Book picks similar to
Seaside Secrets by Cindy Bell


mystery
cozy-mystery
cozy-mysteries
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Uncle and Ants


Marc Jedel - 2018
    Mischievous nieces. Can a clueless uncle catch a tech-savvy killer … and be home before bedtime?When a freak accident hospitalizes Marty Golden’s sister and condemns him to babysitter duty, he thinks it’s just another case of hardwired bad luck in Silicon Valley. Until a suspicious murder suggests the mishap was no mere coincidence. Something must be done. Too bad this quirky, fashion-backward uncle isn’t exactly hero material.Convinced his sister is in mortal danger, this amateur sleuth follows clues to an oddball array of suspects. Armed with nothing but an eye for detail and powers of self-delusion, Marty tangles with gangsters, a cantankerous school secretary, and a perplexing woman he can’t help but fall for. Glitches in his investigation seem like a piece of cake compared to dinner-prep and bedtime stories with his two precocious, pre-teen nieces.Can Marty catch the culprit, save his sister, and get his life back in order before he gets unplugged?

Footprints in the Frosting


Laura Pauling - 2015
    When footprints in the frosting lead to a body facedown in one of her cheesecakes, Holly becomes a prime suspect.With her opening day delayed, Holly deals with a nosy no-good reporter and the local cop, the handsome Officer Trinket, as she puts her sleuthing skills to the test to save her business and her name. With the help of her dog, Muffins, she needs to find the real murderer, before the killer looks to frost someone else.

Better Off Wed


Laura Durham - 2005
    Annabelle knows that even her trusted wedding emergency kit won't be able to salvage their careers if she and Richard can't find the real culprit.It's no easy task since the slain matron was perhaps the most hated socialite in DC, but Annabelle navigates through the city's colorful wedding industry and powerful social scene on the deadly trail of a killer. Always the bridal consultant and never the bride, she's seen her fair share of bouquet tosses. But there's no telling what surprises a ruthless killer will throw her way if she gets too close.

Murder By Chocolate


Rosie A. Point - 2019
    Then the unexpected happens: upon arriving in Carmel Springs, Maine, she’s asked on a blind date by a handsome fisherman. When Ruby goes to meet him, she finds his dead body instead. A murderer has struck, and the cunning detective who ‘runs’ the town names her as the prime suspect. Ruby can’t run, but staying might mean falling victim herself. Can she solve the murder in time?

Live and Let Chai


Bree Baker - 2018
    Can she bag the culprit?Life hasn't been so sweet for Everly Swan over the past couple of years, but now that she is back in her seaside hometown and the proud owner of a little iced tea shop and café right on the beach, things are finally starting to look up--until a curmudgeonly customer turns up dead on the boardwalk. With one of her hallmark glass tea jars lying right next to him and an autopsy that reports poison in his system, it doesn't look good for Everly or her brand new business.As the townspeople of Charm, formerly so welcoming and homey, turn their back on Everly, she fights to dig up clues about who could have had it in for the former town councilman. With a maddeningly handsome detective discouraging her from uncovering leads and a series of anonymous attacks on Everly and her business, it will take everything she's got to keep this mystery from boiling over.

Strawberry Crunch & Murder


Lori Woods - 2018
    With her new dessert shop opening soon, Molly is excited to be following her dream. The last thing she expects is to be caught up in the solving the murder of the town’s bully. Using her former investigative journalism skills, and with the help of the handsome police officer, Molly makes it her mission to find the killer before they strike again. Book 1 in the Sweet Treat Cozy Mystery series, which can be read in one to two hours! Perfect for a lunchtime read or if you want to enjoy a quick light-hearted read, with a parrot-loving amateur sleuth, set in a seaside town with quirky characters.  No cliffhanger, swearing or gory scenes!

Beaches, Bungalows & Burglaries


Tonya Kappes - 2018
     Mae West, a far cry from the Hollywood actress, has been thrown for a loop. Her plush lifestyle in the big city of New York comes to a screeching halt after the FBI raids her mansion and arrests her husband, Paul West, for a Ponzi scheme that rips people out of millions of dollars. Mae finds herself homeless, friendless, and penniless. All hope isn't lost. . .the only thing Mae got to keep that the government didn't seize is a tourist camp ground, Happy Trails, in Normal, Kentucky and an RV to live in. One problem, Mae's idea of camping has room service. By the look of the brochure, Happy Trails has plush Kentucky Bluegrass, a crystal clear lake, a beach chair with her name on it and thoughts of how much money it could bring her after she sells it. Mae figures she'll take a couple weeks vacation with her toes dipped in the lake. Things aren't always as they appear. The Kentucky Bluegrass is nothing but dirt and the crystal clue lake is murky with green slime on top. Mae quickly find out that Happy Trails and the citizens of Normal were also victims of Paul's schemes, making her lower than tha lake scum in the residents' eyes. Mae doesn't think things could get much worse, but as luck would have it, Paul West has escaped from prison and is found dead, murdered, floating in the Happy Trails mucky green lake. Mae is the number one suspect on Detective Hank Sharp's short list. After all, Mae has the perfect motive as a kept wife who has been scorned to ashes, embarrassed to death, and seeking revenge. Time is running out for Mae to prove that she's innocent and nothing like her husband. If only she could get someone to believe her and talk Detective Sharp into looking at other residents who've lost all their savings to Paul's Ponzie scheme before the curtain is closed on this Hollywood namesake.

Death in Room 7


K.J. Emrick - 2015
     Adelle Powers, or Dell as she is known around the town of Lakeshore, is living her dream life. She and her best friend Rosie Ryan are owners of the wonderfully quirky Pine Lake Inn, a very popular Australian tourist destination. Running her own inn is the only thing she has ever wanted to do and it is her pride and joy. So when Dell's friend Jessica calls to say she's coming for a visit Dell is ecstatic and can't wait to show it off to her friend. Surprisingly Dell finds that Rosie is less than thrilled about the visit and can't understand why. They were all such good friends, or so she thought. It would seem that Rosie may know something about Jessica's past that Dell doesn't. Some sort of secret that Rosie is reluctant to share with her. When Jessica is found dead in her room the following day it would appear that her secret past may have finally caught up with her. Horrified by the death of her good friend in her very own inn, Dell soon gets drawn into the mystery. And things take a turn for the very weird when Jessica's ghost visits her, more than once, directing Dell to clues that have been overlooked by a very incompetent police investigation. Soon Dell finds her own life in peril as she gets further into the mystery surrounding her friends life, and death.

Poppy Harmon Investigates


Lee Hollis - 2018
    . . When Poppy goes from complacent retiree to penniless widow in a matter of weeks, the idea of spending her golden years as the biggest charity case in Palm Springs renders her speechless. With no real skills and nothing left to lose, Poppy uses her obsession with true crime shows to start a career as a private eye . . .But after opening the Desert Flowers Detective Agency with help from her two best friends, Violet and Iris, Poppy realizes that age brings wisdom, not business--until she convinces her daughter's handsome boyfriend, Matt, to pose as the face of the agency. It's not long before Matt's irresistible act snags a client desperate to retrieve priceless jewelry burglarized from an aging actress at the Palm Leaf Retirement Village. Or before Poppy stumbles upon the bloodied body of the victim's arch rival . . .In a flash, Poppy's innocent detective gig is upstaged by a dangerous murder investigation riddled with slimy suspects and unspeakable scandal. As she and her team uncover the truth, Poppy must confront the secrets about her late husband's past and swiftly catch a killer lurking around the retirement community--even if it means turning her world upside down all over again.

Murder by the Book


Lauren Elliott - 2018
    But she didn't expect her sleuthing skills to come in so handy in a little seaside town . . .Addie left some painful memories behind in the big city, including the unsolved murder of her fiancé and her father's fatal car accident. After an unexpected inheritance from a great aunt, she's moved to a small New England town founded by her ancestors back in colonial times—and living in spacious Greyborne Manor, on a hilltop overlooking the harbor. Best of all, her aunt also left her countless first editions and other treasures—providing an inventory to start her own store.But there's trouble from day one, and not just from the grumpy woman who runs the bakery next door. A car nearly runs Addie down. Someone steals a copy of Alice in Wonderland. Then, Addie's friend Serena, who owns a nearby tea shop, is arrested—for killing another local merchant. The police seem pretty sure they've got the story in hand, but Addie's not going to let them close the book on this case without a fight . .

Raspberry Chocolate Murder


Leena Clover - 2019
    Her daughter Cassie dropped a glitzy Hollywood life and is back home after twenty years to care for her. When her friend's son is implicated in a gruesome murder, Anna draws upon her old sleuthing skills to help find the elusive killer. As Anna uncovers one clue after another, her faith in the boy begins to waver. Is he really as innocent as he claims to be?Meanwhile, the license for Anna's dream café is rejected by the vengeful local mayor. Old friends, new enemies, a troubled daughter and a new romantic interest are keeping Anna busy. Raspberry Chocolate Murder is the first juicy mystery in a brand new cozy mystery series from international Amazon bestselling author Leena Clover. Set in the small seaside town of Dolphin Bay on the California coast, this is a fast pageturner with plenty of twists and turns and luscious food.If you love strong heroines, small town life, friendships that endure and yummy food that makes your mouth water, you will love DolphinBay.Grab this beach cozy today and start reading.Books in the series -Orange Thyme Death - Now LiveApple Caramel Mayhem - Coming Soon

Apple Pie and Trouble


Amber Crewes - 2018
    Hollywood decided she wasn’t good enough. She left Hollywood broken but with a burning desire to start afresh in the Pacific Northwest, pursuing her second dream – opening a bakery. She never expected that the owner of a rival establishment would be found dead and all eyes would be focused on her as the prime suspect. As the new girl in town with a new bakery store, she’s determined to clear her name and find the murderer; otherwise she’ll have to leave Sandy Bay penniless and pitiful and possibly the murderer’s next victim. No cliffhanger, swearing or graphic scenes!

Cupcakes and Conspiracies


Katherine Hayton - 2017
    Small town. Big secrets. With a divorce pending and her career hanging in the balance, Holly Waterston returns to her hometown of Hanmer Springs to lick her wounds. According to her accountant, she also needs to sell the cupcake bakery owned and operated by her family for three generations. The bakery is the only place Holly's younger sister Crystal has ever worked. But when their mortgage holder suffers anaphylactic shock after eating a cupcake, Crystal is chief suspect for the attempted murder. Despite being labeled allergy-free, the cake was chock full of peanuts. Holly must dig in her heels and don an apron if she's to clear her sister's name, uncover the real culprit, and find out why their booming business is hemorrhaging money. If she can't, then Holly might lose Crystal to prison and lose the one place she can truly call home. This Sweet Baked Mystery is certified allergy-free of the following ingredients: No Swearing No Gore No Graphic Scenes and absolutely No Cliffhangers! Warning: May contain traces of danger and good humor. Scroll up to solve the conspiracy today!

Crossed by Death


A.C.F. Bookens - 2021
    When salvage expert and historian Paisley Sutton crawls into an abandoned store with a house attached, she certainly isn’t expecting to find a body on site. But soon, her discovery sends Paisley on an expedition through history that links this murder to the one that led the previous owners to abandon the building in the first place. And someone doesn’t want her to salvage this story from the wreckage. Can Paisley preserve herself and her young son while also uncovering the stories that matter most?

Murder's No Votive Confidence


Christin Brecher - 2019
    But someone sets the stage for murder when a Memorial Day celebration becomes a wedding to die for... Jessica Sterling’s candlelight-themed nuptial promises to be the perfect kick-off to the summer’s first official holiday weekend. Stella’s thrilled to have been chosen to provide the decorative centerpiece for the wedding ceremony: a two-foot, tall scented unity candle—a symbol of the happy couple’s love. But it looks like the bride-to-be’s uncle won’t be walking his niece down the aisle after he’s found dead. The murder weapon is Stella’s seemingly indestructible candle, now split in two. When a beloved local bartender is arrested, Stella’s sure a visiting police Captain running the case made a rush to justice. With superstitious brides-to-be cancelling orders and sales waxing and waning at her store, the Wick & Flame owner decides to do some sleuthing of her own. Abetted by a charming reporter and challenged by the town’s sexiest cop, Stella’s determined to shine a light on the truth and uncover a killer who’s snuffing out her own flame.