Now it's an authors' getaway, but Cat won't let anyone get away with murder . . . The bed-and-breakfast is open for business, and bestselling author Tom Cook is among its first guests. Cat doesn't know why he came all the way from New York, but she's glad to have him among the quirkier-and far less famous-attendees. Cat's high school sweetheart Seth, who's fixing up the weathered home, brings on mixed emotions for Cat . . . some of them a little overpowering. But it's her uncle, the local police chief, whom she'll call for help when there's a surprise ending for Tom Cook in his cozy guest room. Will a killer have the last word on the new life Cat has barely begun?

    The perfect quick reads for vacation lounging or sipping frosty drinks poolside! **Recipes included!** Stories include: One Red Cent (Miranda Vaughn Mysteries) by Ellie Ashe Brunettes Just Wanna Have Fun (Gilda Wright Mysteries) by Diane Bator A Spot of Murder (Cookies & Chance Mysteries) by Catherine Bruns Queenie Baby: On Location (Queenie Baby Mysteries) by Christina A. Burke Done in the Sun by Mary Jo Burke Hard to Control (Hard Targets) by Wendy Byrne Lesson in Fear (Schooled in Murder series) by Tracy D. Comstock Ice Cream Bombes & Stolen Thongs (Poppy Peters Mysteries) by A. Gardner Barbecue & Bad Juju (Culinary Competition Mysteries) by Janel Gradowski A Killing in the Market (Danger Cove Mysteries) by Gin Jones & Elizabeth Ashby Dashed to Death (Misty Newman Mysteries) by Gina LaManna Scout Camp Murder (Merry Wrath Mysteries) by Leslie Langtry Heating Up the Night (Heroes of the Night) by Nicole Leiren Killer Conch Shell (Health Nut Mysteries) by Patrice Lyle The Pen is Mightier (Proverbial Crime Mysteries) by Dane McCaslin Backyard Bar-be-Feud (Working Stiff Mysteries) by Kerri Nelson Mr. Montana by Ellyn Oaksmith Motion for Misfits (Jamie Winters Mysteries) by Kelly Rey Mystic Mojo (Mystic Isle Mysteries) by Sally J. Smith & Jean Steffens Blondes' Night Out (Barb Jackson Mysteries) by Anna Snow Caper at Castle Rock (Amelia Grace Rock 'n' Roll Mysteries) by Anne Marie Stoddard 48 Hours in New York by Stacey Wiedower

    She spends her days making delicious artisan cappuccinos, until she stumbles upon her neighbor’s dead body. When the police discover Mr. Cardosi was poisoned, Francesca becomes a suspect. The victim’s son, Matty, happens to be Francesca’s old high school friend. Together, they uncover the secrets of the locals in order to find the killer in their idyllic beach town. Includes two special cupcake recipes!

    This boxed set from 10 of today’s hottest romance authors will warm your heart even on the coldest night.Dale Mayer, USA Today Bestselling Author - Broken ProtocolsH. D. Thomson - Shades of HollyChantel Rhondeau - A Season for LoveLeslie Lynch - Christmas HopeSandy Loyd - A Christmas MiracleBarbara Lohr - Salty Carmel ChristmasMarcia James - Heating Up the HolidaysCarolyn Hughey - Insanity ClausTallulah Grace - A Family for ChristmasRachelle Ayala - A Father for Christmas

    Innkeeper Caroline Kent becomes a detective when one of her wealthy guests is murdered.

    Ordinary objects like roller coasters and men's hairpieces make her knees knock loud enough to be a band's rhythm section. Unfortunately, the only job Claire can find is working for her Uncle Gino in his seedy detective agency. Until now, her cases have all be middle-aged men with trophy wives who needed watching. But when Gino retires and leaves her in charge, Claire gets swept up in a murder case despite her fears. Both the client who hired her and the handsome police detective want her off the case. When the wrong person is charged, it's up to the terrified detective to summon all the courage she can to find the true killer.

    L. Bartlett, Rae Davies, and P.B. RyanAll author proceeds from this anthology to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.Murder Passes The Buck by Deb BakerWhen her neighbor is shot and killed, sixty-six-year-old widow Gertie Johnson seizes the opportunity to move on with her life by investigating his death. Gertie is abetted (and hindered) by her grandson Little Donny, man-hungry best friend Cora Mae, and word-of-the-day challenger, Kitty. It doesn’t help that the death has been ruled an accident by the sheriff of this backwoods community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Or that Sheriff Blaze Johnson happens to be Gertie’s son.Whether it’s interrogating neighbors, spying, or impersonating the FBI—not to mention staying one step ahead of Blaze—Gertie will do whatever it takes to solve the case, even when the killer takes aim at her.Murder On The Mind By L. L. BartlettAfter insurance investigator Jeff Resnick is viciously mugged, he discovers the resulting brain injury has left him able to sense people’s secrets. When his estranged half-brother, Richard, takes Jeff to the family home to recover, Jeff’s senses pick up clues to the recent vicious murder of a local banker. Despite Jeff’s mixed feelings about his new sixth sense, he feels compelled to explore the banker’s murder--using both his senses and his investigative skills, along with Richard’s reluctant help. Against the gritty setting of wintry Buffalo, NY, and a tormented family history of his own, unraveling the truth threatens Jeff’s--and Richard’s--life.Loose Screw by Rae DaviesLucy Mathews, crime reporter turned antiques dealer, avoids confrontation like a home perm. She even lets a cat shove her around.When Lucy trips over the body of a buckskin-clad relics trader, her ex-boss asks her to cover the story. She tries to tell him no, but old habits die hard and soon she finds herself directly in the path of a killer and the exasperating, if attractive, detective in charge.Can Lucy catch a killer or is this the last confrontation for her—period?Still Life With Murder by P.B. RyanBook #1 of P.B. Ryan’s bestselling historical mystery series featuring Boston governess Nell Sweeney and opium-smoking former battle surgeon Will Hewitt. Long thought to have died during the Civil War, Will is arrested for murder, and it's up to Nell to prove his innocence.“P.B. Ryan makes a stunning debut with Still Life With Murder, bringing Nineteenth Century Boston alive, from its teeming slums to the mansions on Boston Common, and populating it with a vivid and memorable cast of characters. The fascinating heroine, Nell Sweeney, immediately engages the reader and I couldn’t put the book down until I discovered the truth along with her. I can’t wait for the next installment.” —Bestselling author Victoria Thompson

    Using the skills she learned as a secret service agent, she runs the Gotcha Detective Agency, along with her skilled computer forensics partner Charles Parks. Gotcha specializes in executive protection (bodyguards), and tailing cheating spouses.Nick Christianson is running from the demons of his past, and that has put him back in his old stomping grounds in Salinas, CA. Nick has transferred from the San Francisco Homicide Division and is now adjusting to this new police department.Mimi never expects to run into her old college flame Nick, when she takes on an executive protection case for New York Times bestselling author Lauren Silke. But when Lauren’s assistant is murdered, the homicide case, along with Mimi, land in Nick’s lap. Will Mimi and Nick be able to solve this murder without killing each other first?Textual Relations - book 2Mimi Capurro, owner of Gotcha Detective Agency, hasn’t seen her old college flame since they teamed up to find a killer several months earlier. Now, after breaking and entering into an alleged predator’s home, Mimi and Charles find a murder victim on the floor in his bedroom. When homicide detective Nick Christianson and his new partner, Piper Mason, arrive on the scene, this is not the way Mimi expected to see Nick again.Even though it’s his job, Nick is loath to find the killer. That is until a teenage girl with ties to the victim disappears. Now Mimi, Nick and Charles race against the clock to find the killer and hopefully find the girl in the process.

    Mixing up a mean cocktail, listening to Dwight Yoakam, and matching folks with their soulmates. Born with an almost supernatural gift for matchmaking, Bitters has helped hundreds of people find true love. But when Bitters’ own soulmate leaves her behind in the dust of Broken Hearts Junction, she loses all faith in her abilities and decides to give up on matchmaking altogether. But when her boss ends up dead in a freak accident involving a 50-year-old mounted ox head, Bitters discovers she has bigger steaks to fry than her own troubled love life. Bitters soon realizes that nothing is as it seems in Broken Hearts Junction. And when a handsome stranger starts appearing nearly everywhere she goes, Bitters realizes something else too. No one is as they seem in Broken Hearts Junction either. Burned in Broken Hearts Junction is the first book in the Cozy Matchmaker Mystery series.

    To dead people.Life gets complicated for Jane and her Death Diva business when she’s hired to liberate a gaudy mermaid brooch from the corpse during a wake—on behalf of the rightful owner, supposedly. Well, a girl’s got to make a living, and this assignment pays better than scattering ashes, placing flowers on graves, or bawling her eyes out as a hired mourner. Unfortunately for Jane, someone else is just as eager to get his hands on that brooch, and he’s even sneakier than she is, not to mention dangerously sexy.Just when she thinks her biggest problem is grand theft mermaid, things take a murderous turn. But hey, when you’ve teamed up with a neurotic seven-pound poodle named Sexy Beast, how can you go wrong?

    Gardner comes a deliciously dangerous new series...After an injury derails Poppy Peters' ballet career, she gathers the courage to follow in her grandmother's footsteps and attend Calle Pastry Academy in a small-town in Georgia. Poppy has her work cut out for her not only fitting in with her charming (and not-so-charming ) Southern classmates but also proving her worth to her teachers after her first publicly humiliating attempt at making the school's famous peach pie. But Poppy's pastry problems go from bad to worse when she's suddenly accused of stealing expensive black truffles, and her attempt to clear her name goes awry...resulting in her finding a dead body instead! If Poppy's going to survive this culinary experience, she'll need to find the missing truffles and track down a killer, all while honing her baking skills to compete in the school's dessert competition for a coveted pastry internship in Paris. Can Poppy prove she's one tough cookie? Or is her life about to crumble?**Recipes Included**Poppy Peters Mysteries:Southern Peach Pie and A Dead Guy (book #1)Chocolate Macaroons and a Dead Groom (book #2)Ice Cream Bombes and Stolen Thongs (short story in the "Killer Beach Reads" collection)Bananas Foster and a Dead Mobster (book #3)Strawberry Tartlets and a Dead Starlet (book #4)"A sweet and satisfying mystery that will leave you hungry for more! A. Gardner's Poppy Peters Mysteries have earned a place on my keeper shelf!"~ Gemma Halliday, New York Times bestselling mystery author

    On the other side of the Dark Forest resides the Land of Terran. The humans of Terran treat those from Virgo as second-class citizens, disgracing and trapping them at every turn. After centuries of tension, a silent war is finally brewing, and the timing couldn’t be worse for Princess Azure. This young witch will soon be crowned queen of the Kingdom of Virgo. In the Dark Forest, a powerful potion-maker has been murdered. He was the key to ending the war. Charmsgood was the only wizard who could stop a deadly virus that suddenly plagues Virgo. He also could have fixed the devastation the people from Terran had done to the forest. Now he is gone. Azure must protect her people. Mend the Dark Forest. Create alliances with savage beasts. No biggie, right? This complete digital box set contains seven exciting and enchanting adventures. House of Enchanted: Just as the war with the humans is brewing, Azure is set to be crowned the new queen of Virgo. But on coronation day everything changes. Princess Azure isn’t who she thought she was and that’s a big freaking problem.Dark Forest: Azure suddenly finds herself a prisoner of Terran. She must escape and locate her mother’s soul stone. The virus that stole the queen’s magic is going after her very life, and the soul stone is her only hope.Mountain of Truth: Azure and her ragtag crew set off for the Mountain of Truth in hopes of locating Mage Lenore, the oldest witch alive. They soon learn the problem isn’t finding the old witch. It’s surviving each other on the mountain. Land of Terran: A betrayal sends Azure on yet another adventure. She must get back the Book of Branches in order to find the rogue dryads. They are the key to healing the Dark Forest.New Egypt: Queen Azure sets off on a world tour of Oriceran, thinking she’ll strengthen relations with neighboring kingdoms. On her first stop in New Egypt she finds something chilling.Lancothy: New Egypt is being overrun by vampires. Knowing her options are limited, Azure sets off for the kingdom of Lancothy, where bats are known to reside. She must get to them before the vampires do. Bats are deadly to magic.Virgo: With Lancothy in ruins, Azure and the gang help the wereanimals find new homes. Meanwhile, the vampires are planning a merciless attack on Virgo. Azure’s homecoming is marked by blood, tragedy and a great loss. *NOTE: There’s cursing in this series because these witches and wizards are just rude like that. If cursing is a problem, then this might not be for you.

    so far. Now a killer with a mysterious grudge against her and her closest friend, lawyer Rob Franklin, is threatening everyone and everything that she holds dear.When the detective assigned to their case decides they are lovers and the attacks against them and their families are veiled attempts to rid themselves of their spouses, Kate and Rob are forced to investigate on their own. Can they identify their mutual enemy, before he or she kills again?

     A tale of intrigue, kidnap and the price of fish… When a mysterious carved wooden fish turns up in the morning seafood delivery, bearing a desperate—albeit badly spelt—plea for help, Chef Maurice, proprietor of Le Cochon Rouge in the Cotswold village of Beakley, has only one response: if he can’t steam it, grill it or fry it, he’s not interested. Unfortunately, friend and food critic Arthur Wordington-Smythe is more than willing to get the pair embroiled—or should that be broiled?—in what could turn out to be some seriously fishy business. Time then for a trip to the Cornish seaside in search of the fish’s owner, a parking space, and a jolly good plate of haddock and chips, not necessarily in that order...

    Paying her aunt, Mira Lloyd, a.k.a. Elizabeth Lloyd, renowned historical romance author, a long overdue visit, she plans on spending a month on Rock-Maine Island lounging around and plotting the launch of her new life. Her ex-husband, however, has other ideas. As for her aunt… she’s gone missing. And now there’s a dead body to contend with and a murder weapon with her fingerprints on it. A mantle of suspicion hangs over Eve and everyone she encounters has a reason to want her out of the way. Unwilling to leave matters in the hands of swoon worthy Detective Jack Bradford… only because it’s her civic duty to provide a new perspective, Eve Lloyd engages the assistance of her new friend and fellow suspect, Jill Saunders. They both stumble their way through a long list of possible motives and suspects in a race to find the killer before either one turns into the next victim. Snuffed Out Eve Lloyd, a death knell? Eve refuses to believe her choice of words had something to do with inviting a killer to the island, but just to be on the safe side, she agrees to avoid all use of any and all words related to killing. However, it might already be too late… Her run in with a local artist, Reginald Bryant Burns, has put her in an awkward position. Trying to make amends, Eve resorts to bribery, but that only makes matters worse and now…She’s a prime suspect in a murder investigation. The timing couldn’t be worse. She has a date with Detective Jack Bradford and the killer is threatening to ruin it for her. All Tied Up It’s no accident. Eve Lloyd is a magnet for trouble. On the brink of settling into an uneventful existence, Eve Lloyd turns her attention to a new venture. She’s going to open an inn and she thinks she’s found the perfect house. It should all be smooth sailing from there, but she’s developed a knack for landing right in the thick of it. This time, she stumbles on a body in the least likely place and her fingerprints are all over the handcuffs found on the murder victim. As the suspects list grows, and the dream of running an inn evaporates, she becomes a target of the killer’s rage.Despite trying to keep her nose out of other people’s business, it seems the only way she can get her life back on track is if she sets a trap for the killer. The Last Bite Eve Lloyd’s childhood nemesis, Charlotte McLain, is getting married. Nothing will induce Eve to attend. Nothing except… blackmail.From the start, everything about this wedding rings alarm bells for Eve. The location, the groom, the guests. The bride. But that’s nothing unusual. The odds of everything going right are stacked in the bride’s favor. There have already been several deaths on the island. Lighting surely wouldn’t strike again…When the groom suddenly dies, all fingers of blame are pointed directly at Eve. After all, she had opportunity and plenty of motives.She’s been framed and despite trying to keep her nose out of trouble, she’s now been dragged right back into the thick of it. The list of suspects is extensive, but she’s sure she can narrow it down to… at least a half dozen people. The Final Cut “…What sort of business person would I be if I start killing off my guests?” Eve Lloyd has settled into her new life in Rock-Maine Island and is about to open up an inn - a costly venture now that she has her heart set on getting an expensive custom made stove.