Book picks similar to
Nuts and Dolts by Marc Jedel
mystery-cozy
cozy-mystery
ebook
contemporary
Danger at the Dive Shack
Donna Amis Davis - 2019
Shelby’s life gets interesting after the quirky and colorful resort baker takes her under her wing, a scruffy beach dog moves onto her porch, and she adopts an adorable kitten.
When a disagreeable tourist dies, suspicion is cast on Shelby’s new friends and acquaintances. Wanting to clear their names, she dives into tracking down the real killer. But it may be perilous for Shelby!
Danger at the Dive Shack, the first book in the Dive Shack Mysteries series, is a clean cozy mystery novella with a tropical twist. It can be read as a standalone, but you will enjoy reading the continuing series.
Recipes included!
Pancakes and Pleas
Gretchen Allen - 2019
Joss Rockwell has been a waitress at the Day and Night Diner for fifteen years, and while she loves her job, she’s about to find out that there are some things in life that are more important than work. When an old friend is found murdered, Joss realizes just how fragile life is and how dear her friends are. Determined to get to the bottom of the tragedy, she jumps into investigating the crime. Her boss is a task-master, and it seems that everyone in her life depends on her for something, but she’s determined to move forward with the case, no matter what. This determined, and a little bit snarky, amateur sleuth will use her wit and wisdom to find out the truth, even if it puts her own safety in danger.
Mrs. Pickles' Perilous Parting (A Mystery Theater Presents Cozy Mystery)
K.P. Stafford - 2018
At least for theater owner Jessica James and her crew in the small town of Peculiar. Things get shaky when they’re thrown into the crazy world of murder investigation. This new cozy mystery series is a step back in time for those that love old fashioned ghosts who like to stir up mayhem, amateur sleuths, and a few animals keep things lively and interesting. Jessica needs to pull off the biggest production of her life to save her small community theater. Murder in the theater threatens to bring her efforts to a screeching halt as she scrambles to figure out who the killer is and who can fill the lead role before opening night. If she can’t pull this off and the show is a flop, she will lose everything she’s been working so hard to hold onto. The resident ghost, Farley, keeps things stirred up with his antics and sarcastic remarks about everything, which leads to more trouble. Every time she turns around, the new deputy overhears her talking to thin air. How can she convince him that ghosts are real and she’s not some crazy lady who talks to herself?
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.
Clocks Locks and Danger: A Button Up Detective Agency Cozy Mystery #1
Lizzie Lewis - 2020
Sam Jones was a detective with the local CID, and Janika is determined to prove he was murdered. Realising she has detective skills of her own, she trains to be a private investigator, and sets up an office above the Button Up coffee shop owned by Abi Wells, a girl she knew at school as Abi Button.Calling her business the Button Up Detective Agency, Janika sets out to find her own cases to investigate, having been warned by the police not to investigate her husband’s murder. But that’s something she can’t resist when the opportunity arises. When things turn nasty, who can she trust?Told by Janika Jones, this is a slightly darker cozy mystery spin-off from the series of six Abi Button Cozy Mystery Romance books, also by Lizzie Lewis. Although mainly about Janika, she interacts with many of the main Abi Button story characters.
Power, Wealth, & Murder
Ella White - 2016
An event which features "Power, Wealth & Murder"... the latest mystery novel from one of her favorite authors Harrison Bell. But the very next day the body of the book store’s assistant manager is discovered. Apparently murdered in a similar fashion to characters in Bell's book! Carriage Cove police chief Susan Miles apprehends Bell in Lee's death, placing him behind bars. Victoria, saddened by both the sudden death and Harrison's imprisonment. She sets out with the aid of her daughter Rachel to solve the mystery. Victoria and Rachel will have to sift through a dark and odd cast of characters including a shady Businessman, an obsessed fan who bares a striking resemblance to Harrison, and a very ambitious personal assistant of Mr. Bell's. To uncover the shocking truth!Find out what happens in book one of the Carriage Cove Mysteries!
But Wait, There’s Myrrh
Morgana Best - 2021
Her husband has been playing cat and mouse, and soon Jennifer has a murder to solve. Yet it's all not cat and dried.Changes are happening. Is she simply hiss-terical, or will she take advantage of this new op-purr-tunity?The prequel novella to the Paranormal Women's Fiction Cozy Mystery series, MenoPaws Mysteries, from USA Today Bestselling author, Morgana Best.
Three Carols of Cozy Christmas Murder
Beth Byers - 2017
Great new holiday cozies by two well-loved authors THREE... fun full-length whodunits that will make you want to ignore the frost and snow outdoors and snuggle in with a thick blanket and a cup of sweet cocoa! A Little Taste of Murder-–First in the NEW Brightwater Bay series-- A dead car, a vacation that’s really all about running away, and a guy face down on the steps to her rented cottage make Claire crave home. Even the promise of hopping a ferry for the beautiful San Juan Islands seems like an impossibility when everyone is trying to point fingers at each other. Right in the middle of it all, Miranda has to convince the tight-knit town that she’s not the murderer, even if the clues tell another, horrible story.Cookies and Catastrophe--The 2nd Chance Diner is ready for Christmas! Rose has taken up knitting and has produced scarfs enough for half the town. The windows are painted with fake snow, the menu has added pumpkin and peppermint in all their forms. They’re even having a Christmas cookie bake-off. Things take a sinister turn when one of the bakers turns up dead. Was it the competition run amok? Was it some secret crime underbelly of Silver Falls? Maybe the gossip is off, and it was just a terrible accident? Rose decides that she won’t have another event at her diner ruined and decides to investigate. With the snarky Zee in tow, the two of them gossip their way through the murder while trying to avoid Rose’s budding romance—the detective who wants neither of them involved. Winter Storms and Deadly Thorns--The year is 1901, and Katherine, a wealthy scion of a powerful Boston family has just buried her father. She is distraught, but her terror is only beginning when she learns that he was killed by those she thought she could trust. Now, she must wrest her life back from the brink of destruction with only the help from her failing grandfather and an orphaned houseboy. Will they succeed, or will her family’s legacy be irrevocably cast into shadow. Set within the Red Pine Falls cozy mystery series, this prequel explains the origin of the Morgan Family Treasure and the legend of Kat Morgan herself.
A Pie To Vie For
Kathryn Lin - 2017
It is shorter than the rest of the books in the series which are all full length novels. Olivia planned on a summer road trip across the country, but she ends up stuck in her childhood home in Grand Arbor Township when her camper van breaks down. Good thing there's a $1000 grand prize in this year's Grand Arbor Cherry Festival Pie Baking Contest... The problem is--somebody is determined to make sure nobody wins. Can Olivia find out who's sabotaging the contest or will this year be the last cherry festival in Grand Arbor?
Killer Apple Pie
Carolyn Q. Hunter - 2017
HUNTER!!!Bertha Hannah’s two passions in life are books and piping hot homemade pies, and when an opportunity arises for her to open her own pie and book shop, she jumps in headfirst, only to find that preparing to open her own shop isn’t exactly a piece of cake.In the midst of getting organized and putting the pieces in place for her grand opening, tragedy strikes, far too close for comfort. All the while mourning the untimely death of an old friend, Bertha finds herself having to deal with pompous detectives, money-grubbing investors and unruly customers, which truly threatens to upset her apple cart.Will she be able to unravel the mystery which has presented itself at the worst of times? Or, will her dream business be finished before it even starts?
The Curse: A Cozy Mystery From the 1920s
Alice Simpson - 2018
Jane grapples with a vandalized shop, a kidnapping, a creepy doll with seemingly supernatural powers, and a stolen diamond necklace. What do all these have in common? It's up to Jane to find out. About the Jane Carter Historical Cozy Mystery Series: This quirky historical cozy mystery series is set in the fictional American city of Greenville during the 1920s, and features Jane Carter, a young widow who returns home to live with her father after the tragic death of her journalist husband. Jane’s father owns a local newspaper, and wants Jane to take it over someday, but Jane is adamant that she has no desire to be a reporter. Instead, she turns her talent for writing to concocting melodramatic romances for fly-by-night rags who almost never pay on time. This work pays so poorly that Jane supplements her income by becoming an agony aunt, soliciting letters from the lovelorn through advertisements in the back of women’s weekly magazines. Jane dispenses advice to all and sundry, but her personal life is in shambles. Jane claims that she's holding out for a millionaire before she marries again, but the only man who makes her heart beat faster is Jack, a reporter on her father's staff. Not only has Jane vowed she will never be a newspaper man herself, she's doubly insistent on never again marrying one. While trying to turn out enough column inches of overwrought romantic bilge to keep her old car on the road, and herself in shoes, Jane runs into the most extraordinary circumstances. In Jane's madcap world, it's a constant round of kidnappings, curses, stolen jewels, counterfeit paintings, and hidden stashes of gold. There's plenty of crime to go around, but nary a murder. Accompanying Jane on her adventures is her best friend, Florence. Jane and Flo may get into one perilous situation after another, but they are never damsels in distress, because, as Jane puts it, "A real lady always carries her own pocket knife." Neither Jane nor Flo think it beneath them to slip a cosh into their handbag, either, should the situation call for it. All this getting into harm's way alarms the Carter's housekeeper, Mrs. Timms. Mrs. Timms believes it's her mission in life to turn motherless Jane into a proper lady, but seeing as Jane has just turned twenty-four, Mrs. Timms considerable efforts appear to have been in vain. However, the housekeeper won't give up trying, just as Jane won't give up on seeing Mrs. Timms and her father center-aisling it to the alter and saying, "I do." If you like light-hearted historical mysteries with quirky characters and a bit of zany humor, this may be the series for you! These are murderless mysteries. Despite a constant crime wave, there seem to be no murders in the city of Greenville. There may be plenty of peril in the form of kidnappings, heists, and the occasional assault, but nobody ever dies, and justice is always served. There’s plenty of romance, but sex is strictly behind closed doors. Suitable for readers looking for a "clean" mystery novel. This series may be of interest to fans of: Lee Strauss (Ginger Gold Mysteries), Jaqueline Winspear (Masie Dobbs Mysteries), Patricia Wentworth (Miss Silver Mysteries), Jessica Ellicot (Berl and Edwina Mysteries Series), Clara Benson, L. B. Hathaway (Posie Parker Mysteries), Leighann Dobbs (Hazel Martin Mysteries), T. E. Kinsey (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries), Margarete Addison (Rose Simpson Mysteries), Emily Organ (Penny Green Mysteries), and the Phryne Fisher Mystery Series.
Lethal Latte
Jinty James - 2016
Maddie always thought it was a sleepy kind of town, apart from the fact that when she was seven, she found an ancient book, Wytchcraft for the Chosen. Now, twenty years later, she can only cast one spell successfully from the book – the coffee vision spell. But when she peeks into Joan’s future – one of her regular customers – she sees the middle-aged woman lying dead in the kitchen! When the vision comes true, Maddie is determined to investigate – with the help of Trixie and Suzanne. Who would want to kill Joan? Why? And will they be coming after Maddie next? This is a cozy witch mystery of approximately 24,500 words.
Into the Lion's Den: (A Christian Amateur Sleuth Mystery)
S.E. Biglow - 2021
Reverend Margot Quade never expected to be dropped in the midst of a murder. She just wanted to get reacquainted with her hometown of Port Marie, Vermont, maybe find her place in the world again after serving her tour of duty. But when a friendly dinner with a member of her unit turns deadly, she's pulled into a mystery she can't help but solve. Then things go from dead to worse when she and all the suspects are stuck in the victim's home during the worst snowstorm her little town has seen in decades. Now she'll need more than a prayer to discover the truth behind who wanted the victim out of the picture ... and to stay alive herself. To complicate matters, her strained relationship with her cousin, who just happens to be the attending officer, threatens to ruin the whole investigation. Can Margot and her cousin set aside their differences and bring a killer to justice? Or will the real reason behind the murder haunt Margot as much as her past? Scroll up and one-click now to see why fans of Alison Golden and Mindy Quigley will love INTO THE LION'S DEN.
Mooved to Murder
CeeCee James - 2019
When her best friend Tilly asked her to stay at her place to watch her six-year-old daughter and pets for a while, Chelsea didn't hesitate to say yes. What she didn't realize was that "Tilly's place" was a micro-farm and "a few pets" included a cow and two goats as well as a child who was too smart for her own good.Chelsea was already in over her head before the dead body turned up.When the local community, instead of offering support, tries to run her out of town, Chelsea suspects something is going on. Something big and rotten. The mayor makes it clear she's not wanted and the townspeople give her the cold shoulder, but that only makes Chelsea more determined to uncover their secrets.But no one expected the repercussions those secrets would have, especially Chelsea. Now life on the farm is hanging in the balance. Will Chelsea ever be able to wake up from this nightmare?
These cozy mysteries are wrapped up by the end of the book even as Chelsea's life continues on to the next. Sweet, clean, funny reads with a little suspense and a lot of animal cuddles thrown in make these mysteries a fan favorite.
Murdered by Words
Dianne Harman - 2016
Kat is the one who finds her murdered editor and she and several others are worried that she'll be the next one to be murdered. She has to find the murderer to save her reputation and her life, but who did it? Was it her editor's husband? Was it the woman who had become obsessed with any book she considered to be morally objectionable? Or was it the "trophy wife" of the local banker?