Book picks similar to
Bones & Boxes by Anna Drake


mystery
cozy
mystery-cozy
cozy-mystery

The Death of Amelia Marsh


MaryJo Dawson - 2007
    When Sally Nimitz discovers the body of her charming eighty-year-old neighbor she is devastated by how close violence has come to the quiet life she leads as mother, grandmother, and nurse. Though still recovering from the death of her own husband, Sally can’t put the trauma of the murder behind her until she knows who could have done it and why. With the help of a close male friend and a quirky older lady, Sally begins looking into the life and past of her neighbor and soon discovers there was much more to Amelia Marsh’s life than anyone had ever guessed.

The Mystery of Hurtleberry House


C.L. Ragsdale - 2011
    So teamed with a cameraman who thinks he’s seen it all, they are sent to a rumored haunted house called Hurtleberry.With a name like that who wouldn't be terrified?Things soon take a turn for the weird, just not the kind of weird they were expecting. But it's interesting, and might even be dangerous.Still, if they pull it off The Reboot Team might actually get a good story out of it.If the story doesn't get them first.

Up in Smoke


Shannon VanBergen - 2017
    Geraldine is her quirky grandmother. Mix in a bunch of gun-toting grannies, an outrageous retirement home, and an unsolved mystery and there's bound to be some excitement. Follow along as Nikki and the cast of retirement home vigilantes work to solve the mystery before everything goes up in smoke. Specially priced at $0.99 for a limited time only Always FREE on Kindle Unlimited Up in Smoke is part of the Glock Grannies Cozy Mystery series. If you like fun cozy mysteries and outrageous characters, you are going to love Up in Smoke. Buy Up in Smoke and start solving your next mystery today! Always FREE on Kindle Unlimited

Black & White & Dead All Over (Lost Hat, Texas Mystery #1)


Anna Castle - 2015
    Things are going great. She's got a few clients, some friends, even a hot new high-tech boyfriend. But when Penny submits some nude figure studies of him to a contest, she gets hit with a blackmail letter in her inbox. "Do what I want or your lover's nudie pix get splattered across the Internet." The timing couldn't be worse, so Penny is forced to submit to the blackmailer’s demands. Then people start dying and all the clues point to her. She has to rattle every skeleton in every closet in Lost Hat to keep herself out of jail and find the real killer.

Mattress Mart Murder


Kayla Michelle - 2015
    Thirty-four year old cosmetics saleswoman Chloe Cook is busy searching for a love that lasts in the tourist town of Cape Cod when a murder strikes.The victim is Marty Diamond, a mattress mogul known for his high pressure sales tactics and schlocky TV ads.Unfortunately, the local police detective suspects that Chloe's good friend Kristina Miller is the killer.To prove Kristina's innocence, Chloe has to take matters into her own hands and find the real killer herself.Books In The Chloe Cook Series:Book 1 -- Mattress Mart MurderBook 2 -- Reunions Can Be DeadlyBook 3 -- Killer Finale

Rose Hill


Pamela Grandstaff - 2008
     When rich and rotten Theo Eldridge is found bludgeoned to death in the local veterinary clinic, Rose Hill police chief Scott Gordon is forced to work with ambitious county investigator Sarah Albright. Unfortunately Sarah seems more interested in seducing Scott than in solving the crime. Scott’s crazy about Maggie Fitzpatrick, but she's still grieving over the mysterious disappearance of the love of her life. Although determined to resist the powerful chemistry between them, Maggie finds herself deeply involved with Scott's investigation, and battling emotions she can no longer deny. It’s a bitterly cold January in Rose Hill. As Scott and Maggie untangle the sticky web of Theo's shady business dealings, they uncover dark secrets that may connect Theo's murder to another committed twenty years before.

In Deep Voodoo


Stephanie Bond - 2005
    . . There's something strange afoot in the small town of Mojo, Louisiana. Yet even as the annual voodoo festival gets underway, Penny Francisco, who runs a health food business, refuses to believe in black magic. Her mind is on celebrating her divorce from her lying, cheating husband Deke.Add a Pinprick of Revenge . . .Fueled by run-ins with her ex-mother-in-law and Deke's busty mistress, Penny is eager for the "emancipation party" her friends plan. When she receives a Deke voodoo doll as a gag gift, she sticks it with a pin as a joke. But when Deke winds up fatally stabbed, the police aren't laughing.And Watch Things Boil Over . . .A junk-food junkie P.I. offers his services, and although Penny is wary of the sexy Cajun's motives (and his diet), she's desperate. Dodging a media sideshow and a looming murder rap, Penny realizes that somehow she's landed herself "In Deep Voodoo,"

52 Steps To Murder


Steve Demaree - 2006
    An elderly woman is found poisoned in the upstairs bedroom of her home whose front door stands 52 steps above the street in an old-fashioned whodunit that blends clues, red herrings, suspects, and humor.

Out of Options


Dianne Ascroft - 2019
     A dry district, a shocking secret, a missing person. When Lois Stone’s friend, Beth Darrow, arranges to meet her to reveal an astonishing discovery, Lois’s curiosity is piqued. Then Beth doesn’t keep their lunch date and Lois becomes worried. What has happened to her friend? Middle-aged widow Lois is settling into life on her own in her neighbourhood and in the library where she works, and she is just about coping with her fear of strangers after her husband was mugged and died in the park at the end of their street. But her quiet existence is rocked when her friend and fellow local historical society researcher, Beth, arranges to meet her to reveal an exciting and shocking discovery she has made about the history of prohibition in West Toronto Junction, the last dry area in Toronto, and then goes missing before she can share her secret with Lois. There isn’t any proof that Beth is missing so the police won’t actively search for her. Only Lois and Beth’s niece Amy are convinced that Beth’s disappearance is very out of character, and they are worried about her. Where has Beth gone? Is she in danger? And, if she is, who might want to harm her and why? Lois knows she must find the answers to these questions fast if she wants to help and protect her friend. And so begins a weekend of skulking in the park, apple and cinnamon pancakes, familiar faces staring out of old newspapers, calico cats, shadows on the windowpane, and more than one person who might want Beth to disappear from the quiet, leafy streets of the historic and staunchly dry West Toronto Junction neighbourhood. A tale for fans of Cindy Bell, Leighann Dobbs, Dianne Harman and Kathi Daley.

Death Checks Inn


Sara Robbins - 2013
    Everything is perfect except for two problems. First,the dead man at the bottom of the stairs actually died seven years ago. Second, Lacey had sworn off men forever so why is she so interested in the handsome sheriff investigating the murder. This is a novella of approximately 25,000 words and the first book in the Aspen Valley Inn Series. A beautiful Colorado location, interesting characters and just enough love and murder.

A Ghost for Christmas


J.D. Winters - 2014
    What she wasn’t expecting was finding a new guy… or that dead body on the doorstep! Could her sweet aunt really be involved? Or was it someone else near and dear to her? And then there was the handsome ghost from her Hawaiian childhood. Not what she'd bargained for – but sometimes you just have to deal with what the cat dragged in. Will she figure that out before the murderer finds a way to silence her forever? Yummy recipes for Hawaiian style cooking in each book – Chicken Hekka in this one. The books in this series have minor themes that run through them all, but each story can stand on its own.

Crime Chowder


Hillary Avis - 2018
    So when her real estate developer boyfriend offers her a sweet catering gig, she jumps at the chance to cook for his gala and rub elbows with the town’s elite. The problem? That fancy gala is only happening because her best friend’s home was burned down by an arsonist. And the more Bethany learns about her boyfriend’s planned development, the more she suspects that he might have had something to do with it.Determined to uncover the arsonist’s identity, Bethany cooks her way through the gala, listening to the secrets, lies, and gossip swirling around Hosanna Street. But when someone close to her is killed during the party—and the murder weapon is found in her pot of clam chowder—Bethany finds herself in more than a little hot water.---------------------------------------If you like smart culinary mysteries with quirky characters and quaint seaside towns, you’ll love the Death du Jour series that follows Bethany Bradstreet as she builds her career and solves crimes with the help of her friends. Crime Chowder is the first book in the Death du Jour series. This book has clean language and mild suspense with no cliffhangers. It contains depictions of an LGBT relationship.P.S. – There’s a dog in it.

Croissants and Corruption


Danielle Collins - 2017
    When her troublesome niece comes for a summer visit, she knows she is going to have her hands full. After an unexpected murder, the girl is labeled as the prime suspect and Margot is forced to fight for her niece's freedom. Can she solve the mystery and clear her niece before the killer gets away...or strikes again?Croissants and Corruption is part of the Margot Durand Cozy Mystery series. If you like fun cozy mysteries, you are going to love Croissants and Corruption.Buy Croissants and Corruption and start solving your next mystery today!

Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye


Victoria Laurie - 2004
    But her insight failed her when she didn't foresee the death of one of her clients-or that the lead investigator for the case is the gorgeous blind date she just met. Now, with the police suspicious of her abilities and a killer on the loose, Abby's future looks more uncertain than ever.

Euphoria Lane


Tina Swayzee McCright - 2015
    On day one, she finds the body of the Homeowners’ Association president. Day two, she discovers the property manager is her former fiancé. Day three, the new president begins his campaign of violation letters to force her to move. Day four, her sister, the owner of a detective agency, needs her help with the investigation of the murder. And day five, a full-scale neighborhood war! Author Interview: Q: How would you describe cozy mysteries? A: To me, cozy mysteries are set in a small town or community, the mystery is solved by an amateur sleuth, there usually isn’t any graphic violence, and any romance is considered sweet. In Euphoria Lane, the complex has two hundred condos in the suburbs that are set apart from the rest of the city by a wall, this makes it a small community. Q: Where did you get the idea to write Euphoria Lane? A: I live in a community with an HOA, and from time to time there have been issues. I also have friends and family who have told me horror stories about their HOAs. It didn’t take long to realize that these boards have too much power. I decided to write a cozy mystery where the HOA has taken enforcing the rules to the extreme, but their actions are still possible in the real world. Q: Would you consider serving on a homeowners’ board? A: Believe it or not, I was on the board several times. I commend the members who serve in an attempt to better their communities. Unfortunately, I have also witnessed the verbal abuse these board members have received from upset neighbors. In this series, I explore possible solutions. Q: How are your romantic cozy mysteries different from other cozy mysteries? A: My stories include significant romantic elements: there is a couple with a conflict that keeps them apart, they discover they are the best version of themselves together, and eventually find a way to overcome the conflict. They do all this while my female amateur sleuth solves a mystery. In my Homeowners’ Association Mystery, there is a different romance in each story, but the main couple, Andi and Luke, continue to take their relationship to a deeper level. In Super Jax, we begin with her superpower origin story and touch on these romantic elements that will continue to build over the series. Keywords: mystery, romantic mysteries, cozy mystery, cozy mysteries, romantic cozy mysteries, culinary cozy mysteries, amateur sleuth, female sleuth, suburbs, small town, clean romance, sweet romance, Arizona, Arizona mystery, homeowners' associations, humorous, murder, thriller, detective, suspense, romantic suspense, fun, friendship, female protagonist, sister, dating, relationships, dating, singlehood, single women, comedy, private investigators, suburban