|
|
|
|
|
|
Deadly Crush
by Maddie Day
After a mostly stress-free Christmas with her college-age daughter, it's time for Cece Barton to focus on Vino y Vida, the Colinas wine bar she manages. Electrical work and an outdoor security camera are needed, and she's hired local electrician Karl Meier to do the job, along with the help of his nephew Ian. But she regrets her choice when she witnesses Karl needlessy berating Ian in her presence. On top of that, Karl leers at her, then presents her with an inflated bill before the work is complete. Still, she's shocked when she gets a call from Karl's ex-wife, Josie, that she's found Karl . . . crushed to death beneath the lift in her automotive shop. Cece convinces Josie to call the police, even though Josie is terrified. After all, Karl was an abusive husband and she has no alibi. With Josie's future on the line, Cece starts her own investigation and quickly finds there's no lack of suspects. With a bouquet of motives and unanswered questions, Cece is going to need the help of her twin, Allie, who owns a nearby B & B, as she dives into Karl's past--before the killer catches up with her, and the lights go out for good . . .
|
|
|
|
Epilogue to a Christmas Murder
by Lauren Elliott
There's no place like the seaside Massachusetts town of Greyborne Harbor for the holidays, and there's no better feeling for Addie than donating to the lighthouse museum's Twelve Days of Christmas charity fundraiser. Of the dozen books she'll be offering as prizes from her Beyond the Page Books and Curios shop, the most special volume is a first edition of 'The gift of the magi' imported from England and signed by O. Henry! Addie receives an unexpected Christmas bonus when the book is hand delivered by visiting Detective Inspector Noah Parker, whom she met in England, and has been daydreaming about ever since. But on the night Addie delivers the book to the museum, someone posing as one of Santa's Little Helpers swipes it--and the rest of the charity gifts. As if the theft wasn't bad enough, a body is found on the rocks outside the lighthouse, believed to be murdered. Now, it's up to Addie to connect the clues, find stolen goods, and catch a killer--in order to usher in a Happy New Year.
|
|
|
|
Natural Barn Killer
by Amanda Flower
It's Thanksgiving in Cherry Glen, and Shiloh Bellamy has a lot to be thankful for. The dispute over the inheritance with her grandmother's money is over, and she was able to buy back the second half of Bellamy Farm that had been sold years ago. She's in a solid relationship with Sheriff Milan Penbrook, and at the moment, she is not fighting with her father or cousin Stacey. She thinks it's a perfect time to have her friends and family on the farm for Thanksgiving. But when her pug Huckleberry chases the farm's flock of diva chickens through the Thanksgiving celebration and stumbles upon the remains of a long-dead skeleton on the farm, Shiloh knows her happy holiday is about to be ruined. The police determine that the victim was murdered decades ago, and the murder casts a poor light on Shiloh's beloved late grandmother. Shiloh won't let anyone speak ill of the woman who raised her and who she loved most, so she is determined to solve this cold case even if police and many in the town would like the truth to stay dead and buried.
|
|
| Murder at Donwell Abbey by Vanessa KellyEmma's spirits are elevated after she and husband George Knightley host a joyful holiday celebration at the Hartfield estate. But it's instantly a bitter January when her father makes an unexpected announcement—he and Miss Hetty Bates have decided to marry. Not only must Emma relinquish her role as mistress of the household, but also accept the reality that the excitable Miss Bates will become her stepmother . . . More unwanted news arrives during an extravagant betrothal ball at Donwell Abbey, the grand Knightley estate where Emma and George will soon permanently reside. Nearly every villager in Highbury revels in the dazzling affair—except Emma's hardworking lady's maid, Prudence Parr. To Emma's horror, Prudence is found dead - ruled an accident- sprawled across the stones of the library terrace. But Emma's instincts tell her that something far more sinister is at play. Now, Highbury's matchmaker-turned-sleuth vows to outwit a cunning criminal before an innocent man loses his freedom or Donwell Abbey plunges into a darker mystery
|
|
|
|
Murder at the High School Reunion
by Lee Hollis
After all these years, Maya and Sandra have mixed feelings about seeing their high school classmates, but in one sense the evening promises to be something of a red carpet event. A shy wallflower in school, Alyssa Turner has blossomed into an Oscar-nominated actress--and she's coming to the reunion. To their surprise, before the event, Alyssa contacts Maya and Sandra. She's going to be playing a private eye and would like to hear about their experiences. When they meet, she confides she was bullied in school by cheerleader Tawny Bryce and her mean girls' clique while also having a huge crush on Tawny's boyfriend, the star quarterback. When Tawny's body is discovered the night of the reunion behind the bleachers, the spotlight is on Alyssa. She turns to Maya and Sandra to find the real killer. But is she as innocent as she seems--or turning in another Oscar-worthy performance?
|
|
|
|
Bait and Swiss: A Cheese Shop Mystery
by Korina Moss
It's been almost two years since Willa Bauer opened Curds & Whey in Yarrow Glen, and both cheesemonger and cheese shop are thriving in the Sonoma Valley. While Willa doesn't eat chocolate, it's true that life is like a box of chocolates. Unfortunately, life's latest curveball is that Willa's ex fiance and ex-best friend--the reason for her chocolate aversion--are opening a chocolate pop-up shop across the street. By the end of the shop's first day, the town's newest reporter is the victim of death by chocolate. Now Willa's ex wants her to be Swiss Congeniality, solve the case, and save the day. As much as Willa wants to hit him with the nearest cheese wheel, she can't stop herself from saying yes. And it's not long before tourists decide to stay clear of town until the killer is caught. To save Yarrow Glen, Willa and Team Cheese have some work to do.
|
|
| The Italian Secret by Tara MossNaples, 1943. Deep within a secret network of underground tunnels, a woman takes shelter from a wartime air raid and prays her husband will return home safe. Pacific Ocean, 1907. A girl embarks on a lonely journey to begin a new life far from home. Sydney, 1948. Billie Walker, recently returned from a stint as a wartime investigative journalist, has reopened her father's private inquiry office. One day, Billie is cleaning out old filing cabinets when she uncovers a dusty box whose contents just might upend everything Billie thought she knew about her late, beloved father. Soon Billie is on the scent, uncovering the secrets of her family's past, travelling aboard the first post-war luxury passenger ship from Sydney to Naples in search of answers. And as the trail leads her toward two women whose history may be entwined with her own, she realizes she might be putting all three of them in harm's way. Billie's father had an enemy--one who may now be stalking Billie around the world--and the closer Billie gets to the truth, the more danger she finds herself in.
|
|
|
|
Vows and Villainy: The Cambridge Bookshop Series
by Elizabeth Penney
It's wedding season in Cambridge, and Molly Kimball is thrilled that it's almost time for her best friend's special day. With the help of her boyfriend Kieran Scott, she is determined to be the best maid of honor for Daisy and Tim. Daisy's heart is set upon a Shakespeare-themed wedding to be held at Hazelhurst House, Kieran's family's home. The Scotts are also hosting a Shakespeare troupe for the summer, and the actors have kindly agreed to be part of the festivities. But all goes awry with the discovery of Sir Nigel Peck, a famous actor with a checkered past and present-day misdeeds, floating dead in the moat with flowers strewn around him, à la Ophelia. When Kieran's brother Alan becomes a top suspect, Molly and company must investigate to uncover the ugly truth behind this picturesque scene . . . before more bodies pile up. Can Molly solve the murder before Daisy and Tim say I do?
|
|
|
|
Spasm
by Robin Cook
When Laurie Montgomery temporarily steps down from her position as Chief Medical Examiner at the OCME to get a break from office politics, she and Jack decide to embark on a weekend getaway. And the timing couldn't be better when they receive a call from Jack's old peer, Robert Neilson MD, about two strange deaths and their potential association with the upswing in Alzheimer's cases in Essex Falls. Deciding this is just what the doctor ordered, Laurie and Jack agree to help, and head upstate. But Essex Falls is far from the rural idyllic town of their imagination. It's apparent that most of the residents are earnest in their undying wish to return America back to the 1950s. Robert tells them the deaths are of two troublemakers, known to be white extremists, in their late twenties. Prior to their deaths, their behavior had been somewhat bizarre with both complaining of muscle spasms, nausea, and off-the-charts anxiety. As Jack and Laurie get to work, they are led to believe that a dangerous bioweapon might be at play, which, in the wrong hands, could threaten the lives of the entire town--and maybe all of America.
|
|
|
|
My Husband's Wife
by Alice Feeney
Eden Fox, an artist on the brink of her big break, sets off for a run before her first exhibition. When she returns to the home she recently moved into, Spyglass, an enchanting old house in Hope Falls, nothing is as it should be. Her key doesn't fit. A woman, eerily similar to her, answers the door. And her husband insists that the stranger is his wife. One house. One husband. Two women. Someone is lying. Six months earlier, a reclusive Londoner called Birdy, reeling from a life-changing diagnosis, inherits Spyglass. This unexpected gift from a long-lost grandmother brings her to the pretty seaside village of Hope Falls. But then Birdy stumbles upon a shadowy London clinic that claims to be able to predict a person's date of death, including her own. Secrets start to unravel, and as the line between truth and lies blurs, Birdy feels compelled to right some old wrongs.
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|