New Releases For The Week Of August 8th, 2021–Part 3

Sometimes, owning a bookstore can be murder.

When Nora Jones inherits a dusty old bookshop from her estranged uncle, she moves to St. Augustine to tie up loose ends and maybe learn a bit about the man she never knew.

Only what first appeared to be a heart attack turns out to be murder, and there’s no shortage of suspects. The detective assigned to the case might be handsome and charming, but Nora’s convinced he’s chasing down the wrong lead.

With her newly-inherited Greyhound named Margo and a quirky band of friends in tow, Nora decides to track down the killer. She finds herself in a race to solve the murder before she becomes the next body in the books.

Body in the Books is the first installment of the Nora Jones cozy mystery series. You won’t want to miss this humorous whodunit that’s being likened to Scooby Doo for grownups. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

What could be more fun than a cooking competition at sea?

When Adrianne Chrisander offered Veronica White a chance to be a partner in a new cruise line, she was overjoyed.

They needed something to attract publicity and Veronica thought a cooking competition was a great way to introduce Fun Cruises to the world, but she hadn’t counted on trouble rearing its ugly head.

Mystery and intrigue abounded when two of the chefs turned to be a divorced couple who hated each other.

Throw in a volatile, lady-loving French Judge and a stand-offish Cruise Director he fancies and you’ve got a recipe for romantic intrigue.

Throw in sabotage and threats into that cooking competition and you’ve got a recipe for trouble.

Veronica and boyfriend Captain Steven West soon learned the seas were going to be anything but calm.

This new series is a spin-off from The Cozy Cruise Mysteries. You’ll see some familiar faces on the pages. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

It’s Justin and Emily’s wedding day, and Addison, Layla, and Olivia have flown to Melbourne for the much-anticipated event.

The wedding venue – a picturesque winery on the outskirts of Melbourne – promises a stress-free weekend of joyous memory-making. After a whirlwind European holiday, followed by a busy Christmas period in Getaway Bay, Addison is looking forward to a drama-free week.

She should have known better.

Celebration turns to devastation as one of the bride’s friends suffers an allergic reaction. The unfortunate young man is whisked off to hospital in critical condition, and Addison quickly realises his fate was no accident.

Away from home once again, Addison, Layla, and Olivia must enlist the help of the Beach House Murder Club from afar. Can they uncover the identity of the perpetrator before local police blame one of their own?

The Getaway Bay cozy mysteries have everything you love – suspense to keep you guessing, twists you don’t see coming, and characters you want to have a cup of tea with – plus an added dose of Aussie flavour.

Getaway Bay: Come for the murder, stay for the cake!

Series order:

Arson at the Art Gallery

The Body in the Beach House

The Corpse at the Carnival

Death at the Dog Show

Evil at Echo Point

The Fatality at the Funeral

The Girl by the Grave

The Holiday Homicide

An Ill-Fated Invitation (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

GUY WALKS INTO A STRIP CLUB…
AND COMES OUT FILTHY RICH
Down-and-out comedian “Filthy” Rich wasn’t always living on the edge– he was once famous. Now he tells viciously dirty jokes in the seediest possible strip clubs–his routine is so filthy that it’s actually illegal, since 1960’s Chicago has harsh blue laws.Rich wasn’t always living on the edge, though– he was once famous for a clean routine, until his estranged wife ran off with Rich’s best jokes. With his act missing, he’s hellbent on tracking down the missing dame before he gets caught spewing the grossest jokes this side of Lake Michigan.

Enter Lou Fleener– expert streetfighter and ace private eye. Rich hires Lou to find the missing jokes– and the wayward wife. Which seems easy enough, right? But unfortunately, Lou’s clues lead him down a perilous rabbit hole of deceit, lies, and frame ups.

Plus, the irrepressible Cassidy, his wife turned partner-in-crime, and Monk, his improbably handsome yet socially awkward best friend, are knee deep in their own rollicking thrillers. The whole team is in imminent danger, each facing their own bad guy. And to top it all off, this team of witty Chicago sleuths is flat broke. Again.

Lou Fleener will be a treasured read for both cozy lovers and hard-boiled aficionados. And especially for readers looking for laughs. Lou and his team’s humorous yet action-packed adventures that will please fans of such diverse authors as Donald Westlake, Raymond Chandler, and Lawrence Block in his “burglar” mode. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Welcome to Oxford’s Magic Kitten Shelter for Familiars!

My name’s Astra, and since arriving in the quaint magical village of Witch Hollow in Oxford with my demon kitten familiar, Satan, I’ve faced murders, curses, and even cold coffee. But today is my scariest challenge yet: a visit from my fierce grandma. What will the witch, who raised me and wants me to return home and run the family business, think of my ramshackle farm and my adorable but wild familiars? That’s if my new phoenix familiar doesn’t burn down my cottage first.

Plus, how do I hide the fact that I’m now Deputy to the hot dragon shifter Sheriff of Oxford, Earl Sin, who lives next door…? Oh, and his family are also visiting for the weekend. 

When grandma’s struck down by a hex, it becomes a race against time to save her. Plus, will Satan finally solve the mystery of my missing dad?

One-Click now and decide which familiar you’ll adopt today!

A Familiar Curse is Book Three in the Oxford Magic Kitten Mysteries cozy mystery series. Start reading to escape into magic, mystery, and laugh-out loud fun! (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

A woman on a sailing trip to Anegada believes her fiancé was murdered. A hurricane hits, scrambling evidence and lives. Brie Prince persists. Other members of her party are kidnapped or nearly murdered. Multiple factions and conspiracies on the island attempt to thwart her, but Brie is the intrepid, high-strung outsider who won’t let go of the case. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

I’m Tracy Belden and I’m getting out of town.
A quick meeting with a client in Las Vegas will pay for a weekend getaway for me and my guy.
It’s a perfect plan.
I didn’t count on my client being killed or having someone shoot at me.
When secret files and a priceless golden artifact go missing,
the police and the smugglers demand I hand over the missing items!
The only way to prove my innocence is to find the missing objects, track down the killer,
and… finish my crossword puzzle. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Angelica Parker’s Greenleaf grocery bustles with new business, now that its magical proprietor has proven herself an ace detective. Seems all the mountain folks want face time with their favorite witch. So Angelica and bestie Willa make the most of it, sponsoring cooking demos and food drives, while familiar Vlad delights patrons with his flippant wit.

Then hunky sergeant Stewart spoils everyone’s appetites by announcing he’s found another body.

This time, it’s an infamous whitewater rafting guide, drugged and drowned in a waterfall. Witch and cop team up to investigate an angry apprentice, a tricky travel agent, a lazy lodger, and an eager environmentalist. When suspicion lands on the policeman’s new lady friend, tension nearly topples the investigation.

Then the sergeant rebounds by asking Angelica out. What?!

Just as she untangles the threads of this crazy case, Willa’s favorite cousin disappears into the murkiest vale of all, Foggy Hollow, and no one can find her.

Have the mountain’s musical ghouls claimed their first victim? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Elaine Pridmore was a vivacious and beautiful young woman, and perhaps a little too modern for the traditional tastes of small-town England after the Great War. There are plenty of suspects to investigate when she’s found dead, propped upright at the piano in the local moving picture house.
Dora and her daughter Polly are professional detectives now, with offices in one wing of the local stately home. Dora agrees to assist the local police with the case, and promptly leaves Polly to do the work as Dora is more concerned with a forthcoming ball at Mardley House.
Undeterred, Polly begins to unravel the secrets and lies at the heart of Elaine’s life, but one tug on the thread threatens to undo the lives of many more families. A tragedy from the War is haunting the present. Without reconciliation, the case won’t be solved; and the murderer is planning one more audacious crime that even Dora can’t ignore.
As they race to undo the twists and turns of the killer’s plans, Dora and Polly have to come to a new understanding of their own.
This book is the second in a new series set in small-town England just after World War One. It’s written in British English. It’s an entertaining and heartfelt story of family, redemption and love. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

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Every shadow hides a secret …

When flower seller Lily Rose Budd is murdered on Peachstone Market, ex-Ministry of Witches detective Elise Liddell is one of the first on the scene.

Struck by the similarity to Wizard Dodo’s death, Elise sets out to investigate. However, it rapidly becomes clear that Lily was not all she claimed to be.

In pursuit of justice, Elise finds herself chasing around Tumble Town, a metropolitan warren of mystery and magic, in search of answers. The Tweedles are on the loose again … and every backstreet alley and every narrow lane leads to danger.

When friendly faces turn out to be enemies, and assistance is found in unlikely places, how can she ever know who to trust?

Join Elise and her whacky crew of rabbits, wizards, ghosts and … well, general undesirables, in the third thrilling instalment of the Wonderland Detective Agency.

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Fans of Jeannie Wycherley’s bestselling Wonky Inn books—as well as lovers of urban fantasy, cozy paranormal murder mysteries, witches and wizards, and Gaslamp fiction—will adore this series. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

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If you like Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie, you’ll love Esther and her best friend, Sophie, in book one of the By the Sea Cozy Mystery series!

Oceanside High students Esther and Sophie prefer life between the covers of their favorite books, but they open an entirely new adventure and begin an exciting new chapter when the Stuart twins, Parker and Paisley, move from Great Britain to an oldmansion in Esther and Sophie’s small beach town. The girls score invitations to a celebrity author’s book-launch party at the twins’ mansion, but after the selfies are snapped, someone goes missing, and everyone is a suspect.

Used to hiding behind her glasses and cardigans, Esther has secrets that only her cat and Sophie know. But when someone’s life is at stake, what will Esther risk to solve the mystery and save her friends? (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

What happens when a blond beauty hits town like a tornado stirring up memories and causing turmoil? Detective Kevin Fowler and his wife, the former Beverly Hampton, owner of the local newspaper, are settling into blissful married life. Although Beverly is sanguine over the demand on Kevin’s time by the good people of Hubbard, she is more than dubious when his duties include the escort of a drop-dead gorgeous female from his past.

There is some concern over the persistent vandalism of residential mailboxes, but an infamous arsonist has decided peaceful but dull Hubbard would make a great place from which to operate. He brazenly locates down the block from the detective and his wife.

What bait and tackle shop in the village has a dual purpose? Kevin ponders why two goons have invaded town shooting at and attempting to kidnap and murder three women. A state patrolman, aptly nick named Rooster, teases Fowler at the riotous scene of a traffic accident where the press, not the police, wins the day.

Another mystery and adventure with a satisfying ending unfolds in peaceful Hubbard, New York, small-town Americana, where Detective Kevin Fowler keeps an ever-vigilant watch. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

Did he die because of money, love or revenge?

When a man is found dead in a hotel room, Bernie’s friend, Darla, becomes one of the main suspects. With her fragile mental health on the line, she begs Bernie to find the real killer to save her from spiraling into a dark episode.

Bernie and Deputy Adam Gallagher have been an item for months, but when she questions him about the murder, she finds him unwilling to give her the information she needs to ease Darla’s concerns.

To find the true killer, Bernie is forced to make a decision that could ruin her relationship with Adam… if she’s caught. With her ghostly grandmother’s help, she puts everything on the line to find the murderer.

LARGE PRINT PAPERBACKS: https://www.amazon.com/Fianc%C3%A9-Finished-Humorous-Paranormal-Mysteries/dp/173737241X (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

A classic steam train, an old mining town, and danger around the bend.

It’s the dog days of summer in Paradise Bay. The beach is sizzling, the tourists are swarming, and the inn is full. At someone’s suggestion, Staley Stoneybrook decides to see one of the area’s other attractions—the old mining town of Ravenston.

Although the Gold Rush era saloon, candy store, and even a staged bank robbery are charming, the gaping mine in the hills above the town looms over it. The lawless days of the Wild West may be far behind the former ghost town, but Staley discovers that finding gold can still prove deadly. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Expose her magic blood by curing the spell—or stop the infection from spreading by killing the source…the grandmother.

In a world where magic is hunted and feared, the worst job a reckless witch like Carman could have would be in a small-town library that stores banned magical items. When a friend goes missing, and another is infected with a deadly spell, Carman is desperate to save them.

Escorting Dylan, a Magic Bounty Hunter, to inspect the mysterious artifacts provides an opportunity to locate a cure. Instead, she discovers one of the items kept hidden belonged to her family—and recognizes Carman as its’ rightful owner—with Dylan bearing witness. Carman can barely control her newfound powerful magic. Still, if she doesn’t stop the infection from spreading, the host must die…the grandmother. Teaming up with Dylan may be a terrible idea, but so is spelling a household product into a mode of transportation. Carman is known for impractical shoes and impulsiveness, not sensible choices.

Can she save the grandmother and find her friend without jeopardizing everything her mother has sacrificed to protect her secret?

***This story was originally published by Maureen L. Bonatch as a paranormal romance. Revisions allowed the majority of the original story elements to remain with a stronger emphasis on paranormal cozy mystery.*** (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle