Book picks similar to
A Tail of Murder: Cat and Mouse Whodunits 1 by Emily James


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Act it Out (A Hailey Webb Mystery, Volume 2)


Deany Ray - 2021
    

A Body on the Beach


Blythe Baker - 2018
    and the murder rate is climbing.When Piper Lane’s career and her office romance both die fiery deaths on the same day, she packs up her worldly goods and her French Bulldog, Jasper, and leaves Houston behind, setting sail for safer harbors – the welcoming golden shores of Sunrise Island, to be exact.But Piper, her pessimistic sister, Page, and her overly dramatic niece, Blaire, have no sooner rolled up their sleeves and taken over an old bed and breakfast on the island, than a dead body is discovered on the premises. With her B&B now adjacent to a crime scene, it looks as if Piper’s dream of reviving the business might be done for. Between the haunted house vibe of the ancient Victorian property and the creepy antics of Mrs. Harris, the crazy old lady living in the attic, can things get any worse?Propelled into the middle of the dangerous murder investigation, Piper soon makes it her mission to clear away the clouds of suspicion surrounding her B&B and shine the light of day on long-held secrets that some of the island’s inhabitants would rather keep buried. But the killer is only one step behind her, and if Piper doesn’t think fast, the only thing she’ll be getting to the bottom of is a shallow grave.

The Shell Shop


Mia Alexander - 2020
    But when her husband dies in a tragic diving accident, that’s just where she finds herself. And now the Shell Shop is in danger, and along with it all of Julia’s precious family memories.Julia and her husband started the shell shop decades ago, before their now-grown children were born—he sold the rare shells he found on diving trips around the world and she got to raise their kids amongst the balmy breezes and waving palm trees. She left him to it—he had his own system and she knew nothing about shells. Her world was cooking, making sandcastles and snuggling with the kids. Their arrangement was perfect, until it wasn’t. Now that John’s gone, the bills are piling up and she can hardly bring herself to open the shop even though tourist season is fast approaching. Her eldest, Dillon, knows a bit about shells but doesn’t seem interested in stepping up to help. He prefers diving and surfing to having a proper job. Her daughter Aubrey is having an identity crisis and has her hands full with Julia’s beloved grandchildren. And the baby of the family, even in her mid-twenties, is struggling to make a go of it in a very difficult profession. With all of this on Julia’s mind, she has to dig deep to figure out a way to keep the shop—and her home—afloat. When a world-famous shell collector expects a rare shell that her husband promised to provide, can the Montgomery family rally and figure out the method to John’s madness and keep the shop in business? Escape into this feel-good beach series. You’ll fall in love with the Montgomery family while you visit the warm sunny beaches of the Florida Keys!

A Special Blend of Murder


Cat Chandler - 2017
    She has a thriving freelance writing career, good friends close by, a handsome boyfriend and now the perfect kitchen to cook in. What more could a could a girl want? Certainly not to stumble across a spilled bottle of wine, a shattered glass and a dead body! The well-known winemaker was, as the Chief of Police declared, “dead as a doornail”, and Nicki is sure it’s murder! Along with her good friends, Alex and Jana, and her one-of-a-kind landlady, Maxie, Nicki’s determined to uncover who killed the much-despised winemaker, and what was so special about his personal blend of wine? In the very best tradition of a riveting “whodunit” mystery-- with twists and turns to keep you guessing, Nicki and her friends of amateur detectives will make you laugh and wonder “who murdered the winemaker” until the very last clue! A Special Blend of Murder has recurring characters, but can easily be read as a stand alone book. Download your copy today- and be prepared to put your thinking cap on! Author’s Interview: Why a Murder Mystery? I love a good mystery, especially if the clues are all there but you’re still guessing until the very end—and then it’s “Oh, of course!” Agatha Christie was a master at it, and who doesn’t love Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote? I love the cozy mystery books, and even any mystery movie they’re made into! You wrote romances, why the switch? I still do write them. Never sell a romance reader short—they literally love a good story! Quite a number of my romance novels end up with a murder or some other major element of suspense. A good romance story needs a bit of something more than longing looks and a string of misunderstandings. I honestly think a little suspense, action or mystery, helps any story along. But in a romance, it’s all about the love story with some mystery on the side. In a mystery, it’s all about solving the puzzle, with friends—and maybe some romance—on the side. And I do love to read them both! And how did you come up with your characters? Like all writers do, they’re partly based on people I know or have met. But mostly, I like characters who are close and interact naturally with each other. And books are a fantasy world. Who doesn’t want a group of close-knit people you can always count on? Friends, who are not only like family but who know you really well and like you anyway? I think that’s something everyone wants in his or her life. Including me!

Clothe My Villainy: A Violet Carlyle and Friends Mystery (A Smith Investigates Mystery Book 3)


Beth Byers - 2022
    

Baby Surprises 7 Book Box Set


Layla Valentine - 2019
    Filled with steamy, enthralling tales of billionaires, blinding hot love, and above all else, adorable, occasionally accidental, but eternally loved babies! The Sweetest Mistake: They made the sweetest mistake. Now, she has to keep their love a secret, Or risk losing everything… A Baby For Christmas: No sooner has the New Year begun, however, the gorgeous billionaire Colton Cooper shows his true colors—only for Shayla to discover that their antics under the mistletoe had some very real consequences: she’s pregnant, with his baby! A Baby, Quick!: He never thought he’d be a father But now he needs a baby, quick! Rock ‘n’ Stroller: He’s a Rock God. A mega star. I was kidding myself to think I’d be the one He hasn’t got time for a woman in his life. Has he got time for a baby? Dr. O’s Baby: They had an arrangement for one night only, But now, this committed bachelor has a surprise in store. His own gorgeously perfect, perfectly accidental baby… Surprise Packages: It was meant to be a one-night deal, But soon, two royal babies will be born. This time, good things will come in surprise packages… The Baby Blindside: He’s a bad-boy quarterback in need of an image overhaul. Having a baby with his PR advisor wasn’t part of the plan!

Murder, She Goat


Lucy Jackson - 2020
    But instead of cooking up a little R&R on her aunt’s goat farm, she finds herself head caterer in her cousin’s impending nuptials. Though her culinary plans go smooth as butter, this Hill Country wedding turns into a mountain of trouble after one of the wedding party is found dead.When the sheriff sets his sights on the honeymooning groom as the main suspect, Fancy’s penchant for straight shooting could be the only remaining recipe for justice. Can she clear the newlywed’s name and corral the real killer?Murder, She Goat is the first book in the Hill Country Cozy series. If you like twisty mysteries, zany characters, and female sleuths, you’ll love Lucy Jackson’s tasty whodunit.*** Fancy’s recipes included ***Buy now to solve a delicious murder!

Finding Love at Christmas: A Cowboy Holiday Romance Novella


Kit Morgan - 2019
    He was young and poor. She was young and rich. The gap between their two families was too big for the likes of Wendy’s father, and so, he made sure Wendy disappeared from Jack’s life. Until one day … When Wendy Preston spied Jack Carlson in Fort Worth, she thought she was seeing a ghost. But no, it was him, the man who broke her heart. After her father carted the family off to Dallas, leaving Montana behind, that was it. No more Jack. Not. One. Word. But what did it matter? She was supposed to marry another man. It’s what her father wanted. It’s what the family business needed. But seeing Jack made Wendy think. What did she want? The bigger question was, could she stand up to her father to get it? Enjoy this quick romantic romp and find outNote: Previously released as part of the Wish Upon a Christmas Star boxed set under Giant Love

Suspicion on Sugar Creek


Susannah B. Lewis - 2016
    She hoped to work on her novel, play Rook with the old lady next door and spend some lazy time with her husband and daughters. But when a new neighbor winds up dead, Tessa and her Rook partner find themselves jumping to suspicious conclusions. Add a young hippie named Rusty to the mix, and these three seem like an unlikely trio to solve an alleged crime. When you’re not laughing at the humorous rhetoric in Suspicion on Sugar Creek, you’ll be on the edge of your seat wondering how it will all play out.

FINDING FRANKIE (A Tuper Mystery #2)


Teresa Burrell - 2019
    But why? And how did Squirrely, a homeless man, acquire a duffle bag stuffed with thousands in cash, a pistol, and a 25-year-old newspaper?As Squirrely lies in a coma, Tuper’s techie sidekick, Lana, uncovers fifty-year-old secrets about his connection to the death of a high school classmate. The cold case pops to the front burner when a second classmate dies in the same manner.A Senator, his barren wife, and a long-ago illegal adoption heat up the complications. As Tuper and Lana dig deeper, lies, fraud, and blackmail bubble to the surface. When they get too close, the killer panics and tries to take them out too.The case reaches a boiling point—just as Tuper unties a fifty-year-old twist and the cold truth finally puts the fire out.

Warm Nights in Magnolia Bay


Babette de Jongh - 2021
    With nowhere else to go, she lands on her Aunt Reva’s doorstep at Buckaroo Barn, home to a motley assortment of rescue animals. Reva, a telepathic animal communicator, gives Abby time to reinvent herself by leaving Abby in charge of the farm while she's away. Abby immerses herself in caring for the animals and running educational programs to teach kids to appreciate and relate to them. Just when Abby is finally starting to feel like herself again, a sexy new neighbor moves in next door, determined to find some peace and quiet, and challenging Abby in ways she never expected. Can she convince her stubborn new neighbor to give the noisy petting zoo next door...and her...a chance?You’ll fall in love right along with Abby as animals and humans alike find unexpected ways to connect, nurture each other, and thrive.

Peridale Cafe 1-3


Agatha Frost - 2017
    With a new smug Detective Inspector in town who underestimates her every move, Julia makes it her mission to discover the real murderer, before her village friends are dragged into the frame, and more bodies are discovered. LEMONADE AND LIES (Book 2) When the entire village is invited to a garden party for a mysterious ‘special announcement’, nobody expected that party to end with a man being thrown to his death from a window. The murder is committed at Julia South’s estranged father’s manor, so all eyes in Peridale turn to her to solve the case. In a race against the clock, Julia must juggle her blossoming romance with Detective Inspector Brown, and her young lodger, Jessie’s, sudden strange behaviour, to uncover the truth behind the man’s untimely death. With members of her own family in the frame, will Julia like what she discovers? DOUGHNUTS AND DECEPTION (Book 3) Julia never expected to be caught up in another murder investigation, but when she discovers that homeless people are dying suspiciously and the police aren't investigating, she can't sit back and do nothing. After promising her young lodger, Jessie, that she will do everything she can to help, Julia finds herself diving headfirst into the case, aided by her new Detective Inspector boyfriend, Barker. Sure there is a serial killer preying on the vulnerable residents of an old burnout warehouse, Julia must act quickly to get to the bottom of the mystery, but can she crack the case before more bodies turn up? The first 3 books in the Peridale Cafe series! Can be read as a standalones but will be enjoyed more as part of the series. A light, cozy mystery read with a cat loving and cafe-owning female amateur sleuth, in a small village setting with quirky characters. No cliffhanger, swearing, gore or graphic scenes! FULL PERIDALE CAFE READING ORDER: 1. Pancakes and Corpses 2. Lemonade and Lies 3. Doughnuts and Deception 4. Chocolate Cake and Chaos (OUT NOW!) 5. Shortbread and Sorrow (PREORDER)

The Sweet Smell of Murder


Cindy Bell - 2015
    She is planning on using the time off to get over her messy divorce and she is looking forward to spending time with her much-loved grandmother and relaxing making chocolates and anything chocolaty. But then… the delivery driver for her grandmother’s chocolate shop is found murdered. The detectives investigating the crime have a prime suspect, Ally’s high school sweetheart, Brent. Ally believes that Brent would never murder anyone, so with the help of her trusted feline friend, Peaches, she tries to uncover the truth. The search for the killer leads Ally straight into the line of danger. Will she be able find the murderer before she becomes a victim herself? Triple Chocolate Muffin Recipe Included!

The Cape May Garden (Cape May Book 1)


Claudia Vance - 2020
    Margaret Wilder's life is about to be turned upside down ......when her husband of fifteen years abruptly leaves without explanation.Now as their young daughters struggle to understand why their dad has been gone for a month without so much as a phone call, Margaret begins to uncover her husband's secrets while unraveling her own long-buried feelings about their marriage.On top of all the personal turmoil, Margaret's job at the wildlife refuge has cut back her hours, and a storm approaches that could ruin all of the hard work she's put into one of her greatest joys, her annual vegetable and flower garden.As she forms an unlikely friendship with her handsome coworker, Dave, things take a turn when she is offered a great opportunity to build the garden of her dreams on a piece of land by the beach.In the first book of the Cape May Series, follow the twists and turns of Margaret's journey as she picks up the pieces of her life with the help of family and friends, set in the beautiful Victorian beach town of Cape May, New Jersey.

On the Stroke of Midlife (Midlife Moonshine, #1)


Hermione Moon - 2021
    I’m definitely having a midlife crisis…I didn’t expect to be single at forty-five, but I’ve always prided myself on facing up to a challenge. A new town, a better job, and a cozy cottage of my own are all at the top of my To Do list. A new man? Right at the bottom. I’m far too busy for love.Returning to the Devon village of Crows Tor on Dartmoor brings a new lease of life for me – in more ways than one. It turns out my old school friend, Fiona, makes a secret moonshine at her whisky distillery using spring water collected under the full moon. Apparently it enhances your psychic powers, and she tempts me to have a shot… or three.I’m thrilled at the prospect of developing my psychic abilities. And then I look into a crystal ball at the May Day fair and have a vision of a murder. Suddenly it’s not such a fun idea after all, especially when my prediction comes true. Consumed by guilt because I didn’t warn the victim, I’m determined to find the killer, even if it puts me in the very path of danger…*The Midlife Moonshine stories are set on Dartmoor in Devon, England, and contain British English spelling and usage. They are clean reads with no graphic violence, strong language, or sex, but they’re packed with magic, mystery, romance, and history – all starring women in the prime of midlife!