Baking is Murder


Kathy Cranston - 2016
     Luckily for Jessie, Springdale is every bit as quirky and idyllic as she remembers, and Bee’s baking is just as mouth-watering. Then the unthinkable happens and there’s a murder on the outskirts of town. Worse still, Jessie’s new friend is the prime suspect. The cops think the case is cut-and-dry, but Jessie’s gut tells her there’s more going on than meets the eye. Can she get to the bottom of it? Baking is Murder is the first book in the Bee’s Bakehouse Cozy Mystery series. Each book is a standalone mystery.

Murder In Half Moon Bay


Nancy Jill Thames - 2010
    But a startling discovery draws Jillian and her garden club friends into solving a mystery that threatens her life and changes her future.The unlikely team helps the chief uncover a series of mysterious events that lead to solving several murders, both past and present. Could it be the mean spirited conference director? Perhaps it's the wealthy widow on the make for her next husband; or maybe the killer is the haughty business woman who shows no regard for her brow beaten husband.“Murder in Half Moon Bay,” Book 1 in The Jillian Bradley Mystery Series, introduces Jillian's little companion Teddy, a Yorkie who falls prey to danger but rises to become a sleuth dog in the next book.

The Reindeer Caper


Valerie Tate - 2017
    But when Dasher disappears, children and parents alike are devastated, and the mayor fears an international incident.In desperation, the mayor turns to the Mallorys to save the town's Christmas, but the more Chris and Alicia investigate, the more they realize it isn't just Christmas that's in jeopardy.

Ladd Springs


Dianne Venetta - 2013
    Both are after title to Ladd Springs, a mecca of natural springs, streams and trails in the eastern Tennessee mountains, a tract of land worth millions. But Ernie Ladd, current owner of the property and uncle to Delaney, is adamantly opposed to them both.Felicity Wilkins, Delaney’s daughter, deserves to inherit her family’s legacy, but neighbor Clem Sweeney is working against her, ingratiating himself with Ernie Ladd. Clem is also harboring a secret that will make him a very wealthy man—unless the others stop him before he can bring it to fruition.Complicating matters is Annie Owens. Ex-girlfriend to Jeremiah Ladd, Ernie’s estranged son lining in Atlanta, she declares her daughter Casey is Jeremiah’s, making Casey every bit as entitled to the property as Felicity—only Annie hasn’t proven this claim. Yet.All are fighting to get the property, but only one will walk away with the gold.

Maniacal


C.M. Sutter - 2016
     The newly promoted Sergeant Jade Monroe, and her partner, Detective Jack Steele, have just been informed of an unidentified male body found at a local lake. The town is in an uproar. The victim was nearly decapitated, and murder simply doesn’t happen in North Bend. As more bodies turn up, the single connection between all of the victims becomes clear—it’s Jade, herself. With each new victim getting one step closer to Jade, time begins to tick away. She must find the person responsible before her loved ones, or herself, are targeted next. Note: All Detective Jade Monroe books are standalone stories, yet they are best read in chronological order. #1 Maniacal #2 Captive #3 Fallacy #4 Premonition

Middle Finger of Fate


Kim Hunt Harris - 2013
    But Lord have mercy on anyone who has Salem for their last hope, because that girl is a piping hot mess and always has been. Everyone knows that, including Salem.But Salem is trying. She quit drinking, and even started praying. Maybe if she can prove Tony's innocence and find the real killer, it would balance out some of the mistakes she's made in her past -- a past that includes betrayed best friends now bent on vengeance, ex-crushes who were supposed to be old and fat by now, and an ex-husband who might, possibly, not be an ex after all. If Salem can catch a break from reaping all the wild seeds she's sown, she might have a chance to redeem herself.Then again, maybe she should just settle for being a piping hot mess.

Medicine Wheel


Kelly Running - 2013
    Her efforts to clear her brother's name lead her on an odyssey of Navajo visions, sweat lodges, medicine wheels, and mysticism. The journey promises to waken her latent psychic abilities if she survives numerous attempts on her life and figures out who wants her dead.

Blind Sight


Tanya R. Taylor - 2019
    She lives with her beloved dog Vanilla ("Nilla" for short) in a cozy neighborhood that is quite "active" due to what occurred in the distant past. Though legally blind, she plays an integral role in helping to solve pressing and puzzling mysteries, one right after the other, which, without her, might remain unsolved. The question is: How can she do any of that with such a handicap?

Birthdays Can Be Deadly / Money Can Be Deadly / Trust Can Be Deadly / Ties Can Be Deadly


Cindy Bell - 2015
    Everything is peaceful in the small, secure retirement community. That is until a resident, James, dies at his birthday party. Given his age it is presumed that he died of natural causes, but foul play is suspected and three residents join forces to try and uncover the truth. Although they are retired they use their skills and experiences from their professions as a detective, crime journalist, and accountant in the search for the murderer. But first they have to work out who a mysterious, yet familiar resident is. Just who is the mystery resident and will she prove to be an ally or foe? Will the ‘Sage Gardens Sleuths’ be able to catch the killer before one of them becomes a victim themselves?Money Can Be DeadlySamantha is relaxing by the lake enjoying the tranquil surroundings with her early morning cup of tea. The retirement village, Sage Gardens, is beautiful and peaceful at that time of the morning. But then Sam makes an unexpected discovery on the shores of the lake just before a Sage Garden’s employee turns up dead. The police arrest the perfect murder suspect, but the ‘Sage Gardens Sleuths’ do not believe he did it. The four retirees are on a mission to uncover the truth. Their investigations lead them directly towards some criminals and puts them in serious danger. Will they be able to find the real murderer before an innocent man spends his life behind bars? Or is the wool being pulled over their eyes and he really is guilty?Trust Can Be DeadlyThe retirement community, Sage Gardens, is usually peaceful and quiet and this morning is no different. That is until a resident is found murdered in his villa. The ‘Sage Gardens Sleuths’ decide to do a little investigating of their own to help speed up the process of revealing the murderer so that Sage Gardens can be a safe place to live once again. Their investigation leads them down a path they never anticipated and puts some of them in unexpected danger. Will they be able to catch the killer before one of them gets hurt? Or will they reach a dead end?Ties Can Be DeadlySamantha is relaxing by the lake enjoying the tranquil surroundings with her early morning cup of tea. The retirement village, Sage Gardens, is beautiful and peaceful at that time of the morning. But then Sam makes an unexpected discovery on the shores of the lake just before a Sage Garden’s employee turns up dead. The police arrest the perfect murder suspect, but the ‘Sage Gardens Sleuths’ do not believe he did it. The four retirees are on a mission to uncover the truth. Their investigations lead them directly towards some criminals and puts them in serious danger. Will they be able to find the real murderer before an innocent man spends his life behind bars? Or is the wool being pulled over their eyes and he really is guilty?

Rest In Pieces


Katie Graykowski - 2015
    She’s a feisty, single mom living in the small town of Lakeside, Texas where money does buy happiness and keeping up appearances is much more important than the truth. Six months ago on her thirtieth birthday, her husband decided that married life, fatherhood, and his job as the Lakeside Chief of Police weren’t as exciting as a permanent vacation to Grand Cayman with his mistress and a million dollars in diamonds he stole from the police evidence lockup. Mustang is a pariah in a Lakeside full of piranha. But she refuses to leave—this is her home, and she figures that if she can’t join them, then she’ll beat them at their own game. With a little luck, some intimidation, and the help of her good friends Monica and Haley, Mustang presides over her own little slice of Lakeside, the Bee Creek Elementary Parent Teacher Organization. All is quiet in Lakeside until Molly Miars, the kindergarten teacher, is found dead. According to the new police chief, she overdosed on heroin. That doesn’t explain why her head was the only body part to make it to her funeral. Mustang and her follow PTOers don’t buy the heroin overdose for a second. Vowing to do right by Molly, the PTO decides to investigate. Quickly they find that Lakeside isn’t the quiet, sleepy town it appears to be. There is a dark side—money laundering and drug trafficking. When Mustang’s name turns up on a contract killer’s hit list, things go from bad to worse. Can she and the PTO stay alive long enough to find out who killed Molly Miars?

Murder in Acapulco Box Set: Detective Emilia Cruz Books 1-6


Carmen Amato - 2020
    

Where There's A Will


Alex R. Carver - 2016
    An armed robbery, a kidnapping, and an enemy that's closer than anyone realises.Inspector Stone has to put aside problems at home and an ambitious underling when the daughter of a local businessman is kidnapped, and a multi-million Euro ransom demanded for her return.Can he find her and return her safely to her parents when the kidnappers are dangerously close to home?

She's Not There / Trespass / Girl Undone


Marla Madison - 2016
     The series opener, SHE’S NOT THERE, introduces TJ Peacock, a Milwaukee-based PI, a former cop struggling to make it in her own business. Her life intersects with that of Lisa Rayburn, a clinical psychologist who has just found evidence that abused women are going missing in the Milwaukee area. When the police inform Lisa that without hard evidence, they cannot open an investigation, she joins TJ on a mission to reveal foul play at work in the disappearances. TJ and Lisa put their lives on the line as they attempt to unearth a devious serial killer. In the next two books of the series, TRESPASS and GIRL UNDONE, TJ and Lisa maintain their friendship and use their skills to uncover a cold case from the past and a deadly plot by a serial killer against a crime blogger.

Moon Signs


Helen Haught Fanick - 2011
    Her sister Andrea has an altogether different point of view. When the sisters go to the Canaan Valley to search for paintings mentioned in a document found in an old hotel once owned by their grandparents—paintings that might be Monets—Andrea immediately becomes involved in tracking down a murderer. Kathleen would much rather be looking for the paintings, but she goes along with Andrea, since the victim was their hotel-keeper, murdered just down the hall from their room. The question is: Does the murder have something to do with the elusive paintings?There are many clues and many suspects, including hotel staff, valley residents, and the mysterious foreigners who come from the Eastern Seaboard for skiing. There are also many types of danger—icy roads, sub-zero temperatures, and a killer who doesn’t care how many people die in the attempt to make sure the right ones do.

Patent Pending and Death


Patti Larsen - 2019
    At least this time she’s actually legit. Acting as local investigator for her co-owned Fleming Investigations private eye firm while her father, John, takes care of things more far flung, Fee not only uncovers the wrongdoings she's been hired to solve, but stumbles yet again over death, mayhem and murderers bent on keeping their secrets to themselves. Welcome back to Reading, Vermont, the cutest (and deadliest!) town in America!