Secrets at Wallisford Hall


C.G. Oster - 2017
    Domestic service had never been an intended career for Dory, but a plea from family could never be ignored, even, as it turns out, when her predecessor had been murdered in the very house Dory now worked. A stranger was blamed for the death, and Lord and Lady Wallisford and their grown children were not giving Detective Inspector Ridley from the Met an easy time to investigate alternative theories. No strangers had been seen in the district and Dory, with her position in the house, is increasingly drawn in the help.

Hardback Homicide


S.E. Babin - 2021
    I inherited a grumpy Persian cat named Poppy who loves to make her displeasure known around the store … loudly.Things are good until I deliver a special order only to stumble over a body. Suddenly all eyes are on me. Now I have a handsome detective and an annoying reporter on my tail, hounding me about the case.All I want to do is crack open my favorite paperback, grab a cup of coffee, and chill, but with a murderer out there and suspicion falling on me, I have to do a lot more than read.I have to find out whodunnit and quick before I become the next subject of a murder mystery…

Salt in the Wounds


Mark Richards - 2020
    Going back to his old life.The one that cost him his wife…Michael Brady was a high-flying detective, working on a high-profile case.And much too close to the truth.Someone arranged a hit-and-run.But they missed Brady. And hit his wife.And after six months sitting by her bed, he took the only decision he could take. He turned the machine off.Now he’s back home in Whitby. Trying to rebuild his life. And be a good dad to his teenage daughter.But when his best friend is murdered Brady – unwillingly at first – is drawn into the investigation.And when the only people he has left are threatened, he finds there’s only one answer.Going back to his old life…

The Ringing Bells Inn (Trengillion Cornish Mystery Series Book 1)


Daphne Neville - 2014
    *********************************************************************************************** February 1952 and the country is in mourning following the death of King George V1. On a train leaving London is Ned Stanley, bound for Cornwall to convalesce after an energy sapping bout of glandular fever. He has a room booked at the Ringing Bells Inn located on the Lizard Peninsula in the small fishing village of Trengillion on Cornwall’s beautiful south coast. Ned assumes his stay at the Ringing Bells Inn will be soothingly tranquil and a complete contrast to London where he teaches history at a secondary modern school. But the old Cornish village has a guilty secret and he will rapidly find himself committed to resolve an intriguing mystery regarding the sinister disappearance of Jane Hunt, a local girl who worked at the Inn but has not been seen since she vanished the previous summer. The Ringing Bells Inn is the first in a series of seven books covering village life over a period of sixty years.

The Indelible Stain (Esme Quentin Mystery #2)


Wendy Percival - 2014
    Esme is troubled by the woman’s final words and curious about the old photograph clutched in her hand. The police, however, dismiss Bella Shaw’s death as accidental. But Bella’s daughter, Neave, has her own questions and approaches Esme for help. The subsequent trail leads Esme back to the brutal penal history of 19th century England and the mystery of a Devon convict girl transported to Australia for her crime. As evidence of betrayal and duplicity are revealed, Esme discovers Bella’s link to events in the past – a link which now endangers Neave and, by association, Esme. A legacy of hatred which has festered for generations in the 'land beyond the seas' now threatens to spill over on to Devon soil with devastating consequences.

The Reluctant Detective


Adrian Spalding - 2019
    He just wanted a quiet life. Something his mother was not going to allow. There again he never for one moment imagined he would have to look into the death of a 90-year-old lady who was gambling away her family fortune. The Hayden Detective Agency has no need of clients. The very existence of the Agency allows Martin Hayden to claim his large monthly allowance from the family fortune - without lifting a finger. Martin’s biggest problem is his interfering mother, who understands her idle son too well. She takes steps to find him not just clients but also a personal assistant to keep an eye on him. Under pressure from the women in his life, Martin agrees to take on his first client. How hard can it be to follow a 90-year-old woman who spends her time losing money at roulette tables? As it turns out harder than Martin ever thought possible, especially with the old lady dying in strange circumstances. Soon the Reluctant Detective is grappling with shady estate agents, an intellectual artist, missing charity money and an irritating Indian waiter. Luckily for Martin there is help in the form of Colin, a transvestite who, apart from having very good fashion sense, is an expert at breaking into houses.

MURDER IN A SEASIDE TOWN: The death of a bookseller gives Irish detectives a novel problem (The Galway Homicides Book 12)


David Pearson - 2021
    

Trouble at Clenchers Mill


Diana J. Febry - 2019
    Then the attacks started.Detained in the hospital after an unusual accident, he dismisses the claim his new wife is trying to harm him. He’s convinced the property attacks are the childish pranks of locals annoyed by his plans for Clenchers Mill. As a successful property developer, he’s seen it all before. Mindful of Alicia’s reluctance to involve the police he instructs Kate and Simon to make discreet inquiries.Kate and Simon are keen to find the culprit, but are inexperienced and blissfully unaware they are dealing with a determined killer toying with their prey before they strike. Their first case may prove to be their last.

Small Town Saboteurs


Hope Callaghan - 2021
    “If you like clean mysteries that keep you guessing until the end, you’ll love the Garden Girls!”Garden Girls - The Golden Years is the brand new spin-off series of the Garden Girls Mystery series.You’ll enjoy the same fun-loving characters as they solve mysteries in the cozy town of Belhaven. Each book will focus on one of the Garden Girls as they enter their “golden years.”Small Town Saboteurs -Book 4 is Dot’s story.

Winnifred Cottage


Jennie Alexander - 2013
    The cause is a mystery but her partner Jack is suspiciously involved somehow.A welcome escape route presents itself in the form of Winnifred Cottage situated in the heart of The Lake District – a summer holiday paradise. It has recently been left to Abbie in her grandmother’s will but her sister Jilly is not at all happy about her decision to make it her home.Abbie has grand plans for the cottage but they are not to be. It bears no resemblance to her memories of the place and she is left wondering if she has made the worst mistake of her life.Great aunts Eva and Lilleth hoard their own secrets and both are suspicious as to why Winnifred Cottage has been left to Abigail. Their wise and charismatic friend Jed Tobin appears to know more than he’s letting on but everyone has to wait until he’s good and ready to reveal all. Abbie’s sister Jilly descends for a summer holiday with her family, and with her visit comes a storm of another sort – the worst weather for years. Torrential rain causes chaos in the village of Kirkby Bridge and people are forced to evaluate what’s really important to them.Winnifred Cottage is a novel of contemporary fiction with a little romance making it ideal summer reading/holiday reading.

Please Don't Feed the Mayor


Sue Pethick - 2019
    . .Shep wins by a landslide.A lover of democracy and dog treats, Shep is rapidly earning the goodwill of Fossett's citizens. Tourists are streaming in and everyone wants to glad-paw the new mayor. Suddenly Melanie and Shep are media darlings, with requests for interviews, game shows, and personal appearances through the roof. But there's trouble in paradise. Determined to win back his former wife, Bryce MacDonald discovers a rival in tabloid reporter Chad Cameron, who's in Fossett to dig up dirt on Melanie and Shep. He finds a willing co-conspirator in the malcontent who lost the election. Hounded by the press and desperate to head off a potential dog-napping, Melanie unwittingly puts herself in danger. Shep comes to the rescue, proving his mettle to save his faithful human at the risk of his own life . . . and new political career.Acclaim for Sue Pethick's Pet Friendly "Quirky and endearing . . . This is a light, heartwarming read perfect for a wintry afternoon at home or a sunny beach vacation."--RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

Crime in the Choir


Catherine Moloney - 2018
    This was not a centuries-old Christian burial. They are wearing modern-day clothes and there is evidence of foul play. Consecrated land has been sadistically violated. Detective Inspector Gilbert Markham is a rising talent of the Bromgrove police force. He is on the trail of the murderer, when another life is brutally claimed. Who is the savage killer lurking in this innocent place? DI Markham and his team are met with intense hostility when they step up their operation. Is this just local panic? Or are they about to stumble into a web of corruption which runs deeper than they could have ever anticipated? DI MARKHAM FACES A RACE AGAINST TIME TO SAVE HIS GIRLFRIEND FROM BEING THE NEXT VICTIM.

'Twas the Night Before Murder: Cozy Mystery (Country Cottage Mysteries Book 21)


Addison Moore - 2021
    

Spirits in the Oak


L.J. Hutton - 2020
    But these houses aren’t normal, and nor is what’s inside them! With her old wounds recently reopened, Jenna is in desperate need of a new start, and her friend Tiff thinks she’s found just the thing when her company needs someone to watch over a trio of houses. Set in an idyllic location in the Shropshire Hills, the houses lie empty, tied up in a legal battle, but from the outset Jenna knows there’s something wrong with them – and it’s not just down to the vicious wrangling between the owners, either! Why does it feel like the houses are talking to her? And who is the mysterious ex-soldier in the only other house on the hill? Why does he hate the owners so badly, and does he know more of what’s going on than Jenna has been told? Join Jenna as she unravels the secret of the houses while she struggles to heal her own inner scars, and in the process finds unexpected friends and inner reserves she didn’t know she had. If you love paranormal mysteries by authors such as Barbara Erskine and Phil Rickman; the magical realism of J S Donovan, Diane Setterfield and Melissa Payne; or the magical elements of Diana Gabaldon’s Lord John Grey novels, then this is a book for you! Grab a copy today and join Jenna on the mysterious Welsh Borders!

Death in Disguise


Emma Davies - 2022
    Missing canapes? No problem. Burnt brownies? A piece of cake… But a dead body? Now that’s a recipe for disaster.Francesca is nervous about catering her first ever murder mystery party, but it’s clear from the clink of champagne flutes and piles of empty plates that the evening is a roaring success. The guests look spectacular in their disguises, whispering and giggling as they try to identify who killed beautiful young Becky. But days later the game takes a sinister turn when Becky is found poisoned, and all the signs point to the culprit being a party guest.From the woman having an affair to the guest hiding her true identity, everyone had a secret – and it turns out that Becky knew them all. As Fran finds herself centre-stage in a real-life murder mystery, the finger of suspicion points at each guest in turn. And Fran starts to wonder, were any of these secrets dangerous enough to kill for?Then the body of a second guest is found, and it becomes clear a deranged killer is going off-script. It seems anyone who was involved in the game that night is in their sights, even Fran. Can she unmask the murderer before the final curtain falls?A page-turning cozy mystery packed with twists. If you love Clare Chase, M.C. Beaton and The Thursday Murder Club you’ll absolutely adore this unputdownable whodunnit.