New Releases For The Week Of September 26th, 2021–Part 2

Tucked away inside an old lighthouse in Beacon Harbor, Michigan, bakeshop café owner Lindsey Bakewellis ready to make her first Christmas in town shine bright. But her merry plans crumble fast when murder appears under the mistletoe . . .
 
With the spirit of the holidays wafting through the Beacon Bakeshop, Lindsey thinks she has the recipe for the sweetest Christmas ever—winning the town-wide cookie bake-off. Unfortunately, striving for a picture-perfect December in Beacon Harbor is a lot like biting into stale shortbread. Low on staff and bombarded by visits from family, Lindsey can barely meet demands at work, let alone summon the confidence to face fierce competition . . .
 
Self-appointed Christmas know-it-all Felicity Stewart is determined to take the top spot in the bake‑off, and she’s not afraid to dump a little coal in everyone’s stocking to do it. Just as the competition heats up, everything falls apart when the judge is found dead—and covered in crumbs from Lindsey’s signature cookie!
 
Solving a murder was never on Lindsey’s wish list. But with her reputation on the line during the happiest time of the year, she’ll need to bring her best talents to the table in order to sift out the true Christmas Cookie culprit.
 
Includes Delicious Recipes! (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook

★ The third book in Mona Marple’s Christmas Mysteries series! ★

As Christmas approaches in Candy Cane Hollow, it’s time for the annual Claus Family ice fishing trip.

Holly Wood (yes, that’s her real name) is a ball of nerves about meeting all of Nick Claus’ relatives, until the trip ends in disaster.

One Claus doesn’t return home, and as everyone begins to fear the worst, an old grudge between the Lost Claus and Nick makes his actions look suspicious. 

Can Holly get to the truth, before anyone else is hurt?

A Lost Claus is a festive cozy mystery and third in an exciting new series by popular author Mona Marple. This book is a clean read, free from swearing, on-page violence or sexual content.  (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

There’s nothing like autumn in picturesque Goosebush, Massachusetts, but beneath the season’s sun-dappled foliage, Lilly Jayne and her Garden Squad must investigate a shadowy murder mystery after a theater owner’s sudden death sows as much drama behind the scenes as on any stage . . .

Lilly Jayne typically spends the harvest season baking festive pies and crafting colorful wreaths to enter in the library’s annual fundraising contest. But this year, autumn opens on a somber note when beloved local theater owner, Leon Tompkin, dies unexpectedly. His memorial sets the scene for a mini reunion of The Goosebush Players’ best and brightest alumni, including Hollywood star, Jeremy Nolan . . . until someone plucks Jeremy from the spotlight, permanently.

Now, as dedicated theater volunteer, Scooter McGee, falls under suspicion, Lilly and her Garden Squad must spring into action. They quickly discover a cornucopia of potential suspects in Jeremy’s murder. Was it an embittered ex . . . or a jilted lover? A rival thespian . . . or an overly ambitious artist? Lilly rakes through the piles of clues, but if she doesn’t uncover the real killer soon, more than autumn leaves will be dropping in Goosebush . . . (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook

Wyn Miller is edging closer to fully deserving the label of crazy cat lady. In addition to her original cat, Sal, she’s added two more adults and their kittens. Not to hoard them, but to train them to provide animal therapy as an adjunct to her private nursing.

Her latest patient, Peter, is in bad shape, having given up on life. The cats perk him up a little, but then one of his neighbors is murdered, and everyone thinks the victim’s girlfriend did it. Not Peter though, and he begs Wyn for help clearing her name.

Investigating a murder might not be standard medical treatment, but if it will keep her patient fighting to live, she’ll do it. With Sal’s help, of course. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

T’was the weeks before Christmas,
and Daisy nabs a new case,
when a missing man is found
stuffed above a fireplace . . .
 
Ooh La La hair salon owner Daisy Thorne adores the Christmas cheer in her picturesque hometown of Edgemead, England. Excitement is extra high this year, as international pop star, Mimi Levanté , the village’s newest resident, begins renovating historic Holly Lodge. But the charming country home’s makeover is cut short by a shocking discovery—the body of a man, dressed as Santa Claus, jammed inside the house’s chimney!
 
The secreted Santa is identified as Thom Pierce, a local father who vanished on Christmas Eve two years ago. As the case moves from missing to murder, Daisy and dashing DCI Paul McGuinness begin combing through the clues of Christmases past. But the killer will go to great lengths to keep old crimes under wraps. Now, DCI McGuinness must protect Daisy as she tries to untangle the mystery before a merry murderer embarks on another slay ride.
 
Praise for Death at a Country Mansion

“Death at a Country Mansion has more twists than a French braid.”
—Sherry Harris

“Everyone who loves a manor house mystery will love this one.”
—Nancy Coco

“If you enjoy British manor houses, a touch of budding romance, and a good mystery (like I do), I highly recommend Death at a Country Mansion.”
—Vikki Walton (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback

Psychic Sunshine Meadows can’t predict just how tricky tying the knot can be…

After finally picking the perfect date, Sunny and her fiancé Detective Mitch Stone are about to get married, and even her mischievous cat Morty seems to be on board. This time her best friend and her friend’s husband are the maid of honor and best man, but they have brand new baby twin boys who need to be baptized first. Just as soon as the ceremony for the babies is finished, Sunny and Mitch’s wedding will take place. Except everything that can go wrong does go wrong, and Sunny develops cold feet, feeling it’s an omen she can’t ignore. Mitch convinces her to work with him in figuring out who is sabotaging their wedding and promises to warm her up until death do they part. (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle

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Mrs. Claus is the gift that keeps giving in the second installment of Liz Ireland’s newest cozy mystery series starring April Claus, the newlywed wife of Nick Claus, a.k.a. Santa, as Halloween comes to the North Pole.
 

April Claus knows being married to the real Santa makes every day feel like Christmas. But when a different holiday arrives at the North Pole, so does murder…

For the first time ever, Christmastown is celebrating a strange new tradition—Halloween. But not everyone is willing to watch their dependable winter wonderland get overrun by carved pumpkins and costume parties. As a series of scary happenings hit Santaland, each one more intense than the last, April realizes having a role in the festivities could cost her family, friends—even her own life.

April isn’t the only unlucky target. Outspoken elf Tiny Sparkletoe is found dead in the snow outside his cottage, crushed in the middle of what appears to be a monstrous footprint. With mayhem descending like reindeer on rooftops, April must stop the Halloween killer before the fate of Mrs. Claus becomes another creepy tale to tell in the dark… (Amazon)

Editions Available: Kindle, Paperback