Book picks similar to
Midnight Ice by Diane Vallere


cozy-mysteries
mystery
cozy-mystery
mystery-cozy

Body in the Books


Heather Huffman - 2021
    Augustine to tie up loose ends and maybe learn a bit about the man she never knew.Only what first appeared to be a heart attack turns out to be murder, and there’s no shortage of suspects. The detective assigned to the case might be handsome and charming, but Nora’s convinced he’s chasing down the wrong lead.With her newly-inherited Greyhound named Margo and a quirky band of friends in tow, Nora decides to track down the killer. She finds herself in a race to solve the murder before she becomes the next body in the books.Body in the Books is the first installment of the Nora Jones cozy mystery series. You won’t want to miss this humorous whodunit that’s being likened to Scooby Doo for grownups.

Parrots and Payback


Ruby Loren - 2018
     Renowned crime writer, Stephen McClean, has chosen to launch his latest thriller from Avery Zoo on Valentine’s Day. A Valentine’s photoshoot in the lovebird enclosure has been planned, and the zoo is set to benefit from the extra publicity. But the real reason the crime writer is coming to Avery Zoo has nothing to do with lovebirds… and everything to do with love gone wrong. Can Madigan solve the mystery and save the zoo from being dragged into a publicity nightmare? Pick up this funny prequel to the Madigan Amos Zoo Mysteries series today and find out where it all began!

Sinister Cinnamon Buns


J. Lee Mitchell - 2018
     Recipes included in each book. In Castle Creek West Virginia, rivalries run deep, but has this tiny town’s biggest rivalry finally led to murder? When widely disliked socialite Macie Dixon is found dead on the set of her cooking show, suspicion falls on her rival, elderly family matriarch, and owner of the Red Herring Inn, Liddy Lou Cormier. As the investigation heats up, friendships will be tested, and long buried secrets will come to light. With the evidence stacking up against Liddy Lou, her granddaughter Q’Bita will risk her relationship with Sheriff Andy Hansen, and her own life, to clear her Nana’s name. It will take every ounce of Q’Bita’s culinary cunning, and a little help from her best friend Jamie and brother-in-law Rene, to figure out who’s behind the sinister cinnamon buns that killed Macie Dixon. Sign up for the Red Herring Inn newsletter using the link on the About J Lee Mitchell page to get access to contests, freebies, and an inside look at upcoming books. New subscribers will receive BONUS CONTENT as a thank you for signing up.

Iced Inn


Karen MacInerney - 2018
    The inn's kitchen smells like ginger and spice, the ground is frosted with snow, and wedding bells are about to ring out for innkeeper Natalie's favorite niece, Gwen. It's a joyous time... until the families of the bride and groom descend on the island, bringing nasty tempers and a wicked winter storm with them. Add a baffling rash of thefts, a dash of romantic intrigue, and an unexpected power shutdown, and Natalie's plans for a magical season are looking more like a recipe for disaster. Can Natalie find the missing gifts before the big holiday? And will the happy couple make it to the altar... or will the wedding go up in flames?

Center Stage


Denise Grover Swank - 2016
    Ten years ago, Magnolia Steele fled Franklin, Tennessee after an incident that left her with hazy memories and a horror of the place where she had been born and bred. Though her abrupt departure destroyed most of her treasured relationships, she vowed never to return . . . until she has no choice. When Magnolia’s breakout acting role in a Broadway musical ends in disgrace, there’s only one place she can go. She finds herself on her momma’s porch, suitcase in hand. Drama follows Magnolia around like a long lost friend. She reluctantly agrees to help her momma’s catering company at a party for a country music star, only to find herself face-to-face with a sleazy music agent from her past. After a very public spat, Magnolia not only finds him dead but herself center stage in the police’s investigation. Now she must scramble to prove her innocence, relying on the help of acquaintances old and new. But the longer Magnolia stays in Franklin, the more she remembers about the big bad incident that chased her away. The past might not be finished with her yet, and what she doesn’t remember could be her biggest danger.

Under the Hill


Sheila Connolly - 2014
     Ellen Leonard is feeling both free and empty. Just out of a two-year relationship, she decides a trip to Ireland could be the perfect opportunity to shake off her lethargy and also reassert her independence. But as she settles in at a remote cottage in the Irish countryside and her days take on a comfortable routine, Ellen begins to discover that sometimes things that go bump don’t always do it just in the night. “Under the Hill” also features a sneak peek at two of Sheila’s newest books, Relatively Dead and Picked to Die. And watch for An Early Wake, the third book in the County Cork Mystery Series, coming in February! About the Author Sheila Connolly is an Anthony and Agatha Award–nominated author who writes the New York Times bestselling County Cork Mysteries, which draw heavily on her Irish ancestry and frequent trips to Ireland. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling Museum Mysteries and Orchard Mysteries. In addition, she has published Once She Knew, a romantic suspense; Reunion with Death, a traditional mystery set in Tuscany; Relatively Dead, a paranormal romance and a New York Times bestseller; and Seeing the Dead, as well as a number of short stories. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and three cats.

Intrigue in Capri


Ashley Weaver - 2017
    The setting was so idyllic, so tranquil and perfect, that it was hard to imagine anything remotely alarming could happen here . . . On holiday in Capri, Amory and Milo Ames have expected to trade intrigue for a romantic month of blue seas and sunshine. Things take a strange turn, however, when Amory comes into contact with a mysterious woman and begins to suspect she is the missing opera star whose sudden disappearance has been the talk of Europe. Before long, Amory and Milo find their peaceful holiday disrupted by the rumor of purloined pearls, a clandestine relationship, and a sinister stranger lurking in the shadows. It soon becomes apparent that wherever Amory and Milo go, mystery is not far behind. Also out now in the Amory Ames mysteries: Murder at the Brightwell, Death Wears a Mask and A Most Novel Revenge

The Cracked Spine


Paige Shelton - 2016
    She doesn't know much about what she's gotten herself into, other than that the work sounds exciting, and that her new boss, Edwin MacAlister, has given her the opportunity of a lifetime. Edwin has promised that she'll be working with "a desk that has seen the likes of kings and queens, paupers and princes," and Delaney can't wait to get started.When she arrives, she meets her new Scottish family; also working at the Cracked Spine are Rosie, perpetually wrapped in scarves, and who always has tiny dog Hector in tow; Hamlet, a nineteen-year-old thespian with a colored past and bright future; and Edwin, who is just as enigmatic and mysterious as Delaney expected. An unexpected bonus is Tom the bartender from across the street, with his piercing eyes, and a rolling brogue -- and it doesn't hurt that he looks awfully good in a kilt.But before she can settle into her new life, a precious artifact -- a previously undiscovered First Folio of Shakespeare's plays -- goes missing, and Edwin's sister is murdered, seemingly in connection to the missing folio. Delaney decides to do some sleuthing of her own, to find out just what the real story is behind the priceless folio, and how it's connected to the tragic death, all without getting harmed herself.

A Pattern for Murder


Ann Yost - 2018
    She is, after all, an Agatha Christie fan who has a year of law school under her belt!But as more bodies turn up and lies are revealed, it becomes clear that not everybody in Keweenaw is as innocent as Hatti thought.Publisher's Note: While you don’t need to be a knitter to enjoy this series, you just might pick up a fun and rewarding hobby in addition to enjoying a thoroughly delightful, clean and wholesome, mystery with a good dose of humor.The BAIT & STITCH SERIES:A Pattern for MurderA Double-Pointed MurderA Fair Isle Murder

Murder in Death's Door County


Elizabeth Jackie Rose - 2012
    She is in a rut. She needs a change, and fast. Thrown a lifeline from her moonlighting job as a ghostwriter, she packs her suitcase and heads up to idyllic Door County. Asked to ghostwrite a book for an impossible client by an almost-impossible editor, Annie wonders if she is in over her head. She needs the ghostwriting job, but is starting to suspect that all is not what it seems.Then Annie's editor turns up dead, and her client goes missing. Amid the chaos, she makes fast friends with a bartender, Lizzy, and these two women sleuth to clear Annie's name. Suddenly, the whole story changes and Annie herself is in danger. To top it all off, a dark mysterious stranger, Donovan Archer, is trying to romance her. Is Donovan who he says he is, and can he help her find her missing client? Annie doesn't know who she can trust until it is almost too late...

Murder by the Bay


Tonya Kappes - 2016
    The Blossom Bay Short Series is a series of short stories based on the characters of Blossom Bay. Some of the short stories will be mystery, some will be romance, while others will be woman's fiction. One thing is for sure, each short story with have the fun and charm of the Tonya Kappes novels you are use to reading. Murder By The BayJulia France has had a reoccurring dream of the same house for years. On her way to meet up with a group of friends for a get-away weekend, the dream house appeared right before her eyes. Lucky her! The house was not only a bed and breakfast for the quaint community, it was for sale! Julia knew it had to be fate and bought the house. Blossom Bay Inn is open for business and Julia's dream come true has come to a halt when someone is found dead at the Inn. Is Julia's dream over before it even started?

Friends and Foes


L.C. Turner - 2012
    Can she figure out who is standing in her way before her dreams go up in smoke?In this Read Wine series prequel, Trixie is ecstatic that she is about to reach her lifelong dream of owning a bookstore, which will also have coffee, baked goods and a wine bar. It's everything she loves, all under one roof. To make it even better, she's doing it with her best friends, Sally and Cora.Just when they think they are close to opening Read Wine, strange things start to occur. Someone trashes their store mere days before they are to open. Then Sally gets stranded when someone puts sugar in her gas tank. And the competition in town is not happy another coffee option is opening.Who has it in for them? Is someone trying to sabotage Read Wine?

A Murderous Valentine (Admiral Shackleford Mystery #1)


Beverley Watts - 2021
    Having been instrumental in improving the lives of so many (his words - others might be inclined to call it something slightly different...), he was struggling to reignite the spark in his own love life with the feisty Mabel. Short on ideas, he decides to gatecrash his much put upon former Master At Arms and best friend Jimmy Noon's Valentine idea and ends up in the middle of a murder mystery weekend... where real murder is on someone else's script. Stranded in the middle of nowhere with a hotel full of potential murderers, the unstoppable duo embark on a series of blundering escapades in an attempt to uncover the Murderous Valentine... The Admiral and Jimmy may be more Laurel and Hardy than Holmes and Watson, but can they catch a murderer...? This humorous cozy mystery short read is the first in The Admiral Shackleford Mysteries.

Assaulted Caramel


Amanda Flower - 2017
    . .Bailey King is living the sweet life as assistant chocolatier at world-famous JP Chocolates in New York City. But just when Bailey’s up for a life-changing promotion, her grandmother calls with news that her grandfather’s heart condition has worsened. Bailey rushes to Harvest, Ohio, where her grandparents still run Swissmen Sweets, the Amish candy shop where she was first introduced to delicious fudge, truffles, and other assorted delights.She finds her grandfather is doing better than she feared. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for a local Englisch developer, whom Bailey finds dead in the candy shop kitchen—with Jebediah King’s chocolate knife buried in his chest. Now the police are sweet on her grandfather as the prime suspect. Despite the sincere efforts of a yummy deputy with chocolate-brown eyes, Bailey takes it on herself to clear Jebediah. But as a cunning killer tries to fudge the truth, Bailey may be headed straight into a whole batch of trouble . . .

Unleashed


Emily Kimelman - 2011
    This left him unconscious on the floor of my home. Amazingly, this bullet did not kill him. Ten years ago I adopted Blue as a present to myself after I broke up with my boyfriend one hot, early summer night with the windows open and the neighborhood listening. The next morning I went straight to the pound in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Articles on buying your first dog tell you never to buy a dog on impulse. They want you to be prepared for this new member of your family, to understand the responsibilities and challenges of owning a dog. Going to the pound because you need something in your life that's worth holding onto is rarely, if ever, mentioned. I asked the man at the pound to show me the biggest dogs they had. He showed me some seven-week-old Rottweiler-German shepherd puppies that he said would grow to be quite large. Then he showed me a six-month-old shepherd that would get pretty big. Then he showed me Blue, the largest dog they had. The man called him a Collie mix and he was stuffed into the biggest cage they had, but he didn't fit. He was as tall as a Great Dane but much skinnier, with the snout of a collie, the markings of a Siberian husky, the ears and tail of a shepherd and the body of a wolf, with one blue eye and one brown. Crouched in a sitting position, unable to lie down, unable to sit all the way up, he looked at me from between the bars, and I fell in love. "He's still underweight," the man in the blue scrubs told me as we looked at Blue. "I'll tell you, lady, he's pretty but he's skittish. He sheds, and I mean sheds. I don't think you want this dog." But I knew I wanted him. I knew I had to have him. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Blue cost me $108. I brought him home, and we lived together for years. He was, for most of our relationship, my only companion. But when I first met Blue, a lifetime ago now, I had family and friends. I worked at a crappy coffeehouse. I was young and lost; I was normal. Back then, at the beginning of this story, before I'd ever seen a corpse, before Blue saved my life, before I felt what it was like to kill someone in cold blood, I was still Joy Humbolt.I'd never even heard the name Sydney Rye.P.S. The dog does not die.**Beware: If you can’t handle a few f-bombs, you can’t handle this series.**