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.

     As a single mom, small business owner, and president of the local Chamber of Commerce, the last thing she needs is to find a dead body on the floor of her jewelry shop on the busiest shopping day of the year. And as if that isn't enough, Lilly has to deal with a deadbeat ex-husband, a mother with declining mental health, and two teenagers. But when a second body turns up, Lilly finds herself squarely in the crosshairs of suspicion. Can she figure out who killed the victims before she becomes one herself? And will her family's Christmas be merry...or scary?

     Five years ago, Penny Preston found herself divorced and alone in San Diego, CA. With only her Dachshund named Piper and the possessions she could fit in her beat up Chevy Malibu, Penny decided to take her Aunt up on her offer to move in with her in Wyoming, Ohio, and help her run her coffee shop. She never imagined her Aunt passing away or her leaving the shop to her, but that’s exactly what happened. Besides the occasional nosy community member creating a stir around unsubstantiated gossip, life was peaceful—that’s until Penny’s life got messy . . . as in red body messy. Jack Eggerton, the local dog catcher, is found dead in the back of the animal shelter Penny runs in her spare time. After a heated argument between her and Jack about a missing dog, it appears the finger is pointed directly at Penny Preston. Enlisting the help of her seamstress neighbor, Linda, and her chubby Dachshund, Piper, with whom she has a rather peculiar connection to, Penny sets out to unveil the killer before she is left paying for a crime she didn’t commit . . .

    She lives with her beloved dog Vanilla ("Nilla" for short) in a cozy neighborhood that is quite "active" due to what occurred in the distant past. Though legally blind, she plays an integral role in helping to solve pressing and puzzling mysteries, one right after the other, which, without her, might remain unsolved. The question is: How can she do any of that with such a handicap?

    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

    When the buyer of the book, Trevor, turns up dead, Alice vows to solve the mystery for the sake of Trevor's wife, and Alice's best friend, Minnie.With old and new faces lurking around the sleepy town of Ashbrook, Alice isn't short of suspects, but who would murder for the sake of a book? As her life starts to resemble the wacky world of Wonderland, can Alice solve Trevor's murder before it's too late?

    A murder will make sure of that. The town Sheriff is fat, happy, and useless. Just like his daddy before him and his dad before that. Ethel and Velma Harmon should know. They’ve been around for all three. These two seventy-something sisters-in-law refuse to let their ages slow them down. Especially when there’s a mystery to get tangled up in. The only thing that takes their time away from the whole ball of yarn is, well, a ball of yarn. Crochet class can’t be missed. No matter what. But keeping things on track isn’t easy. Not with old high school boyfriends that still think they’re eighteen and overly friendly mailmen offering up winks. Throw in a dead candidate for mayor, a gender-confused cat, and a splinter-giving park bench, and you’re in for one heck of a time. Come fall in love with these two funny old ladies as they solve the small-town crime of who killed the new guy running for mayor, and make blankets, shawls, and the occasional pair of panties—one stitch at a time.

    Sneaking out of St. Penrith's for Girls and with the promise of adventure in the air, Flora packs her hip-flask, Gauloises, and pistol and sets off for Europe. Accompanied by a new friend and with nothing but the telegram to go on, she finds herself suddenly plunged into a world of espionage, danger and thrilling excitement.

    

    Heartbroken and wounded by his betrayal she agrees to move in with her grandmother, Margaret. After being volunteered to help with the church bazaar Amanda and Margaret stumble over the body of Florence Hardy. Juniper Falls wealthiest woman not to mention rudest. As the list of suspects keeps growing by the minute the girls recruit neighbor and Ex-Sheriff Henry and eccentric gossip-loving Olive to help investigate. Along with a little help from a St. Bernard named Twinkie they may just catch a killer.

    Really busy.With her petsitting client, Ralph the pug, at her side, Annie is running around town walking dogs, training greyhounds, organizing puppy classes, and taking energetic Vizlas for runs. And it's all to save money for and build interest in her not-yet-named dog store, the business she's dreamed of for years.But Annie's plans change when she finds out that the death of local pawn shop owner, George Appleby, has been ruled a suicide. She knows that there's at least one person in town who will benefit from Appleby's death: Chet West, the real estate mogul who's trying to buy up all the small businesses in her little town and replace them with chain stores and tourist destinations. And one day soon the small store going out of business might be her own. Now Annie's determined to figure out what happened to Appleby and how Chet West is involved - even if the police don't care. And the more she and Ralph run around chasing down leads and sniffing out suspects, the more Annie realizes that Little Nectar, Connecticut, is not the wholesome little town she thought it was.Peril at the Pawn Shop is Book 1 of the light-hearted Walk in the Bark cozy mystery series. It features:...an amateur detective whose spunk is liable to get her in trouble...a pug who snores in his sleep...a small town full of quirky characters...a mystery that will keep you guessing until you turn that last page...no foul language, cliffhangers, or gore Scroll up and buy it now!

    A few days later, the husband is found dead, his head bashed in. Fearing she’ll be considered the most likely suspect, the widow prevails upon Sydney and her three friends—Marianne, Kat and Micki—to find out who really killed him. Though none of these four fun-loving, take-charge retirees has any training as detectives, the women agree to launch a secret investigation. As they dig under the happy veneer of their community’s social life, they find more than enough suspects, from shady ladies to resentful golf buddies, to keep them looking over their shoulders. Could the murderer be lurking among the talent in a chaotic production put on by Sydney’s husband, who will do anything to keep busy in retirement? Could the sheriff, who may have more than a professional interest in chanteuse Kat, end up pinning the crime on the women instead? Each discovery during their investigations and their weekly mah jongg game keeps them running as they close in on the killer—but the killer may also be closing in on them. This cozy mystery, the first in the Mah Jongg Mystery series, features four retired amateur sleuths who live in the small Florida town of Serendipity Springs, all female and all friends who play the game of mah jongg together. Though they don't set out to investigate murder, after their first experience in this story, others start looking to them to help investigate subsequent homicides and questionable accidents. In this first book, Sydney Bonner takes the lead, although she turns to her three friends for help. Though this series features four protagonists, the others will take the lead in subsequent stories. Two are married, one is divorced and the fourth, who has been single all her life while she tended to her ailing mother, now finds herself the object of the sheriff's attention in this series. The four don't seek out murder; somehow the circumstances and those affected drag them in. Meanwhile, as they attempt to gather information, life goes on in their community in such activities as a women's club, a social group for those over 50, real estate transactions, numerous stops at the local coffeehouse, and even a shopping trip to Naples. Sydney's husband, Trip, and her friend Marianne Putnam's husband, Beau, are golf buddies who spend many a day on the course. When not there, Trip is busy seeking to build a new post retirement life, and Beau is often prevailed upon to join in Trip's latest activity, which in this first book is a town follies. Kat Faulkner has lived a frugal life until winning big in a lottery shortly after her mother's death; suddenly, Kat has money and doesn't know how to spend it. But her divorced friend and freelance writer, Micki Demetrius, does, even if it's to guide Kat through a makeover and wardrobe change for her lounge act. This cozy mystery is the first book in the Mah Jongg Mystery series. Barbara Barrett is already published in contemporary romance. She is a member of the Mystery/Romantic Suspense chapter of Romance Writers of America. Like her protagonists, she is retired and is a resident of Florida, although she spends her summers in her home state of Iowa. She spent over three decades as a human resource management analyst with Iowa state government. She can be contacted at barbarabarrett747@gmail.com. Check her website at barbarabarrettbooks.com.

    While the town is still reeling from the news, Chloe’s high school rival is attacked and another young girl is placed under the infamous Sleeping Beauty Curse. Suspicious eyes soon turn to Chloe, and the whole town believes she is guilty. As Chloe investigates the attacks, with a little help from the handsome but irritating Professor Mike Fellowes, she discovers that there may be a deeper and deadlier plan afoot—one that’s focused on her. Can Chloe unravel the mystery in time? Or will she fall prey to the malevolent figure lurking in the shadows?

    Her late husband had been the mystery novelist with a penchant for the suspicious. She was born for the crock pot, not the magnifying glass, and yet here she is elbow deep in fettuccine, cat treats, and teenagers with an attitude, the combination of which lands her smack-dab in the middle of a murder investigation.Maybe she should have thought twice about delivering a casserole to a grieving family. Maybe she should have avoided the ever-changing green eyes of her seventh-grade crush—now the most heart-stopping cop in town. Maybe she should have stopped listening to the insightful mewls of her cat, Hunch, who most likely wants her to be the town’s next murder victim.Whatever the case, Mallory Beck got herself into this investigation, and she has a distraught teenage girl counting on her to deliver the truth.Add book one in the brand new Mallory Beck Cozy Culinary Series, to your to-read list now!