Lifeguards and Liars


Maci Grant - 2015
     Unlike many of the other younger nannies, twenty-eight-year-old Blu hardly notices Mr. Hottie lifeguard…until she gets news of his death one morning—and then, what’s described as an accidental drowning, is all she can think about. The local police chief is about to meet one determined young woman, who isn’t only interested in getting her summer tan. Nanny Blu’s curiosity and natural instinct for justice will have her seeking out more than play dates as she finds herself firmly involved in the middle of the investigation. Note: This is a cozy mystery—a clean read. Summer in Diamond Bay series: #1 Lifeguards and Liars #2 Sandcastles and Secrets #3 Ice Cream and Intrigue #4 Hot Dogs and Homicide (coming soon) #5 Clambakes and Chaos (coming soon)

Fashion, Lies, and Murder


Sibel Hodge - 2009
    For starters, Amber accidentally shoots Chief Inspector Janice Skipper and gets thrown off the police force. The only one who knows the truth about the incident is Amber, but no one will believe her. After accepting a job as an insurance investigator from her ex-fiancé, Brad Beckett, it turns out that Brad thinks they've still got unfinished business and the job description includes sexual favours that come with a price. When fashion designer, Umberto Fandango, goes missing, Amber becomes embroiled in a complicated case. But Amber's arch-enemy, Chief Inspector Skipper, is also investigating his disappearance, and it's a race against time for Amber to solve the mystery before Skipper does and get her old job back. And just when Amber thinks things can't get any worse, she's being stalked by some crazy mobsters. Who is Umberto Fandango? Is he dead? And can Amber stay one step ahead and stay alive?

Introducing Gertrude, Gumshoe


Robin Merrill - 2016
    Until now. When her neighbor goes missing, she can't help but get involved, no matter how many people ask her not to.

Depawsit Slip


Nancy C. Davis - 2015
    Davis Vanessa Abbot owner of the Cat Protection League, feeds and takes care of the cats under the League's care. She also collects the money from the register every evening in the League's Opportunity Shop and takes it to the bank. One foggy evening, she finds herself standing in the bank line when Alfred Botchweather, the local barber, is suddenly found lying dead at their feet with a knife protruding from his back. Vanessa suddenly becomes a suspect and must prove her innocence before it's too late. With the help of her cat friends, Vanessa closes in on the killer. Will Vanessa catch the killer before they strike again? Read to find out! If you love animals, especially cats, you will enjoy this cozy mystery series

Asking Fur Trouble


Ally Roberts - 2018
     Back home on Sweetwater Island after a decade long absence, Wendy is looking to start anew. Armed with a place to live and her trusty dog, Trixie, all Wendy needs is…well, everything. Money. A job. A plan. When one of the locals on the island assumes she’s a dog walker, she jumps at the chance to make a little money. But walking dogs leads her directly into the path of Caroline Ford. Or, rather, the body of Caroline Ford. An unfriendly police chief soon suspects that Wendy might be involved in the crime and she immediately sets out to prove her innocence. As she works to clear her name, she meets several islanders who already have the wrong impression about her…and who might be the one responsible for Caroline Ford’s murder. The situation turns dire when Wendy realizes she’s not just a suspect…she might soon be a victim, too. She knew coming back home wouldn’t be easy. She just didn’t expect it to be deadly, too.

Summer Shadows


Killarney Traynor - 2014
    Medallion Honoree!Mystery. Romance. Danger. Murder. Not the typical family vacation. When Julia Lamontaigne arrives in Franklin, New Hampshire, she's looking for an escape from the tragedies that have taken over her life. Haunted by the legacy of her beloved sister, and entrusted with her sister's three orphaned children, Julia hopes for a summer of peaceful healing... And hopefully, bonding. At first, the small New Hampshire town seems to be the perfect location. They quickly settle in and make friends with their eccentric neighbors, then begin work on their summer house - while Julia is drawn into a relationship with Robert Wilde, the handsome cop next door. But Franklin is haunted, too - by the decades-old murder of a beautiful young artist, killed in the house at the end of Julia's street. Even though everyone says that the case is solved, Julia can't escape the feeling that there's more to the story than she's being told. She's right. Someone doesn't want the murder case re-opened. And they're willing to kill again to stop it. The house at the end of the street hasn't begun to give up its secrets.

May Day


Jess Lourey - 2006
    Due to a dead-end job and a cheating boyfriend, the Twin Cities have lost their charm, and Mira decides to begin a new life in rural Battle Lake. Right away she is offered jobs as an assistant librarian and part-time reporter, and falls into an unexpected romance with a guy who seems to be the perfect man until he turns up dead between the reference stacks her tenth day on the job. Anxious to learn more about the man who had briefly stolen her heart, Mira delves into the hidden mysteries of Battle Lake, including a old land deed with ancient Ojibwe secrets, an obscure octogenarian crowd with freaky social lives, and a handful of thirtysomething high school buddies who hold bitter, decades-old grudges. Mira soon discovers that unknown dangers are concealed under the polite exterior of this quirky small town, and revenge is a tator-tot hotdish best served cold.A hip, humorous, and gripping account of small-town murder, this novel is the first in a series of cozies featuring Mira James, an urban woman with rural Minnesota roots.

Pennsylvania's Finest


Michael Banas - 2013
    His surgical internship takes him to the prestigious Philadelphia General Hospital where he begins training under the famous Dr. Richard Knight. Dr. Knight is an old school cardiac surgeon whose interests include fast cars and beautiful women. Phil and his fellow classmates soon begin to experience the raw brutality of a one-year surgical internship. They quickly discover that the elder Dr. Knight is obsessed with a surgical mortality ranking that is published in the Philadelphia Chronicle every other year. This ranking compares Dr. Knight to all of the other cardiac surgeons in the region, and fuels his larger than life persona. Unfortunately for all, Dr. Knight’s patients begin to die at an alarming rate, causing his local aura to suffer. To complicate the matter Phil becomes intimately involved with the current mistress of Dr. Knight. A mistress who lives in an opulent world funded by the wealthy and distinguished Doctor Knight. Phil Drummer soon finds himself fighting for survival in the midst of his powerful mentor’s suddenly confused life. A mentor, who once swore to a Hippocratic oath, yet is inexplicably trying to cope with a series of deaths amid a crumbling reputation. For everyone involved at the Philadelphia General Hospital the situation rapidly becomes a matter of life and death - amid rising suspicions as to the exact cause of each fatal event.

On the Trail of a Killer


Cate Lawley - 2020
     Fairmont has a murky history, but none of that matters now that he’s started his new life with Zella. A fluffy dog bed, great meals, and even better company - what more could a dog want? Everything’s grand, until he sniffs out a dead body. Zella’s new life began when she adopted Fairmont, but he was just the start. The changes kept coming: a new home, a new town, a new name. A lovely beginning, spoiled only by the corpse in her otherwise perfect backyard. Can Zella, Fairmont, and all their new friends in White Sage find the murderer before Zella’s fresh new start turns deadly?

Act Of Contrition


Dominic Milne - 2015
    Eddie is a reckless and dissolute operator, under investigation by the force and in debt to local mob chief, Vincent Mullis. When a killer starts targeting prostitutes in north London, Mullis is unusually keen for Eddie to solve the crime, but why? A serial killer is targeting prostitutes in Islington, the victims having a number of unusual links. The killings begin the same week that convicted killer and local man, Paddy Graham, is released from prison following a life sentence for murder. DS Eddie Kane has inadvertently found himself under the thumb of Vincent Mullis, who has taken ownership of a debt Eddie has built up with terminally-ill bookmaker, Arnie Duggan. Eddie’s troubles begin to spiral out of control when he is placed under investigation following a drugs-bust gone wrong. While suspended, he is forced to investigate the murders for Mullis, who wants to get to the murderer before the police. He then reluctantly hears a murder confession from his former bookmaker... In this heart-stopping, gripping crime drama, Eddie’s investigations lead him into a murky world of pornography, murder and revenge, all of which seems to centre around a local church and the charismatic vicar, Jonathan Carter. Eddie is feeling the pressure from all sides, but will there be any chance of salvation?

Murder on the Ghost Walk


Ellen Elizabeth Hunter - 2003
    The mansion that Ashley Wilkes, historic preservationist, is restoring, with its crescendo-thumping spectral organist, is no exception. When Ashley makes a grisly discovery, the residents of quiet, quaint Orange Street are horrified. Halloween weekend finds Ashley and Melanie dressed to kill at the Cape Fear Crime Festival's costume party where an evil trickster treats them to murder.

Death of a Dapper Snowman


Angela Pepper - 2014
    That is unless Jeffrey, the mischievous Russian Blue cat who led her to the icy body in the first place, can flick his sleek gray tail at the final piece in the puzzle.

Melody and Murder


Leslie Leigh - 2015
    But she soon learns that Lake Hare is no longer the tiny, sleepy town where everyone looked out for one another. When one of the residents dies from a possible poisoning, she’s shocked by the apathy of the police and citizens. Melody decides that if the police won’t investigate the death thoroughly, she’ll take matters into her own hands to make sure that justice is served.

Remote Consequences


Kerri Nelson - 2014
    But despite having multiple college degrees under her belt, Mandy finds jobs aren't easy to come by in small town Alabama. Now instead of a stethoscope, she's forced to sport a tool belt as a technician for the local cable company, Flicks Vision. But things go from bad to worse when, while on assignment at the Mayor's house, Mandy finds herself in the attic amongst cobwebs, Christmas decorations, and...a corpse? Suddenly Mandy's life is turned upside down with one missing body, a high school nemesis turned police detective, a mysterious stranger, and a town full of long buried secrets. If Mandy's not careful, this could be one dead end job where she may not make it out alive!

Mew Is for Murder


Clea Simon - 2005
    Her sometime boyfriend's gone for good. The death of her beloved cat opened a bigger void. And the career leap she's made from copy editor to freelance writer has left her finances and her spirit flat. She desperately needs a headline to get her life back on track.One day, out for a stroll in her Cambridge neighborhood, Theda spies an adorable stray kitten. This charmer leads Theda to an old woman holed up in a decrepit house full of cats. Is this one of those "crazy cat ladies," a classic hoarder, or is the old woman a neighborhood do-gooder?More important, is this the story to catapult Theda out of the dumps?But when she returns to interview Lillian Helmhold, Theda finds her fascinating subject dead of an apparent accident. The neighbors are celebrating, the police aren't interested, and the cats are removed to a shelter. End of story. Not for Theda--one or two things don't compute. So Theda marshals her investigative journalism skills to turn gumshoe.