Contemporary Cozy Mystery

Nether Stapling Manor nor any of the fine family possessions of this stately home really belonged to Lady Laura, but for more than 20 years she had enjoyed them undisturbed. Many people in the nearby little town of Rivering were well aware of the situation. No one was worried except nice old Cosmo Brierley, trustee of the Estate, and he had no control whatever over this eccentric aristocrat. His one comfort was that Lady Laura was a wonderful custodian of the place, keeping all intact and cherished, even making money by son et lumière in summer.

Sex. Money. Murder. Drama. Housewives… And homeless animals! All run amok in the affluent suburb of New Wellington! Tish McLean has been left high and dry, both financially and emotionally, by Brian, her husband of over 20 years. To make matters worse, Brian is about to marry the social chameleon Susan, Tish's one close unattached friend. As Tish struggles to realize her dream of opening a shelter for homeless animals—and her love with a very married veterinarian who has big problems of his own—she strips away the cubic zirconium studded underbelly of country club society.

Quilts and magic go together like corpses and crime scenes. At least that’s what Maris Middleton discovers when a dead body turns up in her antique quilt on the last day of the Summer Solstice Festival. As a modern-day witch and quilt shop owner, Maris usually spends the solstice welcoming tourists, not investigating murder. But when an infamous social media influencer drops into her quiet town, apparently dead set on causing trouble, Maris ends up with a front-row seat to the woman’s untimely death.

Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to From Money to Murder and experience a steamy romance with a murder mystery twist.

Cuando Rachel y Joe se retiraron a un condominio para mayores de 50 años, no anticiparon el encuentro con divertidos y excéntricos residentes, o el asesinato de la amiga de Rachel, dueña de un refugio de animales. Los sospechosos son muchos: el cuidador del refugio, un marido maltratador, un sicario equivocado y un extraño hombre con sombrero de copa. Mientras se investiga el asesinato, surgen problemas para la pareja que aparentemente tiene el matrimonio perfecto. Pero, ¿qué hará falta para convencer a ambos de que la confianza y el amor lo vencen todo?

Sugar Mountain is the kind of charming village that tourists adore. If you like small-town charm, quirky shops, and local art, this is the place for you. But when a blood-smeared package shows up at the post office and it appears to be linked to a scheme that threatens Heidi Collinsworth’s historic home, the town takes on a sinister vibe. Heidi would lay odds that slimy Mayor Winslow is involved, but even with the enquiring skills of The Sugar Mountain Ladies Historical Society at work, proof is scarce.

Being embroiled in an FBI sting isn’t exactly conducive for book research or warm fuzzies - or is it? Samantha Arnold, prep cook and struggling romance novelist, believes adventure is right around the corner. Trouble is, nothing exciting happens in the small town of Newburg, Indiana. When a routine trip to pick up chicken results in meeting a guy too well-dressed to be a farmer, she can’t help but hope things are about to turn.

Tisha McClain’s attorney, Sam resents having a spoiled, rich-bitch heiress dropped onto his plate. The sexy, blonde male at the airport is an intrusive buttinski, but appealing. Without revealing identities they share a wild, one-time fling. Unraveling her family’s sordid past, Tisha exposes deception. Proper, business-woman, Mom performed as a stripper and ran a brothel. Dad had managed strip clubs, associated with gangsters, and his brutal execution remains unsolved.

Endlich ist es so weit: Die Eröffnungsfeier des "Albergo Annina" steht kurz bevor, und sogar der Bürgermeister von Siena hat sich angekündigt! Natürlich sind auch Annas Brüder eingeladen. Das muss sein, wenn ihr Erscheinen die frischgebackene Hotelbesitzerin auch ein bisschen nervös macht. Hoffentlich lassen die beiden niemanden merken, dass das Hotel zwei Schwerkriminelle beherbergt! Und dann läuft prompt alles aus dem Ruder. Im "Albergo Annina" checken Gäste ein, die einiges durcheinander bringen, und in der Basilica di San Francesco wird eine wertvolle Statue gestohlen.

Mit sechzig beschließt Anna, sich endlich ihren Lebenstraum zu erfüllen - ein Hotel in Siena! Hier in der Toskana möchte sie ihre Herkunft vergessen, denn Anna stammt aus einer Familie, die mit Gaunereien und Diebstählen traurige Berühmtheit erlangt hat. Doch ehe sie sichs versieht, steckt sie selbst mittendrin in einem Verbrechen: Erst stiehlt man ihr das gesamte Geld für den Umbau des Hotels, dann wird sie versehentlich Komplizin bei einem Bankraub. Als plötzlich ihre Tochter vor der Tür steht und Anna es gleich mit zwei Männern zu tun bekommt, die in sie verliebt sind, muss sie feststellen, dass auch in ihrem neuen Leben jeder lügt, so gut er kann...

When 18-year-old Kara Jones gets into a car accident on the way home from college, she's left with more than a few bruised ribs, a busted cell phone, and a totaled car. After a slip-up at the hospital, she’s shaken to discover that her family isn't all it seems. And now her mother's strange behavior and willingness to do anything to protect her secrets - including pulling Kara out of school - have Kara floundering in the dark.

Flushed with triumph on the evening of the best rodeo in the town's history, Amelia is driving the bags of cash into town when she becomes the victim of a terrifying smash and grab. Injured and distraught after her ordeal, Amelia must convince a skeptical detective that her account of what happened does add up and that he must help her track down the real culprits

Going Home with a Cat and a Ghost is a fictional novel about life's complexities for Judy Howard: liberated enough to drive forward in her RV, yet still imprisoned by her 40-year old-past when she was drugged, raped, and had an illegal abortion. Judy Howard, a typical sixteen-year-old growing up in the Midwest in 1965, is naive and shy, with a crush on the high school's "James Dean, Bad Boy" named Brad. As Judy and Brad flirt with their desires for one another, life is easy, until Judy is drugged and date raped on a Saturday night in the roller rink parking lot.

It's bad enough that Tara has to go on trial against the mortgage-frauding "Tennis Racketeers" who cheated banks and homeowners out of millions in between doubles matches. Now she has to go undercover - in a strip club - to strip the sleazeball owner of his indeed illegal livelihood. At least she's working as a bookkeeper, not a pole dancer. And who needs tips when her undercover crush, Special Agent Nick, is the club's bodyguard?

Folge 3: Im Wald von Spellbound wird ein gläserner Sarg gefunden - mit einem schlafenden Zwerg darin! Und Emmas Hexenfreundin Sophie wird beschuldigt, den dazugehörigen Fluch ausgesprochen zu haben. Doch Emma weiß, dass ihre Freundin keiner Fliege etwas zuleide tun kann geschweige denn Zwerge verzaubert. Durch die Ermittlungen gerät sie mitten in die Dating-Szene von Spellbound, wo viele Bewohner der Stadt darauf brennen, ihre Bekanntschaft zu machen.

In Spellbound geht das Leben der frischgebackenen Hexe Emma so turbulent weiter, wie es angefangen hat. Mit den Zaubersprüchen läuft es nicht so rund - aber viel schlimmer ist, dass die von Höhenangst geplagte Emma lernen soll, auf einem Hexenbesen zu fliegen... Die Flugstunden sind jedoch schnell vergessen, als es einen weiteren Mord in der magischen Stadt gibt: Eine Werwölfin wurde tot aufgefunden und Daniel gilt als Hauptverdächtiger. Jetzt kann nur noch Emma dem gutaussehenden Engel helfen, seinen Heiligenschein wieder geradezurücken.

Von fiesen Pflanzen und guten Freundinnen: Janet Pimm, 72, hat seit ihrer Pensionierung vom Geheimdienst ihren Hang zu Gründlichkeit und Hartnäckigkeit auf ihren Schrebergarten verlagert. Er ist ihr ganzer Stolz. Als in der Gartenanlage japanischer Knöterich entdeckt wird - eine invasive Art, die binnen kurzem alle anderen Pflanzen verdrängt - will die Stadt gleich die ganze Anlage dichtmachen. Doch Janet, die sich in der Botanik auskennt, vermutet Sabotage. Der Knöterich wurde eindeutig absichtlich eingepflanzt - aber von wem?

Martha is lost. She’s been lost since she was a baby, abandoned in a suitcase on the train from Paris. Ever since, she’s waited in the station's lost property for someone to claim her. It’s been 16 years, but she’s still hopeful. In the meantime, there are mysteries to solve: secret tunnels under the station, a suitcase that may have belonged to the Beatles, the Roman soldier who appears at the same time every day with his packed lunch. Not to mention the stuffed monkey that someone keeps misplacing.

Leah is accused of a crime she didn't commit. Dumped by Adam, the man she planned to marry, she escapes to Aunt Jayne's smallholding in the Kent village of Winkleigh Marsh. Heartbroken and homeless, she strives to clear her name and deal with her emotions. Jayne treats Leah's unhappiness with herbal remedies, cowslip wine, and common sense in equal measure. In return, Leah works hard for the delicious home-cooked meals they share. Back in London, steps are being taken to investigate what's happened to the missing money.

Kelly Green and her sister Kayla grew up summering on a small island off the coast of Northern California. After Kayla’s death, Kelly returns to the island where she joins three friends from her past, to commemorate both Kayla’s life and the life of a 16-year-old girl who disappeared from the island 25 years earlier. Now in their early forties, each of the four remaining friends struggle to find a way to deal with their loss while also dealing with their own personal crisis.