder. Can a feisty landscaper save more victims from sketchy deaths? Amateur sleuth Verity Hawkes has solved a whole bouquet of cases. But with an unanswered marriage proposal and her own PI agency hanging in the air, her confidence is dying on the vine. Still, when the local ladies' man is accused of a double murder, she immediately starts digging for answers. After finding the suspect recently inherited a priceless masterpiece, she's convinced the Casanova is innocent. Following a trail of clues into the world of rare art, Verity uncovers dodgy dealers, surprising DNA results, and an alarming number of ingenious booby traps. If she doesn't connect the dots soon, she may run out of time to paint the real killer into a corner... Picture Imperfect is the seventh installment in a series of charmingly funny cozy mysteries. If you like memorable characters, zany action, and laugh-out-loud hijinks, then you'll love Rickie Blair’s twisty whodunit. Buy Picture Imperfect to draw out a murderer today!

The Missing Pom Mystery


Donna Doyle - 2021
    She’s ready for a change, and when she finds an opening at the Curly Bay Pet Hotel and Rescue, it seems like the perfect fit. Until a prize winning Pom disappears on the very first day and Courtney is in the firing line!The finger is pointed at her, and she has to get to the bottom of the case before her life is turned upside down once again.Join Courtney Cain in her very first Curly Bay Animal Rescue Cozy Mystery and meet a host of quirky, lovable characters, both furry and otherwise!

Cheerio and the Caves of Gold


Angela C. Blackmoore - 2017
    Except, no one thinks to hide a secret from a dog. Join Cheerio as he discovers the truth about the Morgan Family Treasure and bears witness to Hazel Morgan's decisions on what to do with it. This is a companion SHORT story that falls between Book 3 and Book 4 of the Red Pine Falls Cozy Mysteries. It is not required reading, but does contain some juicy secrets!

Potions and Predicaments


Morgan Vale - 2020
    The arrogant new girl Starla has it out for her and her mom’s more interested in her (lack of) love life. Things go from bad to worse when Kat finds her shop ransacked and rarest items stolen.Oh, and one more thing: Starla turns up dead.Suddenly the prime suspect in a murder investigation, will Kat and her magic be enough to clear her name? Or will she have to enlist the town’s most notorious (and handsome) informant to uncover the truth?Joined by her bubbly best friend Pepper and her familiar Albus, she'll have to use every trick and tincture at her disposal. There’s a killer on the loose, and she might be next.If you like humorous paranormal cozy mysteries full of snarky cats and sassy witches, then you’ll devour Potions and Predicaments, the first full-length novel in a fun new series. These are clean reads with no swearing, gore, or adult situations, so curl up and enjoy!

Cruising Through Midlife: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel: Cruise Ship Cozy Mystery


Addison Moore - 2022
    

A Mackenzie Witch: Collection 1


Sonia Parin - 2019
     Witch Inheritance: Lexie’s heritage has caught up with her. It’s time to face her obligations to the coven and take on a job she didn’t even apply for, one which leads her straight to danger where she tackles a deadly fog and a new penchant for sipping champagne and wearing haute couture. Witch Indeed: Mackenzie Coven rule number one. Do not lose your cat. Lexie has been asked to attend a prestigious feline extravaganza at Chelsea Manor. The task is simple enough. Represent the coven, get herself and Luna, the cat which has as yet to decide if she’ll stay with her or not, there in one piece, meaning… no more crash-landing or leaving bits and pieces of Luna behind. Lexie figures the rest will be simple enough until she realizes she’s crash landed in a room with a dead man in it - a man who’d had a fascination for stuffed cats. There are only a handful of guests attending this exclusive feline soiree and they all have their eyes on Luna, but one of them also has blood on their hands. If they killed once, they’ll kill again. Witch Cast: Fool her once… fool her twice… This will be the third time... Lexie can’t believe she’s been roped into performing her coven duty. Literally. She’ll be on the stage, the one place she’s been avoiding all her life. If her abysmal acting skills don’t get her killed, surely mentioning the name Macbeth inside the revamped Garland Theater will. ***** Just lovely! Take one witch in training and send her to a mansion where only wonderful happy things happen..... but wait. There is a dark malevolent " being" that is controlling everyone and it is up to Lexie to dispose of it and bring peace and happiness back to the family. Quite a lot for a fledgling witch to handle even with invisible help. Ms. T ***** Even better than the first book! This is a fun series so far! Gonna get the next book immediately so that I can see what happens next. Funny situations and great characters kept me entertained to the end. Well done! Mickey ***** Another good, clean, FUN, magical adventure story I love the character development, the plot and the writing style. It is imaginative and very entertaining reading. I look forward to more. Patricia A. Parsons

The Killer Knight and the Murderous Chairleg


Kelly Ethan - 2020
    Let the mayhem begin… Xandie Meyers thought all her troubles were over when she moved to Point Muse, Maine. Instead, she inherited her great-aunt’s supernatural library and a snarky, talking cat. Not to mention a family of chaos-causing witches, furry law enforcement and a card-carrying demon from hell…and a dead body. Xandie Myers is suspect number one and she has no clue who’s targeting her. Sherlock librarian needs to swing into action and sniff the real killer out before she becomes the next victim—or ends up in jail for murders she didn’t commit. Can Xandie survive long enough to navigate her freaky new world? Or will things that go bump in the night have her for a midnight snack? If you like snarky dialogue, murder and mayhem, then you’ll love book one in Kelly Ethan’s Point Muse Mysteries, a new cozy paranormal mystery series. Unlock the mayhem of The Killer Knight and the Murderous Chairleg today!

Twelve Days of Trauma


Jasper Joshua West - 2019
    They are on their way to visit his parents for Christmas, but they never arrive.Tim has an unshakable feeling that something will go horribly wrong even before they set off. What happens is far worse than he could have imagined.The tragedy that occurs sees grief-stricken Tim back in his investigator role, seeking justice.

Cats, Cakes and Clues


Kennedy Chase - 2016
    Her first case is to discover why a mysterious object was left behind at a jewelry store break-in. But when it turns into a murder case, Harley will need all her skills to find the killer and uncover the secret of the artifact. With the help of her new friends, an inquisitive cat, and two dashing men, Harley faces a race against the clock to catch a murderer.MURDER ON THE PAGE - Harley Hill Mysteries, Vol.2When Harley and her partner Cordelia are tasked to find a rare diary belonging to Queen Elizabeth’s closet confident, John Dee, they think it will be a routine case. But before they start their investigation into this ‘Doomsday Diary’ they discover a murder!A MYSTIC MURDER - Witches of Hemlock Cove, Vol.1Grace Angelo, born and bred in the small coastal town of Hemlock Cove is a retired detective… and a witch. She works with her two elder sisters at their old guesthouse converted into a bakery — until the body of the local bar owner is discovered inside their oven. Faced with mounting bills and no way to fulfill the contract for a huge banquet, Grace has her work cut out for her.

Spirit Matters


Patrice Greenwood - 2017
     While trying to support her grieving Goth office manager, Ellen ponders the mysterious flashes of light she saw in another part of Santa Fe, wondering if they are related to Captain Dusenberry, the tearoom's resident ghost. She asks for help from the local spirit-tour guide, Willow Lane, who takes curiosity about the captain's unsolved murder to a new level, where Ellen finds herself exploring the very meaning of spirit. Will a séance in the tearoom finally provide the answers to her questions? (This is a novella, a short companion story to the Wisteria Tearoom Mysteries series. It is recommended that you read A Masquerade of Muertos before reading this story.)

Sew Dead


J.A. Whiting - 2021
    Only their “community” is a group of witches, warlocks, and a vampire who are terrible at magic. A non-magical town citizen who moved to Hollywood fifteen years ago is returning to film a new series and the mayor wants the quilting club to plan a party for the famous actress. Trouble brews when the assistant to the actress is found dead with strange markings on her forehead.Will Carly, Hazel her pet raven, Dana, and their friends find the clues to a killer before he or she strikes again?

A COTSWOLDS MURDER MYSTERY BOX SET BOOKS 1–4 four gripping cozy mysteries full of twists


Stella Cameron - 2021
    

Ghostly Dead (Haunted Everly After #7)


ReGina Welling - 2021
    

A Special Blend of Murder


Cat Chandler - 2017
    She has a thriving freelance writing career, good friends close by, a handsome boyfriend and now the perfect kitchen to cook in. What more could a could a girl want? Certainly not to stumble across a spilled bottle of wine, a shattered glass and a dead body! The well-known winemaker was, as the Chief of Police declared, “dead as a doornail”, and Nicki is sure it’s murder! Along with her good friends, Alex and Jana, and her one-of-a-kind landlady, Maxie, Nicki’s determined to uncover who killed the much-despised winemaker, and what was so special about his personal blend of wine? In the very best tradition of a riveting “whodunit” mystery-- with twists and turns to keep you guessing, Nicki and her friends of amateur detectives will make you laugh and wonder “who murdered the winemaker” until the very last clue! A Special Blend of Murder has recurring characters, but can easily be read as a stand alone book. Download your copy today- and be prepared to put your thinking cap on! Author’s Interview: Why a Murder Mystery? I love a good mystery, especially if the clues are all there but you’re still guessing until the very end—and then it’s “Oh, of course!” Agatha Christie was a master at it, and who doesn’t love Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote? I love the cozy mystery books, and even any mystery movie they’re made into! You wrote romances, why the switch? I still do write them. Never sell a romance reader short—they literally love a good story! Quite a number of my romance novels end up with a murder or some other major element of suspense. A good romance story needs a bit of something more than longing looks and a string of misunderstandings. I honestly think a little suspense, action or mystery, helps any story along. But in a romance, it’s all about the love story with some mystery on the side. In a mystery, it’s all about solving the puzzle, with friends—and maybe some romance—on the side. And I do love to read them both! And how did you come up with your characters? Like all writers do, they’re partly based on people I know or have met. But mostly, I like characters who are close and interact naturally with each other. And books are a fantasy world. Who doesn’t want a group of close-knit people you can always count on? Friends, who are not only like family but who know you really well and like you anyway? I think that’s something everyone wants in his or her life. Including me!

Murder, Mayhem & Madness in Christmas River


Meg Muldoon - 2013
    Oh my! Welcome to Christmas River, a small town in central Oregon where the spirit of Christmas never dies. And where intrigue, romance, danger, and excitement are around every corner. Cinnamon Peters is one tough cookie. Every year at Christmas River’s annual Gingerbread Junction Competition, pie baker extraordinaire Cinnamon aims to win, taking down any competitor who gets in her way. But when she finds a dead body in the woods behind her pie shop just days before the big competition, Cinnamon realizes that there’s much more to worry about than cookies, frosting, and gumdrops. Someone’s out to bring Cinnamon down. And they’re playing dirty. Only Cinnamon and a mysterious stranger who walks into her life one snowy evening can figure out the mystery. But can they solve it before Cinnamon’s chances of gingerbread competition glory crumble? The Christmas River Cozy Mystery Box Set includes the books Murder in Christmas River, Mayhem in Christmas River, and Madness in Christmas River.