New Releases For The Week Of June 27th, 2021–Part 4

Catching a sneaky poisoner, slaying a demonic doll, teaching a cooking class—and going on a date? One false move and Bobbi’s life is going to turn into a dumpster fire…
When a fellow witch from their coven decides to visit Devil’s Orchard, Bobbi’s thrilled to learn more about her own strange brand of fire magic. Until the magic lessons start and she soon realizes that this witch makes Granny look downright sane.
Bobbi’s own sanity is put to the test after her assistant chef Lily is accused of poisoning someone at the annual Easter egg hunt. Sure, Lily was the only one who had access to the woman’s food, but Bobbi knows she’s innocent, even if no one else in town believes her. She’ll need her wand and her wits to track down the real killer—especially when the investigation starts to unearth secrets that some people would kill to keep buried.
And to top it all off, Kitsune has now started eating… vegetables?
Talk about a trial by fire…
Two Can Slay at This Gameis a hilarious, full-length paranormal cozy mystery filled with magic, mockery, meals, murder, monsters, malfeasance, mouthy matrons and metaphysical meddling. And a recipe that Granny doesn’t want you to see! (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

When a packed Christmas party turns into a murder scene, the small town of Sweetwater Falls has no shortage of suspects.

When Charlotte McKay uncovers a body while catering a Christmas party, she doesn’t know who she can trust. The people who hired her are quick to point the finger in her direction, ramping up her need to find the real criminal. But everywhere she turns, there is a new suspect, and another lie she has to sift through to get to the truth.

Charlotte doesn’t believe that the couple who plays Santa and Mrs. Claus every year at the Christmas festival is capable of something as dastardly as murder, but Nick and Nancy’s alibi turns up one lie after another. Sweetwater Falls has a bounty of wholesome, wonderful people, but the more Charlotte digs for the truth, the more she uncovers secrets that are best left in the dark.

Charlotte knows she needs to find the murderer fast, but when no one is willing to tell the whole truth, Charlotte is afraid she will be brought in for a crime she didn’t commit.

“Peppermint Peril” is filled with layered clues and cozy moments, written by Molly Maple, which is a pen name for a USA Today bestselling author. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Samantha’s unexpected family reunion should have been full of joy, not ghosts and murder. To prove her innocence, Sammy must investigate a haunted hotel. Can she solve the mysteries of the past and present, to save her future?

A surprise visit from Sammy’s relatives causes more trouble than she imagined. When she discovers her cousin dead at Hotel Jeanne, she becomes the prime suspect. Not only does the family reunion bring up terrible memories, Sammy’s romantic relationship is put to the test.

But she’s not the only one who needs help. The hotel’s new owner is overwhelmed with his antagonistic employees and disruptive ghosts. By organizing the inn’s long-neglected library, Sammy plans not only to clear her name, but learn who, or what, is haunting the hotel.

With the support of her New Orleans family, Sammy must track down the killer and discover the real reason behind the spiritual disturbances at Hotel Jeanne. Can she find the murderer before they try to turn her into a ghost?

A Deadly Check-In is the third book in the The French Quarter Mysteries featuring West Coast transplant Samantha Richardson. Join Sammy as she explores the Big Easy by solving the mysteries of the past and present in this new modern, cozy mystery series. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Do you ever get the feeling that dead people are hanging around just looking to spoil your vacation? No? Just me, then? All I wanted to do was attend my son’s wedding and enjoy a few days off, but a killer had other plans.

Allie and Alec are in Wisconsin to attend her son’s wedding and take in a baseball game. They’re staying at the future in-law’s house when someone murders the woman across the street. It’s a nice, quiet neighborhood where things like murder never happen. What could go wrong?

Instead of spending a relaxing week away, Allie and Alec are on another case! (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

A catering calamity, pesky paparazzi, and a celebrity wedding whodunit…

Fifth in the Belle Harbor Cozy Mystery series!

With Tilly’s new assistant on board at the bakery, she agrees to take on a catering gig that could skyrocket her business to the next level. While jousting for her space in the kitchen with the temperamental chef, a troubling discovery at the celebrity wedding of the century threatens to shatter her dreams.

Joined by her bestie and armed with enough mascarpone for a lifetime supply of cheesecakes, Tilly sets out to solve the murder. She soon learns why the actors in attendance have won Academy Awards. Nothing is as it seems.

As Tilly quickly discovers, family drama and professional jealousy disguise the clues, making it a doozy of a mystery to detect what’s real and what’s fake. Will the publicity from the event doom the next phase of her bakery plans, or will Tilly be able to uncover the truth in a humdinger of a plot?

Tiramisu and Turmoil is Book 5 in the Belle Harbor Cozy Mystery series. A light, cozy mystery in a quaint beach town with a fun loving, amateur female sleuth, her quirky uncle, and enough antiques and pastries to fill your home and your belly. No gore, swearing or cliffhangers. Can be read as a standalone. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Betty Ann Green is the Oprah of the cooking world. No wonder cookbook authors, celebrity chefs, and weight-loss experts alike would kill for a mention in the “Cooking with Betty” column in On Topic Magazine. Diet Guru, Dr. Alan Tolzer, is no exception. He craves the chance for instant success for his latest Westport Diet Book with an interview by the columnist. It’s enough to make him swallow his pride and try to patch up his long-standing feud with the reclusive Betty. No surprise there. Everyone sells their soul in one way or another in the cooking industry. But murder is on the menu when Betty’s assistant, Quincy Lazzaro, arrives for the interview. Quincy becomes entangled and his complicated relationships with both Betty and investigating police sergeant Nina Estevez is nothing less than a recipe for disaster. Bringing the murderer to justice without exposing the secret to Betty’s success proves to be more difficult than a fad diet. (Amazon)

Editions available: Kindle, Paperback

High crime meets high fashion in this boxed set of three award winning High Heels Mystery novels featuring fashion designer turned amateur sleuth, Maddie Springer, including:

Suspect in High Heels – book #10
When Maddie Springer—shoe designer turned amateur sleuth—tags along with her mother to the Antiques Extravaganza road show, the last thing she expects to have to do is pull her mom off of a celebrity appraiser after he calls her prized antique hatpin a phony. But things go from harried to homicide when the same appraiser is found dead and Mom is the prime suspect!

Peril in High Heels – book #11
When fashion designer Maddie Springer visits the set of the epic Lord of the Throne fantasy movie, she gets more than a fangirl moment—she get a dead director, a slew of shady suspects, and her best friend being interrogated by police! Now it’s up to Maddie to clear her BFF’s name by tracking down a very real killer among the fake Bobbits, Sworfs, and Elves…before she’s the next target!

Jeopardy in High Heels – book #12
When fashion designer Maddie Springer’s hairdresser-to-the-stars stepfather, Fernando, earns a spot on American’s favorite game show, she’s thrilled! But when one of the other contestants dies, and everyone’s eyes are suddenly on Fernando, it’s up to Maddie to catch a killer and protect her stepfather’s biggest secret from the hungry media at all costs!

Also available:
High Heels Mysteries Boxed Set Vol. I (books 1-3)
High Heels Mysteries Boxed Set Vol. II (books 4-6)
High Heels Mysteries Boxed Set Vol. III (books 7-9)

The High Heels Mysteries:
Spying in High Heels – book #1
Killer in High Heels – book #2
Undercover in High Heels – book #3
Christmas in High Heels – short story
Alibi in High Heels – book #4
Mayhem in High Heels – book #5
Honeymoon in High Heels – novella
Sweetheart in High Heels – short story
Fearless in High Heels – book#6
Danger in High Heels – book #7
Homicide in High Heels – book #8
Deadly in High Heels – book #9
Suspect in High Heels – book #10
Peril in High Heels – book #11
Jeopardy in High Heels – book #12
Deceit in High Heels – book #13

What critics are saying about the High Heels Mysteries:

“A saucy combination of romance and suspense that is simply irresistible.”
~ Chicago Tribune

“Stylish… nonstop action…guaranteed to keep chick lit and mystery fans happy!”
~ Publishers’ Weekly, *starred review*

“Ms. Halliday is the undisputed queen of the genre.”
~ Fresh Fiction (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

The very last place Mina Flannigan Shaffer thought she’d find herself was competing in The Baking Channel’s pie contest. But when her restaurant’s A/C goes on the fritz and the sweet prize money could cover the fix, Mina accepts the offer to pit her talents against Texas’s best pie chefs. Even if she doesn’t win, the exposure alone could mean more traffic to her business, making the decision as easy as pie.
Mina should’ve known it wouldn’t be simple. When the television channel’s founder is discovered dead on the set, her ghost demands Mina solve the murder. If she doesn’t, the ghost will sabotage Mina’s chances.
But who could’ve killed the crusty woman? The channel’s new co-owner, the program’s director, and any of the other six contestants all seem to have a motive. Added to the mix? An evil entity is stalking the hotel. Mina better find the murderer quick, before she loses the competition…and her life.
******
Follow the Flannigan sisters, a trio of smart, sassy Texas woman endowed with psychic gifts, as they solve crimes in their small communities. They never go looking for trouble, but boy-howdy does it ever find them! (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Adam Norcross is not in a good place. He recently buried his mother and now he needs something more than a power struggle between him and his mother’s cat to distract him from his grief. That something comes in the form of an assignment from his boss, Walter Shapiro, who is not a patient man. Not surprising since he reports directly to the prime minister. Shapiro interrupts Norcross’ bereavement leave to give him an assignment. Norcross’ task is to find out how the country’s most eminent climate scientist ended up dead off the highway in a mountain ravine. Was it an accident or suicide? As soon as he speaks to Shapiro, Norcross’ unique precognitive ability tells him it is something else, something darker.

Sergeant Bethany Leith is not thrilled to have Norcross stepping on her toes. Even though Constable Bighetty is willing to give Norcross the benefit of the doubt. Once he inserts himself into Leith’s suspicious death inquiry, Norcross will use his investigative knowledge and unusual talents to help her uncover who wanted Doctor Flete dead and why.

Salish University is ground zero for the investigation. Among those involved are Flete’s dean, his wife, and his new girlfriend. Then there are his colleagues, some of whom denounced Doctor Flete’s important work, including a woman from Adam Norcross’ past. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Daisy Elliot doesn’t expect to find a dead body the last weekend of summer, but when she stumbles upon her arch-nemesis from class, she finds David’s business card on her body. Worry for her brother forces Daisy to take on solving another crime.

More than her business interferes with her finding the killer. Her brother is in danger, and she’s at risk of messing it all up.

Will Daisy find the guilty party, or will her brother have to pay for a crime he didn’t commit? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Jenna Sutton is nothing like the iconic vampire slayer of TV fame.

She’s the antithesis of a cheerleader. She’s not peppy. And she sucks at gymnastics. She has nothing in common with the fictional Buffy, other than being blonde and in high school…

Oh, and occasionally she kills vampires for a living as well as other things that go bump in the night.

Following an attack on an English teacher at a nearby school, it becomes clear this wasn’t an ordinary coyote bite. The gray-green Lichtenberg-like webbing of streaks making their way up Ms. Pruett’s arm can mean only one thing—zombies.

But this isn’t a normal zombie attack. The victims seem to be hand-picked.

Can Jenna complete her investigation without the school administrators figuring out she’s actually a high school student from another school? Will Jenna be able to find out who’s behind these attacks before a full-scale zombie outbreak overtakes the town? And, perhaps most importantly…

Why did her best friend kiss her after all of these years? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

A robbery at the Contessa’s highland home. The thief found dead at an island airfield. Can the Contessa and Tiff hunt the murderer across the continents and clear her deceased husband’s name?

A visit home to the family residence in Scotland turns into a personal horror as the Contessa’s private jewellery collection is ransacked. When the Cobra’s Fang, a personal gift from her dead husband, Luigi, is found to be missing, Catriona, aided by Tiff, leaves no stone unturned in hunting down the culprits. But when Luigi’s name is linked to an old gallery heist, Cat must travel the globe to clear his name.

Cobra’s Fang is the third murder mystery involving the formidable and sometimes downright rude lady of leisure and her straight talking niece. When they spit on your husband the only reasonable course is to hit them with both barrels.

Destroy the family name and the Contessa bares her fangs! (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Who knew that owning a classic car could be deadly?

When a young couple are found dead in their car, it is generally accepted that it’s an accident. But Flynn and Mabel have their suspicions when the report comes back from the mechanical inspector.

Then Mabel sees a poster for a local car club event where there is a concourse and a prize for the Best in Class and Best in Show. There’s a lot of friendly competition between the entrants. But Best in Show is always won by one of the older owners.

Did he feel threatened by the new interlopers?
And sabotaged their car?

The third instalment of DS Flynn Moran’s experiences in Muddlebay will be available in eBook, audio and paperback. Think Midsomer Murders and Murder, She Wrote, with a dollop of humour, all rolled into one.

Available for pre-order before 1st July 2021.

Praise for Wendy Cartmell…

A page turning read Keith Thomas, TV Broadcaster
Powerful, gut-wrenching story Treebeard
Great , Wendy writes in such a wonderful descriptive way Amazon Review
A strong thriller tackling sensitive issues. Amazon Review
An engrossing read. Mary L
An excellent crime novel and a real page turner Anne Stanmore
Areal page turner and I couldn’t put it down – when is the movie coming out?!?! Action packed throughout! – Ed Riley
Riveting and well written Jo Noel
Loved it – an absolute must for all readers of crime thrillers – Amazon Review (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

It’s August, 1985, and private investigator James Cote has a problem.Actually, he has several. His wife Lettice is unemployed, over-active, and bored out of her skull. The cheating husband he’d been tailing for two weeks has been killed by his mistress. And someone kidnapped his uncle Gary and shipped him off to Peru.Someone from his own family—a family he hasn’t visited in ten years.Now James and Lettice have to travel 1500 miles to Toronto under the guise of a long-delayed reunion to find out who hated Gary so much to ship him off to another country, but not enough to actually kill him. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

PI by day, girlfriend by night…

Moxie Bloom isn’t having much luck in her day job as a private investigator, so when a rich client asks her to pose as his girlfriend for a family gathering, she reluctantly agrees. With mounting bills, a cat who she suspects wants her dead and her reputation in tatters, she is more than happy to get out of the office for the weekend.

Trapped in a crumbling mansion with a killer…

When her client announces they will be locked in the mansion for the weekend, Moxie starts to doubt her decision. A few hours later, one of the guests is found dead and it is up to Moxie to figure out who the killer is before they strike again. Can she solve the mystery in time?

A Moxie Bloom Cozy Mystery (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback