New Releases For The Week Of November 15th, 2020–Part 3

When Aunt Candace is nominated for a literary award, Rory and her family are thrilled that the library is chosen to host the ceremony. But the night ends in disaster when the organiser of the event turns up dead.

Needless to say, since the group of suspects all write about murders for a living, finding the culprit will be tricky. With her best friend also dealing with her newfound vampire nature and her dad’s secrets on the brink of coming to the surface, Rory has her work cut out. Can she find the culprit among the guests before another victim is claimed? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

“When you think that life cannot get better, Blake Pierce comes up with another masterpiece of thriller and mystery! This book is full of twists, and the end brings a surprising revelation. Strongly recommended for the permanent library of any reader who enjoys a very well-written thriller.”
–Books and Movie Reviews (re Almost Gone)

MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) is the debut novel in a charming new cozy mystery series by #1 bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose Once Gone has over 1,500 five-star reviews.

When London Rose, 33, is proposed to by her long-time boyfriend, she realizes she is facing a stable, predictable, pre-determined (and passionless) life. She freaks out and runs the other way—accepting instead a job across the Atlantic, as a tour-guide on a high-end European cruise line that travels through a country a day. London is searching for a more romantic, unscripted and exciting life that she feels sure exists out there somewhere.

London is elated: the European river towns are small, historic and charming. She gets to see a new port every night, gets to sample an endless array of new cuisine and meet a stream of interesting people. It is a traveler’s dream, and it is anything but predictable.

But when a wealthy, high-maintenance passenger suddenly turns up dead outside of Budapest, the cruise has become a bit too unpredictable. Even worse: as the last person to see her alive, suspicion falls on London, leaving her no choice but to solve the crime (with her new sidekick, an orphaned dog), and save her cruise line and herself.

Laugh-out-loud funny, romantic, endearing, rife with new sights, culture and food, MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) offers a fun and suspenseful trip through the heart of Europe, anchored in an intriguing mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the very last page.

Book #2 (DEATH AND APPLE STRUDEL) and book #3 (CRIME AND LAGER) in the series are now also available. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

15 guests… 1 victim…
What do you do when a Murder Mystery Party Game goes tragically wrong?
When the guests are due to depart in 48 hours?
When a killer is lurking in the background?
This is the dilemma faced by amateur sleuths Kiyama Fernando and Vinodhini Dias.
Three months after the initial events of Book 1, Kiyama Fernando, an English teacher from Colombo, has settled in to small-town life with her best friend while attempting to escape a failed marriage. Hoping to enjoy a short vacation, they participate in an event that turns out to be more than they bargained for…
Set in rural in Sri Lanka, this story follows the efforts of two female sleuths as they race against the clock to unearth another killer.
Embodying all the elements of a cozy mystery this tale will appeal to those who enjoy a light-hearted, fast-paced read with contemporary social issues, memorable characters and a unique setting.

Praise for Book 1

“The story is as much about solving the mystery as it is about self actualisation and empowerment.”
” I liked the intimate feel of a small, conservative, Sri Lankan village with its quirky denizens.”
“This whodunnit story had me reading late into the night! I just couldn’t put it down! As each suspect was slowly eliminated, I was surprised to find an unexpected villain.”

Shelve under
Women Sleuths
Asian Literature
World Literature
Detective Story
Cozy Mystery
Small Town Murder
Murder Mystery
Women’s Fiction (Amazon)

Editions available: Kindle

A blast from Mallory’s past has arrived in tranquil Key West, and she’s not at all thrilled about it.

Andrew Mercer, her former boyfriend and reason number one for her move to the Southernmost part of the US, is staking his claim. He wants her back, and he will stop at nothing to make that happen. Or is there a more nefarious reason he’s lurking about?

Mallory’s blonde, bombshell nemesis is found toes up with a scarf around her neck at the Hemingway Home Bookstore, and Andrew is suspect numero uno. Only, he claims he’s innocent and wants Mallory to find her killer or else. Spurred on by the desire to have her life back, Mallory employs the help of her quirky best friend, Juniper Jones, as well as newest gal pal, Ernesta Castro, a pot-laced-cigar-smoking hippie with a penchant for motorcycle-riding, leather-wearing giants.

With the hunky Huck Jameson MIA, Mallory turns to sexy Detective Luke Beckett for assistance, but it seems Beckett is after more than just a killer—he’s after her heart. Huck’s return could be problematic for their budding romance, but is he too late? Who will win her heart? And will the killer get to her before she can explore her own Happily Ever After?

Put on some tea or grab an ice cold lemonade, because you won’t be able to put this one down until you get to the end!

The Southernmost Mystery Series

1. A Death in the Afternoon
2. A Farewell to Murder
3. A Death at First Night (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

It’s a warm and sunny Christmas season in Los Angeles. Things are slow at the Starfire Detective Agency, but Poppy is sure things will pick up after the holidays. When a pretty young starlet who works part-time as an elf at Santa’s Workshop on Holiday Lane is murdered, Poppy’s close friend, the up and coming director, Wyatt Blaze, becomes a prime suspect. Wyatt needs Poppy’s help to find the real killer. Gossip travels fast in Tinseltown and an arrest, even a false arrest, will destroy Wyatt’s career for good.

Now Poppy must start from the very beginning to find out just who had it out for the elf. Is it possible Santa himself is behind the diabolical deed?

Book 4 of the Starfire Cozy Mystery Series.
Other books in the series:

1. Murder on Lot B
2. Murder at the Ostrich Farm
3. Murder on the Angels Flight Trolley
4. Murder on Holiday Lane
5. TBA (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Ding Dong the witch is dead!
And now the whole town is filled with dread…

This was not how Ember McNair imagined spending the days leading up to her wedding. It should have been the happiest time of her life. Instead, her tiny town was host to yet another unexplained death. This time, it’s the dark witch and perpetual thorn in everyone’s side, Cassandra.

At first everything thinks it’s a suicide, but the more Ember investigates with her feline familiar and her friends, the more she’s convinced it’s a murder.

Which means the murderer is out there, trying to cover their tracks. It could be anyone. Even her long lost sister, Ash, who somehow managed to have her memories wiped from Ember’s brain. She can’t be sure, but Ember can’t help thinking there’s a connection with Ash showing up and Cassandra croaking.

But with Ember’s wedding coming up and jealousy running high, will this sassy witch solve the crime and discover the secrets that Cassandra left behind? Or will those secrets spill out and take the whole town with it?

Read on to find out! (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Perfect for fans of Molly Fitz and Christy Barritt…

Murder has such a sting!

If anyone had told Mallory Beck she would become Honeysuckle Grove’s next amateur sleuth, she would have thought they were ten walnuts short of a brownie. Her late husband had been the mystery novelist with a penchant for the suspicious. She was born for the muffin pan, not the binoculars, and yet here she was, having just solved her first murder case. It had all started with delivering a casserole to a grieving family and finished with the help of a sarcastic teenager, a cop with kind-hearted green eyes, and a cat with a hunch.

Maybe she should have thought twice about delivering another casserole. But this one was for the potluck at the annual church picnic, and what could possibly go wrong at a picnic?

Find out when you order this cozy culinary caper now! (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Why in the world would her uncle send her a bejeweled golden scarab?

When Maggie Edwards opened the mysterious package from her archeologist uncle, Oliver Keene, she had no clue what it was for. At first, she couldn’t understand why he had sent her something so obviously valuable when he had never done so before. Then, she read the cryptic note hinting that he was in trouble, and urging her to protect this vital artifact.

Arriving to help, her uncle’s associate, Henry Turner, takes Maggie on the run for her own protection. Maggie and Henry traverse the globe searching for Ollie while playing a deadly cat-and-mouse game with his kidnappers.

Join Maggie on an exhilarating journey from small-town America to London, Cairo and the sands of the Egyptian desert. Will she find Cleopatra’s tomb? And can she do it in time to save her uncle and herself?

Discover the mystery surrounding the bejeweled golden scarab in Cleopatra’s Tomb! Book one in the new, page-turning A Maggie Edwards Adventure series by beloved author Nellie H. Steele. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

It’s New Year’s Day and Jude Dillane, owner of The Corner Lounge, is cleaning up after last night’s celebration when she discovers the body of a man with a knife through his heart in the dumpster out back. She recognizes the victim immediately—it’s Michael Bevins, younger brother of her customer and neighbor, Art Bevins. Devastated, Jude becomes even more horrified when she learns that Michael is the latest victim of the New Year’s Eve Serial Killer whose horrible crimes stretch back more than twenty years. Determined to find this monster, Jude risks her life as she gathers evidence that leads her closer and closer to the killer and the staggering truth that he may be someone very close to home. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

French tycoon Jean-Louis Ponsard is having a bad year.
Unwise investments, canceled orders, deals falling through…
In the thick of it, his yacht becomes the scene of a suspicious death, and his year of misfortune hits the bed of the Mediterranean Sea.
To make matters worse, the victim isn’t just anybody.
She’s his much-hated mother-in-law.

Onboard, caterer Julie Cavallo and her quirky grandma Rose do some poking around.
But every luxury cabin hides a secret. 
Every passenger has an alibi or no reason to want the victim dead.
Discretion rules. 
The crew keeps mum. 
So do the marble countertops, gem-incrusted walls, and gold sinks.
When the cops take charge, things go to pieces, and not only for the Ponsard family.

Can Julie dive to the murky bottom of the sea, unravel the case, and come back up still breathing?

“The Sinister Superyacht” is the third novel in Ana T. Drew’s highly entertaining series of cozy mysteries set in Provence. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

PET SHOWS ARE MURDER… especially when someone tries to steal your dog!

Paisley Summerhill has two problems going into her next job at a pet show convention in San Diego. One: her travel companion, Ellie Cruz, wants to adopt a dog—and they are surrounded by adorable puppies. Two: their hotel suite is already occupied—by a dead body! Before they know it, the clever fitness trainer and her young sidekick are pulled into another mystery.

The fun, thrilling short read, delivers several gripping twists:

• A Dog Twist: Paisley and Ellie take in a cute miniature schnauzer puppy, who’s stalked by a killer!
• A Brother Twist: Ellie’s brother Dolan Cruz plans to join the Fit Girls at the end of the convention for a little R&R. But the U.S. Marshal shows up early when things get dicey to save the day—which does not go over well.
• A Fit Girls Twist: Paisley & Ellie meet up with an old foe, complicating everything!

Every book in the Fit Girls Series is a short read, which means they are novella length. However, they are all complete mysteries, with a beginning, middle and end. The main characters carry over to the next story, but each book is one mystery. You can read them in any order, although the author likes readers to start with book one. If you do read them out of order, no worries. If there’s something you should know about the characters from prior books, it will be included. Just be assured that every book is a full story about the mysteries that arise as the main character, Paisley Summerhill, travels for her fitness training work and stumbles into a mystery to solve.

*** “Fit Girls: Pet Shows are Murder (A Fit Girls Cozy Mystery)” is a novella, but a complete short mystery book. It throws you into a thrilling and humorous mystery! It’s a fun, fast read! *** (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

September, 1945

What do you do when what you’ve previously only imagined unfolds right in front of you?

With World War II over, librarian and aspiring mystery author Pauline Jameson is stunned to discover a dead body on the library steps on her second day on the job. If she’d had her druthers, she’d have skipped the library and concentrated on her writing. And if it were up to her parents, she would have skipped the writing and the library and pursued a more traditional path, like marriage. But Pauline is a thoroughly modern woman, and when a murder victim lands on the library steps, she’ll try her hand at solving the crime.

Henry, her new friend and co-worker, comes along to ensure her safety, while the other librarians put in their two-cents worth. The two soon discover swing dancing is a hobby they have common. Will Pauline and Henry become more than co-workers? Or will it be all business between the two of them?

And then there’s the issue of the victim. Was he really as kind and innocent as some portray him, or did he have secrets he would rather not have gotten out? Can Pauline catch a killer, or will she put her life at risk in the pursuit of justice? The truth lies within all of us, including the dead. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

A joyous Christmas festival. Two best friends. What could go wrong?

Melanie Hogan, owner of A Cut Above hair salon, discovers the holidays aren’t always jolly when she receives an unexpected gift at the Birch Haven Christmas Festival. A dead body.

Best friend and salon co-owner, Claire Davis, lands herself as the lead suspect. When Melanie’s boyfriend, Homicide Detective Levi Wescott, is booted off the case due to a conflict of interest, Melanie is compelled to find the real killer herself.

With only days left to go until Christmas, Melanie races to give Claire the perfect gift—her freedom. But as she begins unwrapping secrets of some unsavory characters, the looming deadline leads to unusual reckless and impulsive decisions, and she finds herself in a bit of a quandary. Can she catch the real killer before Birch Haven PD is forced to solve her own murder? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Scarlett Oliver is running late for a job interview.

If that wasn’t bad enough, she discovers there is no job. Instead, she’s offered a place at a secret university. For witches.

One thing’s for sure, there’s nothing normal about Runesbury. Rivalry is rife, runes and potions bring inanimate objects to life, and a missing teacher haunts the halls.

Are the bonds Scarlett forms with other students and a cat named Rufus strong enough to survive, or will a rival witch send her back to the real world?

Get it now. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

A bookshop of one’s own…

Jemma’s dream of running her own bookshop is turning into a nightmare. She has plenty of ideas, but her assistant Maddy is resistant to the slightest change. Come to that, so are the customers. She’d turn to boyfriend Carl for support, but he’s wrapped up in an exciting new project.

To distract herself, Jemma gets involved in Raphael’s attempt to recruit a new member of staff — but that doesn’t go entirely to plan either, as his wider team turns against him.

Despite their best efforts, Jemma and Raphael are both struggling to cope. Can they work out what’s going on and get their lives back to normal before they run out of time?

Double Booked is the third in the Magical Bookshop humorous mystery series, set in modern London. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback