Book picks similar to
Birthdays Are Murder by Cindy Sample


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To Fetch a Felon


Jennifer Hawkins - 2020
    Her dream is to open a small tea shop in an idyllic village in Cornwall, with its cobblestone streets and twisting byways. Emma plans to bake the recipes handed down to her from her beloved grandmother, and there'll be plenty of space for her talking corgi, Oliver, to explore. Yes...talking. Emma has always been able to understand Oliver, even though no one else can, and she's looking forward to plenty of quality time with her best canine buddy in the countryside.But when Emma arrives in the village she discovers that the curmudgeonly owner of her new building, Victoria, hates dogs and refuses to sell the building because of Oliver. Although some might turn tail and run, Emma is determined to win Victoria over. Unfortunately, she never gets the chance. When Emma delivers some of her homemade scones as a peace offering, she finds Victoria dead from a cup of poisoned tea. Together, Emma and Oliver will need to unleash their detective skills to catch a killer.

Hammered, Nailed and Screwed


Kathleen Hering - 2012
    It’s his voice all right. But his ashes are in the urn on Laura’s fireplace mantle. . . Now wealthy from her husband’s life insurance benefits, Laura tries to put her life in order. She strains to keep her sense of humor and sanity as vandals destroy her car and burglars ransack her house. Is it the final straw when the new resident of the home she shared with her late husband is killed on the very designer tile Laura selected for the entryway? All this—plus mysterious and threatening messages from her cheating, lying, no-good husband—begins to push the ever-tasteful Laura to that tacky place known as despair. Oregon Detective Chris Pfeifer has everyone including Laura on his suspect list while Laura has everyone including Detective Pfeifer on her dinner date list. Between decorating gigs, Laura and her co-workers – a cantankerous retiree and a handsome young contractor – assist Detective Pfeifer as he unravels the truth behind the bizarre twists in Laura’s life.

Destined for Trouble


Claudia Lefeve - 2014
    All she wants to do is unwind, forget about her failed relationship, and work on her tan.But when the owner of the local crab shack is murdered at Jules’s welcome-home party, she is forced to scrap her rest-and-relaxation plans. Now her best friend, Abby Lee, is the prime suspect, and her high school sweetheart, Deputy Chief Justin Harper, is working the case. Even though Jules knows she shouldn’t, she just can’t keep herself from getting involved in the investigation—and entangled with handsome Assistant District Attorney Hartley Crawford. While an old flame threatens to rekindle and a new one sparks, Jules must find a killer and prove her friend’s innocence. But will she put two and two together before trouble catches up with her?Revised edition: This edition of Destined for Trouble includes editorial revisions.

Force of Habit


James Scott Bell - 2012
    Sinners beware.Just who is Sister Justicia Marie? And what is she doing to some of the toughest thugs in L.A.? When a nun is viciously attacked, Sister Justicia takes it upon herself to find out what happened. The cops don't like that. Neither does her Mother Superior at St. Cecelia's. But when a couple of hoods try to stick up a liquor store and Sister J brings them down, something is unleashed inside her...something that will either confirm her calling . . . or destroy it. From "one of the best writers out there, bar none" (Library Review) comes the start of a new series featuring a heroine unlike any other in crime fiction--Sister Justicia Marie, rogue nun. If criminals are the knuckles, she is the ruler. So be good. An original novelette from national bestselling suspense author James Scott Bell.

Murder is a Family Business


Heather Haven - 2011
    But the 34-year old Latina, WASP and 100% detective has her work cut out for her when the man is murdered on her watch. Of all the nerve. Set in the present, Murder is a Family Business is the first in a series of humorous mysteries revolving around Lee Alvarez, and rest of the Alvarez Family, detectives all. Seemingly light and frothy on the surface, the novel nevertheless explores familial love, the good, the bad and the annoying.Completing the family is Lee's Never-Had-A-Bad-Hair-Day aristocratic mother, Lila; computer genius brother, Richard; beloved uncle "Tio;" and her energetic orange and white cat, Tugger. When this group is not solving murders, they run Discretionary Inquiries, a successful Silicon Valley agency that normally deals with the theft of computer software. The love, humor and camaraderie shared within this family are what set this series apart from others.

A Dream of Death


Connie Berry - 2019
    Among the invited guests is American antique dealer Kate Hamilton. Returning to the island where her husband died is brutal, but Kate is determined to repair her relationship with her sister-in-law, Elenor Spurgeon, the proprietor of Rothsay's deluxe country house hotel.Kate has hardly unpacked when a body turns up, murdered in an eerie recreation of an infamous unsolved murder two hundred years before. And the only clue to the killer's identity lies in a curiously embellished antique casket. When Bo Duff, the gentle handyman who had tried to save Kate’s husband's life, is taken into custody, she teams up with vacationing Detective Inspector Tom Mallory to clear Bo’s name. To accomplish that, they’ll have to unmask a killer who seems bizarrely fixated on the past…because two hundred years is an awfully long time to hold a grudge in A Dream of Death, the tantalizing series debut by Connie Berry.

Murder & The Monkey Band


Dianne Harman - 2015
    Since their early childhood days, her sister has always possessed unexplained psychic abilities that often enable her to predict future events. An antique appraisal in the home of a recently murdered woman puts Marty at the center of a search for the killer. Who did it? The woman's son? The well-known collector of antique Meissen china? A professional art and antique thief? The owner of Mai Tai Mama's Restaurant? And just what part did the collection of Meissen Monkey Band figurines play in the murder? Detective Jeff Combs is just as determined to develop a relationship with Marty and her dog Duke as he is to solve the crime. Will the psychic abilities of Marty's sister help her find the killer? Dianne is the author of two other best-selling series, the Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Series and the Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Series. This is the first book in her new "High Desert Cozy Mystery Series." To find out more about Dianne and her books, visit her web site at www.DianneHarman.com

Donuts, Delights & Murder


Susan Gillard - 2017
    However, it’s no vacation. Heather has to balance unpacking her new home, filling her new shop with Chocolate Hazelnut Donuts, and discovering who killed her new neighbor. When the owner of the seafood restaurant next door to her is found poisoned, some other neighbors blame the newcomers from Donut Delights for the crime. Now Heather must uncover the secrets of the other shop owners in order to clear her name and find the real killer. Join Heather as she searches for the cold-blooded killer on the tropical island!

Daisy McDare and the Deadly Art Affair


K.M. Morgan - 2014
    Instead she finds herself heartbroken and in the middle of a murder investigation. Daisy is in the middle of a decorating job at a famed local celebrity's mansion when the arrogant painter is found murdered in his backyard studio. Suddenly there's a house full of suspects, each with a bigger reason to want the victim dead than the next. When the local police get stumped during their investigation, Daisy realizes she'll have to take matters into her own hands. But she can't crack the case alone. She recruits her cupcake-baking best friend Samantha, wise-cracking Granny Annie, and her feisty West Highland Terrier Shamus to find the killer. Other Daisy McDare books: Daisy McDare And The Deadly Legal Affair Daisy McDare And The Deadly Directorial Affair

Death on Tap


Ellie Alexander - 2017
    Sloan has spent her life in Leavenworth, Washington becoming an expert in brewing craft beer, and she doesn’t have time to be held back by her soon-to-be ex-husband. She decides to strike out on her own, breaking away from the Krause family brewery, and goes to work for Nitro, the hip new nano-brewery in the Bavarian-themed town. Nitro’s owner, brewmaster Garrett Strong, has the brew-world abuzz with his newest recipe, “Pucker-Up IPA.” This place is the new cool place in town, and Mac can’t help but be green with envy at their success.But just as Sloan is settling in to her new gig, she finds one of Nitro’s competitors dead in the fermenting tub, clutching the secret recipe for the IPA. When Mac, is arrested, Sloan knows that her ex might be a cheater, but a murderer? No way. Danger is brewing in Beervaria and suddenly Sloan is on the case.

Mercury Rising


Jerusha Jones - 2016
     Combine the resulting murder investigation with mysterious nighttime kayak trips, politicians run amok, nosy neighbors, and culinary lessons for her blue-haired teenage tagalong, Willow Ratliff, and Eva has her hands full. It doesn’t help that the police detective on the case is handsome, annoying, and more than willing to match her snide remarks with witticisms of his own. Soon, Eva is a walking repository of other people’s secrets. It’s not a role she ever asked for, and it just might prove lethal.

Escape Route


G.A. VanDruff - 2016
     Love Stephanie Plum? Escape Route is your next fun read! Dognappers. Hit men. Her ex-husband. A happy yellow Lab, an unhappy green gecko, her ex's new wife, and a conniving political climber make short work of her vacation. Can Jaqie save the hapless dog, the hopeless ex's new marriage, and finish her next screenplay before the deadline? Join in this fun-filled chase around the Chesapeake Bay, and find out if Jaqie can outsmart the hitmen, get her ex's extremely pregnant wife to the hospital in time, catch the dognappers, and deal with each and every relative hanging around the Shanahan family tree! Buy Escape Route and enjoy GA VanDruff's light-hearted tale of fun and suspense!

Crazy, VA


Shannon Hill - 2012
    She started life as the unwanted daughter of both of Crazy's feuding founding families. She's enforcing the law in a quirky town more used to paying bribes than fines. And her love life is in hiding. But Lil's luck changes when she adopts Boris, a foul-tempered tomcat who quickly becomes her feline deputy.Then Crazy gets its first murder in decades: Lisa Littlepage Hunter, heir to the powerful Littlepage business empire and the cousin Lil never knew. Lil's investigation will lead her and Boris through a twisted web of forbidden love and family secrets, and before it's over she'll need all the help her furry deputy can give her - and then some.

Attorney-at-Paw


Diane Wing - 2018
    To help her cope with PTSD, she adopts Chrissy, a Shih Tzu with a remarkable secret. Chrissy is also the only witness to the mysterious death of her pet parent. Autumn vows to find the truth behind his death with the help of Chrissy, the neighbors and an attractive detective. Can Autumn unravel the clues while trying to heal Chrissy's trauma and overcome her own devastating emotional wounds in the midst of a dangerous murder investigation?

The Seaside Detective Agency (The Isle of Man #1)


J.C. Williams - 2018
    You will not read a funnier mystery this year! ‘Eyes Peeled’ is the Isle of Man’s first and only Detective Agency. Not much happens on the idyllic Island that needs detecting, so, on the whole, the team is not the most adept. In fact, generally speaking, they’re pretty useless. One of the agency’s more eager employees is Sam Levy. Nearing forty, he’s finally found a job he actually loves – even if he isn’t particularly good at it. Okay, let’s be honest. He’s rubbish. Still, Sam’s services are secured by persons unknown to track down a glamorous, yet mysterious, art dealer recently arrived on the sleepy Island. Her arrival itself isn’t overly suspicious... but the international crime boss hot on her tail most certainly is! Sam is desperate to prove himself and impress his pretty colleague, Abby, but this investigation could end up putting him in rather a spot of bother, with our hero risking life, limb, and hairpiece! With this case, he could have bitten off more than he can chew.