Book picks similar to
Color Me Love by Tonya Kappes


southern-mystery
fiction
mysteries
mystery

Murder in Cherry Hills


Paige Sleuth - 2015
    Tinsdale. Matilda, Mrs. Tinsdale's orphaned rescue cat, just might be the only eyewitness to the murder. But how do you convince a cat to reveal "whodunit"?

Between a Ghost and a Spooky Place


Nic Saint - 2016
    The stories are set in London, and revolve around Harry, her new best friend Jarrett Zephyr-Thornton III (an eccentric billionaire’s son) and stalwart Inspector Darian Watley of Scotland Yard. In the first book Harry is recruited by the Wraith Wranglers, a group of ghost hunters, and future books will feature her, Jarrett, and Darian in a series of fun and exhilarating ghost adventures. When Henrietta ‘Harry’ McCabre’s employer, a dodgy antiquarian, is found murdered, she promptly shoots to the top of Inspector Darian Watley’s suspect list. Fortunately she has a solid alibi: at the time of the murder she was delivering a rare and precious book for Buckley: the Clavicule Necroire. Soon the whole case revolves around the Necroire, as the mysterious tome allegedly has the power to turn people immortal. And since Harry was the last person to handle the book, she quickly goes from suspect to target, and from being interrogated by Darian to being protected by him, at his own apartment. Soon the hunt is on, with billionaires, rogue priests and East End crime bosses trying to get their hands on the Clavicule Necroire… and on Harry.

Count Your Hexes


Wendy Meadows - 2019
    Was Daniel George an unfortunate victim of some dark magic, or some invisible revenge? In the sleepy tourist town of Wickrock Bay, Maine, Mimi’s artifact and antique shop is a hit with customers far and wide, especially crotchety next-door cafe owner Daniel George, who likes to duck into the shop often to spot what Mimi has in her collections.  But, after three Wickrock Bay citizens rub Daniel the wrong way, in one form or another, the man moves to take action against them.Only for him to turn up mysteriously dead.Wickrock Bay Police Chief Robert Thompson, and soon along with his crush Mimi, are immediately on the case.  But Mimi also has to be cautious, because the object used to murder poor Daniel had come from her shop.  Wickrock Bay may be a small, cozy seaside town, but tongues could wag if enough people find this out.This cozy mystery is a clean read: no graphic violence, sex, or strong language.

Ghostly Murder


Lotta Smith - 2016
    As the resident consulting detective for the busy Washington D.C. Police Department and the FBI, Archangel took the confusing or unsolvable situations and spun a Sherlock hue over them, finding answers amongst the clues and closing cases even the most skilled law enforcement agents found confounding. Working as both his assistant and sounding board, Kelly has an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of Archangel’s deduction, and of his fabulous closet. Not only is he a detective savant, he is also a towering specimen of a man with an appetite for women’s high fashion that could put a runway model to shame – a fact that leaves his less-fashionable assistant flummoxed, and slightly jealous.This one’s a case for the record books—a high-profile victim murdered in a sealed tennis court that was locked from the inside. This kind of strange is right up Archangel’s alley, and Kelly is certain his eccentricities will only bring him closer to the killer… but that means she will have to get close, too. Unlike her employer, she doesn’t run so well in heels…It’s a classic ‘who-done-it’ with a not so classic answer.*Please Note: This book was previously released as Ghost in the Net. It has since been professionally edited and polished.

Death in Room 7


K.J. Emrick - 2015
     Adelle Powers, or Dell as she is known around the town of Lakeshore, is living her dream life. She and her best friend Rosie Ryan are owners of the wonderfully quirky Pine Lake Inn, a very popular Australian tourist destination. Running her own inn is the only thing she has ever wanted to do and it is her pride and joy. So when Dell's friend Jessica calls to say she's coming for a visit Dell is ecstatic and can't wait to show it off to her friend. Surprisingly Dell finds that Rosie is less than thrilled about the visit and can't understand why. They were all such good friends, or so she thought. It would seem that Rosie may know something about Jessica's past that Dell doesn't. Some sort of secret that Rosie is reluctant to share with her. When Jessica is found dead in her room the following day it would appear that her secret past may have finally caught up with her. Horrified by the death of her good friend in her very own inn, Dell soon gets drawn into the mystery. And things take a turn for the very weird when Jessica's ghost visits her, more than once, directing Dell to clues that have been overlooked by a very incompetent police investigation. Soon Dell finds her own life in peril as she gets further into the mystery surrounding her friends life, and death.

Tear Down and Die


Joanna Campbell Slan - 2013
    She never expected to uncover an old boyfriend and a dead body… Stuart, Florida--With her parents deceased and her son away at college, Cara Mia Delgatto longs to reinvent herself. And a sentimental purchase of a fixer-upper in a small, coastal town seems ideal for a new business selling repurposed relics. But when she trips over a corpse at her rundown building, she flips from renovator to prime suspect. Desperate to clear her name, it shocks Cara to discover that her property once housed a multi-million dollar art collection—stolen after the original owner’s death. And when her first love shows up and tugs at her heartstrings, her whirlwind life upgrades to a hurricane. With accusations of murder and theft looming, she’s running out of redos. Can Cara crack the case and rebuild her reputation, or will her desire to upcycle treasures send her to jail? Tear Down and Die is the charming first novel in the Cara Mia Delgatto traditional mystery series. If you like cozy reads, witty heroines, former flames reconnecting, and Florida’s beautiful Treasure Coast, you’ll adore Joanna Campbell Slan’s captivating tale.

The Last Reading


Gillian Larkin - 2014
    She meets them at storage locker auctions that she goes to with her brother, Frankie.In this story Grace meets the ghost of Mae Moonshine, a fortune teller. Mae was murdered at a psychic fair. She’s confused and can’t understand why someone would want to kill her. Grace agrees to help Mae although she’s not sure how much help she will be, she doesn’t think she’s confident enough to question suspects. As the mystery deepens Grace surprises herself and becomes more determined to find out who the murderer is.

Cats and Catnapping


Julia Koty - 2021
    She moves out of her psychic sister’s house and is on the road to her new life. Her trip to Pennsylvania starts simply, even if her cat, Arnold, can’t stop backseat driving. She refuses to accept that she can hear his kitty voice, until the radio refuses to work. Then, at a rest stop she witnesses a catnapping of the sweet kitty that Arnold has a crush on. Mira promises to chase the catnapper across the northeast and find the cat’s owner all before she must meet her realtor at her new house. Antics ensue.

Money, Murder and Mayhem


K.P. Stafford - 2016
    In twenty-four hours her world is shattered. She loses her parents and her job. Rummaging through the attic she discovers her “dead” grandmother is very much alive. She returns to her hometown; a quiet, sleepy little town perched above the sea. The disappearance and death of an elderly couple sets the town on edge. Accusations fly. The past is dredged up. Bodies are found. Some even question her return and the timing of the murders. As she joins the town constable to help solve the case, she finds herself attracted to her main suspect, Jake Donovan. Jake is handsome, charming, and secretive. Is he a threat to her or just a threat to her heart?

Greensmith Girls


Raven Snow - 2016
    It’s an insular community and home to a lot of strange happenings. It’s also home to the Greensmith family. Rumor has it that they’re a family of witches. The rumors are right. Rowen Greensmith moved away to escape her crazy family. She has her own place and a job in tabloid journalism. Things aren’t perfect, but she’s hopeful they’ll improve. When Rowen’s Aunt Lydia calls her with news of a murder, all of that is turned on its head. During the annual Greensmith family yard sale, Rowen’s Aunt Nadine sold a chest that turned out to have a dead body in it. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the woman she sold it to has now turned up dead! It’s a juicy story, and once Rowen’s boss catches wind of it, Rowen is put on the case. Now Rowen is thrown back into the life she tried to escape. Everyone in the town of Lainswich remembers her, even the ones she rather wishes didn’t. The only total stranger is a handsome businessman who’s new to town. Unfortunately, he has motives all his own. If Rowen wants to save her family, she’s going to have to solve not one but two murders. First, though, she’s going to have to deal with the police, suspicious locals, and her crazy family. Knowing Lainswich, there’s a decent chance she’s going to have to deal with quite a bit of the supernatural as well. Rowen is about to be thrown into one of the most hectic weekends of her life. She’ll be lucky if she can make it out in one piece. The theme of this book is a Supernatural/Paranormal Witch Themed Cozy Mystery. It is a Novel, approx. 40,000 words in length which will typically take the average reader about two hours to read. It is the first volume of the Lainswich Witches Mystery Series. This book is a standalone, reading further volumes is not required to resolve or enjoy the book. Romance is clean.

Welcome to Seascape Cove


M'Lissa Moorecroft - 2019
     When Cressi Harris got dumped by her husband Huxley for a woman half her age, she changed everything. She left New York City for Seascape Cove, a tiny village almost a hundred miles north of San Francisco. She stopped ghost writing Huxley’s very successful mystery series and started expressing her creativity in the kitchen of her new restaurant, The Dockside Cafe. Cressi made the transition painlessly. So did Jacko, her lively black spaniel. Both of them preferred fresh ocean breezes to the traffic fumes of New York City. She never even thought of New York, except when Huxley phoned, which he did too often because he wasn’t a very good writer without Cressi’s help. Cressi was smart and good at what she did. The Dockside Cafe flourished, even in the winter, and so did her growing friendship with good looking Police Chief, Trent Marlow and crusty retired banker Kevin Rodgers. Life was pretty darned good... ...Until her troubles started. Somebody had it in for Cressi, but who? She hadn’t been in town long enough to upset anybody, had she? Apparently she had... because somebody really had it in for her. Trent Marlow wasn’t about to let anybody get away with destroying the new life and business Cressi was building. He was determined to discover who was trying to destroy her business, and why. Welcome to Seascape Cove is Book One of The Seascape Cove Cozy Mystery Series. If you like strong women who take charge of their lives and handle whatever life throws at them, you’ll love Cressi Harris and the friends and family who support her. Download the book now and welcome Cressi to your Library. I know you’ll like her.

Crossing Over Easy


Nova Nelson - 2018
    I built a successful career as a chef and restaurateur, had all the money I could want, and nobody told me what to do.And then I died. Oops. Goodbye, wealth, career, and Texas! But death wasn’t the end for me. I was given a second chance. So it was hello, gorgeous paranormal men, a snarky canine companion, and magical Eastwind. With my old life ripped away from me, you might think I’d be bored in this strange small town with cobblestone streets and no internet. But not so much. Because I’m there only a few hours before I discover that I’m now—wait for it—a witch. Not just any witch. A Fifth Wind witch, meaning I can talk to ghosts. Wave a wand around? Not so much.But I do have a familiar, a giant black dog I can communicate with telepathically. Sounds pretty awesome, right?Eh ... maybe reserve your judgment until you meet Grim for yourself.The transition is a lot to take in, and it’s made more chaotic when Tanner Culpepper, a gorgeous male witch who waits tables at the all-night diner, and I stumble upon a murdered werewolf.And now the only way we can avoid suspicion for the crime is if I can use my newfound powers to find the real killer. Before the killer finds me …Fans of no-nonsense female sleuths, lighthearted humor, delicious loves interests, and greasy late-night eats will adore this witty cozy mystery set against a quaint (and gossipy) supernatural village. *This is a revised edition of a novel by the same name that was previously published as the Nora Bradbury series of the Witches of Salem world. Note: This book is free of swearing, graphic violence, and sex. Okay, so Nora has a few naughty thoughts (you’ll understand when you meet Tanner), but she’s only human … or witch? However, no acts take place or are described during the course of the story. Hit the Buy Now button to start solving the mystery!

The Ghosts of Mystic Springs


Mona Marple - 2018
    As the town’s medium, Connie Winters is the only person who can see the ghosts who call Mystic Springs home. When young temptress Lola is killed, the dead Mayor and the dead Sheriff are determined to investigate, and since they’ve never been replaced, they’d better get on with it. But they need Connie’s help. And if Connie’s helping, her sister Sage is going to get involved too - she’s beautiful, slim, and twenty years dead. It may be the first time in history that a murder-solving squad is a mixture of real live people and real dead ghosts. Connie, and the residents of Mystic Springs, will be forced to question everything they thought they knew. This is a full-length paranormal cozy mystery. Spooky not scary. Lighthearted and fun. First in series by Mona Marple, author of the Waterfell Tweed cozy mystery series.

Stilettos & Scoundrels


Laina C. Turner - 2020
     Freelance journalists fight for their assignments, and Presley thinks she’s won the battle when she’s hired to interview pompous womanizer Senator Daniels. But when the senator turns up dead a day later, Presley climbs right to the top of the senator’s security team’s suspect list. A security team run by her high school ex-boyfriend. Can she prove her innocence and not fall for the one guy she swore she’d never look in the eye again, or will she wind up with a lifetime gig in prison?

French Vanilla & Felonies


Erin Huss - 2018
    She's got a nice home for her daughter, a steady source of income, and the cute maintenance guy is certainly a nice perk! But her luck takes a bad turn again when a dead body turns up, a crime spree takes over the community, and Cambria finds her complex squarely at the center of it all! With her dream job suddenly on the line, Cambria dons her detective hat to get to the truth—after all, she's watched enough crime shows on TV to know how to catch a perp! Or so she hopes as she wades through a streaker in apartment 40, an ex-con with a shady agenda, an overly frisky retired couple, and the suspiciously sneaky dealings of the dentist in apartment 36. But will Cambria be able to catch a killer... or will she get caught up in his game and lose it all?