Book picks similar to
Absinthe of Malice by Pat Browning
mystery
mysteries
mystery-us-west
murder-mystery
Dough Knot Murder: A Christmas Short Story
CeeCee James - 2019
What should be all sugar cookies and hot cocoa takes a drastic turn when one of the guests turns up cold—as in stone cold dead. With no help in sight, the two hope to find the killer before anyone else gets iced out. Including them. "I love the Baker Street Series!" "Good mix of characters to keep you turning pages & looking forward to next." "Reward yourself by making some of the recipes included!!!" Previously published as part of the boxed set titled Six Merry Little Murders. This short story has been newly edited with and expanded.
Be sure to read through the end to catch a few special recipes including Cecelia’s Christmas morning bread, a little something from Oscar, and my own secret Chicken Pot Pie! Plus a note from me! This story is special to me (I share a bit more about that at the end), and I hope you love this grumpy, darling man as much as I do! It turns out, the world would be a better place with a few more Oscars and Cecelias. Other books in the series include- Cherry Pie or Die Cookies and Scream Creme Brulée To Slay Drizzle of Death Slash in the Pan Terror on Top A clean, cozy read. No graphic violence, sex, or strong language.
The Deadly Jellybean Affair
Carrie Marsh - 2017
The Deadly Jellybean Affair guarantees you another head-spinning murder mystery adventure by a retired witch. What secrets lie behind the brutal murder? And can she uncover them without drawing attention from the killer?
A Retired Witch… A Cruel Murder… Can a few old tricks solve a crime?
Left a very comfortable widow after her dear husband passed, Mary Tuttle has many abilities, some of which have allowed her to open the doors to her dreams, a bead shop by the name of Beads and Baubles. But when she stumbles across the body of a dead Morhollow party-girl, Mary discovers that there are much deeper secrets behind the attack of her newly hired employee, who was beaten, bruised, and hidden just out of plain sight. There is no questioning the fact that Mary is compelled to solve the case and find the killer… But she will need to return to her roots to do it. Faced with the realization she will have to dust off her spell books, consult with her domestic cat, and be sure to steer clear of the police investigation, Mary knows she will have to play things carefully to find out the truth.But she will need to return to her roots to do it. Of course, it would be a lot simpler if the Captain of the Morhollow Police Department didn’t happen to be her son.
Can Mary narrow down the long list of suspects before giving herself away? Or will she take one too many risks and place herself in the sights of a killer?
Much Ado about Nauticaling
Gabby Allan - 2021
After far too many years in the Los Angeles corporate world, Whitney Dagner has come home to Santa Catalina Island off the California coast to help her brother Nick run Nautically Yours, the family tourism business. Between gift shop shifts selling all manner of T-shirts and tchotchkes and keeping her feline Whiskers in fine fettle, she pilots the Sea Bounder, a glass bottom boat showing tourists the underwater sights of aquatic plants, marine life--and a murder victim?The self-proclaimed Master of the Island, Jules Tisdale was a wealthy man with business interests throughout Catalina who was about to be honored as Person of the Year before someone strangled him with his own tie and tossed his body into the water. That someone appears to be Nick, who had a raw deal from Jules and no alibi the night of his murder. To clear her brother's name, Whit will have to investigate Jules' shady associates and not exactly grief-stricken family members--with the unwelcome help of Felix Ramirez, police diver and Whit's ex-boyfriend who's looking to rekindle their relationship.
Eve Lloyd's A Deadline Cozy Mystery
Sonia Parin - 2017
Paying her aunt, Mira Lloyd, a.k.a. Elizabeth Lloyd, renowned historical romance author, a long overdue visit, she plans on spending a month on Rock-Maine Island lounging around and plotting the launch of her new life. Her ex-husband, however, has other ideas. As for her aunt… she’s gone missing. And now there’s a dead body to contend with and a murder weapon with her fingerprints on it. A mantle of suspicion hangs over Eve and everyone she encounters has a reason to want her out of the way. Unwilling to leave matters in the hands of swoon worthy Detective Jack Bradford… only because it’s her civic duty to provide a new perspective, Eve Lloyd engages the assistance of her new friend and fellow suspect, Jill Saunders. They both stumble their way through a long list of possible motives and suspects in a race to find the killer before either one turns into the next victim. Snuffed Out Eve Lloyd, a death knell? Eve refuses to believe her choice of words had something to do with inviting a killer to the island, but just to be on the safe side, she agrees to avoid all use of any and all words related to killing. However, it might already be too late… Her run in with a local artist, Reginald Bryant Burns, has put her in an awkward position. Trying to make amends, Eve resorts to bribery, but that only makes matters worse and now…She’s a prime suspect in a murder investigation. The timing couldn’t be worse. She has a date with Detective Jack Bradford and the killer is threatening to ruin it for her. All Tied Up It’s no accident. Eve Lloyd is a magnet for trouble. On the brink of settling into an uneventful existence, Eve Lloyd turns her attention to a new venture. She’s going to open an inn and she thinks she’s found the perfect house. It should all be smooth sailing from there, but she’s developed a knack for landing right in the thick of it. This time, she stumbles on a body in the least likely place and her fingerprints are all over the handcuffs found on the murder victim. As the suspects list grows, and the dream of running an inn evaporates, she becomes a target of the killer’s rage.Despite trying to keep her nose out of other people’s business, it seems the only way she can get her life back on track is if she sets a trap for the killer. The Last Bite Eve Lloyd’s childhood nemesis, Charlotte McLain, is getting married. Nothing will induce Eve to attend. Nothing except… blackmail.From the start, everything about this wedding rings alarm bells for Eve. The location, the groom, the guests. The bride. But that’s nothing unusual. The odds of everything going right are stacked in the bride’s favor. There have already been several deaths on the island. Lighting surely wouldn’t strike again…When the groom suddenly dies, all fingers of blame are pointed directly at Eve. After all, she had opportunity and plenty of motives.She’s been framed and despite trying to keep her nose out of trouble, she’s now been dragged right back into the thick of it. The list of suspects is extensive, but she’s sure she can narrow it down to… at least a half dozen people. The Final Cut “…What sort of business person would I be if I start killing off my guests?” Eve Lloyd has settled into her new life in Rock-Maine Island and is about to open up an inn - a costly venture now that she has her heart set on getting an expensive custom made stove.
Bootscootin' and Cozy Cash Boxed Set
D.D. Scott - 2011
D. Scott is back...this time, with a Special Edition Boxed Set, featuring the first six books from her Bootscootin’ and Cozy Cash Mysteries Series. It’s Chick Lit Gone-Country...with a bunch of Bond, James Bond tossed-in. Book Description: This six-book set includes... BOOTSCOOTIN’ BLAHNIKS Think Sex and The City meets Urban Cowboy A Manhattan apparel designer, who’s also a country line dancing queen, has traded in her stiletto-clad clientele for (1) the frequent shoppers of a Music City tractor supply store and (2) a tomato-grown’, bootscootin’ cowboy, but she must accept that her best fit is on the dance floor moving to her own style and his lead. STOMPIN’ ON STETSONS Think Hell’s Kitchen mixed with Meet The Fockers A Manhattan-raised, culinary-schooled pastry chef, teams up with her favorite cowboy, a Meat n’ Three diner owner, to cater the wedding of a Music City socialite, but to get the job done, they must handle the heat sizzling between them while rising above their ex-factors as her ex is the wedding planner from hell and his is the bride-to-be. BUCKLES ME BABY Think paparazzi-hell and Ponzi-scheme fall-out meet home-shopping and Babies “R” Us A Manhattan-raised, marketing and promotions impresario and her Nashville TN homebuilder beau are forced to face overnight fame from their success on a home shopping channel, but can they handle big business with twins on the way, especially when they’re dodging paparazzi-hell on account of one of their parents’ Ponzi-scheming past? THUG GUARD Think The Rachel Zoe Project meets Bond, James Bond and a Madoff-style, Ponzi-scheming King. Zoey Witherspoon is a Rachel Zoe-esque Hollywood Stylist to The Stars - who's also a wanna-be Stephanie Plum. She’s teamed-up with her very own Bond, James Bond-style double agent who's about to bring down a Madoff-type, Ponzi-scheming King. Oh...and along for the adventure...try The Bootscootin' Books Mom Squad - now a blue-haired version of Charlie's Angels - plus all the rest of your fave Bootscootin' characters too! LIP GLOCK Think Will and Kate gone Bond, James Bond...and the blue-hair version of Charlie's Angels too...Under the Tuscan Sun. Buckle your seatbelts! Cozy Cash Mystery, super-hot, international crime-fighting couple Roman Bellesconi and Zoey Witherspoon - now very Will and Kate gone Bond, James Bond - once again team-up with The Bootscootin' Books' Mom Squad, now the blue-hair version of Charlie's Angels, to recover billions of bunches of hedge fund cozy-cash...but this time, all Under the Tuscan Sun. It's a super-sonic speed, action-packin' thrill-ride, full of pot-bellied pigs, hydrofoils, and gelato! FLUID FULFILLMENT The Mom Squad Mini-Mayhem Mysteries are a unique treat for fans of D. D.’s Bootscootin’ & Cozy Cash Mystery Books...a short story-sized peek into her collection of interconnected books. For Fluid Fulfillment, think Victoria’s Secret meets Kill Bill. Each Mom Squad Mini-Mayhem Mystery (short story) will feature at least one of The Mom Squad quirky-crazy, blue-haired Charlie's Angels wanna-be's! You'll get to meet their extended families plus learn the unique skill each Mom Squad Member has been trained-to by The Cozy Cash Mysteries' Quarter Master R. About the Author: D. D.
A Seaside Mourning
John Bainbridge - 2014
The peaceful seaside town of Seaborough, half-forgotten on the eastern border of the county, seems an unlikely setting for murder. When a leading resident dies, the cause of death is uncertain. Troubled Inspector Abbs and eager, young Sergeant Reeve are sent to determine whether the elderly spinster was poisoned. Behind the Nottingham lace curtains and over the bone china tea cups, trouble has been brewing. Seaborough is changing, new houses are going up and some prominent inhabitants are ambitious for the town to become a popular resort. When a second death follows, the detectives need to work fast to unravel the truth. Behind the elaborate rituals, is anyone truly mourning? As the leaves fall and secrets are laid bare, unmasking a murderer may have terrible consequences…
Graves, Ghosts & Gunslingers
Lily Harper Hart - 2020
This is a three-book omnibus including the books Grave Seas, True Grit Spirit, and Ghostly Graves.
Agatha Christie Investigates Omnibus
Alison Joseph - 2018
“Wickedly clever - written with a sharp eye and elan. Guaranteed to make every Agatha Christie fan smile.” - Peter James
Murder Will Out (Agatha Christie Investigates Book 1): 1923. The Great War is over, but the ghosts of the dead still linger. Agatha Christie was one of the lucky ones - her husband returned from the conflict - and for her, and her local neighbours, life has resumed. Agatha is beginning to gain some notoriety for her crime writing and she is busy working on her latest novel. But then her neighbour tells her there has been a real ‘murder at the vicarage’ - a young man, Cecil Coates, has been poisoned, and due to Christie’s expertise, the neighbourhood wants her to investigate. What secrets and lies are lying beneath the village’s tranquil exterior? Can Agatha Christie use her imagination to draw the murderer out?
‘Christie herself is the fulcrum of this highly diverting piece, delivered with all the quirky skill that is Joseph’s trademark.’ - Barry Forshaw, Crime Time.
Hidden Sins (Agatha Christie Investigates Book 2):
Summer, 1925
Life is starting to go back to normal after the shock of the Great War.
Agatha Christie, now a successful crime author, is holidaying in Cornwall.
And when her husband, Archie, has to leave early, she decides to use her alone time to work on a romance novel.
But it isn’t long before she finds herself thrown back into the world of murder and intrigue.
A fellow guest at Agatha’s hotel is murdered in the early hours of the morning, and all guests become suspects.
Agatha soon discovers that there is far more going on in the sleepy Cornish town than first meets the eye. Her enquiries unearth tales of ghosts, secret affairs and mysterious ship wrecks.
Tension escalates amongst the residents of the hotel when they realise that the murderer is somewhere in their midst.
Can Agatha Christie unmask the identity of the killer before anyone else becomes a victim?
‘Christie herself is the fulcrum of this highly diverting piece, delivered with all the quirky skill that is Joseph’s trademark.’ - Barry Forshaw, Crime Time.
‘Clever and intriguing - a must for all Agatha Christie fans’ - Peter James
Death in Disguise (Agatha Christie Investigates Book 3):
Some people want to be fooled…
1920s, London
Agatha Christie, the famous detective writer, is struggling to come to terms with her divorce. So much so that she can barely bring herself to say the word.
Lifestyles of the Witch and Ageless
Shéa MacLeod - 2021
Sure, they mentioned the hot flashes and reading glasses and the need for Kegels, but they never talked about fireballs sprouting from your fingertips or your sudden ability to turn rat-bastards into, well, actual rats.Which is why it comes as something of a surprise to Juniper when—at the tender age of 46—she discovers that not only has she inherited a quirky house in an even quirkier town called Miracle Bay from a relation she had no idea existed, but she also develops magical powers. Because, apparently, she’s a witch. Something her parents sort of forgot to tell her.With her life turned upside down, a new start in a new town is just what Juniper needs, and the strange bookstore her grandmother left her might be exactly the right opportunity. But beyond her inheritance and sudden affinity for tarot cards, there’s something strange afoot in Miracle Bay. A mystery Juniper is determined to solve before her newfound freedom vanishes along with her life.A brand new paranormal women's fiction series from the best selling author of Lady Rample Mysteries and Sunwalker Saga.Get ready for some midlife magic!
Fireworks in France (A Reverend Annabelle Dixon Mystery Book 7)
Alison Golden - 2021
Matrimony in Christmas River
Meg Muldoon - 2019
It’s one year before the infamous Gingerbread Junction murder scandal, and Cinnamon Peters is feeling downright Grinch-like this holiday season. After her cookie house crumbles in the annual Gingerbread Junction Competition, the pie baker extraordinaire wants nothing more than to shut herself in her house for the rest of December and be left alone. Unfortunately, she’s got a friend’s wedding to attend this New Year’s Eve, a wedding gingerbread castle to build, and that unpopular pie shop of hers isn’t going to run itself. But when the best man is found face down in a ditch days before the wedding, it’s clear that somebody’s out to ruin the event. Can Cinnamon figure out who’s trying to sabotage the wedding before it’s too late? Matrimony in Christmas River is a heartwarming holiday mystery perfect for readers who can’t get enough of Cinnamon Peters and the cozy, feel-good world of Christmas River. This mystery is a prequel to Murder in Christmas River in the Amazon bestselling Christmas River Cozy Mystery Series.
Maids of Misfortune
M. Louisa Locke - 2009
Annie’s husband squandered her fortune before committing suicide five years earlier, and one of his creditors is now threatening to take the boardinghouse she owns to pay off a debt. Annie Fuller also has a secret. She supplements her income by giving domestic and business advice as Madam Sibyl, one of San Francisco’s most exclusive clairvoyants, and one of Madam Sibyl’s clients, Matthew Voss, has died. The police believe his death was suicide brought upon by bankruptcy, but Annie believes Voss has been murdered and that his assets have been stolen. Nate Dawson has a problem. As the Voss family lawyer, he would love to believe that Matthew Voss didn't leave his grieving family destitute. But that would mean working with Annie Fuller, a woman who alternatively attracts and infuriates him as she shatters every notion he ever had of proper ladylike behavior. Sparks fly as Anne and Nate pursue the truth about the murder of Matthew Voss in this light-hearted, cozy historical mystery set in the foggy gas-lit world of Victorian San Francisco. Maids of Misfortune is the first book in M. Louisa Locke’s historical mystery series, see also, Uneasy Spirits, and Bloody Lessons, as well as the two short stories based on the characters from the novels, Dandy Detects, and The Misses Moffet Mend a Marriage.
Murder in the Milk Case
Candice Speare Prentice - 2007
Worse, she's a suspect. Sleuthing to exonerate herself from murder charges, she shakes up a murderer who has nothing to lose by killing any one in the way - including Trish.
The Secret Staircase
Melanie Jackson - 2011
In her unknown relative's ancient house, she discovers that the sins of the past are very much alive and able to be visited on the children. Smugglers and pirates and an old curse are not just things of the past, but dangers and mysteries to be reckoned with today.
Inn Keeping with Murder
Lynn Bohart - 2013
Claire Inn, no one is surprised. After all, Martha had a heart condition. But when her death is ruled a murder, the inn’s owner, Julia Applegate, becomes the prime suspect. Julia recruits her “sixty-something” group of friends to launch their own investigation. Together with the inn’s resident ghosts, including Julia’s recently deceased mother who has learned to use a cell phone, they go after the truth. Add to that a talking parrot who likes to quote old movies, a Harlequin Great Dane, two miniature Dachshunds, a very handsome detective (or two), and get ready for a romp down mystery lane!WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE 'OLD MAIDS'"This book had me riveted for hours.""I couldn't put my Kindle down until I finished the entire book.""Wonderful read. The characters soon become your neighbors.""I am not usually into paranormal books. But this one made me laugh out loud, often!"