Cozy

Black Jade – A Daiyu Wu Mystery by Gloria Oliver

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

Could an old-fashioned ballgown be used to commit murder?

Daiyu Wu is aware that fear of the Yellow Terror has made her nationality a rare breed in the Lone Star State. Being Chinese and blind makes her doubly unique in 1930 Dallas. Despite these impediments, anyone who dismisses her for either fact does so at their peril.

One day, at her family-owned laundry business, Dai detects the scent of burned garlic. With the help of her companion, Jacques, the source is soon discovered. It is a green ballgown. The gown has money pinned inside it to pay for the cleaning, but oddly, it came with no address label to identify its owner. Her extensive knowledge leads Dai to believe someone has committed murder using arsenic. The perpetrator is trying to use White Laundry to hide the evidence. But no mention of foul play turns up in the newspapers, and there’s not enough proof to convince the police there’s been a crime.

Her curiosity and intellect stimulated like never before; Dai ignores the possible consequences and sets out to solve the mystery with the help of her canine companion, Prince Razor, and her confidant, Jacques Haskins. It’s either that or let the killer get away with it — assuming a spoiled popinjay, his jealous self-appointed girlfriend, and Dai’s overprotective parents don’t get in her way.

A Daiyu Wu Mystery – Book 1

Targeted Age Group:: 14+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
As an author, all my novels up to date have been standalone's. I figured it was about time I tried my hand at a series. 😛 This is also my first stab at a cozy historical mystery. Several of my favorite authors not only wrote fantasy and science fiction but also mysteries. Several of my fantasy and ya fantasy novels already had mystery elements, so I decided to branch out. History is fascinating and a cozy would be a great way to explore some of it. 🙂

Featured Book: Zombies For Everyone: A Jenna Sutton Supernatural Cozy Mystery – Book 1 by Kimberly Wylie

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

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?

Buy Zombies For Everyone: A Jenna Sutton Supernatural Cozy Mystery – Book 1 Here

Kimberly Wylie’s GoodReads Profile

Featured Book: Black Jade – A Daiyu Wu Mystery by Gloria Oliver

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

Could an old-fashioned ballgown be used to commit murder?

A Daiyu Wu Mystery – Book 1

Buy Black Jade – A Daiyu Wu Mystery Here

Gloria Oliver’s Website
Follow Gloria Oliver on Facebook
Follow Gloria Oliver on Twitter
Gloria Oliver’s GoodReads Profile

Featured Book: Déjà Dead by Susan Kiernan-Lewis

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

Claire Baskerville is a sixty-something American who finds herself alone in Paris when her husband is brutally murdered.Reeling from the devastating secrets he left behind, Claire only knows she can’t move forward until she finds out the truth behind who killed her husband.But the killer is determined to make sure she never leaves Paris alive.

Buy Déjà Dead Here

Susan Kiernan-Lewis’s Website
Follow Susan Kiernan-Lewis on Facebook
Susan Kiernan-Lewis’s GoodReads Profile

Ice Breakers by Heather C. Myers

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

The last person private investigator Mika Chalmers expects to walk in her office is ex-boyfriend and NHL player, Eric Foresburg. He looks just like he did three years ago, tall, blond, and every inch a Viking.

This isn’t a social call.

Eric has gotten himself into some hot water. A woman is going to publicly accuse Eric of rape and he needs Mika to prove his innocence. With pressure from her father – who happens to be the head coach of Eric’s NHL team – and smarmy defense attorney, Ryan King, Mika has her work cut out for her. When feelings for Eric – feelings she buried a long time ago – start to resurface, her job of finding the truth no matter what gets increasingly difficult to do.

Despite the fact that Mika has connections with the police department – including the arrogant Detective Alex Beech – the answers aren’t black and white. Evidence reveals that Eric and the victim were together, but it turns into a heated he-said, she-said. It doesn’t help that Eric has been keeping things from Mika, things he should have disclosed before she agreed to take his case.

With the help of Beech, Mika must determine whether or not Eric is innocent before the court of public opinion finds him guilty and his entire life is ruined.

With the heated chemistry of Castle and the unpredictable twists and turns of Bones, hockey fans are devouring this new romantic mystery series by a USA Today Best Selling Author.

Targeted Age Group:: Cozy readers

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
My love of hockey, romance, and mystery! I wanted to combine all three things one into a fun, quick story readers could devour in a day and be satisfied – but still want more!

Featured Book: Wedding Day and Foul Play by Duffy Brown

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

Cozy mystery.
It’s been one-hundred-and-eighty-three days and fourteen hours since Reagan Summerside tripped across a dead body. Hopes of her Savannah wedding to Walker Boone going off on without a hitch are dashed when a corpse is found under the cake table and Auntie KiKi is accused of putting it there. Can Reagan and Walker find the killer without him finding them first or will their new address be Bonaventure Cemetery.

Buy Wedding Day and Foul Play Here

Duffy Brown’s Website
Follow Duffy Brown on Facebook
Duffy Brown’s GoodReads Profile

Featured Book: Miz Scarlet and the Holiday Houseguests by Sara M. Barton

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

One of two perma-free books in the Scarlet Wilson Mystery Series!….Divorced parents who won’t stop bickering, a sassy teenager, and a killer stalking her are just what homicide investigator Laurencia “Larry” Rivera doesn’t need for Christmas! The short-handed state police investigator can’t get a handle on the latest murder case…things just keep going wrong. Is someone trying to intimidate Larry and her team, to protect the killer and prevent him from being caught?

Innkeeper Scarlet Wilson is a good friend. That’s why she invites the entire Rivera family to spend Christmas at the Four Acorns Inn. But a killer comes a-calling in the middle of their holiday preparations. “Miz Scarlet” may not have Larry’s professional cop training, but that doesn’t stop her from enlisting boyfriend Kenny Tolliver and Larry’s former partner, Max, to rescue the uncooperative damsel in distress. If only she stuck to guest services….Before the Rivera visit to the Four Acorns Inn ends, not only will a killer be sent packing, everyone will learn two things: the shocking reason for the bitter divorce of “The Spitball King” and the “Queen of Clean”, and how the granddaughter of a Red Sox assistant coach came to be named after a famous Yankee center fielder.

Buy Miz Scarlet and the Holiday Houseguests Here
Sara M. Barton’s Website
Follow Sara M. Barton on Facebook
Follow Sara M. Barton on Twitter

Smokes of Death Beer by Shana Frost

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

A town known for its smoked beer. What if this pint is your last?

Nina Banerjee wants to enjoy medieval architecture, history and Rauchbier in the charming town of Bamberg in Bavaria. But when she stumbles upon the dead body of a man she just shared a beer with, things take a turn for the worse.

This quaint town, with its half-timbered houses and touristy attractions, is not all that safe. It’s a playground for criminals, who run riot with murder on their minds.

What will Nina do? Will she sit still as Detective Robert Muller labels her a prime suspect, or will curiosity get the better of her?

Targeted Age Group:: 18-60

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Bamberg did! The book is set in this picturesque city in Germany. The enigma surrounding Bamberg and it's rich heritage made be think: what if a tourist stumbled over a dead body whilst roaming these cobbled streets?

Featured Book: Déjà Dead by Susan Kiernan-Lewis

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

Claire Baskerville is a sixty-something American who finds herself alone in Paris when her husband is brutally murdered. Reeling from the devastating secrets he left behind, Claire only knows she can’t move forward until she finds out the truth behind who killed her husband.But the killer is determined to make sure she never leaves Paris alive.

Buy Déjà Dead Here

Susan Kiernan-Lewis’s Website
Follow Susan Kiernan-Lewis on Facebook
Susan Kiernan-Lewis’s GoodReads Profile

Featured Book: Escape to Osprey Cove by Luisa Marietta Gold

By Mystery Reads Curator Leave a Comment

FREE–10/4-5
What Doug finds in the secret compartment of his new red Corvette will forever change his life. It will also change Catherine’s. Doug and Catherine come from two different worlds. Catherine’s world is one of privilege and wealth. Doug grew up dirt poor and full of envy of others who had the things that he wanted but could not have. His goal was to one day have all the things he coveted. Their worlds collide when Catherine, VP of a large New York City marketing firm, hires Doug. As soon as Doug learns of Catherine’s wealth, he sees Catherine as his ticket to all the things he covets. After a whirlwind courtship, they are married.

Poor boy meets rich girl should have resulted in happily ever after — not exactly. Doug quickly learns he also covets independence. Events begin to unfold in each of their lives. For Doug, it is his mysterious discovery in the secret compartment of the Corvette. For Catherine, it is a business meeting with Alex Droxell at the Osprey Cove Lodge. When Catherine enters the beautiful and serene lodge, it’s as though she is entering another place and time. The lodge is an escape from the nightmare she is living back home.

Authors Note: The Osprey Cove Lodge series is uniquely written, spanning seven geographic locations from the scenic Canadian region of the Rideau lakes to the beautiful shores of the Caribbean. An interesting web of mystery develops as the characters’ lives intertwine. The setting for The Osprey Cove Lodge series was born from my love of the beauty of this region in Canada. The description of the lodge is so beautiful and inviting that you will want to pack your bags and head there. The series is written in a continuing fashion; please be sure to read the books in the order written.

Buy Escape to Osprey Cove Here