Book picks similar to
A Timeless Celebration by Dianne Ascroft


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Murder at the Pier


Rayna Morgan - 2016
    Their sleuthing is much to the dismay of Lea’s husband Paul, and his best friend, a clever homicide detective. There’s no shortage of suspects since the victim was despised by several people in town including a humiliated fiancé jilted at the altar, angry co-workers frustrated by his undeserved success, a married lover and her devoted spouse, an employee wrongfully terminated, and dangerous criminal associates. You’re guaranteed to love the sisters’ spunk, intelligence, and tenacity as well as the twists and turns of this intriguing plot. These irrepressible siblings are up to the challenge and only stop when the mystery is solved.

Die in the Wool: A Knitty Kitty Cozy Mystery


Katherine Hayton - 2019
    Even worse, when Tash returns to confront her, she finds Fran's dead body in the back room. Luckily, the doctor soon concludes the death is from natural causes. A decision cast into doubt when Tash finds out she's inherited Fran's store and home. With an aggrieved nephew determined to fight the will in court and Fran's despondent fiancé pointing the finger of blame, Tash battles to clear her name. The police mightn't believe the death was murder, but the good folks of Patiti are quicker to rush to judgement. If Tash can't manoeuvre through the undercurrent of small town politics, winning the inheritance will be a Pyrrhic victory. Worse, the doctor's assessment might be wrong, leaving a killer on the loose.

Holly and the Framed Friend


Dianne Harman - 2019
     Family secrets. A murdered mother. An estranged aunt. A diary. A vandalized high school. Holly knows nothing about her biological family living in Missouri. When her aunt invites her to stay with them for two weeks after her mother’s murder, she has mixed feeling but decides to accept the invitation. Once she’s there, she’s determined to find out why her mother chose to live alone and at a distance from her family. What happened, and why won’t her aunt talk about it? Does the diary she finds hold the key? And who’s been vandalizing the high school? Her cousin’s friend has been accused, but is she guilty? Holly has to use her skills solving mysteries both at the high school and in her family.

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


Karen McSpade - 2021
    

Tempest in Teaberry


R.A. Wallace - 2018
    With the help of her friends, Megan untangles the clues to help solve the mystery. This cozy mystery offers a clean read with a female amateur sleuth and friends in a small-town setting. Teaberry Farm Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery Series Reading Order: Tempest in Teaberry Book 1 Trouble at TeaFest Book 2 Teaberry Mystery Theatre Book 3 Teaberry Baking Contest Book 4 Teaberry Farmers Market Book 5 Coming August 17, 2018: Teaberry for Two Book 6

Familiar Trouble


Carolyn Haines - 2017
    Sometimes a unique talent is inherited—and such is the case for Trouble, son of Familiar the black cat detective. Trouble’s rather indolent life in the sleepy town of Wetumpka, Alabama is upended when a serial killer arrives on the scene. Trouble begins to apply the skills he learned from his dad and his hero, Sherlock Holmes.   When local bookseller Tammy Lynn is attacked at the site of an impact crater, Trouble realizes he must protect his human and solve the mystery of the Silk Stocking Killer.    Aiden Waters, a local deputy, has tracked the SSK to Wetumpka. Since his wife’s murder, Aiden won’t risk romance, but when Tammy is endangered, everything changes. Especially their hearts.

Key Lime Crime


Cassie Rivers - 2018
     Kara Summers recently returned to her hometown of Sunny Shores, Florida to start her own food truck business. Little did she know her summer would start off with a bang…literally. A propane explosion caused the Mama Mia Food truck to flame up, with the owner inside. The police ruled it an accident, but Kara discovers evidence to the contrary. Her inquisitive nature, along with her love for mysteries, won't let her rest until she uncovers the truth. Unfortunately, the truth hits a little too close to home. Key Lime Crime is book one in the Sunny Shores mystery series that is set in the fictional town of Sunny Shores, Florida. Each book in the series is a light-hearted cozy stand-alone story with no cliffhangers. All ages can enjoy the stories because they have no swearing, naughty content, or graphic violence. So, what are you waiting for?

The Cemetery Club


Blanche Day Manos - 2011
    Darcy Campbell and her mother, Flora Tucker, had no inkling that in a few moments, the scene would change and they would face a horror on the ground and a threat from above, beyond their imaginations. Becoming entangled in a centuries-old legend, being targeted by a group of ruthless men, and discovering a long-lost love were not in Darcy's plans when she returned to her birth place, Levi, Oklahoma. She merely wanted to soak up the peace of her mother's home and try to heal the wounds left from her husband's death. Fate, however, had other plans for Darcy and Flora. Volume 1 of the Darcy & Flora cozy mystery series.

Wine and Punishment


Sarah Fox - 2018
    The small town of Shady Creek, Vermont, seems like the perfect place to start over after losing her Boston job to a merger and her relationship to her ex's gambling addiction. She's bought and redecorated the old grist mill pub, transforming the Inkwell into a cozy spot where tourists and regulars alike can enjoy a pint or a literary-themed cocktail, or join one of several book clubs.Little by little, Sadie is adjusting to the rhythms of her new home. Fall in Shady Creek is bookmarked by the much-anticipated Autumn Festival, complete with a pumpkin catapult competition and pie bake-off. Unfortunately, the season also brings an unwelcome visitor--Sadie's ex, Eric, who's angling for a second chance . . .Before Sadie can tell Eric to leave, he's found dead near the Inkwell. When the local antique shop catches fire on the same night, it's clear the town is harboring at least one unsavory character. Now, with her Aunt Gilda, her friend Shontelle, and the pub's patrons all in the mix, Sadie must uncover the truth . . . before a killer declares last call.

Never Buried


Edie Claire - 1999
    Too bad his body didn't!Advertising copywriter Leigh Koslow doesn't pack heat--just a few extra pounds. And she doesn't go looking for trouble. When she moved into her cousin Cara's refurbished Victorian house, she wasn't planning on discovering a corpse--certainly not one that had been embalmed ten years before. But as anyone in the small Pittsburgh borough of Avalon could tell her, her cousin's house has a history attached. A history dating back to two mysterious deaths in the summer of 1949.Someone wants Leigh and Cara out of the house--someone who has something to hide. But that someone doesn't know Leigh's impetuous cousin, and when Cara digs her heels in, Leigh looks to her old college chum, local policewoman Maura Polanski, for help. But the answers the trio find only point to more questions. Were the scandalous deaths of fifty years ago really an accident and a suicide? Or were they murder?The nearer the women get to the truth, the more desperate someone becomes. Because some secrets are better off kept. Especially when they hit close to home!

Color Me Murder


Krista Davis - 2018
    By night, she creates her own intricately detailed coloring books for adults, filling the pages with objects that catch her eye. There's plenty of inspiration in her new apartment--a beautiful carriage house belonging to Professor John Maxwell, Florrie's boss. He offers the property to Florrie rent-free with one condition--she must move in immediately to prevent his covetous sister and nephew from trying to claim it.When the professor's nephew, Delbert, arrives, he proves just as sketchy as Florrie feared. But the following morning, Delbert has vanished. It's not until she visits the third floor of the store that Florrie makes a tragic discovery--there's a trap door in the landing, and a dead Delbert inside. The esteemed Professor Maxwell is an obvious suspect, but Florrie is certain this case isn't so black and white. Doodling clues, she begins to consider other colorful characters on the scene, all with a motive for murder. With a killer drawing closer, Florrie will need to think outside the lines . . . before death makes his mark again.

The Secret Staircase


Melanie Jackson - 2011
    In her unknown relative's ancient house, she discovers that the sins of the past are very much alive and able to be visited on the children. Smugglers and pirates and an old curse are not just things of the past, but dangers and mysteries to be reckoned with today.

Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot


Sarah Osborne - 2018
    So when a childhood friend asks Ditie to babysit her kids for a few days, she jumps at the chance. She never imagined she’d be solving a murder too . . .   Despite growing up together, Ditie hasn’t seen Ellie Winston in two years, and she didn’t even know Ellie was living in Atlanta. But when Ellie asks her to take care of Lucie and Jason for the weekend, she thinks nothing of it. They’ll bake cookies together, play with her dog—it’ll be fun! Until the police call with terrible news . . .   Ellie may not have been the best friend, but who would want her dead? Could it have something to do with the vague get-rich-quick scheme she mentioned to Ditie? Or the men in a black truck following her and breaking into her home? Not sure who to trust other than her best friend, Lurleen, Ditie’s buried maternal instincts kick in to protect the kids and find their mother’s killer—before they’re orphaned again . . .   Includes Family-Friendly Recipes!

Killer Bait


Martina Dalton - 2019
     Much to the chagrin of her brother, Zen, a homicide detective, Clarity throws caution to the wind and jumps into the investigation with both feet. Zen’s ultra-handsome detective partner, Hunter, encourages Clarity to learn self-defense—especially since she’s getting closer to discovering who the killer is. Using her social media sleuthing skills, she sets out to bait the murderer. Is she clever enough to entrap the killer? Or will she end up as the catch of the day?

A Murderous Valentine (Admiral Shackleford Mystery #1)


Beverley Watts - 2021
    Having been instrumental in improving the lives of so many (his words - others might be inclined to call it something slightly different...), he was struggling to reignite the spark in his own love life with the feisty Mabel. Short on ideas, he decides to gatecrash his much put upon former Master At Arms and best friend Jimmy Noon's Valentine idea and ends up in the middle of a murder mystery weekend... where real murder is on someone else's script. Stranded in the middle of nowhere with a hotel full of potential murderers, the unstoppable duo embark on a series of blundering escapades in an attempt to uncover the Murderous Valentine... The Admiral and Jimmy may be more Laurel and Hardy than Holmes and Watson, but can they catch a murderer...? This humorous cozy mystery short read is the first in The Admiral Shackleford Mysteries.