Book picks similar to
Beware the Orchids by Cynthia Hickey


mystery
cozy-mystery
mystery-cozy
cozy-mysteries

Resort to Homicide: A Merrifield Mystery Novella


Christine Chianti - 2016
    Giving in to her brother's request, she goes to visit his new island resort during a special weekend for the investors. Spending time at Rim Runners should have been the perfect prescription to help rebuild her life, but the mood at the resort is like the weather-stormy. As hurricane Anna cuts them off from the mainland, tempers flare resulting in threats and sabotage. When the body of one of the guests is found, Laura is forced to rely on her training to find the killer before the storm lets up and they can slip away.

A Body in the Bargain


Charlotte Moore - 2016
    She writes, paints watercolor landscapes and reads Jane Austen over and over. Kylie’s been married since she was 19, has twin boys and loves hunting for bargains and selling her crafts on-line. Kate and Kylie have been best friends since third grade at River Valley Elementary School. When Kate inherits her grandmother’s old house and decides to move back to peaceful River Valley, she finds there’s anything but peace in the Valley. First, she arrives to find that all her late grandmother’s old furniture has been stolen. Kylie comes to the rescue, and just a few days later the two of them are right in the middle of a murder investigation. Through it all, with Kylie’s help, Kate’s turning the old house into her own home with yard sale and thrift shop bargains and getting to know two very different men. From the author of the Hunter Jones mystery series, A Body in the Bargain is about people you might know and one or two you might just want to avoid.

Marigolds and Murder


London Lovett - 2017
    With her pet crow Kingston and a tabby cat named Nevermore, she is settling right into her new life in the small coastal town of Port Danby. With a flower shop opening soon and a full cast of quirky neighbors and friends, her new digs are exactly what she's been looking for. Away from the hectic hustle and bustle of the city Lacey has found peace and happiness. However, her heightened sense of smell proves to be of use once again when a Port Danby neighbor turns up dead. Lacey finds herself caught up in an unexpected murder investigation alongside the handsome local detective, James Briggs. She’s determined to find the killer and solve the murder mystery before any more bodies turn up.Book 1 of the Port Danby Cozy Mystery Series. 1. Marigolds and Murder2. Carnations and Chaos (October 15, 2017)3. Mistletoe and Mayhem (November 2017)Full-length novel ~50,000 words.

Still Kicking


Judith Arnold - 2016
    One evening after soccer practice, she’s startled to spot the husband of one of her teammates canoodling with another woman in a local eatery. She’s even more shocked when he turns up dead the next day. And more shocked yet when she winds up under suspicion as an accessory to murder. But Lainie is smart and she’s stubborn. She’ll figure out who killed her teammate’s husband—if she can stay out of jail, if she can stay alive, and if she can hang onto her sense of humor.“Still Kicking is a wonderful, fast-paced, cozy, page turner that will keep your interest to the last page.” – The Midwest Book Review“ Lainie Lovett is smart, sassy, and up to her shin guards in trouble when she offers evidence to the police during a murder investigation. Suddenly she’s the suspect! Don’t miss this mystery, or you’ll kick yourself for it!” Lorna Barrett, New York Times bestselling author

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!

A Caffeine Conundrum


Angela Ruth Strong - 2018
     Sassy city girl Tandy Brandt moves to the small town of Grace Springs to start a coffee shop, never imagining she'll be competing with local beauty queen Marissa Alexander and her dream of running a tea house. Unfortunately, the current store owner dies before selling the location to either of them, and they both become murder suspects. The unlikely pair team up in an attempt to discover the real killer, though with the secrets in Tandy's past and Marissa's infamous clumsiness, they could be their own worst enemies. Despite their differences, they follow clues to question a sweet, apple pie baking antique store owner, a GQ Santa in the retirement center, and a hipster millionaire with no social skills. Will they be able to figure out whodunit and prove their innocence before one of them goes to jail...or worse?

Taking the Fall


Laney Monday - 2014
    Now, she’s just burned out—and burned by love. She’s ready to retire from competitive judo and pursue a new dream in a new town, with her biggest supporter, her recently divorced little sister, Blythe. But on their first day in town, Blythe falls for local sleaze-bag reporter, Ellison Baxter, and their small-town welcome is stained by Baxter’s murder. The weapon—Blythe Battle’s hair brush. In this fast-paced, fun cozy mystery, Brenna, the proud new owner of the building that formerly housed Bonney Bay’s lone recreational opportunity for kids, Little Swans Ballet, is ready to turn tutu-clad powder-puffs into little warriors by opening a judo school for kids in its place. But now she must clear her sister’s name and save her new dream from ending even more disastrously than her Olympic hopes. Brenna must deal with one crazy member of the local police force, who’s determined to see the sisters pay—and another cop, whose deep brown eyes just might drive Brenna crazy—in a way her battered heart just can’t take.

The Almost Good Witch


Erin Huss - 2020
    Cursed with eternal life because of a hex gone wrong many centuries ago, Abigail spent her days exacting revenge on those she found to be the vilest of humans, from evil dictators to shoppers who didn't return their grocery carts. The line between good and annoying may have gotten blurred over the years. Sick of spending immortality frozen at the age of twenty-five, Abigail does the only thing she can--turn herself into the Supernatural Crimes Department. Now she's a member of Dark Magic Anonymous with a three year probation and a parole officer who is annoyingly powerful and more annoyingly cute. Oh, and she's traded in her broomstick for a Prius. After centuries of being evil, Abigail struggles with entering the workforce and being good. But that pesky probation means one slip up will result in a life sentence. She's not about to let that happen, and things are going well until her boss turns up dead with all evidence pointing to her. Will Abigail be able to maintain her new good witch ways while she hunts a killer, or will she slip up and spend the rest of forever behind bars?★Recipe Included★

Between a Clutch and a Hard Place


Gayle Trent - 2004
    Based on the note she finds in a black clutch purse, she decides to find out what happened to the purse'

Murder in the Manor


Fiona Grace - 2019
    She needs to quit her job, leave her horrendous boss and New York City, and walk away from the fast life. Making good on her childhood promise to herself, she decides to walk away from it all, and to relive a beloved childhood vacation in the quaint English seaside town of Wilfordshire.Wilfordshire is exactly as Lacey remembers it, with its ageless architecture, cobblestone streets, and with nature at its doorstep. Lacey doesn’t want to go back home—and spontaneously, she decides to stay, and to give her childhood dream a try: she will open her own antique shop.Lacey finally feels that her life is taking a step in the right direction—until her new star customer turns up dead.As the newcomer in town, all eyes are on Lacey, and it’s up to her to clear her own name.With a business to run, a next-door neighbor turned nemesis, a flirty baker across the street, and a crime to solve – is this new life all that Lacey thought it would be?

The Farmer's Slaughter


Liliana Hart - 2018
    What she doesn't expect is for her research to lead her to her newly retired neighbor, Hank Davidson. She recognizes a cop when she sees one, and Hank doesn't look like her idea of retired, despite the black socks, sandals, and manicured lawn. Hank needs a place to forget his past, but Agatha needs his past to secure her future. As an FBI trained profiler, Hank Davidson sees right through most people. But Agatha isn’t most people. She's as seasoned as any cop he knows and just as mouthy. It doesn't take long for him to get caught up in the cold case Agatha's using for research, but small town roots run deep, and loose lips will tell you anything you want to know--except who the killer is. In the spirit of Angela Lansbury and Murder She Wrote, enjoy these cozy mysteries in order to get the most fun out of your experience. ABOUT THE AUTHORS The dynamic husband and wife writing duo of Liliana Hart and Scott Silverii combine their love of adventure and storytelling into the Harley and Davidson Mystery Series. While they've discussed a team writing effort for years, when it came time to actually develop their characters, both admit to being stumped. Why not write us they laughed. Liliana, a 29-time NY Times and USA Today bestseller and author of over 59 titles, enjoys this labor of love with her husband. Scott, a former Chief of Police and law enforcement professional has over 25 years of banging down doors and busting bad guys. An author of 10 titles, he says this by far is his favorite mission. Together, they have created a lovable tandem of adventure seeking, mystery-solving heroes that you'll get to know and love. You might even catch a glimpse of Liliana and Scott in each story. Well, probably much more than a glimpse. Other Books In The Series: BOOKS IN THE SERIES Book 1 The Farmer’s Slaughter Book 2 A Tisket A Casket Book 3 I Saw Mommy Killing Santa Claus Book 4 Get Your Murder Running Book 5 Deceased and Desist Book 6 Malice In Wonderland Book 7 Tequila Mockingbird Book 8 Gone With the Sin Book 9 Grime and Punishment (12-2019) Book 10 Blazing Rattles (12-2019)

Murder, Plain and Simple


Isabella Alan - 2013
      With her snazzy cowboy boots and her ornithophobic French bulldog, Angie doesn’t exactly fit in with the predominantly Amish community in Rolling Brook, but her aunt’s quilting circle tries to make her feel welcome as she prepares for the reopening of Running Stitch.    On the big day, Angie gets a taste of success as the locals and Englisch tourists browse the store’s wares while the quilters stitch away. But when Angie finds the body of ornery Amish woodworker Joseph in her storeroom the next morning, everything starts falling apart.   With evidence mounting against her, Angie is determined to find the culprit before the local sheriff can arrest her. Rolling Brook always appeared to be a simple place, but the closer Angie gets to the killer, the more she realizes that nothing in the small Amish community is as plain as it seems....

Killer Cupcakes


Leighann Dobbs - 2012
    She's finally opened her dream bakery, gotten rid of her cheating boyfriend and settled into her grandmothers house with her perky dog Sprinkles at her side.But her blissful life doesn't last long. When her ex boyfriend is found poisoned with cupcakes from her bakery, Lexy finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation headed up by her hunky neighbor detective Jack Perillo.With the help of a gang of iPad toting, would-be detective grandmothers, Lexy decides to take it upon herself to find the real murderer in order to clear her name and get her bakery back in business. As things heat up on the murder trail, in the kitchen and between Lexy and the hunky detective, it's a race against time to put the real murderer behind bars and get back to baking.Will Lexy get her man?

It's Just a Little Crush


Caroline Fardig - 2013
    Residents are stunned when the body of a young woman is found strangled, and reporters at the Liberty Chronicle are thrilled, rather disturbingly, over the biggest news story to hit town this century. Lizzie Hart has even bigger problems. Lately, she can’t seem to concentrate on her job as copy editor at the Chronicle with the new hunky investigative reporter, Blake Morgan, swaggering around the office. How can a girl work when she’s using all of her energy combating Blake-induced hot flashes and struggling to repress the giggly inner schoolgirl that’s constantly rearing her dorky head? It’s a good thing that Blake barely knows Lizzie exists. After an odd string of events, however, Lizzie begins to wonder if Blake is really as fabulous as she has fantasized. When Lizzie and Blake find a co-worker dead, Blake’s personality changes completely—and not in a good way. Even though the police rule the death as an accident, Lizzie immediately suspects foul play and senses a connection to the recent murder. She is determined to bring the killer to justice, but is having some trouble getting her Nancy Drew on thanks to the pesky stalker she’s picked up—Blake Morgan. Wait, didn’t she want him to follow her around and pay attention to her? Not like this. Blake has turned from cool and smooth to cold and downright scary, making Lizzie wonder if he should be next on her suspect list.

The Death of Amelia Marsh


MaryJo Dawson - 2007
    When Sally Nimitz discovers the body of her charming eighty-year-old neighbor she is devastated by how close violence has come to the quiet life she leads as mother, grandmother, and nurse. Though still recovering from the death of her own husband, Sally can’t put the trauma of the murder behind her until she knows who could have done it and why. With the help of a close male friend and a quirky older lady, Sally begins looking into the life and past of her neighbor and soon discovers there was much more to Amelia Marsh’s life than anyone had ever guessed.