Posts Tagged ‘women sleuths’
Knot a Game, a new Yarn Retreat Mystery from Betty Hechtman, is available now!
In a new Yarn Retreat Mystery from national bestselling author Betty Hechtman, it’s knit one, kill two when Casey Feldstein hosts a murder mystery weekend that turns into the real thing . . .
At the urging of Vista Del Mar’s owner, Casey Feldstein takes on the job of combining a murder mystery game with her next weekend yarn retreat. Enlisting the help of the hotel’s staff to play the roles of victim and suspects, she lays out a plot and plants some red herrings. And as her intrigued guests watch the murder play out and the clues unfold, Casey is certain she’s pulled off the perfect make-believe murder—until a real murder intrudes and everyone at the hotel is named as a suspect.
As her retreat guests turn away from the fake murder to solve the real one, Casey has her hands full trying to keep them from meddling in police business. But even as they’re dead-set on unraveling the mystery in their midst, Casey has her eye on a few of them, some of whom don’t seem to be who or what they claim. With time ticking down on her weekend and her guests more interested in nabbing a killer than knitting, Casey will have to stitch together her own solution before the killer can stop her and declare game over . . .
Includes a fun, easy knitting project and delicious muffin and biscuit recipes!
Praise for the Yarn Retreat Mysteries:
“A cozy mystery that you won’t want to put down. It combines cooking, knitting and murder in one great book!” —Fresh Fiction on Yarn to Go
“If you haven’t read this series yet, I highly recommend giving it a go. The mystery will delight you, and afterward you’ll be itching to start a knitting or crochet project of your own.” —Cozy Mystery Book Reviews
“The California seaside is the backdrop to this captivating cozy that will have readers heading for the yarn store in droves.” —Debbie’s Book Bag on Yarn to Go
About the Author:
Betty Hechtman is the national bestselling author of the Crochet Mysteries and the Yarn Retreat Mysteries. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago and has a degree in Fine Art. Since College, she has studied everything from improv comedy to magic, and has had an assortment of professions, including volunteer farm worker, nanny at a summer resort, waitress at a coffee house, and telephone operator. She lives with her family and stash of yarn in Southern California. You can learn more about Betty and find excerpts from all her books at BettyHechtman.com. She blogs on Fridays at Killerhobbies.blogspot.com, and you can join her on Facebook at BettyHechtmanAuthor.
Saddled Up 4 Murder, a new Sophie Kimball Mystery by J. C. Eaton, is available now!
With a killer on the loose and horse thieves plaguing the area, it’s up to Sophie “Phee” Kimball to corral the clues and bring an outlaw to justice . . .
Spring is in the air as Sun City West gears up for its annual Bye Bye Birdie festivities, when residents bid a fond farewell to the snowbirds and happily reclaim the town for themselves. But planning comes to a screeching halt when the town curmudgeon plummets to her death from the library bell tower and sheriff’s deputies suspect foul play. With the celebration on hold—and Phee’s mother worried that she won’t get her moment in the spotlight on a local TV show slated to cover the event—Phee is thrust into the role of sleuth once again to find the killer.
As Phee soon discovers, there’s no love lost between the town and the unfortunate victim, and with the clock ticking and virtually everyone a potential suspect, she’s got her work cut out for her. Then a passel of horseflesh goes missing, and Phee starts to think the two crimes might be connected. With the town on edge and high noon approaching, she’ll have to wrangle with a band of daring desperados and lasso a lawbreaker who’s dead set on sending her to boot hill . . .
Praise for the Books of J. C. Eaton:
“Fun characters, a touch of humor, and a great mystery, the perfect combination for a cozy.” —Lena Gregory, author of the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries on Ditched 4 Murder
“So cleverly written, you won’t guess the perpetrators until the very end.” —Mary Marks, award-winning author of the Quilting Mystery Series on Booked 4 Murder
“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
“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.
Fogged Off, the new Cyd Redondo Mystery from Wendall Thomas, is available now!
“The setting is old London Town, but the story is Wendall Thomas’s trademark three-ring circus, with the redoubtable Cyd Redondo as ringmaster, high-wire walker, and—of course—animal wrangler. What a joy it is to follow the increasingly bonkers plot knowing that every last madcap thread is guaranteed to come together in the end. Fogged Off is what the world needs right now.” —Catriona McPherson, multi-award winning author of The Last Ditch Motel mysteries
When travel agent Cyd Redondo’s client and Jack the Ripper expert Shep Helnikov is found dead in London, she navigates the cutthroat worlds of research librarians, unemployed actors, rodent smugglers and more to find his killer and bring his body back home . . .
When her client and Jack the Ripper expert Shep Helnikov is found dead in London, travel agent Cyd Redondo is on the hook for thirty thousand dollars to return his body home. So when his university offers to cover the costs if she’ll go in person to collect him—and his Ripper research—she jumps at the chance, even if it means bringing her wily uncle along. But no sooner does Cyd arrive in London than her client’s death by natural causes starts to look most unnatural.
Cyd’s only hope for recovering the body and vamoosing back to Brooklyn is to find the killer herself—but she’s thwarted at every turn by Scotland Yard, Shep’s former girlfriends, a sinister mortuary service, an old nemesis, and her taxidermist uncle himself. And when Shep’s apartment is ransacked and a second Ripper expert is found murdered, Cyd knows she’ll have to solve the crimes fast, before someone books her on a one-way trip to the morgue . . .
“Cyd’s Balenciaga bag deserves to become as legendary as Sherlock Holmes’s deerstalker and magnifying glass.” —James W. Ziskin, Anthony, Barry, and Macavity Award-winning author of the Ellie Stone Mysteries
Praise for the Cyd Redondo Mysteries:
Lost Luggage
2018 Macavity Award nominee for Best First Novel
2018 Lefty Award nominee for Best Debut Mystery
“Thomas makes a rollicking debut with this comic mystery featuring an unconventional protagonist who proves to have the skills of MacGyver. With its sexy overtones, this fun, character-driven novel will appeal to Janet Evanovich fans.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“Ms. Thomas has an absolutely lunatic talent for plot and one of the funniest first-person voices I’ve read in years . . . what kept coming to my mind as I read this were comedy films from the 30s—for me, the golden age of American film humor.” —Timothy Hallinan, Lefty winner and Edgar and Macavity Award-nominated author of the Junior Bender and Poke Rafferty novels
“Laugh-out-loud funny and enchantingly ridiculous . . . highly entertaining . . .” —Jessica Howard, Shelf Awareness
Drowned Under
2020 Anthony Award nominee for Best Paperback Original
2020 Lefty Nominee for Best Humorous Mystery
“Fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum will cotton to Cyd.” —Publishers Weekly
“The passenger list in Wendall Thomas’s Drowned Under is a cavalcade of randy former nuns, gigolos, stowaways, near-extinct marsupials . . . and one brilliantly sexy disaster of a globetrotting travel agent named Cyd Redondo . . . This is a remarkable novel in what is shaping up to be an exciting and hilarious series. You’ll love Cyd, perhaps the funniest heroine out there. Highest recommendation.” —James W. Ziskin, Anthony, Barry, and Macavity Award-winning author of the Ellie Stone Mysteries
“With her clever mind, tart comebacks, and Balenciaga tote bag, Cyd is a fearsome force. What a heroine for the modern age. Do not miss this!” —Daryl Wood Gerber, Agatha Award-winning national bestselling author of the Cookbook Nook and French Bistro Mysteries
“Drowned Under is laugh-out-loud funny. With its finely tuned timing and zany, emotional protagonist, this novel puts Thomas in a class with Carl Hiassen and Janet Evanovitch.” —Nancy Tingley, Lefty-nominated author of the Jenna Murphy Mysteries
About the Author:
Wendall Thomas teaches in the Graduate Film School at UCLA, lectures internationally on screenwriting, and has worked as a film and television writer. Her first Cyd Redondo mystery, Lost Luggage,garnered Lefty and Macavity nominations for Best Debut, and Drowned Under was nominated for a Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery and an Anthony for Best Paperback Original. Her short fiction appears in LAdies Night, Last Resort, and Murder A-Go-Go’s.
A Calculated Whisk, a new Vintage Kitchen Mystery by Victoria Hamilton, is available now!
In the new Vintage Kitchen Mystery from the author of Cast Iron Alibi, Jaymie Leighton is confronted with two murders and the threat of danger far too close to home . . .
When a woman living under a cloud of suspicion for her husband’s death comes to vintage kitchen collector Jaymie Leighton with a mysterious request, she’s not sure whether, or how much, to get involved. The police believe they have new evidence of foul play in what was initially ruled an accidental death, and the woman’s terrified they’ll try to pin the crime on her. Before Jaymie can decide whether to help her, though, the woman’s found murdered in the woods near Jaymie’s cabin.
Still unsure whether the woman was truly innocent in her husband’s death, Jaymie decides to get to the bottom of both murders. But as she digs deeper into the couple’s past and discovers a tangled array of long-buried wounds and family secrets, Jaymie begins to sense that danger is still lurking in the woods near her home. With a killer on the loose and her family in danger, Jaymie must uncover the culprit before she loses all she holds dear, including her own life . . .
Includes a vintage recipe!
Praise for the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries:
“All the right ingredients . . . Small-town setting, kitchen antiques . . . and a bowlful of mystery. A perfect recipe.” —New York Times bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert
“[A] charming series.” —New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly
“I have loved this series from the first book . . . it’s like returning to a favorite nook for a cup of tea. It will delight, entice, and drive a reader to want to solve the murder.” —Goodreads on No Grater Danger
“A chilling whodunit.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Well-plotted with several unexpected twists and more developed characters.” —The Mystery Reader
“Jaymie is a great character . . . She is inquisitive and full of surprises!” —Debbie’s Book Bag
About the Author:
Victoria Hamilton is the pseudonym of nationally bestselling romance author Donna Lea Simpson. Victoria is the bestselling author of three mystery series, the Lady Anne Addison Mysteries, the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, and the Merry Muffin Mysteries. She also writes a Regency-set historical mystery series, starting with A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder. Visit her website at victoriahamiltonmysteries.com.
Read the latest interview with Agatha Award-winning author Leslie Budewitz on her new short-story collection, Carried to the Grave and Other Stories!
Elaine Davis of Writers Who Kill recently interviewed Leslie on her new story collection. Read the interview here!
And here’s more on Carried to the Grave and Other Stories . . .
In her Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, Agatha Award-winning author Leslie Budewitz introduces us to Jewel Bay, a tight-knit Montana community that thrives on tourism and farm-to-table fare. Featuring Erin Murphy, beloved proprietor of the Merc—a century-old general store converted into a local foods market—each book brings us closer to the folks who call Jewel Bay home, and the cunning culprits in their midst.
In this delicious new collection of five short stories and one novella, she takes us further into the heart of Jewel Bay—from the playhouse to the Merc, from funerals to food festivals—with equal parts humor, suspense, and compassion, and no shortage of murder to spice up the menu . . .
In Carried to the Grave, a long-hidden family secret refuses to be put to rest.
Jewel Bay’s community food festival serves up the perfect opportunity for a devious killer with an appetite for murder in Pot Luck.
In The Christmas Stranger, a small gesture by a mysterious man turns out to change lives . . . and much more.
A romantic getaway to a secluded beach town in Mexico provides a deadly remedy for a couple’s trouble at home in A Death in Yelapa.
As the local playhouse opens for the season, it’s curtains for a stage manager with a secret in Put on a Dying Face.
And in An Unholy Death, when Kate and Paddy Murphy open Murphy’s Mercantile in 1910, they know making a go of it in rough-and-tumble Montana will be hard work, but for a local preacher, it’s murder.
Praise for the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries:
“A lighthearted and amusing story with the added bonus of several yummy recipes.” —Mystery Scene
“Treble at the Jam Fest has all the necessary elements to satisfy cozy mystery lovers: likeable, believable characters, a fast-moving plot, and a logical ending. Great fun!” —Suspense Magazine
“A pleasing read with a thoughtful heroine, a plethora of red herrings, and some foodie tips.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A delicious mystery as richly constructed as the layers of a buttery pastry. Wine, enchiladas, and song make for a gourmet treat in the coziest town in Montana!” —Krista Davis, New York Times bestselling author of the Domestic Diva Mysteries
“Leslie is a fellow foodie who loves a good mystery and it shows in this delightful tale!” —Cleo Coyle, New York Times bestselling author of the Coffeehouse Mysteries
“Music, food, scenery, and a cast of appealing characters weave together in perfect harmony in Leslie Budewitz’s Treble at the Jam Fest.” —Sheila Connolly, New York Times bestselling author of the Orchard Mysteries and the County Cork Mysteries
“Small-town charm and big-time chills. Jewel Bay, Montana, is a food lover’s paradise.” —Laura Childs, New York Times bestselling author
Organize Your Corpses, the first book in the Charlotte Adams Professional Organizer mystery series, is available now!
Fans of Marie Kondo and mysteries will love this series!
Professional organizer Charlotte Adams finds herself caught up in a very messy murder . . .
After freeing herself from a cheating fiancé and the other useless clutter in her life, Charlotte Adams moves back to her hometown in Upstate New York to make a fresh start as a professional organizer. But she’s about to learn that foul play can creep into even the most well-ordered life.
Eager to get her new career started, Charlotte agrees to take on a job from the former high school teacher who filled all her students’ lives with chaos and confusion. But no sooner does Charlotte begin digging through years of accumulated junk than she finds her first client dead—and herself named as the main suspect.
While any number of the victim’s former students had a motive for murder, Charlotte knows that death is rarely that tidy, and she can’t help meddling in the investigation to prove herself innocent and repair her sullied reputation. But the killer has a to-do list of their own, and the first item is to clean up a little mess named Charlotte Adams . . .
Organizing Tips Included!
Praise for the Books of Mary Jane Maffini:
“A comedic, murderous romp . . . Maffini is a relaxed, accomplished, and wickedly funny writer.” —The Montreal Gazette
“Mary Jane Maffini provides a first-rate, well-organized whodunit . . . A new series that is fun to read.” —Midwest Book Review
“Maffini’s new series . . . is off to a brilliant start with this fast-paced mystery!” —Romantic Times
“Deserves top marks for creating an entertaining, fast-paced thriller filled with witty one-liners, snappy dialogue and crackling suspense.” —The Strand Magazine
“I’ll look forward to a long life for this series.” —Deadly Pleasures
“Plenty of twists and turns that kept me turning the pages until the last sentence.” —Dru’s Book Musings
“Maffini is a relaxed, accomplished and wickedly funny writer . . .” —The Times Colonist
From Port to Rigor Morte, a new book in the Wine Trail Mystery Series, is available now!
Norrie Ellington has to pour herself into the case to bottle up a crafty killer . . .
With her overlong stay at Two Witches Winery extended yet again, screenwriter Norrie Ellington wants nothing more than to lay low and avoid murder investigations at all costs. Then two neighborhood boys show up at the winery saying they’ve discovered what looks like a dead body in a nearby woods, and Norrie’s curiosity gets the better of her. When the body turns out to be a local labor manager and the sheriff suspects a neighboring winery of foul play, Norrie turns sleuth once again.
Following the few clues found at the scene, Norrie soon learns that the victim had been charging exorbitant amounts for the seasonal workers he supplied to the vineyards, meaning any of the owners could have wanted him out of the way. And when another dead body is found, Norrie’s dizzying list of suspects threatens to overwhelm her. But with the stakes higher than ever, her biggest fear may be that if the local sheriff doesn’t kill her for meddling, there’s a murderer on the loose who surely will . . .
Praise for the Books of J. C. Eaton:
“Engaging characters and a stirring mystery kept me captivated from the first page to the last.” —Dollycas, Amazon Vine Voice, on Divide and Concord
“Well-crafted sleuth, enjoyable supporting characters. This is a series not to be missed.” —Cozy Cat Reviews on Death, Dismay and Rosé
“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
“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.
No Darkness as like Death, a new book in the Mysteries of Old San Francisco series, is available now!
In a new Mystery of Old San Francisco, when a controversial politician is found dead of natural causes, Celia and Nick must prove that his death came about in a most unnatural way . . .
Few in San Francisco were troubled by the news that Ambrose Shaw had been found dead at a local health institute—the prominent banker had recently turned to politics and was reviled by many for his incendiary views. But when Celia Davies learns that his death is considered suspicious by the police and that a damning piece of evidence points to a patient of hers as the culprit, she feels compelled to prove the woman’s innocence.
Teaming up with Detective Nick Greaves, Celia soon discovers there’s no shortage of suspects, including the victim’s many political enemies, his disaffected stepson, who may have been too eager to receive his inheritance, and even the dead man’s fellow patients at the institute, whose founder promises miracle water cures but has been covering up numerous burglaries of his well-to-do clients.
As Celia and Nick struggle with their feelings for each other as well as the many murky aspects of the case, they’ll have to navigate an endless trail of false clues and dead ends to reach the cruel truth behind a perplexing murder . . .
Praise for the Mysteries of Old San Francisco:
“Skillfully brings 1867 San Francisco to life . . . intriguing!” —Anna Lee Huber, bestselling author of the Lady Darby Mysteries
“Entertaining . . . readers who like independent heroines should welcome this historical series.” —Publishers Weekly on No Comfort for the Lost
“Herriman crafts a finely detailed series debut with a sympathetic protagonist and impeccable, colorful depictions of 1860s San Francisco . . . This atmospheric mystery is just the ticket for anyone who misses Dianne Day’s Fremont Jones series as well as readers of Rhys Bowen’s Molly Murphy historicals.” —Library Journal Starred Review of No Comfort for the Lost
“With historical precision and wickedly clever plotting, Nancy Herriman once again weaves a mystery that will have you changing your guess right up until the final reveal . . . I loved it!” —Alyssa Maxwell, author of the Gilded Newport Mysteries
About the Author: Nancy Herriman left an engineering career to take up the pen and has never looked back. She is the author of the Mysteries of Old San Francisco, the Bess Ellyott Mysteries, and several stand-alone novels. A winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, when she’s not writing, she enjoys singing, gabbing about writing, and eating dark chocolate. After two decades in Arizona, she now lives in her home state of Ohio with her family.
Murder in the Christmas Tree Lot is available now!
Landscape architect Tory Benning returns in a holiday mystery tied up with a bow!
Still struggling with the death of her husband, Tory Benning is doing her best to get into the festive spirit of the holiday season, but when her landscaping company’s email is hacked and there’s a break-in at the office, it’s enough to make her see red. And then the unthinkable happens, when the owner of a specialty food truck is brutally slain at the company’s Christmas tree lot, and Tory finds herself mired in murder once again.
With a long list of suspects—including an untold number of revelers disguised in Santa suits, seasonal employees handling tree sales, and even a vengeful jilted suitor—the police investigation grinds along slowly and methodically. But as Tory begins piecing together clues on her own, she finds she’s the target of a menacing stalker who may be out to do more than just scare her. Refusing to be intimidated, Tory vows to nab the culprit, even if it means that catching a Christmas killer has become her lot in life . . .
About the Author:
Judith Gonda is a mystery writer and Ph.D. psychologist with a penchant for Pomeranians and puns, so it’s not surprising that psychology, Poms, and puns pop up in her amateur sleuth mysteries featuring landscape architect Tory Benning.
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 . . .