Book picks similar to
Acting Can Be Murder by Bobbie Raymond
mystery
ebook
cozy-mystery
clean
A Dangerous Goodbye
Fliss Chester - 2020
While war rages in Europe, Fenella Churche is doing her bit in the green fields of England. But when she finds a letter addressed to her on the scrubbed farmhouse table, she knows the news won’t be good. She hasn’t heard from her fiancé Arthur since he was posted to France on a dangerous undercover mission, and from his very first words she knows he may not be coming back.I fear this may be my last letter to you, my darling, Arthur writes. Fen won’t give up hope and calls the war office, wanting to know if Arthur is still alive; they refuse to tell her anything. Searching for answers, she returns to his letter, but parts of it just don’t make sense. Through her tears Fen realises that her darling Arthur is giving her all the clues she needs to find out what happened to him.1945. With the war behind them and nothing left for her in England, Fen travels to the deceptively pretty French village where she thinks Arthur might be, but there’s no sign of him. She’s close to giving up when she finds his silver cigarette case and another letter full of clues. But when the local priest is killed, it’s clear someone wants to keep wartime secrets buried. If Arthur, a brilliant spy, was outwitted and betrayed, can Fen stay alive long enough to find out what happened to the man she loves?
Strangeways to Oldham
Andrea Frazer - 2012
She is short, portly, and embarrassingly forthright. If she wasn’t calling a spade a shovel, it was only because she was calling it 'trumps'! On a visit to a local nursing home where an old business partner of her father's is residing, she unexpectedly discovers a long-lost friend, Hugo Cholmondley-Crichton-Crump – and stumbles upon murder as well.Installing Hugo in the more civilised and comfortable surroundings of Belchester Towers, the pair turn to sleuthing after Lady Amanda reports her appalling discovery to the local police inspector and is incensed when he treats her as a silly old biddy with an over-active imagination. Her outrage prompts her to teach the impertinent young whipper-snapper a lesson, and she and Hugo (Zimmer frame in tow) embark upon their first investigation, only for murder to become a distressingly frequent occurrence.From the author of the Falconer Files, a series featuring a pair of amateur sleuths and a delightful outpouring of English upper-class eccentricities – with the odd murder thrown in.
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?
True Blue Murder
Elise M. Stone - 2016
The former librarian has developed her first hybrid, a plant with unusual deep blue flowers, and hopes to win a first place ribbon. Maybe even best in show. But her excitement turns to dread when the aggravating Bette Tesselink, her fiercest rival, turns up dead, and she becomes the logical suspect. There’s never been a murder in the village of Rainbow Ranch, and it soon becomes apparent that the young Chief of Police is in over his head. Under pressure from the mayor, Lilliana is afraid he’ll arrest her in order to close the case. Her only option is to begin her own investigation and find the murderer before she winds up in jail.
The first in a new cozy mystery series sure to engage you with its fascinating characters and twisty plot.
The Return of Betty Snickerdoodle
Pepper Frost - 2021
Bea's made millions off those syrupy holiday romance novels — and now Cash wants a piece of the action! What Cash doesn’t know is that Bea’s no ordinary septuagenarian millionaire. She’s a fearless, wily ex-poker pro who loves nothing more than being underestimated. And now she’s concocted a high-stakes plan to teach Cash a lesson. It’s a gamble that just might blow up in Bea’s face. Luckily, she has a friend in her corner — Angela Garcia, the brilliant, beautiful marketer who used social media to make Betty Snickerdoodle a publishing phenomenon. Cash will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Can Bea and Angela stop him – and save their publishing enterprise – before it’s too late?
Wanna Get Lucky?
Deborah Coonts - 2010
Almost everyone writes her off as another Vegas victim. But, Lucky O’Toole, head of customer relations at the Babylon megacasino, smells a rat, though she’s got a lot on her plate: the adult film industry’s annual awards banquet, a spouse-swapping convention, sex-toy purveyors preying on the pocket-protector crowd attending ElectroniCon… Still Lucky can’t resist turning over a few stones.When a former flame is one of the snakes she uncovers, Lucky is certain the woman’s death was no Sin City suicide. To top it all off, Lucky’s best friend, Teddie—Las Vegas’s finest female impersonator—presses to take their relationship to the next level. Leave it to Lucky to attract a man who looks better in a dress than she does.Lucky must manage the Babylon’s outrageous festivities, solve the crime, and struggle to keep her life and libido from spinning out of control.
Like a Bad Penny
Harper Crowley - 2019
The good, the bad, and the ghoulish, streaming live and in color to thousands of subscribers. When Meredith and her team of ghost hunters take on a case in the tiny town of Oak Cliff, Georgia, they don’t expect anything out of the ordinary, just a ghost in a white dress that may or may not be related to a missing persons investigation. But this case is unlike anything Meredith has taken on before. Oak Cliff is a town awash in mysteries and lies, and the spirit Meredith’s searching for may not be the only one haunting the MacIver mansion.Determined to unearth the truth, Meredith and her team dig their way through layers of mysteries and strange occurrences, getting closer to the truth—and real danger. Because it’s becoming clear that someone, or something, wants the past to stay buried, at any cost, and Meredith’s search for the truth just might get her and her team killed.
Fans of Amanda Lee and Rose Pressey, get ready to start an exciting new series...
Vanilla Vendetta
Rosie A. Point - 2020
As an ex-spy, the inn is about as exciting as runny cupcake batter. But Charlie’s got no choice. It’s hideout in her grandmother’s inn or risk discovery by the rogue spy who’s out to make her pay. Her ex-husband. Being a maid and waiter at the Gossip Inn isn’t as simple as Charlie anticipated, even with a superstar ex-agent granny for company. Her first day on the job is a total disaster made even worse when one of the guests drops dead on the dining room floor. It’s murder, and Charlie’s the prime suspect. Can she find the truth or will her ex find her first?
Dogcatcher in the Rye
Ellen Riggs - 2020
Not after what she went through to rescue Keats, her brilliant border collie, and flee the big city.When Keats finds a body pushing up daisies in her rye field, however, the murder puts a blight on Ivy’s plans to welcome her first official guests in just three weeks. The police chief refuses to rush his investigation. Does he really believe she's a suspect or is he just holding a grudge over what happened in high school?To clear her name, Ivy starts digging up clues. The former HR exec is no stranger to interviewing, and Keats is a dog who loves a job. As she juggles sleuthing with getting the inn ready to launch, she almost reaches the end of her tether. With her beloved farm’s very future on the line can she solve the case before the killer comes after her next?Dogcatcher in the Rye is perfect for animal-lovers, and anyone who likes curling up with a fun, fast-paced cozy mystery.
Hardback Homicide
S.E. Babin - 2019
I’m not quite sure I ever pictured myself ending up in the quaint, little town of Dewdrop Springs, Maine, but the coffee, carbs, and endless reading materials inside my store keep me from venturing outside too much, anyway. But when a special-order hardcover leads me to the scene of a homicide, it looks like I'm the one falling through the looking glass. And while I prefer my murders to stay within the pages of my favorite guilty pleasure paperback thrillers, somehow it falls to me to investigate… or die. Well, let’s just hope the cat is more useful than he looks.
Humpty Bumpkin
Sam Cheever - 2018
But her life is about to get less countrified and more...erm...homicide. Deer Hollow is a small community built in a verdant, rolling countryside. The nearest big city is over an hour away and big city ways are rejected at the Hollow. Unfortunately, the big city isn’t the only place where bad things can happen. Things like murder…which has a funny way of messin’ up a debutante’s day and turning a sunny Sunday in June right over onto its bucolic head.
Murder at Match Point
Myrtle Morse - 2020
If you love uplifting cozy mysteries, quirky cats, and snarky humour, you’ll love this series. Pick up this page-turning cozy cafe mystery today!
Sweet Deal Sealed
Judith A. Barrett - 2020
She moves to her hometown in southern Georgia and buys a charming, old-fashioned donut shop, complete with the owner's dog, cat, and secret recipes. Karen O’Brien begins her new life as the Donut Lady.Karen's struggles to solve the prison murder and adapt to civilian life become even more complicated when a neglected boy suddenly disappears from his sketchy living conditions. While the Donut Lady searches for the missing boy and pursues clues to solve the prison murder, the killer stalks her.The Second Edition of BOOK 1 of SWEET DEAL SEALED, DONUT MYSTERY SERIES includes all of the FIRST EDITION story PLUS murders to solve and a killer to stop. Right up Donut Lady's alley!
This Pen for Hire
Laura Levine - 2002
Daring declarations of love. Writer-for-hire Jaine Austen has penned them all. But when one of the love connections she made is broken up by murder, Jaine finds herself freelancing free-of-charge--and uncovering more than she bargained for. . . No one seems to need her help more than geeky, gawky Howard Murdoch. His request is simple enough: a letter proclaiming his undying love for Stacy Lawrence, a gorgeous aerobics instructor. The fact that he's never actually met the woman gives Jaine pause--but she soon overcomes her misgivings, warms up her computer, and starts pitching woo on Howard's behalf. To Jaine's surprise, the letter is a success--the unlikely Romeo lands a date! But his triumph is, sadly, short-lived. On Valentine's Day, Howard finds Stacy bludgeoned to death with a Thigh Master--and is quickly named the prime suspect. Upon hearing the news, Jaine is shocked. Sure, Howard's awkward, eccentric, and a tiny bit odd. But a murderer? That's hard to believe. Especially after a little sleuthing turns up a whole bunch of people who harbored less-than-loving feelings towards the svelte Stacy. But Jaine had better wrangle her clues quickly, before a crafty killer catches on--and puts a whole new spin on her ghost writing career. . . "This book is laugh-out-loud funny. A real winner!" --Laurien Berenson
The Agatha Christie Book Club
C.A. Larmer - 2012
It's a mystery so baffling it would leave even the Queen of Crime scratching her head...After gathering seven crime buffs together—including young librarian Missy (as ditzy as Miss Marple and as sharp), fashionista Claire, paleontologist Perry (both stylish and fastidious like Poirot), dashing Dr Anders, a poisons expert, and socialite Barbara Parlour—Alicia grows suspicious when one of them fails to show for the next book club.Barbara has disappeared from the face of the earth and her arrogant husband, Arthur, seems coldly unconcerned. The group suspects him of foul play until he suddenly shows up dead. With two baffling mysteries and time fast running out, the book club decides to do as the meddling Miss Marple would do and investigate!So begins the first exciting instalment of the Agatha Christie Book Club (ACBC), a motley collection of amateur sleuths who use Christie as their guide to help solve a range of mysteries that fall into their lap. Following in the footsteps of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, the group must sort the clues from the red herrings to solve the murder of Arthur Parlour and determine what happened to his missing wife. Has she been brutally murdered or is she somehow, somewhere still alive?Like Poirot before them, the ACBC uncover a stream of shifty suspects along the way including flirtatious housekeeper Rosa, sleazy tennis coach Jake, traitorous BFF Wanda, and impoverished brother Niles. They must also face each other because, as Alicia discovers, each of the book club members is hiding a secret of their own. Their secrets could jeopardize the case, or crack it wide open.Returning to Agatha Christie's books time and again for inspiration and advice, the ACBC quickly unravel a baffling mystery that will leave readers guessing right until the end.C.A. Larmer, author of the popular Ghostwriter Mystery novels, shines again in this exciting new series that is fun and easy to read with eclectic characters and a plot you simply can't put down.Can you work the mystery out before the Agatha Christie Book club do?