The Ghost and Mrs. McClure


Alice Kimberly - 2004
    When a bestselling author drops dead signing books, the first clue of foul play comes from the store's full-time ghost - a PI murdered on the very spot more than fifty years ago.

Murder and Mahjong


Annabel Chase - 2020
     When Eloise Worthington drops dead and awakens in the afterlife, she knows she doesn’t belong—mainly because she’s surrounded by a supernatural cocktail of species she never knew existed. Gods, witches, vampires, werewolves—and now Eloise, a middle-aged human more concerned with getting her way than getting out of someone else’s. She quickly learns that this supernatural retirement village isn’t the last stop on the Afterlife Express and villagers can be blinked out of existence, which is exactly what happens to Zeus. Yes, that Zeus. Unfortunately, it appears that Eloise is to blame—or is she? Never one to shy away from a challenge—although her idea of a challenge usually involves tequila and a cartwheel—Eloise sets out to clear her name and, in the process, figure out where she truly belongs. Welcome to Divine Place, because sometimes a fresh start requires a little divine intervention.

Death on the Diversion


Patricia McLinn - 2018
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sheila Mackey has a secret. To the world, she’s author of a blockbuster book. Her wily great-aunt, the actual author, orchestrated this mutually beneficial masquerade. Now the aunt’s retiring and Sheila must draft Act Two of her own life. This cruise is supposed to be the perfect time to do that. Crossing the Atlantic on the Diversion, Sheila finds a dead body on deck. She realizes she knows a whole lot more about the interactions of the victim and suspects than the ship’s officials do. She’s drawn into sleuthing, but finds herself hampered by a well-meaning but overprotective would-be Dr. Watson. This murder mystery with humor is the first book in a new series, Secret Sleuth. In later books, amateur sleuth Sheila returns to dry land in the Midwest, where mysteries abound in her new small-town home. If you like mysteries about the inner world of writers, set among the insular cruise ship community, where even the sleuth has secrets she’s hiding (and a dog to come in book two), then you’ll love award-winning Patricia McLinn’s newest whodunit with humor. Get on board to sail away with crime, clues and memorable characters. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ On the spectrum of McLinn's mysteries, the Caught Dead in Wyoming cozy mysteries are in the middle, Proof of Innocence is a edgier (and has more romance), and Secret Sleuth is a bit less edgy.

Ghost Mortem


Jane Hinchey - 2020
    That was me. I said that. If you’d told me yesterday that ghosts were real I would have smiled, nodded, and called a shrink to fix your deluded little mind. Now it’s my turn to question my sanity when the ghost of my best friend turns up in my apartment. Was it the tequila shots the night before causing this apparition? Or one too many bumps to the head — let’s face it, clumsy is my middle name, it really wouldn’t surprise me if I’d done some irreparable damage to my grey matter over the years.Now I have to accept that the paranormal does, in fact, exist. But sadly, my ghost friend is lacking something besides his body. His memory. He doesn’t know how he died but suspects foul play and he wants my help to find his killer. I can’t refuse, I’m a sucker for a good mystery and the chance to bring my friends killer to justice is too good to pass up.Surprises abound as I discover a secret talent for sleuthing, not to mention an unexpected inheritance of a talking cat among other things. But the biggest problem of all? Captain Cowboy Hot Pants, or as he likes to be called, Detective Kade Galloway of the Firefly Bay PD. He’s one smokin’ cop, but my distrust of the police runs deep and despite his assurances that he’s here to help can I really trust him, or is his offer of assistance designed to keep me from discovering the truth?I guess I’ll find out when death comes knocking on my door.Join Audrey Fitzgerald in the Ghost Detective series, a paranormal cozy mystery featuring a cat, a ghost, and a murder to solve.

Witch Is When It All Began


Adele Abbott - 2015
    Private investigator, Jill Gooder, has been hired to find a serial killer because, as usual, the police can't buy a clue. Jill, the not so proud owner of a crazy, one-eyed cat, probably can't expect too much help from her PA/Secretary, Mrs V, who spends all day knitting. And just in case all of that wasn't bad enough, Jill's just about to discover she's a witch. ...break out the custard creams.

A Potion to Die For


Heather Blake - 2013
    A local soothsayer has predicted that a couple in town will soon divorce—and now it seems every married person in Hitching Post, Alabama, wants a little extra matrimonial magic to make sure they stay hitched.But when Carly finds a dead man in her shop, clutching one of her potion bottles, she goes from most popular potion person to public enemy number one. In no time the murder investigation becomes a witch hunt—literally! Now Carly is going to need to brew up some serious sleuthing skills to clear her name and find the real killer—before the whole town becomes convinced her potions really are to die for!

Raining Men and Corpses


Anne R. Tan - 2014
    Raina Sun is a typical graduate student trying to keep her head above water as the bills roll in from a lawsuit disputing an inheritance from her dysfunctional family. Then her dashing college adviser cons her out of several months of rent. Her quest to get her money back sets into motion a streak of bad luck. First, she finds the dead body of an ex-lover and becomes the prime suspect to his murder. The only man she ever loved reappears as the lead detective to the case and wants to reignite their passion (or at least he’s sending out smoke signals). Her life careens out of control as her best friend does whatever it takes to get the inside scoop for the town’s newspaper. And her grandma moves into Raina’s postage-stamp-sized apartment, dragging a red suitcase and trouble. The family secret Raina has been running away from is now staring at her across the dining room table every morning.Raina must figure out how to extract herself before things get dicey. There is no place for an amateur when it comes to murder. The eclectic cast of characters in this amateur sleuth mystery will have you scratching your head and laughing until the end.

You've Got Tail


Renee George - 2015
    Kidnapping, murder, and a town full of people hiding the truth will keep Sunny Haddock busy as she tries to unravel the strange happenings in Peculiar, Missouri. Fall in love with a hilarious cast of characters in Book 1 of Peculiar Mysteries; a paranormal romantic comedy that will not only have you laughing… it will also melt your heart.Welcome to Peculiar, Missouri!Sunny Haddock, an animal-loving vegetarian psychic, is stoked to leave California behind to start a new life in the Ozark town of Peculiar with her best friend Chavvah Trimmel. She ups the moving date when Chav goes missing, and Sunny high tails it to the small town. What Sunny doesn’t realize is that she’s moving into a community of were-shifters, and they don’t want a human resident. Especially one dumb enough to arrive a couple of days before the full moon — the only night of the month shifters have to take their pure animal forms.When the gorgeous Babel Trimmel, Chav's younger brother, (along with the sheriff, the mayor, and some other nice folk) suggests Sunny haul her U-haul and butt back out of town, she’s undeterred. Her psychic abilities might be out-of-whack, and blood makes her faint, but she’s not a quitter. Besides, she's not about to go anywhere until she finds out what happened to Chavvah.But Sunny has more to deal with than unfriendly townsfolk... like disturbing killer visions and the dog-like animal no one else sees that seems to be stalking her every move. To make matters worse, she is finding Babel to be more irresistible than crack on a donut.Sunny needs to get her ability and her hormones under control if she wants to solve the mystery and save her best friend.

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.

Them Bones


Carolyn Haines - 1999
    Unwed, unemployed, and over thirty, she's flat broke and about to lose the family plantation. Not to mention being haunted by the ghost of her great-great-grandmother's nanny, who never misses an opportunity to remind her of her sorry state--or to suggest a plan of action, like ransoming her friend's prize pooch to raise some cash.But soon Sarah Booth's walk on the criminal side leads her deeper into unladylike territory, and she's hired to solve a murder. Did gorgeous, landed Hamilton Garrett V really kill his mother twenty years ago? And if so, what is Sarah Booth doing falling for this possible murderer? When she asks one too many questions and a new corpse turns up, she is suddenly a suspect herself...and Sarah Booth finds that digging up the bones of the past could leave her rolling over in her grave.

Witch Way to Mintwood


Addison Creek - 2016
    Pet sitting job with annoying clients? Check. Ability to speak to ghosts, which has the unfortunate side effect of having to listen to what they say back? Double check! Hot high school crush still in town being all successful and stuff while you protest his building projects? All kinds of checks! Did anyone say Witch of Mintwood? Yup! Just add murder and this will be a week to remember!

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat


Sofie Kelly - 2011
    Owen is a tabby with a catnip addiction and Hercules is a stocky tuxedo cat who shares Kathleen's fondness for Barry Manilow. But beyond all the fur and purrs, there's something more to these felines. When murder interrupts Mayville's Music Festival, Kathleen finds herself the prime suspect. More stunning is her realization that Owen and Hercules are magical-and she's relying on their skills to solve a purr-fect murder.

A Not So Perfect Murder (A Cotswold Cat Familiar Cozy Mystery Book 1)


D. Watts - 2021
    A lot of sass. When starting over leads to murder, can a jilted witch catch a Cotswold killer? Felicity Knight wishes she’d never got engaged. Hightailing it out of London to the English countryside after being dumped, the heartbroken woman is doubly flustered when she finds a wounded white cat and takes it to a handsome veterinarian. But her confusing feelings for the cute animal doc come to a dead halt when she stumbles on the friendly village tearoom owner stabbed to death.Driven to solve the senseless killing, Felicity is shocked when a ley-line triggers her magic, and her new four-legged companion starts talking to her. But between learning the witchy secrets of her bloodline and struggling to control her newfound abilities, she despairs of ever finding the elusive culprit.Can Felicity tap into her fledgling magic before the clues go up in a puff of smoke?A Not So Purrfect Murder is the first book in the Cotswold Familiar Cozy Mystery series. If you like loyal heroines, cheeky chatty felines, and a town packed with paranormal characters, then you’ll love D. Watts’s lighthearted tale.Buy A Not So Purrfect Murder to see a killer feel the long arm of the paw today!Authors Note: This book follows British English spelling and usage.

A Cutthroat Business


Jenna Bennett - 2010
    But Savannah doesn’t think she’s supposed to take the warning literally ... until an early morning phone call sends her to an empty house on the ‘bad’ side of town, where she finds herself standing over the butchered body of a competitor, face to face with the boy her mother always warned her about. Rafe Collier is six feet three inches of testosterone and trouble; tall, dark, and dangerous, with a murky past and no future—not the kind of guy a perfect Southern Belle should want to tangle with. In any way. But wherever Savannah turns, there he is, and making no bones about what he wants from her. Now Savannah must figure out who killed real estate queen Brenda Puckett, make a success of her new career, and avoid getting killed—or kissed—by Rafe, all before the money in her savings account runs out and she has to go back to selling make-up at the mall.

All Work and No Slay


Skye Sullivan - 2021
    Learning she has fire-magic? It's bound to go up in flames...It's a beautiful day in the small town of Devil's Orchard when Bobbi's grandmother informs her she's actually a witch. Not just any old witch, either.Bobbi is part of a long line of demon-slayers.Bobbi, who can't step on a cockroach without squealing, is a demon-slayer? Yeah right. She's tempted to write the whole thing off as a stress-induced hallucination. Especially when the dumpster-diving fox starts talking...But then she stumbles over a body that's unfortunately very real, and very dead, and life gets even more complicated. Because people in small towns love to talk. Like about how great a shot her grandmother is with her little .22 pistol. And how her dislike of the dead guy gives her motive. Or how she's just crazy enough to pull the trigger.They're not technically wrong, but Bobbi knows her grandmother's innocent, and she'll do whatever she can to prove it. Even if she has to find the killer herself.She'll have to use her newfound magic to do so, but a spell is just a recipe, and Bobbi's good at following those.This witch thing should be easy... Right?All Work and No Slay is a hilarious, full-length paranormal cozy mystery filled with plenty of sass, snark, sarcasm, spells, snooping, snacks, spirits and sleuthing. And one of Bobbi's prized recipes!