Book picks similar to
Sweet Saboteur by C.A. Phipps


cozy-mystery
first-in-series
cozy
fiction

An Imperfectly Perfect Witch


Kate Satori - 2021
    Only time will tell. Sit for a spell and enjoy a new cozy mystery with witches, magic, and a snarky cat. Kate Brody’s café serves up enchanted drinks boosted with a touch of magic and tasty treats. Unfortunately, trouble finds its way to her door.Betsy Ambrose is aghast that a witch owns the shop beside her store. She’s made it perfectly clear, she not a fan of witches living or working in Keystone County. Even worse, her daughter is newly engaged to Kate's brother. There's no way she'll let her daughter get tangled up with witches—it would ruin her family’s reputation. She promises to stop the couple from tying the knot, no matter what it takes.When Betsy dies at the newly engaged couple’s party, all eyes are cast on the Brody family. After all, they hosted the fest and prepared the food. If that wasn't enough, Kate's mother threatened Betsy within days of her death. With a police detective convinced the witchy duo had something to do with the murder, and a local reporter digging up dirt that doesn't want to be unearthed, Kate is determined to figure out who the killer is to clear her family name.Will witches be cast out of the small Pennsylvania town they call home? Or can Kate find answers that don't want to be found? An Imperfectly Perfect Witch is the first book in a new paranormal cozy mystery series. Enjoy a fun, easy read that's twisted with magic, mystery, and a cauldron full of mayhem.

Death in Dalkinchie


Carly Reid - 2019
    When the head judge is poisoned, Jessica's extensive notes, observational skills and ability to be in the wrong place at the right time are put to the test again. Can Jessica narrow down the list of suspects to find the killer before there’s another victim? If you love locked room mysteries, quirky characters, and a Scottish small-town setting, you’ll love Death in Dalkinchie. This is the first full-length novel in the Dalkinchie Mysteries series.

Mrs Pettigrew Sees a Ghost


Katherine Hayton - 2019
    New town. New ghost!Fifty-two-year-old Emily Curtis wants a job so she can rebuild her shattered life. One year ago, a devastating car accident stole her occupation, her home, and half her mind.Working in the charity shop of a small town in rural New Zealand seems ideal... until she awakens a ghost! Since the annoying spirit won't move on until her murderer is found, Emily sets to work. However, the ethereal Mrs Pettigrew doesn't remember dying, let alone who killed her.With family remaining close-lipped and old employees keeping secrets, it'll take more than Emily's newfound ability to talk to the dead to solve the crime.Mrs Pettigrew Sees a Ghost is the first book in a new paranormal mystery series. It contains ghosts and murderers but is free of the following evil spirits:No Swearing No Gore No Graphic ScenesThis series is written in New Zealand English, which features mainly British spelling variants.

Small Town Taxi (Honey Walker Adventures Book 1)


Harriet Rogers - 2019
    Honey has a few goals in life. Her first is to hustle enough fares and tips to pay the rent and buy those red sequined spike heeled slut shoes she lusts after. Her next goal is to kick her budding relationship with police Lieutenant Jon Stevens into high gear. Honey's problem is that dead bodies and live thugs keep getting in the way of her goals. While she admires the Lieutenant's well formed rear end, the Lieutenant is busy chasing the bad guys who are busy chasing Honey. When Honey's new best friend Belle, former prostitute and wife to one of the dead bodies, is kidnapped by the local mafia, Honey sets out to rescue her. Follow Honey as she drives her taxi through a big hole in the local crime scene.

Folk Tales and Fudge Brownies


A.R. Winters - 2020
    With the local Bigfoot festival just days away, there many who stand to benefit from Kevin’s death - from the well-known Sasquatch believer Roy Turner, to the event organizers who profit from the festival each year, to the Bigfoot “researchers” who despised Kevin. In between working at her aunt’s bakery café, Jean finds time to slip into the woods and the festival campground in her quest to uncover the truth. But will her hunt lead her straight into a bear’s den - or worse, into the hands of a killer? This is a humorous cozy mystery featuring a strong female protagonist, some unusual friends and family, and a mystery that needs solving! It has no graphic gore, bad language or sex.

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.

Small Town Shock


Issy Brooke - 2015
     Except for Penny May. She’s tired of the stress of her job in London, and it’s time for an early retirement. In an effort to reclaim the exuberance of youth that she once had, she gets a funky hair style, a classic motorcycle - and a dog with “issues”. Dog ownership is harder than she expected, but she won’t give up. To avoid postmen, people in hats, people with bags and all the other dogs in the world, she has to walk in lonely places at lonely times … it’s almost inevitable that she stumbles across a dead body, really. It might not be the most conventional way of settling into a new community, but the locals open up to her, and soon she’s involved in the investigation. But her need for justice brings her into conflict with Drew, the local blacksmith who’s been helping her with dog training, and Cath Pritchard, the detective constable. Is her need for friendship stronger than her need to find the killer? And will she ever be able to walk her dog in daylight? This is a clean read suitable for all; it’s a standalone novel with no cliffhanger, and the mystery is fair-play and solved. “Some Very English Murders” can be enjoyed in any order but you may prefer to follow them chronologically.

Potluck and Pandemonium


S.C. Merritt - 2019
    After the investigation into her husband’s suspicious death in Texas stalls, she decides that the best way to begin moving forward with her life is to pull up stakes and head back home to Alabama. But when Glory stumbles over a body in the graveyard during a church picnic, she finds herself at the top of the suspect list. Which isn’t surprising since the murder weapon is engraved with her initials. Looks like this murder has her name written all over it. Glory decides to put her mystery-solving instincts to work and “help” her brother, a detective on the local force, prove her innocence. But when his new boss, the hunky Hunt Walker, steps in and takes over, Glory can’t seem to stay out of hot water. And it’s getting hotter by the minute! Can Glory find the killer before another dead body is found? This fun, southern cozy mystery is full of lovable characters and a small town you can’t help but fall in love with. And, don't miss out on the great recipes at the end of the book!

A Devilish Punishment


Jennifer Bramseth - 2018
    A dead mentor. A new boss. What else could go wrong? Lillian Booth is pushed to her limits when she’s assigned the worst yet most important case of her career. Trying to disbar a lawyer who abused his clients for years behind closed doors.But after a series of sinister events, she’s forced to co-counsel with Henry Alton, a man who detested her beloved and now-deceased mentor.Lillian and Henry have one goal. To win.But Lillian fears failure if she and Henry can’t get along. And to get along requires her to uncover the origin of Henry’s hatred.Then survival becomes more important as a mysterious attacker targets them as the case races toward a possibly deadly conclusion. A Devilish Punishment is the first book in the Devil Springs Cozy Mysteries Series.

Murder on the Vine


Jenna St. James - 2016
    However, the discovery of a dead body was anything but typical for Jaycee. Then when the new detective in town, Mike Connors, demands Jaycee keep her nose out of the investigation, she decides she has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. After all, her sister’s baking reputation is on the line and the killer is still on the loose. With the help of Gramps, a retired Army colonel, her mom, and Tillie, a former trapeze artist and contortionist, Jaycee is on a mission to snag the killer before her sister’s reputation is forever tainted.

Lily's Homecoming Under Fire


Anna Celeste Burke - 2019
     When Lily Callahan returns home to California’s wine country, sparks fly amid a hail of bullets as she and U.S. Marshall Austin Jennings take cover. Money, fame, and love all come into play as motives when Lily and Austin try to find out who sent hired guns to kill Lily. The trouble begins soon after her beloved Aunt Lettie dies and leaves her estate to Lily—is it about the money? Or, is life imitating art? Lily’s trouble-making character in a long-running TV soap was recently killed by a paid hitman. Is a crazed fan trying to end Lily’s life as well as her acting career? Did her agent borrow a page from the script after Lily dismissed him? Lily’s surprised to find an old flame waiting for her when she returns home. Has he reached the point that if he can’t have her, nobody can? If it’s about an old love that’s become dangerous, the new one that propels Lily and Austin into each other’s arms won’t help. Life in small-town California wine country is a tangled vine of mystery, suspense, and intrigue. Grab your copy of the first book in the Calla Lily Mystery Series by USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author, Anna Celeste Burke to find out what happens to Lily and Austin.

Condos and Corpses


Angela K. Ryan - 2019
    A humanitarian worker with a passion for jewelry making. A murder next door.Connie can think of no other option but to sell the beach front condo she recently inherited from her beloved aunt, but a murder in the apartment next door stalls her plans. As she tries to prove her friend and neighbor’s innocence, she contemplates keeping the condo and opening a jewelry shop in Sapphire Beach, where tourists abound, to showcase her handmade creations. But starting a business would mean walking away from an eleven-year career in humanitarian work, and her overseas contacts have become like family over the years. Will she find a way to combine her love for jewelry making with her passion for humanitarian work and solve the murder in the process?If you enjoy cozy mysteries that keep you guessing, loveable characters, and sun-drenched Florida beaches, you’ll love the Sapphire Beach Cozy Mystery Series.Download Condos and Corpses and begin your getaway today!

Alas, She Drowned


Monica Knightley - 2016
    Betrayal. Tea and Scones. When ex-novice nun, turned steamy romance writer, Maggie O’Flynn moves to the charming village of Stratford Upon Avondale to open a tea room she expects plenty of murders, betrayal, and duplicity. On the stages of the town’s renowned Shakespeare Festival. But when a theater critic is found murdered on the town’s riverbank and the prime suspect turns out to be the sexy bookshop owner Maggie has had her eye on, she takes matters into her own hands. Will she be able to dig through the layers of betrayal and duplicity to find the true murderer before that handsome bookseller, Nate Larimer, finds himself behind bars? With the help of her loud, brash, spitfire of a friend, Gina Mattucci, Maggie plans to do just that. With a bit of Shakespeare, copious amounts of tea, and a faux-English setting to rival anything the real England has to offer, ALAS, SHE DROWNED is the first book in THE STRATFORD UPON AVONDALE mystery series. Lovers of cozy mysteries will find a cozy home in Stratford Upon Avondale.

Clocks Locks and Danger: A Button Up Detective Agency Cozy Mystery #1


Lizzie Lewis - 2020
    Sam Jones was a detective with the local CID, and Janika is determined to prove he was murdered. Realising she has detective skills of her own, she trains to be a private investigator, and sets up an office above the Button Up coffee shop owned by Abi Wells, a girl she knew at school as Abi Button.Calling her business the Button Up Detective Agency, Janika sets out to find her own cases to investigate, having been warned by the police not to investigate her husband’s murder. But that’s something she can’t resist when the opportunity arises. When things turn nasty, who can she trust?Told by Janika Jones, this is a slightly darker cozy mystery spin-off from the series of six Abi Button Cozy Mystery Romance books, also by Lizzie Lewis. Although mainly about Janika, she interacts with many of the main Abi Button story characters.

Makeup & Murder


Stephanie Damore - 2017
    When she’s attacked inside a client’s home and wakes to find a dead body, she gives up the safety of selling lipsticks for the dangerous role of detective. The dead man was her top client’s husband, and it turns out he used his money to buy more than happiness. With suspects piling up, a killer on the loose and her own life threatened, Ziva vows to solve the case and digs her high heels in even deeper. The last thing she expected is finding another dead body – or befriending the murderer!