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Panic at the Pier by Mel McCoy


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Deadhead and Buried


H.Y. Hanna - 2019
    Hanna! City girl Poppy desperately wants to pay off her debts, quit her dead-end job, find her father… oh, and keep a plant alive. But she knows these are just hopeless dreams—until the day the letter arrives. Suddenly, Poppy is on a train heading deep into the English countryside, to collect a mysterious inheritance. And the last thing she expects to receive is a cottage garden nursery—complete with romantic climbing roses, fragrant herbs, a ginger cat with attitude… and a dead body. Now she must solve the mystery or risk losing her new home and the chance for a fresh start. But who would want to murder a gardener in a sleepy little village? Could the reclusive inventor have something to do with the killing? What about the brooding crime author next door? And why is her long-lost cousin so desperate for her to sell the cottage? Poppy might not know her pansies from her petunias but that doesn’t stop her digging for clues. The only problem is, she could be digging her own grave too… This book follows British English spelling and usage. Clean read: no graphic violence, sex, or strong language. Genre: cat cozy mystery series / gardening cozy mystery / women amateur sleuth / British detective mystery THE ENGLISH COTTAGE GARDEN MYSTERIES Deadhead and Buried (Book 1) Silent Bud Deadly (Book 2) ~ more coming soon!

Humpty Bumpkin


Sam Cheever - 2018
    But her life is about to get less countrified and more...erm...homicide. Deer Hollow is a small community built in a verdant, rolling countryside. The nearest big city is over an hour away and big city ways are rejected at the Hollow. Unfortunately, the big city isn’t the only place where bad things can happen. Things like murder…which has a funny way of messin’ up a debutante’s day and turning a sunny Sunday in June right over onto its bucolic head.

Dead Before The Wedding


Ruby Blaylock - 2015
     Professional photographer and part-time bakery employee Carly Keene loves everything about her small hometown, except for the fact that there's a murderer on the loose. When one of Carly's photography clients is murdered just days before his wedding, it's up to Carly to prove that the most likely suspect isn't the culprit at all. With the help of her sassy best friend, Shell, and her clever cop cousin, Carly is determined to get to the truth, no matter what. Can Carly prove that the police are after the wrong woman? And are her feelings for the dead guy's twin brother more than just friendship and a shared love of their dogs? Find out in this first book of the Carly Keene Cozy Mystery series! Meet the colorful residents of Parker's Mill in the first-ever Carly Keene cozy mystery. ***Includes two mouthwatering recipe straight out of the Sweets & Eats Bakery!****

Craks in a Marriage


Barbara Barrett - 2018
    A few days later, the husband is found dead, his head bashed in. Fearing she’ll be considered the most likely suspect, the widow prevails upon Sydney and her three friends—Marianne, Kat and Micki—to find out who really killed him. Though none of these four fun-loving, take-charge retirees has any training as detectives, the women agree to launch a secret investigation. As they dig under the happy veneer of their community’s social life, they find more than enough suspects, from shady ladies to resentful golf buddies, to keep them looking over their shoulders. Could the murderer be lurking among the talent in a chaotic production put on by Sydney’s husband, who will do anything to keep busy in retirement? Could the sheriff, who may have more than a professional interest in chanteuse Kat, end up pinning the crime on the women instead? Each discovery during their investigations and their weekly mah jongg game keeps them running as they close in on the killer—but the killer may also be closing in on them. This cozy mystery, the first in the Mah Jongg Mystery series, features four retired amateur sleuths who live in the small Florida town of Serendipity Springs, all female and all friends who play the game of mah jongg together. Though they don't set out to investigate murder, after their first experience in this story, others start looking to them to help investigate subsequent homicides and questionable accidents. In this first book, Sydney Bonner takes the lead, although she turns to her three friends for help. Though this series features four protagonists, the others will take the lead in subsequent stories. Two are married, one is divorced and the fourth, who has been single all her life while she tended to her ailing mother, now finds herself the object of the sheriff's attention in this series. The four don't seek out murder; somehow the circumstances and those affected drag them in. Meanwhile, as they attempt to gather information, life goes on in their community in such activities as a women's club, a social group for those over 50, real estate transactions, numerous stops at the local coffeehouse, and even a shopping trip to Naples. Sydney's husband, Trip, and her friend Marianne Putnam's husband, Beau, are golf buddies who spend many a day on the course. When not there, Trip is busy seeking to build a new post retirement life, and Beau is often prevailed upon to join in Trip's latest activity, which in this first book is a town follies. Kat Faulkner has lived a frugal life until winning big in a lottery shortly after her mother's death; suddenly, Kat has money and doesn't know how to spend it. But her divorced friend and freelance writer, Micki Demetrius, does, even if it's to guide Kat through a makeover and wardrobe change for her lounge act. This cozy mystery is the first book in the Mah Jongg Mystery series. Barbara Barrett is already published in contemporary romance. She is a member of the Mystery/Romantic Suspense chapter of Romance Writers of America. Like her protagonists, she is retired and is a resident of Florida, although she spends her summers in her home state of Iowa. She spent over three decades as a human resource management analyst with Iowa state government. She can be contacted at barbarabarrett747@gmail.com. Check her website at barbarabarrettbooks.com.

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?

The Maiming of the Shrew: A Pratford-upon-Avon bookshop mystery with amateur sleuth and bookshop owner, Beatrice Hathaway (Pratford-upon-Avon bookshop mysteries Book 1)


Hannah Clemson - 2019
    With another failed relationship under her belt, she arrives in the real home of Shakespeare, in search of the truth. Pratford-upon-Avon with its quaint Tudor cottages, cobbled streets, old English pub and a whole host of characters seems the perfect escape - so what could possibly go wrong? - When Charles Deverill, a newspaper tycoon and the owner of Deverill Manor is found poisoned, the night before his Daughter’s wedding, the finger of suspicion firmly points at the village’s newcomer - Beatrice Hathaway. With the help of Antony Marsden, an archaeologist from Egypt who’s been summoned to the Manor, and Beatrice’s only friend in town, they unravel the mystery of the Deverill dynasty, with devastating consequences.

A Twisted Riposte


Alyn Troy - 2021
    A fencer stabbed by her own blade. Can Twizzie untangle the twisted mystery?Twizzle Twist isn’t your normal real estate pixie. Nor is St. Maurice your normal Southern California town. The magic in the valley belches at the worst time. The faerock vein in St. Mo marks the local fae in uncomfortable ways. Twizzie’s mismatched wings and bum leg are the least of her worries when a showing becomes deadly.The house-hunting lunges off-target when the first showing comes with more than she bargained for. The owner is dead, stabbed in the back with her own sword.The seaside town of St. Maurice’s has one of the few remaining amusement piers on the west coast. And someone is twisting the town council to tear it down. If that happens, it will be the end of Twizzle's home above the carousel.With a murderer on the loose, a cute vampire she needs to sell a home to, and the imminent demise of her home on the pier, Twizzie has too many strikes to dodge all at once.Will Twizzie and her friends pull the right cord to untangle the twisted knot of intrigue in their sleepy SoCal town? Can they do so before the killer lunges again?If you love mysteries with a dash of quirky characters, a dose of warped magic, and snarky humor, you'll love Alyn Troy's new Paranormal Cozy Mystery series.

Murder at the Filmore


Zelda White - 2018
    It looks cut and dry: a suspect fleeing the scene, a scorned wife, a mythical murder weapon. But then a retired detective by the name of Virginia Holmes arrives. There's more to this mystery than meets the eye ... and the murderer might still be inside the hotel.

Murder at the Mayan Temple


M.J. Mandrake - 2017
    After a disastrous broken engagement, she's perfectly content to spend her days with her service dog, Chica, and a motley crew of wealthy vacationers. Her life involves playing Bingo, enjoying the chocolate fountain, and passing along the occasional complaint about the quality of the bed sheets. On a cruise ship the food is good, the music is lively, and everyone is friendly. Life is quiet, just as it should be... until murder arrives in the night. At the top of a Mayan pyramid in the humid Amazon jungle, one of her tour group is found sacrificed to the gods. A clue left at the scene makes it clear this is a deeply personal act of revenge― and the killer may have another victim in his sights. As the entire tour group is brought in for questioning, Kitty and Chica find themselves in a race against time. A hurricane is bearing down on the city, the cruise ship is set to depart, and they’re sequestered in an embassy house with a vicious murderer. The only person standing in her way is an enigmatic attaché to the American embassy who doesn't take kindly to all her questions― especially about himself. Should Kitty be on guard against the mysterious and strikingly handsome detective, or are they birds of a feather in search of a killer? A cozy mystery with recipes!

Killer Apple Pie


Carolyn Q. Hunter - 2017
    HUNTER!!!Bertha Hannah’s two passions in life are books and piping hot homemade pies, and when an opportunity arises for her to open her own pie and book shop, she jumps in headfirst, only to find that preparing to open her own shop isn’t exactly a piece of cake.In the midst of getting organized and putting the pieces in place for her grand opening, tragedy strikes, far too close for comfort. All the while mourning the untimely death of an old friend, Bertha finds herself having to deal with pompous detectives, money-grubbing investors and unruly customers, which truly threatens to upset her apple cart.Will she be able to unravel the mystery which has presented itself at the worst of times? Or, will her dream business be finished before it even starts?

The Killer Outdoors


Jodi Linton - 2020
    With all her guided tours booked, it finally seems lady luck is on her side.But then Bucky is found dead. Not great.And she’s the prime murder suspect. Double not great.Being framed for murder sucks worse than a rabid chipmunk bite. Andie’s determined to clear her name, and this time her survival training skills won’t be used to fetch an ice pack. But how long can she stay one step ahead of a killer before she becomes the final victim?

Crime and Nourishment


Miranda Sweet - 2017
    Neither does the island of Nantucket. A NEW RELEASE cozy mystery perfect for fans of Agatha Frost, Cynthia Ellingsen, Cindy Bell and CeeCee James When Agnes Mary Clarissa Christie Prouty, a.k.a. Angie, abandons her fiancé and her analyst job at a big Manhattan investment firm, she doesn’t expect to end up back where she started—the island of Nantucket.  It’s not every day you get a chance to open a bookstore, complete with bookmark-eating cats and cantankerous great-aunts.  Especially when your childhood friends agree to provide you with the world’s best pastries from their bakery down the street. Everything goes great until one of the locals turns up dead on the fourth of July, the sound of the gunshots covered by the local fireworks display. But did it have to happen right after Angie delivered a book to his home making her a prime suspect? Angie and every gossip on the island, including her great-aunt and her friends, are on the case.  But trying to discover the truth is going to take more than a simple murder investigation.  Someone’s guilty and the deadly secret might cut closer to home than anyone wants to admit.Being an amateur detective is harder than it looks, even when you’ve been named after the Queen of Crime.  This cozy mystery/amateur sleuth novel is book one in the Angie Prouty Nantucket Cozy Mystery Series

Murder by the Cup


Abigail Lynn Thornton - 2021
    And she certainly wouldn't have chosen to be cursed at birth and grow up without powers. Nor would she have ever wanted to add 'amateur sleuth' to her resume.It seemed fate left her no choice. Having been hid from the public since birth because of her curse, it isn't until Wynona's grandmother helps her escape on the Spring Equinox that Wynona manages to make a few decisions for herself...that is until a dead body is found in her tea shop.She's only six days away from her grand opening when the police mark off the area as a crime scene, putting her plans on hold.Even with an alibi, the chief of police has Wynona at the top of his suspect list and the grumpy vampire seems determined to put her behind bars. Despite that, it isn't until customers begin cancelling their appointments that Wynona knows she has to step in and solve this crime or lose her dream forever.Without any magical powers, she's going to need all the help she can get. A wingless fairy, a too-handsome landlord and a purple mouse are not exactly the dream team she had in mind.Follow Wynona and her band of misfits as they navigate a city of magic, mystery and danger in this light-hearted, paranormal cozy mystery by Abigail Thornton.

If the Curse Fits


Kennedy Layne - 2019
    Unfortunately, the consequences of being hexed by the only immortal Lich Queen has kept Lou a little too busy to find a solution to her problem.What's the hex, you ask? In Lou's tragic case, her curse gives her the foresight of murders yet to be committed. It's the ultimate race against time--can she discover the culprit prior to the actual deed or can she save the victim and catch the murderer in the act?This poor hexed witch is going to need all the help she can get. Unfortunately, her help comes in the form of a warlock who is obsessed with conspiracy theories, an overly optimistic yet naïve healer, and a rather pretentious familiar who has an obsession for proper etiquette. Come join this traveling mystery band while they try to solve another murder as they're faced with powerful druids, two odd magical hares, and a mysterious man who definitely knows more than he's willing to say.

Partners In Crime


Gallagher Gray - 1991
    Sayers’ Murder Must Advertise has there been a more perfect cozy office murder--and not since Agatha Christie’s immortal Miss Marple has a more loveable geriatric sleuth been spawned. Gallagher Gray’s first Hubbert and Lil mystery’s got it all—a stuffy old firm with stuffy old routines disturbed by a few unaccustomed murders, a hilariously apoplectic boss, the indispensable brace of cats, and a clever amateur sleuths of a certain age. Break out the tea and cookies to welcome T.S. Hubbert and his unforgettable Auntie Lil! T.S. tells the story (and very wittily too), but it's Lil who steals the show—she’s eighty-four years young, with a taste for bloody Marys at any time of day, a fine-tuned appreciation of life’s other pleasures, and a remarkable talent for detecting. It begins, as so many things do, with a phone call: T.S. (Theodore to Auntie Lil) has been retired about eight hours when he’s summoned back to Sterling & Sterling, the bank where he served as personnel manager for most of his adult life. One of the bigwigs is lying stabbed to death in the Partner’s Room and his demanding former boss, forgetting he’s no longer boss, is demanding a favor—damage control. Well, that’s certainly more interesting, thinks Theodore, than “interviewing the slack-jawed sons of clients.” And besides, now he can talk back to the brass. He can even dress like it’s casual Friday and no one can say a word. Although they do. A big part of the fun’s watching him shock his former colleagues with his sudden assertiveness. Because who can boss around a person who’s doing a favor? What starts out as damage control quickly evolves into full-scale detecting as more and more partners bite the big one in unexpected ways. Aunt Lil’s all over it from the first, demonstrating not only the necessary smarts, street savvy, and moxie, but also a feminine way of looking at things that leads to a surprisingly contemporary conclusion. Fans of Golden Age mysteries will eat this irrepressible amateur detective team with a spoon, along with readers who just get a kick out of watching senior sleuths kick butt. If you like Miss Marple, Miss Silver, Miss Seeton, Mrs. Pollifax, Jessica Fletcher, Agatha Raisin, Henrie O, Hercule Poirot, and their many distinguished silver-haired colleagues, you’ll want to grab this one now. Aficionados of cozy authors like Dorothy Cannell, Carolyn Hart, M.C. Beaton, Joanne Fluke, Jana DeLeon, and Alexander McCall Smith will be equally captivated!