Book picks similar to
Pancakes and Pleas by Gretchen Allen


mystery
cozy-mysteries
cozy-mystery
fiction

Booked for Murder


CeeCee James - 2017
    She expected by the job description to cater to the crazy whims of some of the richest people in America. Make it snow in Florida--check. Helicopter wedding--check. Deliver a baby--check. But what was never on her job resume was dealing with the murder of business mogul Norman Olsen. He’s a huge figure in the gaming video business, but now it looks like he had some dangerous enemies – including his own wife and son. When the murderer targets the hotel again. Maisie thought the worst of her worries was getting fired. But, as she uncovers clues, the murderer focuses on Maisie. Suddenly, it’s personal.

Hound on the Sound


Jessa Archer - 2019
    . . only to discover that most of the folks in her old hometown believe the place is haunted.Once back in Misty-on-the-Sound, Pepper has to contend with her old boyfriend the sheriff, her nosy mother, and the town’s shady lawyer. All this while starting her own law practice and trying to find time for her original passion—singing.With the help of her trusty legal beagle, Mr. Woogles, can Pepper figure out what’s going on before the house turns on her?

Murder Takes the Cake


Gayle Trent - 2008
    When the meanest gossip in Brea Ridge dies mysteriously, suspicions turn to cake decorator Daphne Martin. But all Daphne did was deliver a spice cake with cream cheese frosting--and find Yodel's body. Now Daphne's got to help solve the murder and clear her good name. Problem is, her Virginia hometown is brimming with people who had good reason to kill Yodel, and Daphne's whole family is among them.

Scent of a Killer


Lisbeth Reade - 2015
    Which turns out to be a nice surprise, after all.But just as she’s getting to know her eccentric Aunts and learn to harness her newfound magic, a shocking murder threatens the entire world she’s just uncovered. Her mother’s best friend is found dead, with her Aunts’ fingerprints all over the murder weapon, and Ella must act to save her family.Combining forces with Rory, the cute mailman she’s been crushing on, Ella uses her skills of scent and sense to track the killer. But when clues cross social classes, Ella realizes that catching the killer could alienate Rory.Will Ella catch the killer and still get her man?

Cream Caramel and Murder


K.E. O'Connor - 2019
     ‘I truly loved the characters in this book, they were so vivid and fun!’ Amazon review. Holly Holmes loves her new job working in the kitchen at Audley Castle, home to the eccentric and wealthy Audley family. With her faithful corgi cross, Meatball, by her side, she enjoys a quiet life full of baking, researching old recipes, and trying any fun fitness fad – weighted hula hoop, anyone? When the bumbling, and cute, Lord Rupert Audley requests some of her scrumptious desserts for his school reunion, she happily gets baking. Everything is going great until Meatball discovers a hand sticking out of the ground, Princess Alice faints, and Holly gets stuck in the spotlight for murder! If Holly can’t clear her name, she’ll lose her amazing new life in the beautiful Audley St. Mary, Meatball will go back to the animal shelter, and her freedom will be history. *** Welcome to a new cozy culinary mystery series, full of desserts, murder, and puzzles for you to solve. Meet baker, Holly Holmes, Lady Philippa who has an uncanny ability to predict murder, the ditzy Princess Alice, and a cast of quirky, fun characters who will entertain you throughout this book. Enjoy mystery, friendship, puzzles, and lots of tasty treats as you indulge in this delicious read. Written in American English (by a British author – so excuse the occasional British phrase!) This is a clean, cozy culinary mystery with only a small amount of peril and danger. The killer always gets their just desserts!

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?

Portrait of a Gossip


Melanie Jackson - 2012
    It comes as no great surprise when the small artists' colony of Bartholomew's Woods ends up with a dead resident. Harvey Allen was a professional gossip, hated the length and breadth of the state for his scandal-mongering in the press, and it seemed that one of Juliet's talented but idiosyncratic neighbors had finally had enough of his pernicious tale-bearing and decided to paint him out of the picture. Juliet may sympathize, but she also knows that once a person resorts to murder to hide a secret, chances are good that they may choose to kill again. Can she find the murderer before the killer paints the town red?Move over Miss Marple, there's a new slueth in town. If you are a fan of Ngaio Marsh or Agatha Christie you are going to love Juliet Henry and the residents of Bartholomew's Woods.

Becky Tibbs: A Medium's Mystery Series


Chariss K. Walker - 2019
    and she is not afraid to help them!Join Becky as she solves many mysteries in this light, clean, airy, and informative series. Fans of the television series Ghost Whisperer, The Dead Files, and Medium will enjoy this series.Cozy mystery? Check. Ghosts? Check.Ghost Animals? Check. Amateur Sleuth? Check.Becky has the gift the same as her brother and sister. The only difference is that her siblings don’t want anything to do with their paranormal abilities and they’ll do anything in their power to drown out those disembodied souls who plead for help.Fans of the television series, Ghost Whisperer, The Dead Zone, and Medium will enjoy this series.Award-winning author, Chariss K. Walker, has combined all five books in Becky Tibbs: A North Carolina Medium's Mystery Series in one download for your reading convenience. This book includes • A Medium's Birthday Surprise, • A Medium's Thanksgiving Table, • A Medium's Christmas Gift, • A Medium's Valentine's Day Delight, • A Medium's Easter Epiphany.Becky Tibbs is a sweet girl, maybe a little too sweet, but it’s difficult to fault her for an innocent nature. Some might consider her naïve. And she is. She’s had little knowledge of a larger world others might live outside North Carolina. On the other hand, she’s had a lot of experience dealing with ghost problems.Becky didn’t ask for the job of a medium, but after her parents died, the unusual ability became a bequest and then set the course for her life.

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.

Curtains for Romeo


C. Rysa Walker - 2019
    She just played one on TV. Will that be enough to help her find the killer? Acting jobs are scarce now for former TV teen detective Antigone Alden. So when a teaching position opens up at Southern Coastal University, Tig packs up her teenage daughter and heads home to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.But house she inherited from her mother isn't entirely empty. Her mom seems stuck between this life and the next, and now Tig is a local reporter's prime suspect in the murder of the former theater professor. Given his reputation as a ladies' man, however, there are plenty of people with a motive. Previously published as Jessa Archer

Killer Bait


Martina Dalton - 2019
     Much to the chagrin of her brother, Zen, a homicide detective, Clarity throws caution to the wind and jumps into the investigation with both feet. Zen’s ultra-handsome detective partner, Hunter, encourages Clarity to learn self-defense—especially since she’s getting closer to discovering who the killer is. Using her social media sleuthing skills, she sets out to bait the murderer. Is she clever enough to entrap the killer? Or will she end up as the catch of the day?

Still Kicking


Judith Arnold - 2016
    One evening after soccer practice, she’s startled to spot the husband of one of her teammates canoodling with another woman in a local eatery. She’s even more shocked when he turns up dead the next day. And more shocked yet when she winds up under suspicion as an accessory to murder. But Lainie is smart and she’s stubborn. She’ll figure out who killed her teammate’s husband—if she can stay out of jail, if she can stay alive, and if she can hang onto her sense of humor.“Still Kicking is a wonderful, fast-paced, cozy, page turner that will keep your interest to the last page.” – The Midwest Book Review“ Lainie Lovett is smart, sassy, and up to her shin guards in trouble when she offers evidence to the police during a murder investigation. Suddenly she’s the suspect! Don’t miss this mystery, or you’ll kick yourself for it!” Lorna Barrett, New York Times bestselling author

Organized for Murder


Ritter Ames - 2014
    But when her first client, the wealthy Amelia Nethercutt, is found dead, the job takes a decidedly sinister turn.Kate thought she and her family were making a fresh start in her husband's hometown, but she quickly learns that small towns can hold big secrets. When her first client is poisoned just after Kate leaves her mansion, she knows she's gotten off to a bad start. But things only get worse when the police find Kate's fingerprints on the murder weapon, suddenly putting her in the position of suspect number one. The stopwatch is ticking for Kate to prove she had nothing to do with the murder, and the odds are further stacked against her when items stolen from the Nethercutt mansion start showing up in the McKenzie home. Now, Kate must trust her methodical skills and expert eye to sort out who is trying to frame her and to find the real killer before she's organized right into a jail cell.

Pains and Penalties


Sarah Biglow - 2016
    A murder in plain sight at the annual Solstice Fair pushes Kalina to snoop where she doesn't belong, much to the chagrin of former high school sweetheart, Detective Christian Harper.As Kalina digs into the victim's past she uncovers a dark truth that the victim and her closest friends were hoping to take the grave. A truth the killer wants revealed.Will Kalina and Chris catch the killer before the killer's thirst for vengeance is sated?Pick up your copy FREE.

Death by Chocolate


Sally Berneathy - 2011
    Suddenly Lindsay finds herself battling poisoned chocolate, a dead man who doesn't seem very dead and a psycho stalker. Her best friend and co-worker, Paula, dyes her blond hair brown, hides from everybody and insists on always having an emergency exit from any room. Secrets from Paula's past have come back to put lives in jeopardy. Determined to help Paula and to save her own life, Lindsay enlists the reluctant aid of another neighbor, Fred, an OCD computer nerd. In spite of his mundane existence, Fred possesses tidbits of knowledge about such things as hidden microphones, guns and the inside of maximum security prisons. Lindsay needs more than a chocolate fix to survive all this chaos. Lindsay Powell's only secret is the recipe for her chocolate chip cookies, but she is surrounded by neighbors with deadly secrets. Suddenly Lindsay finds herself battling poisoned chocolate, a dead man who doesn't seem very dead and a psycho stalker. Lindsay needs more than a chocolate fix to survive all this chaos.