Book picks similar to
Mist at the Beach House by Victoria L.K. Williams
ebook
mystery
paranormal
mystery-suspense
How to Fake an Irish Wake
Eliza Watson - 2020
First she learns that her dad isn’t her biological father, a secret her mother took to her grave three years earlier. Then her beloved Irish grandmother passes away at Christmas while Mags is visiting her from the States. Now Mags must host her grandmother’s wake and sell her cottage. A cottage filled with cherished memories. A cottage Mags inherited but her odd jobs won’t enable her to keep.Shortly after the funeral, a young man, Finn O’Brien, arrives at the cottage with an old photograph. Finn believes the boys in the photo are a clue to his father’s identity. Mags can sympathize with him, and because she often helped her genealogist grandmother uncover skeletons in people’s closets, including herself, she agrees to assist Finn.But searching for Finn’s father stirs up trouble. Finn is in a near-fatal car crash that wasn’t an accident. So Mags and her childhood friend Biddy McCarthy investigate why someone wants to prevent Finn from finding his father. Questioning the quirky locals proves a wee bit difficult as several of the suspects were victims of Mags and Biddy’s childhood shenanigans.It might take a fake Irish wake to reveal Finn’s father and the would-be murderer.But what if the two turn out to be the same person?
The Witch who Couldn't Spell
Katie Penryn - 2016
Despite her reading disability, she's qualified as a lawyer in London and raised her two brothers on her own. But she doesn't have the skills to hunt down a murderer.True Mpenzi's a white witch, so she could use magic, and she does have her mother's Book of Spells, but she's hit a stumbling block. Try as she may, Mpenzi cannot decipher the grimoire's medieval script. She needs help desperately if she's to save her mother from a life in prison.Will the High Council of the Guild of White Witches listen to her plea and allow her an assistant in time to free her mother? An assistant with supernatural powers of their own?If you love stories about witches, magic, and talking cats and dogs, all spiced up with a dollop of danger, you’ll love following along with Mpenzi and Felix, her shape-shifting sidekick, as they fight the good fight against evil in the small French seaside town of Beaucoup-sur-Mer.
All I Got Was The Headache
Anne Avery - 2016
Literally. Life, for Maxie, has never been the same since. Amelia has rotten taste in clothes, a fondness for single malt scotch, and an annoying penchant for meddling where she’s not wanted. As far as Maxie’s concerned, her fairy godmother’s “assistance” isn’t wanted anywhere, at any time, for any reason whatsoever. Unfortunately for Maxie, when it comes to heeding hints (not to mention demands and outright threats), Amelia has the hide of a rhinoceros—nothing gets through! Maxie is the owner and sole employee of Maxie Peterson Investigations. When she discovers her newest, richest, and (sadly) only client dead on her office floor with her letter opener through his heart, she isn’t surprised to find Amelia’s already on the job—Amelia can always be counted on to be in the middle of things, making them worse. What Maxie isn’t prepared for is the hunky new detective in charge of the case. Ben Trueblood is as hard-nosed as Maxie, and just as determined to find the killer, but he’s got a major advantage—he doesn’t have a fairy godmother making a mess of everything before he even gets started!
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!
Risky Bisqueness
Elizabeth Rain - 2020
It should be the other half~The Best Half...That's what Julienne Mason told herself as she stared at herself in the mirror the morning after her 40th birthday...Husbandless...Jobless...Childless...Julienne Mason's Ego has taken a Beating. In the space of a day, she nearly burnt down the pizza parlor, lost her job, and walked in on her cheating rat of a husband.To top it all off? She's 40 and no one has noticed.With nothing to show for a lifetime of chasing the Joneses and trying to conform to everyone else's expectations but her own...Juli is more than ready for a change of lifestyle. But nobody ever told her that answering the summons to a strange letter would turn her entire life on a dime, and challenge every notion she's ever had on what normal is...Add in a Strange Inheritence, an Overbearing Ghost, A Snobbish Talking Cat, and a Sentient Recipe Grimoire; Sprinkle Liberally with Magic...And Maybe even Misfits like her deserve a second chance to get things right...But first she'll need to solve her Uncle's Murder and learn to Embrace her inner Witchiness...before she runs out of time and the killer Strikes Again...
Cats and Catnapping
Julia Koty - 2021
She moves out of her psychic sister’s house and is on the road to her new life. Her trip to Pennsylvania starts simply, even if her cat, Arnold, can’t stop backseat driving. She refuses to accept that she can hear his kitty voice, until the radio refuses to work. Then, at a rest stop she witnesses a catnapping of the sweet kitty that Arnold has a crush on. Mira promises to chase the catnapper across the northeast and find the cat’s owner all before she must meet her realtor at her new house. Antics ensue.
Team Destiny and Gray's Grave
Belinda White - 2020
Team Destiny answered.Who is Team Destiny you ask? Well, we're a rag-tag bunch of witches and werewolves, with a Shaman and a couple of lawmen thrown in for good measure. When the Goddess needs help, we're there for Her.Sounds like some kind of science fiction or fantasy movie flick, doesn't it?Nope. Just my life as I now know it.The last month or so had been pretty quiet. No dead bodies showing up in awkward places. No crazy entities out to destroy the world. You know… the kinds of things that had become our usual challenges. The Universe appeared to be giving us a break for once.Enough so that Mom and Dad convinced my Aunt Opal and her new husband, Ex-Sheriff Orville Taylor, to go on a belated honeymoon. Heaven knows my Aunt was long overdue for some rest and relaxation.But wouldn't you just know that the very night after we dropped them off at the airport, all heck broke loose.Welcome to life as a member of Team Destiny.We just can't catch a break for long.
Tear Down and Die
Joanna Campbell Slan - 2013
She never expected to uncover an old boyfriend and a dead body… Stuart, Florida--With her parents deceased and her son away at college, Cara Mia Delgatto longs to reinvent herself. And a sentimental purchase of a fixer-upper in a small, coastal town seems ideal for a new business selling repurposed relics. But when she trips over a corpse at her rundown building, she flips from renovator to prime suspect. Desperate to clear her name, it shocks Cara to discover that her property once housed a multi-million dollar art collection—stolen after the original owner’s death. And when her first love shows up and tugs at her heartstrings, her whirlwind life upgrades to a hurricane. With accusations of murder and theft looming, she’s running out of redos. Can Cara crack the case and rebuild her reputation, or will her desire to upcycle treasures send her to jail? Tear Down and Die is the charming first novel in the Cara Mia Delgatto traditional mystery series. If you like cozy reads, witty heroines, former flames reconnecting, and Florida’s beautiful Treasure Coast, you’ll adore Joanna Campbell Slan’s captivating tale.
Grounded
Sarah Hualde - 2020
Dark roast with a side of Death Omens.It's just another workday for Penny Nicols.Penny is haunted by a secret.One that forces her, and her snarky cat, to move around in her tiny house on wheels.As Penny settles into a new town, she realizes something much darker is afoot.The Raven, her nemesis, has tracked her down once again.She finds herself in a race against time to vanquish the darkness and save those around her.This case is like nothing she has faced before.To solve it, she enlists the help of two Podcasters of the Paranormal.Will Penny ever be able to outrun her secret?What will she discover along the way?One thing is for sure; nothing will ever be the same again.★Jump into the first Paranormal Penny Mystery and hang on tight.★This fast-paced series will captivate you from start to finish.
Dead Even: A Paranormal Cozy Murder Mystery (Whitewitch Island Paranormal Cozies Book 1)
Patti Larsen - 2021
Along with her job investigating crime and murder. With her Hades Guardian mastiff, Benjamin, and raven pair for company, she moves her entire life across the continent to escape not only the loss but her oppressive and powerful family. But someone like George isn’t meant for a nice, quiet retreat to the normal human world. The biggest problem? Crime and murder aren’t through with her. When a local is killed by unusual means, she is recruited by the eager but untested sheriff to assist in uncovering the truth. Except, doing so means digging up the past that most residents of Whitewitch Island would rather forget…
Lost Souls ParaAgency and the Three Witches of Burberry
K.M. Waller - 2018
The Assignment—stop witches from creating magical chaos in the small town of Burberry, South Carolina. There’s no dead body… yet. And there won’t be if Lex Dimas takes this assignment. Forced to take on the occasional paranormal case by his manipulative grandfather, he’d prefer to spend his days striking deals in the boardroom. Instead, he’s stuck in small town Burberry searching out witches who intend to harm the unsuspecting townspeople. Only, he doesn’t come upon a group of hateful witches—instead he finds a sweeter-than-peach-pie tea shop owner who wouldn’t harm anyone. Amira Walker and her two sisters come from a long line of witches who harness the power of emotional manipulation. But the Walker girls aren’t interested in fulfilling their witchy destinies, much to the chagrin of their three powerful aunts. When Lex shows up, Amira mistakenly believes he's spelled by the aunts in a love match attempt. To her mixed delight and disappointment, she discovers he’s there to apprehend a paranormal villain. As Burberry becomes a hotbed of magical activity, Lex is sure Amira’s youngest sister is to blame. It’ll be up to Amira to prove her sister’s innocence and help Lex find the true culprit. Can they survive malicious witchcraft and come together as a paranormal investigative team before it’s too late?
Post-op and Potions
Amorette Anderson - 2020
As the saying goes, ‘be careful what you wish for’...For the first time in years, traveling nurse Grace Littleton is out of work.Her on-again off-again boyfriend is with a younger woman, and her only son has just jetted off to Europe.Alone, unemployed, and unsatisfied, Grace is on a search for something more.A magical village in the Vermont countryside seems to hold some answers… and a few major problems to boot.Hypnotized squirrels attacked an elderly gentleman in town.Who brainwashed the critters?Then there’s the devilishly handsome bookstore owner who won’t give Grace the time of day.With her pit bull Lucky at her side, Grace tackles the problems one by one -- not because she wants to, but because she really has no other options.For Grace, the end of the line is in Covenstead, Vermont.For fans of paranormal women’s fiction and witch cozy mysteries -- a combination of midlife self-discovery, magic, and murder! "Fun, addictive & easy to follow" -- early reader.
A Witch Too Late
Paula Lester - 2019
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For Cascade Lorne, getting out of a messy marriage was supposed to be the ticket to starting over.On the brink of her big five-oh birthday, a special delivery transforms everything she knows and plunges Cascade into a bewitching world of unexpected delights, phenomenal power, and legendary creatures turned real.But before she has time to adjust, Cascade becomes the number one suspect in the murder of a powerful figure in this strange new world.With only a sarcastic talking cat and a mysterious but totally hot neighbor to help, Cascade must unravel a decades old mystery even as the killer plots to use her as the last piece in a lethal puzzle.
A Murder Spells Trouble
K.J. Emrick - 2017
Nobody but a chosen few know the real history of the town, or what lies beneath the still surface of the lake... As members of the Kilorian Coven, Addie and her two sisters, Kiera and Willow, were born to the use of magic. Together the three are the sworn protectors of Shadow Lake, tasked with keeping evil at bay and the townsfolk safe. When a dead body is found on Luna Moth Trail Addie is forced to get involed after a strange woman begs her for help. The first officer on scene is the enigmatic Detective Lucian Knight who seems to be more than he appears. He reveals to her that the murder isn't the only incident that has occured in town recently. With the mysteries piling up, could there be something greater at work in Shadow Lake? Will Addie and her sisters be able to solve the murder and keep the town safe?
A Twisted Riposte
Alyn Troy - 2021
A fencer stabbed by her own blade. Can Twizzie untangle the twisted mystery?Twizzle Twist isn’t your normal real estate pixie. Nor is St. Maurice your normal Southern California town. The magic in the valley belches at the worst time. The faerock vein in St. Mo marks the local fae in uncomfortable ways. Twizzie’s mismatched wings and bum leg are the least of her worries when a showing becomes deadly.The house-hunting lunges off-target when the first showing comes with more than she bargained for. The owner is dead, stabbed in the back with her own sword.The seaside town of St. Maurice’s has one of the few remaining amusement piers on the west coast. And someone is twisting the town council to tear it down. If that happens, it will be the end of Twizzle's home above the carousel.With a murderer on the loose, a cute vampire she needs to sell a home to, and the imminent demise of her home on the pier, Twizzie has too many strikes to dodge all at once.Will Twizzie and her friends pull the right cord to untangle the twisted knot of intrigue in their sleepy SoCal town? Can they do so before the killer lunges again?If you love mysteries with a dash of quirky characters, a dose of warped magic, and snarky humor, you'll love Alyn Troy's new Paranormal Cozy Mystery series.