| A Very Vexing Murder by Lucy AndrewHarriet Smith isn't the gullible girl she appears to be in Jane Austen's Emma, but a clever young con woman. Known in the village of Highbury as someone who can help with delicate matters, she's hired by Mrs. Churchill to break up her nephew's engagement and get back the jewelry she thinks his betrothed stole. But there's also a killer about, and Harriet is afraid it's someone from her past. Try these next: Vanessa Kelly's Emma Knightley mysteries; Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar's Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Investigator. |
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| A Murder Most Camp by Nicolas DiDomizioInstead of spending the summer partying, 29-year-old Michael "Mikey" Hartford IV is forced to work at the struggling upstate New York summer camp attended by his introverted 12-year-old aunt, Annabelle, or he'll be cut off from the family fortune. While adjusting to camp life and flirting with cute lifeguard Jackson, Mikey helps Annabelle and her new friends investigate the cold case of a missing camp counselor, who may have been murdered. Try these next: Lev AC Rosen's The Disaster Gay Detective Agency; Bellamy Rose's Pomona Afton series. |
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| Moonlight Murder by Uzma JalaluddinKausar Khan moved away from Toronto's Golden Crescent neighborhood 18 years ago after her teenage son's hit-and-run death. Returning to be near family, she needs her to use her aunty detective skills when her granddaughter's high school friend goes missing and is later found dead. Investigating the new case, Kausar sees links to her son's killing in this 2nd outing of the series. Try these next: Ausma Zehanat Khan's Blackwater Falls novels. |
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Murder at the Spirit Lounge
by Jess Kidd
In the second installment of the Nora Breen Investigates series--perfect for cozy mystery lovers (Book Riot)--beloved former nun Nora Breen returns, this time to track down a ghostly killer before it's too late. When Dolores Chimes, a famous medium, arrives in Gore-on-Sea, even surly Detective Inspector Rideout is lured in by her promises of messages for the afterlife. But after a reading goes disastrously wrong, Dolores loses her life--and the six sitters at the séance with her fall victim to supernatural deaths themselves in the days following the nightmare of a reading. Determined to unveil the truth, Nora finds herself chasing a ghostly serial killer she believes to be responsible, before the sixth victim--Detective Rideout himself--perishes along with the others.
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| It Happened One Murder by Liz LawsonHaving lost her New York City reporting job, Harriet Baker is living at her mom's New Jersey beachfront estate, where the over-the-top 26th birthday party her eccentric mom throws her ends in murder. Wanting her old job back, Harriet teams up to investigate the case with Nic, a fling from high school whose sister has been arrested for the crime. For fans of: fun romantic mysteries; Sarah Fox's Definitely Maybe Not a Detective. |
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| The Dead Can't Make a Living by Ed LinThough busy with business classes and his food stall in the Taipei night market, Jing-nan investigates after finding an undocumented Filipino worker dead by the market's trash cans. When the victim's brother then disappears, Jing-nan goes undercover at a food processing plant to find answers. Keeping a light touch, this 5th outing for Jing-nan is an atmospheric, timely tale and works for newcomers. Try these next: Vivien Chien's Noodle Shop mysteries. |
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| How to Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen PerrinAfter her artist mother finds a new apprentice dead on her doorstep with her heart removed, amateur sleuth Annie Adams heads to London to help. She learns the case has ties to her village of Castle Knoll and also connects to a prediction by a fortune teller. Switching to 1968, Annie's great aunt Frances enjoys life in swinging Soho until a friend is killed and her heart removed. This dual-timeline mystery is the 3rd Castle Knoll novel but can work for newcomers. Try this next: Jess Armstrong's The Curse of Penryth Hall. |
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| Agnes Sharp and the Wedding to Die for by Leonie SwannWhen two of Sunset Hall's octogenarian housemates hear about a cancellation at a posh manor turned event space, their friends pull together to make a wedding happen in two weeks. Then a threatening note has retired copper Agnes investigating who it's from and hiring a PI for help, but that doesn't prevent murder and more. This final book in the Miss Sharp Investigates trilogy has a surprise ending and works best for those who've read the earlier novels. |
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Recent Cozy Mystery Releases
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The Whisking Hour
by Ellie Alexander
Mass Market Paperback Original
Another delicious installment in Ellie Alexander's Bakeshop Mysteries. Fall is in full flush in the charming hamlet of Ashland, Oregon, and baker Juliet Capshaw is excited to celebrate the season with a night at the theatre. Lance Rousseau, Ashland's renowned theater director and one of Jules' closest friends, has put his own spin on a production of the Broadway classic Perfect Crime, drawing the audience into a cozy New York apartment as a nefarious set of suspects pulls off the perfect murder. As the final show approaches, Jules and the team at Torte are eagerly whipping up a murderous feast for the cast party, baking a bevy of treats like panna cotta eyeballs with blood orange coulis, deviled eggs, and savory cheese fingers with pumpkin dipping sauce. On the day of the soirée, life seems to imitate art when a storm rolls over the Siskiyou Mountains, ushering in gusty winds and unrelenting rain. The audience buzzes with electric energy as the lights flicker and the actors take the stage. After the actors take their final bow, the cast trickles into Carpenter Hall, ready for a night of frivolity. But when an actor is discovered dead in his dressing room, Jules wonders if she's just witnessed the real perfect murder.
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Tell-Tale Treats
by Jennifer J. Chow
Mass Market Paperback Original
Is Felicity to blame when a hotel guest drowns after eating her enchanted cookies? Felicity Jin returns in the third installment of the Magical Fortune Cookie series. A group of high school alumnae reunite years later and reserve rooms at Pixie Inn for an extended retreat. As part of their pampering package, Felicity delivers a scrumptious assortment of enchanted pastries, including her new almond cookies. But the queen bee of the group is soon found dead in her bathroom, drowned in the tub, and she recently sampled the delicious baked goods. Could Felicity's almond cookies have set off a fatal nut allergy? The enchanted pastries are supposed to bring joy, not sorrow--and certainly not death. Boyfriend, Kelvin Love, is eager to assist, although odd things have been happening to his senses ever since he baked with Felicity. Will his extra sensitivity help or hinder the investigation? Plus, special bunny Whiskers lends a magical paw to the detecting since Felicity can't and won't relax until she restores both order and magic to her world.
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The Devil in the Details: A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery
by Vicki Delany
The game is once again afoot in Vicki Delany's eleventh Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery, when birthday festivities end in freezing-cold murder. Gemma Doyle is excited about celebrating Jayne Wilson's big day. It's supposed to mark not only the birthday of Jayne, her partner in crime, but also that of the Great Detective himself. Following the festivities at the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, Gemma heads for the Blue Water Caf , the site of Jayne's party. To make things even better, Jayne's wedding is only a week away. But the much-anticipated affair quickly turns to disaster with the presence of the bride and groom's respective exes in attendance and other unruly guests. With drama at every corner, Gemma and Jayne take a break on the chilly deck overlooking the ocean when they spot the body of a party attendee floating in the water below. As Detective Ryan Ashburton takes a closer look at the guest list, Jayne's wedding is in peril, especially when it is revealed that her fianc , Andy, is a prime suspect. With the police closing in and more lives on the line, it's up to Gemma to keep Andy from prison and save Jayne's wedding day from ruin.
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Booking for Trouble
by Jenn McKinlay
It's all hands on deck when a dead body is found near the small town of Briar Creek in this Library Lover's Mystery. Just off the shores of the coastal Connecticut town of Briar Creek are two small islands, which library director Lindsey Norris visits with her new book-boat, inspired by the bookmobiles she's seen traveling across the country. Nothing, not even the infamous feud between the families who own the Split Islands, can stop Lindsey from getting books into the hands of readers. But when Lindsey and her boat captain husband, Mike Sullivan, discover a body on the rocky outcropping of one of the islands, Lindsey's new library venture quickly becomes a murder investigation. At news of the crime, hostilities between the two families are reignited. Long buried secrets are revealed, tensions spark, and suspects abound. As Lindsey navigates treacherous waters (both literal and metaphorical), she must use her research skills and community ties to solve the murder and bring peace to the islands before her book-boat dreams are sunk.
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Vows and Villainy
by Elizabeth Penney
Mass Market Paperback Original
Vows and Villainy is the fifth book in Elizabeth Penney's delightful Cambridge Bookshop series set in Cambridge, England, where celebrations are about to commence. It's wedding season, 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.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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