Book picks similar to
Absinthe of Malice by Pat Browning


mystery
mysteries
mystery-amateur
crime-mystery-thriller

Murder And Grits: A Piper Sandstone Savory Mystery Series (A contemporary Gulf Coast mystery with recipes), Book 1


Karen McSpade - 2021
    

Dead on Deadline


Lara Bricker - 2021
    She takes a job at the Exeter Independent, where her days are filled with stories of church bazaars, runaway turkeys, and news from the garden club.Piper assumes her assignment to cover the American Independence Festival, honoring her town’s role in the Revolutionary War, is just another mundane event. But when a body dressed in a Red Coat soldier jacket is found hanged from the top of the historic Town Hall, Piper finds herself in the middle of a murder. The victim is her news editor, Charlotte Campbell, and there is no shortage of people who would be glad to see her dead.Suspicion quickly lands on the paper’s photographer, who was fired the day before, but Piper cannot believe he is capable of murder. With the help of her high school crush, now a detective, her best friend at the bakery, and the town historian, Piper sets out to prove her friend’s innocence. But as she persists, she learns that unearthing small-town secrets is harder than she thought—and that some parts of local history can be deadly.

The Wedding Cake Murder (The Arizona Summers Mysteries Book 1)


Susan Keene - 2019
    Is it a murder or an accident? Arizona Summers and her psychic dog Nutmeg love to solve crimes. The new chief Keith Wesley makes it clear he doesn’t want her help. Once he realizes Arizona is the go-to person with whom the townspeople share their deepest and darkest secrets. The handsome new chief tries to get back in Arizona’s good graces but she doesn’t make it easy. It’s hard for Ary to keep the restaurant she owns running smoothly when her mother, Emma causes chaos at every turn. Even her Aunt Sandy, who referees her sister and niece, shakes her head at Emma’s shenanigans. Join the fun and the humor of this great mystery series. Get your copy today.

Chutes and Adders


Barbara Block - 1994
    Robin can't resist rescuing a stray kitten - or finding the vicious killer who set her up to take the rap... for murder. The package looked innocent enough... until it was opened and the rare, saw-backed viper attacked. By the time Robin got her co-worker to the hospital, he was dead, the cops had unearthed a small fortune in her shop's heating vent, and she'd been fingered as the prime suspect in a particularly nasty murder case. Now, as Robin struggles to clear her name and to keep Noah's Ark afloat, she finds herself following a trail strewn with corpses... straying far from her pampered pets and into a den of venomous secrets where someone stalks her with the cold-blooded skill of a cobra... someone coiled and ready to strike.

The Trouble with San Francisco


Adrianne Ambrose - 2020
    She gets roped into following a friend’s cheating husband. But tailing a middle-aged lawyer through the streets of San Francisco is more challenging than it sounds.Sam’s “easy gig” drags her into one perilous predicament after another, where she encounters a wide array of the citizens San Francisco has on offer, including: a hot cop, an out-of-control frat boy, a feisty grandmother who plays loose with the law, friendly leather daddies, an aging biker, a shady dude she used to know in high school, and worst of all, Slain. He’s a professional PI., who is so hardboiled he needs a Google Translate button. And he doesn’t appreciate some dame filching a gig from a hard-working shamus. Slain goes out of his way to make Sam understand that being a private detective is a dangerous business. And ends up making her life miserable in the process.If you love a good laugh, and can’t quite figure out how anyone could leave their heart in San Francisco, then grab a copy of The Trouble with San Francisco and fall in love with its madcap cast of characters. What else would you expect from the City by the Bay?

Maple Hills Mystery Box Set


Wendy Meadows - 2016
    Good, clean, hobby sleuthing for you to enjoy.

The Knitting Fairy


Jaime Marsman - 2012
    The mystery will have you hooked all the way to the end.__________________________________________________Molly Stevenson rather expected her new job at Crabapple Yarns to be deadly boring… but somehow she just didn’t expect the “deadly” part to be quite so literal. After all, what could possibly be more sweet and innocent than a yarn store and a bunch of ladies knitting? As a librarian, by trade and by nature, Molly really ought to have known better. And, worse, she broke the first rule of librarianship - never, ever judge a book by its cover. Sadly, some of us have to learn the hard way. Perhaps that is why Molly didn’t exist long as Assistant Librarian at Springgate Library. The new job at Crabapple Yarns seemed like the only sensible thing to do at the time – until she could find something better of course. But, working at a yarn store really didn’t fit into her Life Plan. She never expected to become a knitter. Molly never expected her sweet little boss to be hiding the fact that she was receiving threats. She never expected to discover a Knitting Fairy. And, she most certainly never expected a Knitting Fairy to try to kill her either.

Killer Music


Tammy L. Grace - 2015
    So he has no trouble rubbing elbows with the best of Nashville at an elite gala. But even the experienced sleuth can’t hide his shock when country music royalty get upstaged by a music mogul's untimely death. Hired by the victim’s widow, Coop and his trusty golden retriever jump into a high-society world of old family secrets and political scandals. But his thorniest challenge comes in wrangling the high-maintenance client who may be hiding more than her share of dark surprises. Can Coop keep his customer satisfied and catch the killer before another body goes belly up?Killer Music is the first book in the award-winning Cooper Harrington Detective Series of crime mysteries. If you like eccentric detectives, snarky dialogue, and a dash of southern charm, then you’ll love Tammy L. Grace’s fast-paced whodunit. Buy Killer Music today and get swept up in a clever crime series today! Treat yourself to the award-winning Cooper Harrington Detective Novels readers describe as “well-written, clever, and will keep you guessing until the end.” They feature Coop, a Nashville lawyer turned private detective known for his love of coffee, snarky t-shirts, and talent for solving cases.  He, along with his faithful dog, Gus, and his right-hand assistant, Annabelle, work together to solve murder cases full of twists and turns.The Cooper Harrington Series may be read as stand-alone novels, but are more enjoyable when read in order.Read more from award-winning author, Tammy L. Grace COOPER HARRINGTON DETECTIVE NOVELS Killer Music (2016 Gold Medal Mystery Winner in the Global eBook Awards) Deadly Connection (2017 Gold Medal Mystery Winner in the Global eBook Awards) Dead Wrong HOMETOWN HARBOR SERIES Hometown Harbor: The Beginning (Prequel Novella) Finding Home Home Blooms Promise of Home Pieces of Home Finally Home GLASS BEACH COTTAGE SERIES Beach Haven STAND-ALONE BOOKS A Season of Hope (Christmas Novella)

A New Place, Another Murder


Christa Nardi - 2018
      Pretty much settled into her new home in Appomattox with Brett and his daughter, Sheridan longs for something to keep her busy.  That is, until Maddie and her new friend are framed for theft and murder.  Not quite the distraction she had hoped for, but she’ll turn over every rock to prove their innocence.  In the process, she learns about the powerful Buchanan family and the history of local community.  Will the truth come out before the person calling the shots takes Sheridan and Maddie out of the picture?

Killer Cocktail: Patricia Fisher Mysteries 2.5 (A Humorous Cruise Ship Cozy Mystery)


Steve Higgs - 2019
    That's right, isn't it? Patricia Fisher's unconventional response kick starts the adventure of a lifetime as she throws off the shroud of her unfulfilling marriage and discovers the woman she ought to be hiding beneath. Killer Cocktail is a short story introduction to a unique cozy mystery series full of relatable characters and unsolvable crimes.  Invited to a party as a guest of a friend, Patricia realizes her mistake when she discovers all the other guests are 30 years her junior. But when the obnoxious online celebrity birthday girl drops dead in the middle of the event, Amateur sleuth Patricia has to swing into action. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries by Cee Cee James, AR Winters, Hope Callaghan, and others, then you will love Patricia Fisher!

Spirit Matters


Patrice Greenwood - 2017
     While trying to support her grieving Goth office manager, Ellen ponders the mysterious flashes of light she saw in another part of Santa Fe, wondering if they are related to Captain Dusenberry, the tearoom's resident ghost. She asks for help from the local spirit-tour guide, Willow Lane, who takes curiosity about the captain's unsolved murder to a new level, where Ellen finds herself exploring the very meaning of spirit. Will a séance in the tearoom finally provide the answers to her questions? (This is a novella, a short companion story to the Wisteria Tearoom Mysteries series. It is recommended that you read A Masquerade of Muertos before reading this story.)

Death in Magnerstown


Anne Crosse - 2018
     Having had friends in high places, police must act quick to find the killer. But the judge also had lots of enemies in low places, and there is no shortage of suspects. Detective Inspector Robert Carroll is on the trail of the killer, aided by his rather intelligent assistant James Sayder who, much to the former’s consternation, is often one step ahead of the grumpy veteran detective. Detective Carroll’s efforts are confounded by Maggie, who is new in town and recently resurrected the defunct regional rag, The Crier. The newspaper seems to know all of Magnerstown’s bad news before the police, and Carroll wants to give the publisher the full arm of the law, despite finding her rather beguiling. The investigation stumbles forward even though Carroll is at loggerheads with just about everyone in town. But before long another body is found. What links the two victims, and can the Garda find the culprit before he strikes again? This book brims with Irish wit and it will transport the reader into semi-rural Ireland. If you like murder mysteries in the traditional whodunnit vein, like a laugh and a sprinkling of will they/won’t they romance, this book is for you.

The Owl Thief (Utah O'Brien Mystery #1)


Jonni Good - 2015
    There's a local election coming up in three days. Utah is running in that election, and she hoped to win.The scene of the murder couldn't be worse, either—only six people have a key to City Hall, and Utah O'Brien happens to be one of them.The sheriff is out of town on a more important case. If she's going to clear her name, regain her reputation and, hopefully, win that election, Utah and her friends need to unmask the real killer before the voting starts—and before anyone else gets killed.You'll like this book if you enjoy character-driven mysteries that include dogs who take an active, realistic role in the plot. It's filled with likable small-town characters and plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. This is the first Utah O'Brien Minnesota Mystery. Almost non-stop drama and a fast moving plot kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish ... Really enjoyed the mix of the small town charm, and the fun cast of characters (loved Jocko too). "The Owl Thief" has an unpredictable plot, and a sassy and smart heroine in Utah, infused with a compelling storyline - felt really believable. Megan King—Goodreads

An Unfortunate End


Lisa Zumpano - 2019
    A fledgling reporter. A scandal to die for.New York City, 1919. Lillie Mead mourns the love she lost in the war. But when a wealthy British friend offers her a reporting job across the pond, she hopes accepting will help her rebuild her life. She barely has time to unpack before she’s assigned the scoop of a poisoned socialite’s death…As the clues take a turn for the scandalous, Lillie unearths shocking skeletons in the victim’s closet. But she never expected the threads of the beloved woman’s life to weave with hers. Can Lillie expose the truth before her own death makes the front page?An Unfortunate End is the first book in the Lillie Mead Historical Mystery Series. If you like captivating settings, cozy whodunits, and vivid glimpses into the past, then you’ll love Lisa Zumpano’s charming novel. Buy An Unfortunate End to expose secrets and scandals today!

Greyhound at the Gravesite: A Humorous Cozy Mystery for Animal Lovers


Kyla Colby - 2018
     Samantha Hodges is ready to get as far away from crime reporting as possible — especially after what happened in Chicago. Writing for the paper in her pets-obsessed hometown will be easy. Except that she’s not really into animals. And her first interviewee turns up dead. Sam must solve the murder to clear her name — all while attending Dog Zumba class with a new four-legged sidekick like it’s no big deal. If Sam’s going to uncover the dark side of her hometown, she’ll have to embrace the lighter side of life to do it. “Greyhound at the Gravesite” is a new cozy mystery. This novel is lighthearted, fast-paced, and full of quirky characters you can’t wait to meet again. ☆ Free novella — “Catnip & Culprits” — included in purchase! ☆ Scroll up and click Buy Now!