Book picks similar to
A Cat in the Manger by Lydia Adamson
mystery
cozy-mystery
cats
fiction
Frozen Fear: Murder In Season - Book 1
Anne Shillolo - 2020
But injured cop Claire Beckett is right in the path of a killer. The death of a look-alike friend brings murder right to the front door of Claire’s quaint log cabin. After being shot in the line of duty she’s spending the winter in cottage country to recover, but it’s more than a vacation. Much more. The picturesque village of Falcon Lake serves up murder, kidnapping, a mysterious new neighbor, and a blizzard of clues and suspects. When Detective Constable Claire Beckett decides to spend the winter up north with her partner’s dog, Kojak, mistaken identity leads to a web of death and corruption that may lead all the way back to the city where Claire is still on the payroll. For the moment. An evening visit to Marina’s Café brings more than latte and dessert. Claire visits with her artist friends and enjoys some music, but by the end of the night, one person is dead. The local police are working hard, but Claire thinks the ‘crime of opportunity’ theory is all wrong. Falcon Lake just doesn’t seem like the kind of place where thugs wait outside the local businesses to rob them. She’s determined to find out who killed her friend Kayla, and why. Her neighbor is newcomer Miles Gallagher, and he’s distant and as chilly as the winter weather. But helping Claire stay alive and stop a killer may thaw his heart. Meanwhile things aren’t adding up for Claire at work. The tragedy of her boss’s ambush, where she herself was injured, is being laid at her doorstep. How can she clear her name and get back to work? Book 1 of the Murder In Season cozy mystery series.
Rosemary and Crime
Gail Oust - 2013
When Piper narrowly avoids being a victim of a hit-and-run, she knows she’s getting closer to the truth, but can she catch the killer and clear her name before she becomes the next victim?A captivating start to a new series featuring an unstoppably fabulous new crime-solving heroine, a colorful cast of small town characters, and more than a pinch of Georgia charm, Rosemary and Crime is sure to delight fans of Donna Andrews and Jessica Beck.
Murdermobile
B.B. Cantwell - 2013
When the retired head librarian is found dead in the City Library’s bookmobile, it’s no longer business as usual for fiery-haired librarian-on-wheels Hester Freelove McGarrigle. Does the murder have something to do with the wacko book-banning group with which the old woman was entangled? It’s up to Hester and her dishy, trail-running, pizza-obsessed neighbor, Detective Nate Darrow, to chase clues all over Oregon’s quirky Rose City. Their mutual connection with Nathaniel Hawthorne, along with Hester’s upchucking Maine Coon cat, build the romantic fizz in this cozy mystery spiked with humor and an authentic Northwest sense of place. Fasten your seatbelt -- and hold tight to your armload of books -- for the flash-bang ending high atop Crown Point in the spectacular Columbia River Gorge. A rollicking summer read from one of Portland’s last bookmobile librarians and her Seattle Times travel-writer husband.
The Anteater of Death
Betty Webb - 2008
Then another human bites the dust, the monkeys riot, and the wolves go nuts. Things get worse when the snooty folks at Gunn Landing Harbor attempt to evict Teddy from the Merilee, her beloved houseboat. That's just the beginning. Her father, on the lam from the Feds for embezzling millions, gets targeted by a local gangster; and Caro, Teddy's socialite mother, a former beauty queen who loathes Teddy's dangerous job, starts introducing her to 'eligible bachelors.' But Teddy has already given her heart to Sheriff Joe Rejas, a migrant worker's son. Caro is not pleased. Zoo life, animal lore, and the leaky ups and downs of Central Coast California houseboat living create a thrilling backdrop for murder.
Death by Dissertation
Kelly Brakenhoff - 2019
. . in Nebraska??Ambitious Cassandra Sato traded her life in Hawai'i for a dream position at Morton College in rural Nebraska. She expected the Midwestern church casseroles, land-locked cornfields, and face-freezing winters would be her biggest challenges, but it's her job that's rapidly becoming a nightmare.A deaf student is dead and the investigation reveals a complicated trail of connections between campus food service, a local farmer's beef, and the science lab's cancer research. Dealing with homesickness, vandalism, and a stalker, Cassandra is trapped in a public relations disaster that could cost her job, or more. No one said college was easy. 2020 RONE Awards Mystery Finalist, DEATH BY DISSERTATION, appeals to Hawai'i lovers, Deaf Community members, and anyone who has lived in a place where livestock outnumber people.
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
Lifeguards and Liars
Maci Grant - 2015
Unlike many of the other younger nannies, twenty-eight-year-old Blu hardly notices Mr. Hottie lifeguard…until she gets news of his death one morning—and then, what’s described as an accidental drowning, is all she can think about. The local police chief is about to meet one determined young woman, who isn’t only interested in getting her summer tan. Nanny Blu’s curiosity and natural instinct for justice will have her seeking out more than play dates as she finds herself firmly involved in the middle of the investigation. Note: This is a cozy mystery—a clean read. Summer in Diamond Bay series: #1 Lifeguards and Liars #2 Sandcastles and Secrets #3 Ice Cream and Intrigue #4 Hot Dogs and Homicide (coming soon) #5 Clambakes and Chaos (coming soon)
Murder in the Valleys
Pippa McCathie - 2018
Out walking near the rain-swelled river running past her small Welsh town, she comes across the body of Amber Morgan. Fabia’s police training tells her instantly that the death is the result of foul play. But no longer in the force, all she can do is call it in. Yet she has mixed feelings when she discovers it is her former colleague, Matt Lambert, newly promoted to chief inspector, who will head the investigation into the girl’s death. Despite this, having known the victim, and bored with her new job as an illustrator, Fabia can’t help probing into the murder. However, her inquiries further upset the quiet of the town. Not least her neighbour, busybody Rhona Griffiths, who was seen arguing with the victim the day before her death. Fabia’s activity bothers Matt Lambert but time and time again Fabia’s instincts are proved right. He can’t help leaning on her in order to progress the investigation but that will also involve confronting why she left the force years ago. Can they put their differences aside and work together to bring the perpetrator to justice despite Fabia’s painful past being brought up again? Or will Fabia’s moonlighting get her into further danger? MURDER IN THE VALLEYS is set in the fictional town of Pontygwyn in the Welsh valleys under the shadow of the Black Mountains. It will appeal to readers who like traditional whodunnits, those who like the landscape, atmosphere and people of South Wales, and everyone who likes a good read that keeps you turning the page.
Dead Air
Mary Kennedy - 2009
where she hosts a talk radio show on WYME, parceling out psychological wisdom between interviews with guests, commercial readings and turns on the news floor. All the local lunatics appear to love her show.Well, maybe not all of them. She receives threats on her phone lines while interviewing New Age guru Sanjay Gingii. When he turns up dead, Maggie's roommate Lark comes under suspicion by an annoying--and gorgeous--detective. Maggie not only has to prove Lark's innocence, she must find out who's made more than one attempt on her life.
Lye in Wait
Cricket McRae - 2007
Lemon lip balm, check. A dead body? That's just what Sophie Mae Reynolds finds in her workroom: the corpse of Walter Hanover, the neighborhood handyman. He died from drinking lye, something she has in good supply. But the police don't suspect Sophie Mae, a thirty-something widow who makes and sells beauty products. Instead they call it a suicide. But why would a man with lottery cash and a loving fiancée kill himself?
Suede to Rest
Diane Vallere - 2014
THE FIRST BOOK IN THE ALL-NEW “MATERIAL WITNESS” MYSTERY SERIES With her career as a dress designer in shreds, Polyester Monroe is looking forward to a fresh start. But as it all unfolds, the pattern to a new beginning looks a lot like murder. When Poly Monroe was little, she loved playing in her family’s textile store. But after a fatal family tragedy, Land of A Thousand Fabrics was boarded up and Poly never expected to see the inside again. Now, as inheritor of the long-shuttered shop, she’s ready to restore the family business. However her two new kittens, Pins and Needles, aren’t the ones causing a snag in her plans… Not everyone wants Poly back in San Ladrón, especially a powerful local developer pressuring her to sell—and leave town fast. But even when the threats turn deadly, she’s not ready to bolt. Because Poly is beginning to suspect that the murder behind the shop is tied to a mystery in her family’s unsettled past that she’s determined to solve…before her own life is left hanging by a thread.INCLUDES A CRAFT PROJECT
Corpse Pose
Diana Killian - 2008
Ever since her husband ditched her-for another man-A.J. hasn't exactly been on the road to inner peace. Then her yoga-guru aunt is found dead, and A.J.'s named the sole heir to her lucrative yoga studio-making her a multimillionaire, a prime suspect, and the killer's next target.
The Book Club Murders
Leslie Nagel - 2016
Charley Carpenter has poured heart and soul into her clothing store, Old Hat Vintage Fashions. She’ll do anything to make it a success—even join the stuffy Agathas Book Club in order to cultivate customers among the wealthy elite of Oakwood, Ohio. Although mixing with the most influential women in town has its advantages, Charley finds the endless gossip a high price to pay. But after two women with close ties to the Agathas are brutally murdered, everyone falls under threat—and suspicion. When key evidence indicates that both murders are the work of the same hand, Charley realizes that the killer has arranged each corpse in perfect imitation of crime scenes from the Club’s murder mystery reading list. She uses her membership in the Club to convince Detective Marcus Trenault to use her as an inside informant. Not that he could stop her anyway. Intelligent, fearless, and every bit as stubborn as Marc is, Charley soon learns the Agathas aren’t the only ones with secrets to protect. Passions explode as she and Marc must race against time to prevent another murder. And if Charley’s not careful, she may find herself becoming the killer’s next plot twist.
Lady Rample Steps Out
Shéa MacLeod - 2017
Lady Rample finds herself at odds after the death of her husband until her best friend drags her to a hot new jazz club in the heart of London. As if being wooed by two handsome men isn’t enough, Lady R finds herself embroiled in the murder of one of the club’s owners. Bored with her aristocratic life and irked that the police have arrested the wrong suspect, Lady R decides to turn lady detective. With her eccentric Aunt Butty in tow, Lady R scours London for clues. If she’s lucky she’ll find the killer before the killer finds her. From the author of the Viola Roberts Cozy Mysteries comes the first book in the Lady Rample Mysteries set in jazz-era London.
The Great Catsby (A NOLA Tail Mystery Book 1)
B.K. Baxter - 2020
I swear he’s judging me as I settle in and try to make new friends in my new small-town Louisiana neighborhood.And just when I start to settle into my new job and get back to reading my classic novels, I’m pulled chapters deep into a mystery. The Beauty Queen in the town has been offed. Someone has killed the darling. Wouldn’t you know it? An innocent man has been framed. I shouldn’t get involved, but somehow, my cat seems to have a way with finding clues in some of my favorite stories. Not that any of that makes sense. Why would it?The cat is the sleuth, I’m the amateur, and we have alligators in the backyard. Throw in a dead body, a book club that’s filled with suspicious characters, and you have my new life. And I thought being a librarian in Louisiana was going to be dull.