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The Secret, Book & Scone Society Mysteries As the residents of Miracle Springs, North Carolina, select their costumes, plan parties, and get excited for a night of tricks or treats, Nora joins in on the festivities by hosting medium memoirist Lara Luz at the bookstore. Charismatic and compelling, Lara mesmerizes the audience with her life story. Struck by a bolt of lightning as a child, she was pronounced dead only to be resurrected with the ability to connect with those on the other side. Lara performs a reading for a select group of bookstore patrons when the encroaching storm knocks out the power. In the sudden darkness, howling cold winds intensify, and Lara clutches her heart, collapsing dead without warning. But Nora doesn't believe she died of natural causes. Not one member of the psychic's reading group–which includes the town's widower pharmacist, an urgent care nurse, a mystery author, and even truculent Deputy Hollowell–were admirers of Lara. Nora confirms this when she stumbles upon Lara's journal in the aftermath of her death. For within its leathery bound pages are the medium and her clients' deepest and darkest secrets, written in code. Nora and the Secret, Book, and Scone Society must sift through the suspects and their motives to uncover which one of them is a killer before he or she is tempted to strike again... |
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A movie production brings drama–and murder–to a close-knit New England village, forcing Riley Rhodes to scoop out the suspects. Former CIA librarian and amateur sleuth Riley Rhodes is loving her fresh start as the manager of the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. The leaves are turning, tourists are leaf-peeping, and Penniman, Connecticut is putting finishing touches on the weekend long Halloween Happening. But the village is also buzzing. Former child star Cooper Collins is overseeing the production of a romantic comedy that's filming on the town green and his domineering socialite mother, Diantha, is planning her lavish Halloween themed wedding at her Inn on the Green. Her fiancé has run the Inn's kitchen for years, ably aided by his recent ex-wife, chef Mary Ann Dumas. An old friend of Riley's, Mary Ann turns to her when the bride requests a spooky ice cream wedding cake. But the weekend takes a frightful turn when Diantha is found dead and suspicion falls on Mary Ann. The cast of potential suspects is long–each wedding guest had a chilling motive to kill the vicious heiress. Can Riley unmask the murderer before another guest ends up on ice? |
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Antique Bookshop Mysteriesby Laura Gail BlackFor fans of Ellery Adams and Paige Shelton, in Laura Gail Black's fourth novel in the Antique Bookshop mysteries, Jenna Quinn is going to have to go all out–hook, line, and sinker–in order to catch the killer. The annual fishing tournament and festival in Hokes Folly, North Carolina, is the high-water mark event of the year. Antiquarian bookseller Jenna Quinn, owner of the Twice Upon a Time bookstore, is ready to catch some new customers with her fishing-themed book display at the festival. That is, until a local author is found dead in his booth. All fingers point to Frank Sutter, a former detective with the police department. His soon-to-be ex-wife had been dating the victim, and Frank had been seen having an argument with him earlier that day. When Keith Logan, Jenna's boyfriend and detective with the local police, asks Jenna for help to solve the case, she's shocked. Frank was Keith's former partner and someone who had been determined to pin more than one murder on Jenna. Frank doesn't want Jenna's help any more than Jenna wants to help him, but the two will have to put aside their animosity for each other if they want to reel in the killer. This bookselling sleuth knows she will have to cast a wide net in order to catch the killer, even if it means dangerously luring them in. Will her novel idea help her catch the killer, or is she bound for a more deadly ending? |
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Mrs. Murphy Mysteries Death stalks the Blue Ridge Mountains once again and Mary Minor "Harry" Harristeen, along with her beloved cats, is on the case. |
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Bookmobile Cat Mysteries The Chilson library bookmobile has a new stop on its route: Honey Hollow Adult Foster Care. When Minnie learns that Honey Hollow is just down the road from an enclave of gorgeous Victorian homes, she decides she has to take a look, especially after she learns about identical houses that stood side by side, and were owned by twin siblings. But when Minnie and Eddie and the bookmobile take their scenic detour, Eddie uncharacteristically escapes from the bookmobile–and finds a woman in the woods, horribly wounded with an arrow. Though Minnie desperately calls 9-1-1, all too soon she realizes she was too late. The police seem ready to call the death a hunting accident, but Minnie can't shake the feeling that foul play was involved, particularly given the woman's final whispered words. With evidence lacking, Minnie and Eddie will have to claw their way through a thicket of suspects to find the truth. |
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The Finlay Donovan Series Life hasn't been easy for Finlay Donovan lately, but it just got a whole lot harder. Her nanny and partner-in-crime, Vero, has been extradited from Virginia to Maryland, where she's facing criminal charges for a theft she swears she didn't commit. A prisoner to an ankle bracelet as she awaits her trial, Vero is forced to live with her overbearing mother and nosy aunt. Threatening messages keep arriving on her mother's door, demanding Vero 'turn over the money...or else.' And if she doesn't figure out who really stole her former sorority's treasury funds, her next home might be a prison cell. But proving her innocence might be an impossible feat. Vero was the treasurer of her sorority when the money went missing–one of the only people who had access to the cash. And her alibi is a date who ghosted her. With her court date quickly approaching, and her mysterious stalker on her tail, Vero needs to clear her name fast. Finlay decides a trip to Maryland is in order. After all, Vero stood by her through her darkest moments, and Finlay will be damned if she lets her best friend and children's nanny be convicted for something she didn't do. She sets off on a mission to suss out the real thief and bring Vero home. |
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Coffeehouse Mysteries When the Village Blend opens a Writer's Block Lounge, a cold case crime turns up the heat on Clare Cosi and her crew in this gripping new entry in the beloved Coffeehouse Mysteries from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle. As much as master roaster Clare Cosi adores coffee, the landmark shop she manages won't survive if she doesn't sell enough of it. So when the Village Blend's customer traffic grinds to a halt, she turns to her staff for creative ideas, and the Writer's Block Lounge is born. Madame, the eccentric octogenarian owner of the shop, is upset by this news. Years ago, a group of accomplished writers met in the shop's second-floor lounge to inspire each other, but the group disbanded when something dark occurred. Though that history is shrouded in mystery, Clare presses forward. Soon the Village Blend tables are filled with aspiring novelists, playwrights, and poets, all happy to be coaxed, cajoled, and caffeinated by her coffeehouse crew. Clare admires the stamina of these scribes, many of them toiling at night jobs–driving taxis, tending bar, and ushering for Broadway–while penning projects during the day. Then one of their fictions turns fatal when a shocking secret leads to a deadly end. Unless Clare can untangle this mystery, uncover the truth, and stop a desperate killer, she fears more of these weary writers may be marked for eternal rest. |
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Lakeside Library Mysteries In the latest book in the series, international resort developer Nigel Goodwin has traveled all the way from London, England to Misty Murphy's little corner of North Carolina and bought out the Mountaintop Lodge for the week prior to Christmas. Their intention? To pitch an exclusive new resort concept to wealthy American investors. But locals are at odds over the idea, and when a group comes to the lodge to express their worries to Mr. Goodwin and the potential investors, a blizzard hits Beech Mountain. Like the weather outside, things quickly get frosty, and Misty has to call local police to intervene. Handyman Rocky Crowder plows the lodge's drive and, in an attempt to regain a jovial holiday atmosphere, smooths the snow pile into a makeshift sledding hill for the guests to enjoy. Misty's boys have finished their exams and are "home" from college for the winter break, planning to spend most of their time snowboarding at the ski resort. While taking a few runs down Rocky's sledding hill, they discover a funny-looking, nose-shaped rock. Only it's not a rock. It's the frozen nose of Nigel Goodwin, who's found dead and buried under the mound of snow. Who put the developer on ice and why? |
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The Countess of Harleigh Mysteries Frances is asked by friend Alicia to investigate Carlson, a wealthy American with a murdered wife who's courting Alicia's daughter. And when stage icon Sarah Bernhardt receives jewelry stolen from the victim, Frances and husband George must infiltrate elite Parisian society to find the murderer. |
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Lighthouse Library Mysteries Bestselling author Todd Harrison is murdered on the deck of librarian Lucy McNeil's Outer Banks beach house; caught between an intrusive fan club mourning Todd, squabbling authors, and a politically ruthless widow, Lucy must roll up her sleeves and catch the killer before the chapter closes on justice. |
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Sewing Studio Mysteries Abbey's life in Hideaway Grove is comfortable, and she's grateful for her small sewing studio in the back room of her aunt's bakery, but she's feeling stuck. Her plan to expand her custom tote bag business by selling to a chain of gift shops has hit a snag. Making enough totes to distribute to all the stores requires large-scale production–which requires money Abbey doesn't have. To make ends meet, she takes a part-time job at the town's bustling Visitor Center... Abbey is soon sorting items with her co-workers for the Visitor Center's annual Lost and Found Day when unclaimed items are displayed and offered for sale. Thanks to tourism, there's enough to fill a huge stockroom. But something is amiss. Eleanor Franklin, devoted to all things Hideaway Grove, hasn't shown up for work–and when Abbey discovers her whereabouts, it isn't pretty... Eleanor is dead inside a clothing bin, dressmaker shears impaled in her chest–shears the sheriff reports are engraved with Abbey's name. Under suspicion, Abbey will have to launch her own investigation. But who would want to kill thoughtful Eleanor, a model resident always so full of good advice about how to uphold Hideaway Grove's high standards? As it turns out, not everyone appreciated Eleanor's advice... Now Abbey will have to cut through a tattered trail of greed, theft, and revenge to sew up the case before a killer cramps her style–for good... |
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Miss Morton Mysteries Distraught over her younger sister Susan's decision to leave for America and weary of shepherding her employer Mrs. Frogerton's daughter in her relentless pursuit of marrying a peer, Caroline is dealt another blow when her family solicitors indicate they may have found the lost heir to the Morton earldom. Possible heir Thomas, his mother Mrs. Scutton, and her widowed daughter Mary all descend on Mrs. Frogerton's home on Half Moon Street. The air inside the house is soon thick with family tension and the near palpable presence of avarice. But things go from tense to tragic following the appearance of Mary's dead husband–very much alive and recently released from debtors' prison. Unseen by Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton, a fight breaks out upstairs, leaving Mary fatally stabbed and her mother wounded. The manhunt is on for Mary's husband, led by Inspector Ross. But both Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton begin to suspect that all is not as it seems.The Scuttons have brought more than trouble into the home–they may be harboring secrets that could put Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton's very lives at risk ... |
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Highland Bookshop Mysteriesby Molly MacRaeIn the latest novel in the beloved Highland Bookshop Mystery Series, a murder at a baronial manor leads to a poisonous game of cat and mouse–with the women of Yon Bonnie Books playing to win. After 93 well-lived years, Violet MacAskill is ready to simplify her life. Her eccentric solution? She'll throw a decanting and decluttering party at her family home–a Scottish Baronial manor near the seaside town of Inversgail, Scotland. Violet sets aside everything she wants or needs, then she invites her many friends in to sip sherry and help themselves to whatever they want from all that's left. Janet Marsh and Christine Robertson, two of the women who own Yon Bonnie Books in Inversgail, enjoy themselves at the party. Not everyone who attends has a good time, though. Wendy Erskine, director of the Inversgail museum, is found dead, and rumors swirl about food poisoning from a local food truck. Then Violet tells Constable Hobbs that a tin of rat poison is missing. And when Hobbs' own grandmother comes under suspicion for murder, he enlists the women from Yon Bonnie Books, and the race is on to find the murderer. But where do they begin? Are there clues in the "Shocking Stockings" exhibit at the museum? Will the antique scrapbook pasted full of trivia about arsenic and bygone poisoners offer a solution? Or does the answer lie closer to home–is one of Violet's friends truly toxic? Poisonous games are afoot in Inversgail and the women of Yon Bonnie Books are playing to win. |
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The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Mysteries The rains are coming, but not just yet. When they do, there will be green shoots of growth throughout Botswana. Pumpkins will flourish–particularly those of Mma Potokwani, matron of a children's home and old friend of Precious Ramotswe. Mma Potokwani and Mma Ramotswe have many other things to talk about, including a new friendship that Mr J.L.B. Matekoni has struck up with Mr Freddie Mohlala, a prominent figure in the motor trade. Freddie Mohlala has invited Mr J.L.B. Matekoni to go fishing with him on the local dam–which is home to some fairly nasty crocodiles. They do not catch anything, but something nearly catches them. In the meantime, Mma Ramotswe looks into what seems to be a straightforward matter involving a husband who thinks his wife may be having affair. But there is a surprise in store: she, it transpires, suspects that he himself has a lover. This is obviously a case that will require tact–which of course is a quality Mma Ramotswe has in abundance. |
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Old Juniper Bookshop Mysteries by P. J. NelsonMadeline Brimley, new owner of a bookstore in a small Georgia town, finds herself playing sleuth when a friend is charged with the murder of a much-disliked woman. Madeline Brimley recently inherited a bookstore in Enigma, Georgia, and is embarking on her second career, after her first one (acting) founders upon the metaphorical rocks. Settling in, Madeline recruits her friend Gloria Coleman, the local Episcopal priest, to help her plant azaleas in the front yard of the old Victorian that houses the bookstore. Turning the soil, however, uncovers the body of one Beatrice Glassie, a troublesome woman who has been missing for the past six months. When her friend Gloria is arrested for the murder, Madeline is determined to prove her innocence and, as she quickly finds out, there aren't many people in town who hadn't wanted to kill Bea Glassie at one point or another. And the very expensive and rare first edition of a particular volume of Grimm's Fairy Tales–ordered by the victim and her sister–is somehow tied to the grim death. With the help of her not-quite-boyfriend, a local lawman, and her deceased aunt's best friend, Madeline plans to set a trap to catch the real murderer–before she becomes the next victim. |
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Deep Dish Mysteries The next book in the delectable Deep Dish Mystery series by Mindy Quigley, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria. It's February in the ritzy lakeside resort town of Geneva Bay, Wisconsin, and love is in the air. Pizza chef Delilah O'Leary is gearing up to celebrate her first Valentine's Day with hunky police detective Calvin Capone, great-grandson of the infamous Chicago mobster. But their romance is put on ice when a shocking discovery plunges them into a century-old crime with ties to Capone's notorious forefather. As old secrets surface, Delilah realizes that nearly everyone in town–from Capone's cagey cousin to her own quirky customers–has something to hide. With the pressure mounting and the past closing in, Delilah must help Capone follow a trail of clues that could lead them to a priceless treasure... or into a deadly trap. Can Delilah serve up justice before history repeats itself? Or will she and Capone end up sleeping with the anchovies? |
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Marlow Murder Club Mysteriesby Robert Thorogood Verity Beresford is worried about her husband. Oliver didn't come home last night, so of course Verity goes straight to Judith Potts, Marlow's resident amateur sleuth, for help. Oliver, founder of the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, had rented The Marlow Belle, a private pleasure cruiser, to host an exclusive party for the society, but no one remembers seeing him disembark. And when Oliver's body washes up on the Thames with two bullet holes in him, it's time for the Marlow Murder Club to leap into action. Oliver was, by all accounts, a rather complicated fellow, with a reputation for bullying children during nativity play rehearsals, and he wasn't short of enemies. Judith, Suzie, and Becks are convinced they'll find his killer in no time. But things are not as they seem in the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, and this case is not so clear-cut after all. The gang will need to keep their wits about them to solve this case... otherwise a killer will walk free. |
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