A Santa Stabbing
She didn’t realize she’d traded “Naval Aviator” for “amateur sleuth”…
Retired Navy pilot Angel Warren’s new life awaits in Stonebridge, Pennsylvania, where she’s opening Shop ‘Round the World, her travel-inspired gift and novelty shop. A newly empty nester and longtime widow, she’s looking forward to leaving her flying career and its many life-or-death decisions behind and reconnecting with family and friends. Right now, Angel’s biggest challenge is getting the shop ready for its grand opening just weeks before Christmas.
Until she finds a dead body in the shop murdered with one of her specialty Santa figurines. Even worse, Angel’s fingerprints are on the “weapon” and she’s a prime suspect. It doesn’t help that the deceased is an old friend who’s collected a long list of enemies as a cut-throat real estate agent. And then there’s the Stonebridge Chief of Police—and Angel’s high school BFF—who brings her in for questioning.
If Angel wants to clear her name before the Christmas rush, she’s going to need to do some sleuthing on her own—and with the help of her stressed out parrot, Ralph.
More info →Cupcakes and Chaos
Her new employer has met her maker, and she’s the only suspect. Can she sift out the truth and serve the villain their just desserts?
Ava Decker longs to fulfill her lifelong dream of owning her own bakery. Ready for a fresh start, the former forensic accountant turned pastry chef is excited to turn life’s lemons into sugary success. But her hopes crumble when her mean boss turns up dead in the back of the delivery truck Ava was driving.
Arrested as the prime suspect, things get worse when the police discover the victim left Ava the shop and her house in her will. And with only an adorable kitten who thinks he’s a dog and an exasperated best friend as the voice of reason, the newly bequeathed owner must turn super-sleuth to clear her name.
Can Ava solve the crime before she’s baking behind bars?
Cupcakes & Chaos is the delicious first book in the Frosted Misfortunes cozy mystery series. If you like cute animal sidekicks, an appetizing listen to curl up with, and hilarious hijinks, then you’ll love Lisa Siefert’s perfectly dusted recipe.
More info →Home Is Where the Body Is
The coastal Oregon town of Rainbow Falls might be sleepy, but it’s definitely not innocent…
When graphic designer and true crime fan Annie Abbott agrees to house sit her parents’ home for a year, she’s convinced that even though the small town has ten coffee shops, nothing exciting will happen. But that’s before a seemingly feral cat gives birth in her garage, prompting a call to the very handsome, very single town vet. It’s a dream meet-cute, but just as their romance blooms, Annie discovers the bloody body of her grumpy neighbor. And despite the fact that she passes out at the sight of blood, the police suspect her.
To clear her name, Annie will need to put her years of watching police procedurals and reading mysteries to good use. She’ll also need to rely on her new friends who have welcomed her to Rainbow Falls, but is one of them the killer?
More info →Old Habits Die Hard
Meddling and murder can both be deadly sins
When retired nun and teacher Sister Bernadette returns with her fellow residents to The Abbey: Senior Living, she is the first to discover the body sprawled in the hallway of the converted school where she once taught English and now lives. Instead of freezing with horror, Sister Bernie has questions. Lots of them. Why does Toni Travi, the bedazzled and bejeweled resident from apartment 218, have so much chest hair? Did anyone at The Abbey know Toni was a man? Was Toni’s death related to allegations that she cheated at cards? Where’s the murder weapon? Who had motive? And did someone kill Toni, or the man hiding beneath the Revlon foundation and blonde wig?
Detective AJ Lewis is in charge of the investigation though Sister Bernie acts as if he is still her student. With unholy stubbornness, she dogs his every step, eavesdrops, sneaks beyond the police tape and offers unsolicited conjecture and clues. He wants to keep her safe, but she’s determined to lend a helping hand—it’s her habit, after all!
More info →Panic in the Panhandle
This is no ordinary wild animal removal call…
In the sleepy panhandle of Florida, Benjamin “Elmo” Simpson has carved out a comfortable niche as the go-to wild animal removal specialist. Life is sweet until a peculiar service request takes him to a local condo and an unexpected scene. Retired lawyer Fran Cohen is missing and in his apartment is a well-fed alligator that appears to have enjoyed a nice breakfast with…or rather, of…Fran.
All evidence points toward murder, and local alligator farmer, Waldo “Rambo” Quigley has the motive and the means. When Rambo pleads for help to clear his name, old debts and a history of friendship leave Elmo no choice but to investigate. With his girlfriend, Nicola, by his side, and Rambo’s freedom on the line, Elmo’s on the hunt for the real killer, but don’t panic…Elmo’s got a plan…sort of. Maybe.
Reptilian clues lead to unexpected allies, and the call of danger is addictive. Can Elmo uncover the identity of Fran’s killer before becoming the next victim, removed from the scene like an unwanted pest?
“Paradise Springs has got it going on! This book has Tiger King-meets-The Glades all over, and mystery lovers are in for a wild ride.” Sarah E. Burr, author of The Book Blogger Mysteries.
More info →A Bittersweet Murder
Everyone knows everyone in small town Airlie Falls, so where could the killer be hiding?
For one brief hour on a sunny Texas morning, amateur baker Rosie Hart glimpses the life she’s always dreamed about—thanks to a surprise inheritance from the late Miss Alice. But her benefactor is barely cold in the ground when Rosie is accused of her murder.
As the only stranger in the tight-knit Airlie Falls community, and the only person with an obvious motive, all eyes turn to Rosie. Especially when more bodies begin to pile up and mysterious letters from the grave start circulating faster than Rosie can pull a tray of cherry nut clusters out of the oven.
When Rosie begins to suspect the murders have links to a sixty-year-old suspicious death on the very property she’s just inherited, town locals become uneasy. But how can Rosie prove the two are related—and prove her innocence—before the killer strikes again?
More info →Scents And A Suspect
When Nikki Knight returns to her childhood stomping grounds in Frog Hollow Georgia, she realizes life has become nuttier than the pecan muffins at her late grandmother’s haunted B&B. But the only ghost in the Moonlight Mansion is the previous lady of the house, still roaming the halls in her afterlife.
Not ten steps into town, Nikki finds herself with a furry new companion. An abandoned royal dachshund who just might carry the secret to his past owner’s untimely demise. But when Nikki is seen snooping around at one too many crime scenes, the local officer becomes suspicious and begins popping up where she least expects him.
Now, she needs to find out what happened ASAP and protect Prince Dasher Dangerdog Bean from falling into the wrong—and deadly—hands.
Can Nikki and her royal dachshund solve the case? Or will they end up roaming the Moonlight Mansion with her grandmother?
More info →Mixing Up Murder
Murder wasn’t supposed to be on the menu at the Little Dog Diner, but that’s exactly what we got served anyway.
Hi, I’m Dani Mackenzie and I’m the unfortunate soul who owns said diner. Looks like business is going to be slow for a little while as the whole town scrambles to find whodunnit.
At first I just needed something to keep me busy while on my forced vacation, but now as the clues stack up, I’m caught in the middle of this crazy mixed-up murder. And I’ll do anything to get to the bottom of what really happened and why it happened in my kitchen.
Too bad the only known witness to the crime is the victim’s terrier, Pip, and no one believes she bludgeoned her owner to death. But if not her… then who? And, perhaps more importantly, who’s next?
More info →Claws of Justice
I’m Sunny Shaw, and regardless of what my name might suggest, my world has become rather dim as of late.
With a bankrupt business to save, homeless kittens that need rescuing, and a new business partner distracting me with every glance, there seems to be a disaster waiting at every turn.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, a murder literally lands on my doorstep—or at least the corpse does. Now I’m struggling to figure out which problem to solve first!
My business partner seems to want to share more than our lease, but I have to take that step very slowly. Of course, I can’t in good conscience leave the kittens to wander the streets. Then again no business means no money.
Decisions. Decisions.
More info →Sprinkles and a Situation
A donut a day doesn’t keep disasters away.
I’m Ellie Hart, and when a dog walking job falls in my lap, it looks like my luck has changed. Changed for the worst, that is, when the first thing I do is stumble upon a body.
And the new detective in town happens to be the most eligible bachelor around. And my new boss’s grandson. I’ve signed on for way more than I’d ever wanted.
With my job on the line, my black Lab at my side, and donuts in hand, my only choice is to follow the clues. But when footprints lead to evidence that doesn’t add up, I kick my natural nosiness into high gear.
My life is a complete mess, but with my new passion for sniffing out clues, I might just solve this dirty whodunit before the wrong person is arrested.
Grab yourself a huge helping of this clever new cozy mystery series. You’ll fall in love with Ellie Hart, her dog, and the cast of characters who keep her on her toes!
More info →The Magician Card
When Harper Kagel receives word that her cousin had taken a deadly fall, she drops everything and returns to her hometown of Steepwick, Maine.
She’s avoided the odd town with a witchy past for decades, and only planned to stay long enough for the funeral. But her cousin had other plans. Now Harper’s the new owner of her cousin’s home, café-bookstore, and opinionated Westie named Einstein.
The town’s residents welcome Harper’s return with open arms, including her ex. The secret crime solvers’ society even inducts her into their Cold Case Club.
But when Harper finds herself the target of a killer, she’ll need the Cold Case Club’s help to solve an ancient family mystery. If they can’t figure it out, Harper will follow in the footsteps of her dearly departed cousin.
The Magician Card is the first book in Prediction: Murder?, a quirky cozy mystery series from Vickie Carroll. Escape into the quaint town of Steepwick with your copy today!
More info →In High Spirits
What do you do when you wake up dead?
Daisy Montgomery was living her best life until she was attacked by a force so powerful that it separated her body from her soul. Now neither living nor dead, her spirit form lacks ghostly abilities like walking through walls, and she can’t communicate with anyone. Except one.
Luckily her connection to her little dog, Alfie, led her to super sexy Charlie O’Sullivan, a man who can not only see her spirit and open doors for her but someone who makes her question everything she thought she knew about her life, love, and almost death.
The more she, Charlie, and his merry band of spirit helpers uncover, the longer her suspect list grows. But when someone else she knows dies, Daisy must use her newfound knowledge to discover who the killer is before they strike again. If she can’t, not only are her loved ones at risk but the killer could come back to finish the job they started the night of her attack. And Daisy’s not ready to rest in peace.
Grab the first book in the Dandelion Ponds Mystery Series from USA Today Bestselling Author Beth Prentice!
More info →