Posts Tagged ‘amateur sleuth’
A new book in the Allie Cobb Mystery Series by J. C. Kenney is available now!
Certain she’s seen more than enough death for one lifetime, literary agent Allie Cobb is ready to close the book on her amateur sleuthing, even when she learns that an unidentified body has been unearthed in a local state park. But when a worn and haunted-looking woman shows up on her doorstep with a grim story about her young daughter’s disappearance twenty years ago—and the police confirm that the recently discovered body is hers—Allie can’t bear to turn the poor woman away.
Determined to uncover the truth about the young woman’s murder, Allie begins delving into the circumstances of her life and those she knew so many years before. And when she meets powerful resistance from those she questions—many of whom are now trusted leaders in her small, tight-knit community—she’s sure she’s on the right track. But as she narrows down the list of suspects, Allie realizes too late that a cold-blooded killer is dead-set on keeping the secrets of the past buried, and it will take all her wit and cunning to avoid becoming the second young woman to meet an untimely end . . .
Praise for the Allie Cobb Mysteries:
“Mr. Kenney has written a complicated mystery . . . The killer reveal was so entertaining and the takedown was something I had never seen in a cozy mystery.” —Escape With Dollycas
“Full of charm, great characters, and plenty of small details, making it perfect for fans of cozies.” —Books a Plenty Book Reviews
“A Genuine Fix is a lighthearted cozy mystery with a cunning cat, a disagreeable victim, a mound of mulch, a tolerant police chief, and one determined bicycle-riding literary agent.” —The Avid Reader
“The story behind the mystery and Allie’s interaction with family and friends . . . [are] character-driven and peopled by characters that are easy to become attached to and invested in.” —I Read What You Write
“I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed getting to know Allie and her friends . . . A Mysterious Mix Up is a quick and easy cozy mystery.” —Christy’s Cozy Corner
About the Author:
Award-winning and bestselling author J. C. Kenney grew up in a household filled with books by legends like Agatha Christie and Lilian Jackson Braun, so it was no surprise when he found himself writing mysteries. When he’s not writing, you can find him following IndyCar racing or listening to music. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife, two children, and a cat who is the inspiration for Ursula in the Allie Cobb Mysteries.
The Deeds of the Deceitful, a new Hope Street Church Mystery, is available for pre-order now!
Welcome back to Hope Street Church, where friendships are formed, fresh starts are encouraged, and mysteries are solved . . .
It’s June in Virginia, and the scent of flowers and the sound of wedding bells are in the air, an unwelcome reminder to Cooper Lee of the long-distance relationship she recently ended. When Cooper and her Bible study group are invited to spend a weekend at a newly renovated historic inn, it’s the perfect chance to get away with friends and put her bittersweet memories behind her—until the inn’s pompous co-owner is murdered and one of the suspects is Cooper’s own mother.
Certain that someone on the inn’s staff must have done the cruel deed, the Bible study group begins piecing together the clues, only to learn that everyone there has a motive for murder. When they discover that a valuable painting has also been stolen from the inn, they know they’re up against an especially cunning evildoer. Determined to bring the culprit to justice and save her mother, Cooper and her friends devise a risky scheme to trap the killer, because even the Bible study group must sometimes work in mysterious ways . . .
Includes heavenly recipes from Magnolia Lee’s kitchen!
Death, Dismay and Rosé, a new Wine Trail Mystery, is available now!
When a local historian is found dead, Norrie Ellington has to dig through the clues to prove the cause was not a centuries-old curse but coldblooded murder . . .
It’s rare that the summer solstice and a full moon fall on the same night, but winery manager Norrie Ellington is all too familiar with the curse that supposedly accompanies the event: the death by suffocation of someone in the area. She’s inclined to write the whole thing off as folktale nonsense―until the president of the local historical society is found smothered on that very night. Local law enforcement aren’t quite so superstitious, however, and they’ve pegged a close friend of Norrie’s for the murder.
Determined to discredit the curse and get her friend off the hook, Norrie begins digging into the background of the victim, only to discover that he had no shortage of enemies. And as evidence emerges of his questionable connections and shady dealings, Norrie follows a trail of clues that leads her smack into the racing world at Watkins Glen. She’ll have to shift into overdrive to save her friend, because curse or not, there’s a flesh-and-blood killer dead set on making Norrie the next victim . . .
A Shot of Murder, the first book in the Lucky Whiskey Mystery series by J. A. Kazimer, is available now!
When it comes to murder, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good . . .
When she put the stifling small town of Gett, Florida, in her rearview mirror ten years ago, Charlotte Lucky happily said goodbye and vowed never to return. But luck has never been on Charlotte’s side, and when the grandfather who raised her gets laid up recovering from a heart attack, Charlotte knows it’s her duty to return home to save the family distillery from going under. Learning the whiskey business turns out to be the least of her worries, though, when she discovers a pickled corpse in a barrel of Lucky Whiskey—and her grandfather is arrested for the murder.
Certain that the local Gett clan is behind the foul deed, Charlotte will have to jump head-first into a long-simmering family feud to prove her grandfather’s innocence. Following a trail of clues that’s as crooked as a drunk’s walk home, she’ll suffer through the town’s oppressive heat, smirking gossip, and even romantic attention from a tempting Gett son to clear her family’s name and nab the real culprit before the Lucky Whiskey stills run dry . . .
“An entertaining and riveting read with more plot twists than a bakery full of pretzels, A Shot of Murder showcases author J. A. Kazimer’s complete mastery of the genre.” —Midwest Book Review
The Black Cat Breaks a Mirror, a new Bad Luck Cat Mystery, is available now!
Mystery novelist Sabrina Tate and her cat Hitchcock are headed to a country music show, but there’s a killer on the loose who plans to end the evening with a deadly Texas two-step . . .
As the summer tourist season draws to a close in Lavender, Texas, Sabrina has invited her brother and nephews for the highly anticipated concert of Colt Jamison, whose hit song “Broken Mirror” is rising to the top of the Nashville charts. But their stay begins on a sour note when one of the boys stumbles upon the dead body of Jamison’s former public relations manager—a man who’d long ago burned his bridges in town, leaving no shortage of suspects in the murder.
As Sabrina is reluctantly drawn into the investigation, she’s confronted with a country singer who may be harboring more than a few dark secrets, an overzealous fan club president who may be up to her ears in criminal activities, and someone leaving shards of broken mirrors scattered all over town. Just as Sabrina narrows the list of suspects and closes in on the culprit, she realizes that seven years of bad luck may be the least of her worries . . .
Includes mouthwatering dessert recipes!
Praise for the Bad Luck Cat Mysteries:
“I loved every page of Black Cat Crossing, and I can’t wait for a return visit to Lavender.” —Miranda James, New York Times bestselling author
“Finch has, yet again, offered a great tale of female and feline that cozy readers will love.” —Suspense Magazine
“Hitchcock and Sabrina make a wonderful detective team, and I can’t wait to read about their next big case.” —TheBookReview.com
“Don’t miss out on this humorous well-written cozy! You’ll be turning pages as fast as you can to find out whodunit!” —MyShelf
A Design to Die For, a new Hamptons Home & Garden Mystery, is available now!
“Discerning cozy mystery fans who delight in well-developed characters, rich detail, and a smart plotline will find that Kathleen Bridge’s A Design to Die For is their cup of tea!” —Ellery Adams, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Montauk’s first annual Designer Showhouse was meant to be a collaborative event, so decorator Meg Barrett can only despair at the group of cutthroat designers scheming to sabotage each other on the project, not to mention the oddball collection of ghost hunters slinking around to investigate a supposedly haunted cottage. But when one of the owners of the showhouse is found murdered on the rocky beach below, Meg suddenly finds herself clashing with local police because of evidence that points to her as a prime suspect.
Desperate to clear her name and track down the real culprit, Meg discovers that many of her fellow designers despised the victim for his unscrupulous business dealings, while others were speculating about his extramarital affairs. And as more secrets emerge about both the deceased and the many outsiders who have come together for the showhouse, Meg realizes she’ll have to decipher a murky pattern of clues to escape the killer’s deadly designs on her . . .
Includes scrumptious recipes and vintage decorating tips!
Praise for the Hamptons Home & Garden Mysteries:
“A delightful sneak peek into life in the Hamptons, with intricate plotting and a likeable, down-to-earth protagonist. A promising start to a promising series.” —Suspense Magazine on Better Homes and Corpses
“An excellent read.” —RT Book Reviews on Hearse and Gardens
“Ghostal Living is a marvelously entertaining tale of revenge, murder, quirky characters—and disappearing books! With a clever protagonist, wonderful details of life in the Hamptons, and plot twists on top of plot twists, Kathleen Bridge will have mystery readers clamoring for more.” —Kate Carlisle, New York Times bestselling author
About the Author
Kathleen Bridge is the national bestselling author of the Hamptons Home & Garden Mystery series and the By the Sea Mystery series. A member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America, she is also the author and photographer of an antiques reference guide, Lithographed Paper Toys, Books, and Games. Kathleen teaches creative writing in addition to working as an antiques and vintage dealer, and blissfully lives on a barrier island in Florida. Readers can visit her on the web at www.kathleenbridge.com.
Grave Consequences, a new Bay Island Psychic Mystery, is available now!
Cass Donovan is reminded that you can’t believe everything you hear, especially when it comes from the dead . . .
When stories begin circulating of a centuries-old ghost haunting the Bay Island lighthouse, Cass is caught up in mystical happenings of her own, with countless voices from the beyond all clamoring for her attention with dire warnings. But before she has a chance to learn whether there’s a connection between the rumored ghost and her restless visitors, the lighthouse keeper mysteriously falls to his death, and Cass’s reputation for communing with the dead lands her right in the middle of the police investigation.
Cass knows the victim was no saint, as he made little effort to hide his philandering ways from his wife or anyone else, and often acted out with no thought for the feelings of others. But had he finally gone too far, or were there more menacing motives behind his murder? As Cass begins building a list of suspects, including the man’s supposedly grieving wife and a mysterious new woman in town, she also turns her ear to those otherworldly voices, hoping for a clue. And as she begins to close in on the culprit, she realizes too late that if she’s not careful, she’ll soon be communicating with the dead in person . . .
Praise for the Bay Island Psychic Mystery series:
“The future shows much success for this series! Fun, vibrant characters (as well as a sexy smolder or two for good measure) give the novel just the right tone.” —RT Book Reviews on Death at First Sight
“I loved the protagonist, Cass. She and her friends were very well developed, and felt like a group of people I’d like to get to know.” —The Book’s the Thing
“I stayed up far too late into the evening because I couldn’t put it down. A well-crafted mystery with a quirky cast of characters, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing to the end.” —The Mysterious Ink Spot on Death at First Sight
About the Author:
Lena Gregory is the author of the Bay Island Psychic Mystery series, which takes place on a small island between the north and south forks of Long Island, New York, and the All-Day Breakfast Café Mystery series, which is set on the outskirts of Florida’s Ocala National Forest.
Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island. She recently relocated to Clermont, Florida, with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, jigsaw puzzles, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full-time as a writer and freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.
Divide and Concord, a new Wine Trail Mystery, is available now!
Norrie Ellington is a sucker for doing good deeds, but when she agrees to let a film crew use her winery as a backdrop and one of them turns up dead, she’ll have to act fast because this crew knows how to put on an act . . .
When screenwriter and winery co-owner Norrie Ellington agrees to let her producer film a movie scene at Two Witches Winery, her biggest concerns revolve around the crew trampling her precious vines and starstruck fans crowding the vineyard to spot the famous actors. But nothing had prepared her for the film’s director, an unbearable diva with a growing list of unreasonable demands—along with a growing list of enemies. And when the director turns up dead, apparently the victim of foul play, a very public altercation Norrie had with the victim the day before puts her in the spotlight as the lead suspect.
Knowing she’ll have to root out the killer herself to get off the narrow-minded local sheriff’s most-wanted list, Norrie compiles a large selection of potential suspects, including vengeful actors the director had once blacklisted and even the director’s estranged husband, a high-profile candy magnate trying to bring a burgeoning market for concord grapes to the region. Weeding out false leads and planted clues, Norrie knows it’ll take some quick thinking to track down the culprit, before she becomes the murderer’s next target in a deadly harvest . . .
Praise for the Books of J. C. Eaton:
“A sparkling addition to the Wine Trail Mystery series. A toast to protagonist Norrie and Two Witches Winery, where the characters shine and the mystery flows. This novel is a perfect blend of suspense and fun!” ―Carlene O’Neil, author of the Cypress Cove Mysteries, on Chardonnayed to Rest
“A thoroughly entertaining series debut, with enjoyable yet realistic characters and enough plot twists―and dead ends―to appeal from beginning to end.” ―Booklist, starred review, on Booked 4 Murder
“Filled with clues that make you go ‘Huh?’ and a list of potential subjects that range from the charming to the witty to the intense. Readers root for Phee as she goes up against a killer who may not stop until Phee is taken out well before her time. Enjoy this laugh-out-loud funny mystery that will make you scream for the authors to get busy on the next one.” ―Suspense Magazine on Molded 4 Murder
About the Author:
J. C. Eaton is the pen name of husband-and-wife writing team Ann I. Goldfarb and James E. Clapp. They are the authors of the Wine Trail Mysteries, the Sophie Kimball Mysteries, and the Marcie Rayner Mysteries. In addition, Ann has published nine YA time travel mysteries under her own name. You can learn more about Ann and Jim at jceatonmysteries.com, jceatonauthor.com, facebook.com/JCEatonauthor, and timetravelmysteries.com.
Shredding the Evidence, a new Cookbook Nook Mystery, is available now!
The Agatha Award–winning author of Sifting Through Clues returns to the Cookbook Nook, where a combative food reporter gets her just deserts . . .
The denizens of Crystal Cove are salivating over the upcoming Food Bowl Week, when local chefs offer some of their best and most imaginative creations in bite-size portions all over town. Bookstore proprietor Jenna Hart is hungry to sample as many of the delicacies as she can, but when she stumbles onto the dead body of a local food reporter and learns that her best friend’s husband is the primary suspect, she’ll have to summon the appetite for a side dish of sleuthing to prove his innocence.
Jenna knows the ambitious and aggressive reporter, who was strangled at a fitness center with her shredded restaurant reviews scattered around her, left behind a long list of potential suspects. As she begins piecing together the scant clues, she uncovers illicit ties between the victim and a local newspaper owner, a spurned would-be lover, and a host of disgruntled restaurant owners not a bit torn up by the critical reporter’s demise. And with a solution so close she can almost taste it, Jenna turns up the heat on the culprit, realizing too late that she’s the next course on the murderer’s menu . . .
Includes tasty recipes!
Praise for Daryl Wood Gerber and the Cookbook Nook Mysteries:
“There’s a feisty new amateur sleuth in town and her name is Jenna Hart. With a bodacious cast of characters, a wrenching murder, and a collection of cookbooks to die for, Daryl Wood Gerber’s Final Sentence is a page-turning puzzler of a mystery that I could not put down.” —Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author of the Cupcake Mysteries and Library Lovers Mysteries
“In Final Sentence, the author smartly blends crime, recipes, and an array of cookbooks that all should covet in a witty, well-plotted whodunit.” —Kate Carlisle, New York Times bestselling author of the Bibliophile Mysteries
“Readers will relish the extensive cookbook suggestions, the cooking primer, and the whole foodie phenomenon. Gerber’s perky tone with a multigenerational cast makes this series a good match for Lorna Barrett’s Booktown Mystery series . . .” —Library Journal
“So pull out your cowboy boots and settle in for a delightful read. Grilling the Subject is a delicious new mystery that will leave you hungry for more.” —Carstairs Considers Blog
About the Author: Agatha Award–winning and nationally bestselling author Daryl Wood Gerber is the author of the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, the French Bistro Mysteries, the Cheese Shop Mysteries (as Avery Aames), the Aspen Adams Novels of Suspense, and two other stand-alone suspense thrillers. Little known facts about Daryl are that she’s jumped out of a perfectly good airplane, has hitchhiked around Ireland by herself, and has appeared on an episode of Murder, She Wrote.She loves to read, cook, and golf, and has a frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky who keeps her in line!
Berried in the Past, a new Cranberry Cove Mystery, is available now!
The dead of winter takes on a whole new meaning in the new Cranberry Cove Mystery from USA Today bestselling author Peg Cochran!
On a night of heavy snow and bitter cold, newlyweds Monica and Greg are comfortably nestled before a warm fire when they’re roused by a late-night knock at the door. Surprised to find a troubled and confused woman on the doorstep, Monica is even more shocked when the woman vacantly utters that someone is trying to kill her. Sensing distress but not danger, Monica decides to help this mysterious woman, but her clouded recollections yield little—until she dredges up memories of her sister and a nearby home, where they find the woman’s sister, dead.
Unable to deny her own curiosity or the woman’s request for help, Monica begins digging into the suspicious death, only to discover a murky family history of valuable land, a bullying brother, an unscrupulous real estate developer, and endless rumors of good deeds met with bad blood. And when the trail of the killer begins to turn cold, Monica realizes that while the family wants to bury their sister, someone is out to bury the clues—and if Monica’s not careful, to bury her as well . . .
Includes tasty recipes!
Praise for Berried Secrets:
“Cozy fans and foodies rejoice—there’s a place just for you and it’s called Cranberry Cove.” —New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams
“A fun whodunnit with quirky characters and a satisfying mystery. This new series is as sweet and sharp as the heroine’s cranberry salsa.” —New York Times bestselling author Sofie Kelly
About the Author:
Peg Cochran is the USA Today bestselling author of the Lucille Mysteries, the Gourmet De-Lite Mysteries, the Cranberry Cove Mysteries, and also, writing as Meg London, the Sweet Nothings Vintage Lingerie series. She has two daughters, a stepdaughter and stepson, a beautiful granddaughter, and a Westhighland white terrier named Reggie. You can read more at www.pegcochran.com and www.meglondon.com.