Book picks similar to
Chasing Tinsel by Ellie Ashe


mystery
christmas
cozy-mystery
novella

Christmas Crumble


M.C. Beaton - 2012
    Agatha’s never been able to cook, but she’s dead-set on making this the perfect holiday for local “crumblies". She’s decorated a tree while fending off her cats Hodge and Boswell, and even made a (lumpy) Christmas pudding in between swigs of rum.When Agatha dumps the pudding on the head of the local self-proclaimed lothario—an eighty-five year old with a beer belly and fingers like sausages—his death by dessert proves more than a trifle as mysteries mount higher than the season’s snowfall. So much for trying to do good by her neighbors. Now Agatha needs no less than a Christmas miracle to get herself out of this one...

Poison Ivy


Misty Simon - 2005
    When she arrives to assume her new life as homeowner and proprietress of a popular costume shop, she is bombarded by a slew of people looking for the perfect outfit for the upcoming Harvest Ball. Between overpowering biddies and stolen lingerie from the worst-kept-secret side of the business, things get even more complicated when a woman is murdered at the ball--a woman wearing the same costume as Ivy. With the help of her new friends, including a cute guy trying to rev up his journalism career to private eye status with this mystery--and revving up her heart in the process--she must solve the murder before someone succeeds in the quest to poison Ivy.

Deadly Dye and a Soy Chai


Elizabeth Ashby - 2015
    What she wasn't counting on was a client dying during a dye job. But when eighty-year-old Margaret Appleby comes in for her biweekly appointment, that's exactly what happens: Margaret drinks her usual soy chai, dozes off under the dryer...and doesn't wake up. Now The Clip and Sip is under suspicion, clients are wary, and Cassidi is on a mission to prove that while her styles may be killer, her employees are innocent! But as Cassidi wades through the myriad of suspects in the small, costal town, the killer sets his sights straight on everyone's favorite stylist. If Cassidi doesn't watch her back, she may just end up Danger Cove's latest fashionable victim.The Danger Cove books:Secret of the Painted Lady (a Danger Cove Renovation Mystery)Murder and Mai Tais (a Danger Cove Cocktail Mystery)Death by Scones (a Danger Cove Bakery Mystery)Four-Patch of Trouble (a Danger Cove Quilting Mystery)Deadly Dye and a Soy Chai (a Danger Cove Hair Salon Mystery)Killer Closet Case (a Danger Cove B&B Mystery)Tree of Life and Death (a Danger Cove Quilting Mystery)About Danger Cove:Danger Cove is a sleepy little town in the Pacific Northwest and home to renowned mystery novelist, Elizabeth Ashby. While Elizabeth swears the stories she writes are fiction, you can find the inspiration for her murderous tales all over Danger Cove...from the intriguing cast of local characters to the places to eat, play, and explore in Danger Cove. Don't let our name fool you—we're the friendliest (even if deadliest) town in the Pacific Northwest! Visit us at dangercovemysteries.com

Sunbaked Snowbird


Molly Dox - 2014
    One of her guests, a snowbird from Pennsylvania, just turned up dead at her family’s small, retro camper resort. Paradise Cove and Mini Golf was a quiet vacation destination, popular with retirees looking to get away from cold winters up north.As a one-time paramedic, Poppy missed the adrenaline rush of the challenging medic job. Channeling her unused energy, and with help from a friend, Poppy can't help but get herself involved in the case. Tangled in details, Poppy finds herself faced with multiple suspects and not enough clues.

The Wicked Wager


Anya Wylde - 2012
    A plan that should have brought the lovers together and had them married within a month. It was a simple matter of masquerading as the duke’s gardener, compromising the lady, and then having the duke rush them off to Gretna Green.Alas, he underestimates the duke’s intelligence and the tangled situation on the estate—never had he imagined that compromising a lady could be so difficult.His endeavours lead to a comedy of errors, charades, and knotty love affairs. Yet he forges ahead in spite of pesky house guests, a flea bitten mattress, his lovesick best friend, and a blackmailer.Just when things seem to be going well, someone is murdered (very inconvenient), and he happens to be one of the suspects (extremely inconvenient).His simple plan for winning the wager suddenly becomes … a tad complicated.

The Obituary Society


Jessica L. Randall - 2014
    Lila is charmed by the people of Auburn, from the blue-eyed lawyer with the southern drawl to the little old lady who unceasingly tries to set Lila up with her grandson. But when strange things begin to happen, Lila realizes some of her new friends are guarding a secret like it's a precious family heirloom. It's a dangerous secret, and it has come back to haunt them. Lila is caught in the middle, and her life may depend on uncovering it. But even if she can, can she stay in Auburn when not everyone is what they seem, and even the house wants her gone?

What If It's True?


Dixie Burns - 2015
    Our dreams are haunted with them. For unclear reasons, some of them won’t go away, leaving our collective heads to hang in shame. Or worse, create celebrity out of all proportion.We live in narrow spaces. Believing me-and-mine are special but not vulnerable. Evil exists, just not on our street. We carry the rumors with us. Like sand in our shoes, the stories seldom stop us in our tracks. We will deal with them later.But the grit in our soles whispers, “What if it’s true?”What If It’s True? Takes place in a small Southern town. A good solid town. Neat and efficient in all its circumstances. A woman of a different truth moves there coincidentally with rumored sins of the faithful. The truth of this book is secrecy can become malignant in a community until an outsider raises questions.

Scraps of Paper


Kathryn Meyer Griffith - 2003
    It’s made her sympathetic to the missing and their families.Starting her new life, Abigail moves to small town and buys a fixer-upper house left empty when old Edna Summers died. Once it was also home to Edna’s younger sister, Emily, and her two children, Jenny and Christopher, who, people believe, drove away one night, thirty years ago, and just never came back.But in renovating the house Abigail finds scraps of paper hidden behind baseboards and tucked beneath the porch that hint the three could have been victims of foul play.Then she finds their graves hidden in the woods behind the house and with the help of eccentric townspeople and ex-homicide detective, Frank Lester, she discovers the three were murdered. Then she and Frank try to uncover who killed them and why…but in the process awaken the ire of the murderer. ***

Cocoa and Chanel


Donna Joy Usher - 2013
    There, she becomes entangled in a case of the worst kind - a serial killer targeting young women.As she is drawn further into the seedy underground in her attempt to unravel the truth, Chanel makes new friends, new enemies and attracts the attention of the killer. Can she solve the case in time, or will she become the killer's next victim?This is a light-hearted cozy mystery with plenty of laughs suitable for fans of Janet Evanovich, Deborah Coonts, Jana Deleon and Stephanie Bond.

Death Wore Brown Shorts


Audrey Claire - 2015
    They enjoyed the view when he wore those brown shorts every spring and summer. But someone is less appreciative of Paul’s muscular legs. Annie Holloway, mystery writer and lover of a good challenge, finds Paul strangled to death in his truck. She is determined to finger the murderer. Annie enjoys the excitement of what she does for a living, especially when it comes to research. Nothing is better than the hands-on approach. The task is that much harder because of Annie’s dark family history. Then there’s the fact that she’s self-diagnosed as having borderline obsessive-compulsive disorder. Not that anything can stop Happy Holloway! A new cozy mystery series.

Christmas with an Angel


Debbie Mason - 2016
    But he hadn't cared about their differences - until one bad decision landed her in jail.That was years ago and now he's back in Harmony Harbor for the holidays. So when Shay goes missing, Michael is intent on finding her - and finding out if their sizzling attraction is still there. But he's now a district attorney, and it looks like Shay is once again on the wrong side of the law.

Southern Peach Pie and a Dead Guy


A. Gardner - 2015
    Gardner comes a deliciously dangerous new series...After an injury derails Poppy Peters' ballet career, she gathers the courage to follow in her grandmother's footsteps and attend Calle Pastry Academy in a small-town in Georgia. Poppy has her work cut out for her not only fitting in with her charming (and not-so-charming ) Southern classmates but also proving her worth to her teachers after her first publicly humiliating attempt at making the school's famous peach pie. But Poppy's pastry problems go from bad to worse when she's suddenly accused of stealing expensive black truffles, and her attempt to clear her name goes awry...resulting in her finding a dead body instead! If Poppy's going to survive this culinary experience, she'll need to find the missing truffles and track down a killer, all while honing her baking skills to compete in the school's dessert competition for a coveted pastry internship in Paris. Can Poppy prove she's one tough cookie? Or is her life about to crumble?**Recipes Included**Poppy Peters Mysteries:Southern Peach Pie and A Dead Guy (book #1)Chocolate Macaroons and a Dead Groom (book #2)Ice Cream Bombes and Stolen Thongs (short story in the "Killer Beach Reads" collection)Bananas Foster and a Dead Mobster (book #3)Strawberry Tartlets and a Dead Starlet (book #4)"A sweet and satisfying mystery that will leave you hungry for more! A. Gardner's Poppy Peters Mysteries have earned a place on my keeper shelf!"~ Gemma Halliday, New York Times bestselling mystery author

The Christmas Elf


Carolyn Ridder Aspenson - 2016
    In The Christmas Elf, An Angela Panther Mystery Holiday Short, psychic medium Angela Panther, her sidekick and best friend Mel, and celestial super sleuth Fran join forces to help a lost elf find its way back home. Celebrate the holiday season with this quirky holiday women's sleuth mystery short story featuring Angela, Mel and the celestial super sleuth, Fran!

One Tequila


Tricia O'Malley - 2015
    The original cover edition is here.Tequila Key is just like any other small town and I'm just like any other small town psychic. Scratch that. Tequila Key is a world onto itself and some people might think that I am one crayon short of the box. And, if we're being totally honest, Tequila Key is just like any other small town – if that town boasts a voodoo priestess and a few white witches for flavor. Turquoise blue water and the best margaritas this side of Mexico make it hard to leave. I'm Althea Rose, co-owner of Luna Rose Potions & Tarot Shop, and I've just stumbled into a love triangle while trying to save my best friend from being accused of murder. See? Just like any other small town.

Entangled


Barbara Ellen Brink - 2010
    One summer of her childhood is a mystery she intends to solve. But digging up her past also lays bare the skeletons of others, including her mother’s. Entangled between what she once believed and a new reality, will she be able to live with the consequences of full disclosure?