Book picks similar to
Bait & Switch by Jerusha Jones


novels
mystery-thrillers
amateur-sleuth
mystery-cozy

Dear Stranger, Dearest Friend


Laney Katz Becker - 2000
    In search of answers, comfort, and advice, she goes on-line. And that's where she, "meets" Susan, a strong and steady, no-frills Midwesterner. No two women could be less alike. Yet from the moment they connect, it is clear that they share something deep and important, something that's nestled in the warmest corner of the heart.What begins as a chance encounter on the Internet quickly blossoms into a very special relationship. As their e-mail messages fly back and forth, Susan and Lara forge a powerful bond of trust, honesty, and understanding. And soon they are sharing their lives in full -- talking of husbands and children, dreams and desires, the daily cycle of success and setback -- and together learning to laugh uproariously over the small and large absurdities of the world. When a devastating crisis arises, they are there for each other, providing the life-affirming strength and the lightness that is needed to cope with tragedy ... and to triumph.Lara and Susan originally go on-line looking for kind words and good advice. But they find in each other the greatest gift of all: a true and forever friend.Vivid, funny, original, and profoundly moving, Laney Katz Becker's magnificent debut novel is sure to be a classic, read and reread by women everywhere, an intimate portrait of two completestrangers who become soul mates across hundreds of miles, and who discover the strength and the will to reach out and take hold of the wondrous stuff of life.

On the Road to Death's Door


M.J. Williams - 2011
    The retired couple find themselves at the center of a murder investigation involving a politician, a corporate executive, and a hippie priest. The rookie RVers inevitably butt heads with the local sheriff as their investigation takes them from a backwoods cabin in Wisconsin's scenic Door County to the Bishop's Chancery in Madison to an abandoned island in the infamous Death's Door Straits.

Missing in Mystic Grove (Liz Bean, #1)


S.F. Bose - 2018
    Bose featuring Liz Bean, woman sleuth. Liz Bean Mystery Series Book 0 - Missing in Mystic Grove (Prequel) Book 1 - Murder in Mystic Grove It’s Thanksgiving Week at the Bean Family Bed and Breakfast. Liz Bean is looking forward to helping her family prepare a Thanksgiving dinner and celebration for their B&B guests. Two months earlier, a traumatic event prompted Liz to leave her job as a field translator with Worldhead Global Security in Virginia and return home to Mystic Grove. After four years of hiding what she really did in the Covert Services Group at Worldhead, Liz is relieved to be home. She looks forward to a peaceful and enjoyable holiday. Then everything falls apart. A B&B guest reports that a piece of her jewelry has gone missing. Then she suggests that another guest might have actually stolen it. The guest gives them four days to find her jewelry or she’ll call the police. Grandma Addie Bean shivers at the thought of the negative online reviews the guest might leave if they don’t find her jewelry. Grandma Addie pairs Liz with Sam Nolan, a quirky private investigator who’s a frequent diner at the B&B. Their meeting is like oil and water, but Liz knows they have to team up to help the B&B. When their prime suspect disappears, the situation goes from bad to worse. As they investigate each lead, Liz realizes that she’s not the only one in Mystic Grove who’s keeping secrets. When the truth is revealed, it takes everyone by surprise. This action-packed mystery featuring a young woman sleuth and her private investigator partner will keep you guessing all the way to the surprising ending. The Reviews are In! "I read book 0 and book 1. Loved them both! Plenty of mystery and suspense. Really great characters that I want to enjoy reading about again and again." "This was really an excellent mystery. Lots of twists and turns. I liked and identified with the heroine. The other characters were believable and interesting. I would recommend this to any mystery lover." "Lively characters and good story. Enjoyed from start to finish. Unexpected events." "Missing in Mystic Grove" is a prequel to S.F. Bose’s first mystery novel, "Murder in Mystic Grove", and I enjoyed this one just as much. At 148 pages, it’s a shorter story, but just as much fun to read. It starts out as a story about a ring that may be lost or stolen, but quickly develops into so much more. Ms. Bose has a knack for building suspense and fleshing out characters. I hope she continues the series because I want to see what happens to her main characters next." "I was very excited when I saw S.F. Bose's new book, Missing in Mystic Grove, released. Great characters and plot. Once again, twists and turns and an ending I didn't expect.

Murder in the Piazza


Jen Collins Moore - 2020
    She's taken a job offering painting instruction to well-heeled travelers and her boss-a rather unpleasant English lord-has turned up dead in his penthouse. Maggie's left with a palazzo full of suspicious guests, a valuable painting her boss might have stolen, and a policeman who's decided she's the prime suspect. Now Maggie must keep the tour up and running while she tracks the killer and works to clear her name.

The Price of Love


Anne Baker - 1999
    Her seven younger brothers are cherished by their doting mother Lena, but Kate tends to be forgotten. Then Kate catches the eye of Jack Courtney and at last she too is adored. But their courtship is not straightforward. Jack comes from a family of wealthy shipowners in Merseyside, who may not approve of the match; Lena is terrified that history will repeat itself if her daughter falls in love with a man above her station; and, worst of all, Jack has not been entirely honest with Kate from the start...

The Amish Detective


Hannah Schrock - 2016
     Hannah Byler has never married, at twenty-five she half believes it is too late and she half lives in regret at what she might have done in the Englisch world. As she watches Jacob’s body being lowered into the ground her mind starts working and she feels that there may be more to the accident than meets the eye. She and her reluctant sister Ruth start investigating the case and find a haunting web of lies, deceit and coverups that lead them into danger…

Into the Lion's Den: (A Christian Amateur Sleuth Mystery)


S.E. Biglow - 2021
     Reverend Margot Quade never expected to be dropped in the midst of a murder. She just wanted to get reacquainted with her hometown of Port Marie, Vermont, maybe find her place in the world again after serving her tour of duty. But when a friendly dinner with a member of her unit turns deadly, she's pulled into a mystery she can't help but solve. Then things go from dead to worse when she and all the suspects are stuck in the victim's home during the worst snowstorm her little town has seen in decades. Now she'll need more than a prayer to discover the truth behind who wanted the victim out of the picture ... and to stay alive herself. To complicate matters, her strained relationship with her cousin, who just happens to be the attending officer, threatens to ruin the whole investigation. Can Margot and her cousin set aside their differences and bring a killer to justice? Or will the real reason behind the murder haunt Margot as much as her past? Scroll up and one-click now to see why fans of Alison Golden and Mindy Quigley will love INTO THE LION'S DEN.

Murder on the Menu


Liz Turner - 2016
    Except her words seem to have run dry, and nothing she does can get the spark back.When tragedy strikes and the beloved town Mayor is found dead in his home under mysterious circumstances, Victoria’s instincts tell her there’s more to his death than meets the eye. The local RCMP don’t seem interested in the case- and it’s up to her and her friends to identify the murderer.With a list of suspects ranging from the Mayor's entitled son to his long-time political rival, it's not as obvious as she would have hoped. Armed with her insider information of the town and its long-time residents, Victoria sets out to solve the strange mystery.This new culinary, cozy mystery features an amateur woman sleuth determined to create a new life for herself, her kids and their lovable lab puppy, Vanilla.

The Case of the Missing Bride


Carmen Radtke - 2017
    Their presence is withheld from the male passengers and all but a select few members of the crew. But their worlds collide when one of the gentlemen stumbles over the women. When one of the intended brides goes missing, only Alyssa Chalmers, the one educated, wealthy woman in the group, is convinced the disappearance is no accident. She sets out to find out what happened. Has there been a murder? Alyssa is willing to move heaven and earth to find out the truth. She is about to discover that there is more to her voyage into the unknown than she bargained for ...

Fall From Lace


Emily Claire - 2021
    Everyone knows it, from her dearest friends within the Spinsters’ Sewing Circle to her most distant acquaintances within the parish.So when the beloved new curate turns up dead the night before Valentine’s Day, stabbed through the heart with Lydia’s own knitting needle, not even Lydia’s closest friends expect her to do more than cry and perhaps arrange a luncheon after the funeral service. After all, the tragedy was only a robbery gone wrong, and how could any vicar’s daughter hope to bring the long-gone thief to justice?
But Lydia can’t shake the feeling that this crime was somehow personal. The clues suggest the curate was murdered for some terrible purpose, and everyone at the house party seems to have a motive. Was it the high-born lady whose charitable endeavors are at risk? The beautiful young lady of the house who's hiding an agonizing secret? Her mother, who had every reason to want the curate gone? Or even the butler, whose private life is more scandalous than it seems?
And that’s to say nothing of handsome Mr. Pemberton, a notorious gambler and infuriating flirt from London who seems equally likely to have killed the curate and to drive Lydia to commit a murder herself.
This cozy, romantic Regency murder mystery—full of strong female friendships, gripping twists and turns, and witty repartee sharper than a knitting needle—is sure to delight fans of Jane Austen, Lynn Messina, and Patricia C. Wrede.

Daisy McDare and the Deadly Art Affair


K.M. Morgan - 2014
    Instead she finds herself heartbroken and in the middle of a murder investigation. Daisy is in the middle of a decorating job at a famed local celebrity's mansion when the arrogant painter is found murdered in his backyard studio. Suddenly there's a house full of suspects, each with a bigger reason to want the victim dead than the next. When the local police get stumped during their investigation, Daisy realizes she'll have to take matters into her own hands. But she can't crack the case alone. She recruits her cupcake-baking best friend Samantha, wise-cracking Granny Annie, and her feisty West Highland Terrier Shamus to find the killer. Other Daisy McDare books: Daisy McDare And The Deadly Legal Affair Daisy McDare And The Deadly Directorial Affair

Shady


Mary Hiker - 2016
     Deena's vacation went so haywire, this book includes TWO stories! FAMILY Deena needs a change of pace and takes a trip to the North Carolina mountains to blow off some steam. A secluded rental cabin in Shady Springs and her dog, Zip, is all she needs for her great escape. That is, until a body is discovered behind the cabin and Deena discovers there's more going on in the small mountain town than meets the eye. She'll need to get to the bottom of it before her new friend takes the fall. DOG HOUSE Deena and her dog, Zip, have been enjoying some time off in the North Carolina mountains. Things have finally settled down and all is serene. That is, until someone ends up in the dog house.