Mystery Reads

Royally Dispatched by P.C. James and Kathryn Mykel

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Royally Dispatched by P.C. James and Kathryn Mykel

A new series from best-selling authors P.C. James, and Kathryn Mykel–author of award-winning Sewing Suspicion.

A Duchess, her trusted butler and a nose-it-all furry sidekick. Can Lady Mary uncover the secret plan before she’s dispatched like her predecessor?

London, 1958. Lady Mary, Duchess of Snodsbury has received a royal dispatch to travel to London to prepare the last of the debutants for entrance into society. News of the demise of the previous trainer has Mary on high alert–as is her sharp nosed corgi, Barkley. Add in a gaggle of teenaged debutants, a protective butler, and a spirited cook and our heroine will be embroidered in a murder mystery of generations. Will the debutants prove helpful in uncovering secret plans or will she find out that the culprit is within her ranks?
Royally Dispatched is a fun first in series, cozy mystery with a historical nod. If you like crafty sleuths, animal sidekicks and a gang of amateur detectives, then you’ll love P.C. James and Kathryn Mykel’s Duchess of Snodsbury Series.

The Case at Barton Manor (Mrs. Lillywhite Investigates #1) by Emily Queen

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The Case at Barton Manor (Mrs. Lillywhite Investigates #1) by Emily Queen

1920’s London
If one more person gives Rosemary Lillywhite unwanted advice on when to stop mourning the loss of her beloved husband, she fears she will lose control of her sensibilities. All she wants is to be left alone to drown her misery in a glass of gin and tonic, but when Grace Barton knocks on the door of her dead husband’s investigative office, Rosemary faces a choice: come out of hiding or turn away someone in need of help.
As Grace recounts her tale of intrigue, Rosemary discovers a shared connection with the woman that has her accepting an invitation she can’t refuse. With bright young thing, Vera Blackburn, by her side Rosemary trades her widow weeds for a party dress and heads to a fancy do at Barton Manor where the drinks flow freely, but there’s an undercurrent of unease.
The night ends in a murder for which Rosemary’s brother is the prime suspect. What’s worse, the handsome chief inspector on the case is a man Rosemary knows well. He was her husband’s best mate, and he takes a dim view of lady detectives. Or maybe just of Rosemary becoming one.
What will it take for Rosemary to solve the crime before her brother hangs for a murder he didn’t commit?

Book one in The Mrs. Lillywhite Investigates series.

Are you ready to escape to the roaring twenties? For fans of Beth Byers, Leighann Dobbs, Lee Strauss, and cozy historical murder mysteries.

A light, cozy mystery with no swearing, graphic scenes, or cliffhangers.

Ghost Mortem (Haunted Everly After Book #1)

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Ghost Mortem (Haunted Everly After Book #1)

By ReGina Welling & Erin Lynn
You might not believe in ghosts, but sometimes they believe in you…

Everly Dupree is having a bad day. The kick you in the teeth, set your pants on fire, make you question everything kind of bad day.

At the end of it, her marriage is over, she’s essentially homeless, and finds herself in a moving van headed back to her hometown of Mooselick River, Maine.

At least, she tells herself, things can’t get any worse.

But, of course, they can. The next things she knows, Everly’s staying at the Bide-A-Way motel with a deadline of a week to get her life in order, and it isn’t looking good.

Enter Martha Tipton who offers Everly the chance to buy the town’s haunted house for the ridiculously low amount owed in back taxes. Everly signs on the dotted line, but before she can move into her new place, the dead body of Hudson Montayne, her high-school sweetheart, turns up in the next motel room.

Just when Everly thinks she’s won the grand prize in the bad luck sweepstakes, her life takes a turn into the paranormal.
Hudson’s ghost comes haunting, and since she is the only one who can see him, refuses to leave until Everly solves the mystery of his death.

Will Everly bring a killer to justice? Or will the end of her story read, and she lived Haunted Everly After?

If you like plucky heroines, lovable characters, and ghost mysteries set in Maine, you’ll love this cozy, paranormal series.

Books in this series:
1. Ghost Mortem
2. Bargain Haunter
2.5. Found Haunting (a short story)
3. Christmas Presence
4. Ghost Haste
4.5. Teen Spirit
5. Fortune Haunter
6. Wedding Ghost
7. Ghostly Dead
8. Haunting Season
9. Ghost Writer

Pawsitively Smokin’ by MK Scott

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Pawsitively Smokin’ by MK Scott

Something’s burning. Nala, private investigator, and her crime solving dog, Max, stumble across signs of a possible arsonist while examining an insurance claim. The authorities refuse to take the dog cam video seriously, which, makes Nala only more determined to discover the identity of the arsonist.

An unwelcome roommate, a gun-toting opponent, plus a dog fashion show complicate her already chaotic life. What she needs is a crystal ball, a bullet is what she might get.

Can Nala and Max find the arsonist and make it to the dog fashion show in time?

Then There Were … Two Murders? by P.C. James

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Then There Were … Two Murders? by P.C. James

‘Then There Were … Two Murders?’ is the second book in the Miss Riddell Cozy Mystery series. It follows directly after ‘In the Beginning, There was a Murder’ where, at the end, Miss Riddell receives a letter asking for her help.

The letter is from an elderly widow living out in the English countryside. It’s winter 1953/54 and England is still suffering from the after-effects of WW2 and the costs of the ongoing Korean War. Miss Riddell goes to meet the woman, arrives at her house only to find her dead, suicide apparently.

She tells the police why she was invited by the woman — the woman thought her friend had been murdered months before. However, the police and coroner rule this death to be suicide and dismiss the idea the earlier old woman’s death was anything but natural causes.

Miss Riddell sets out to prove them wrong with her friend Poppy and the old lady’s dog, Jem. Unfortunately, like the police, Miss Riddell can find no conclusive evidence and her supporters give up. Her only hope in the end is to put herself in harm’s way and hope the murderer takes the bait.

In the Beginning, There Was a Murder: An Amateur Female Sleuth Historical Cozy Mystery by P.C. James

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In the Beginning, There Was a Murder: An Amateur Female Sleuth Historical Cozy Mystery by P.C. James

When her best friend is murdered, Pauline Riddell finds she must take the law into her own hands if she is to see justice done.

It’s northern England, 1953, rationing is still in place and the Cold War is heating up. Her fiancé is out in Korea, where thankfully that war is winding down, and she’s just setting out in adult life working at a local armament factory. She’s hard-up, everyone is, but Pauline can see better times ahead, a home, a family, a responsible job, and she’s preparing for that future. Then her friend, Marjorie, is stabbed to death.

At first, Pauline is only concerned with helping the police. She’s intelligent and resourceful but also inexperienced, just out of school and still believing the world runs in trustworthy ways.

Then she finds the police think they’ve caught her friend’s killer and they’re winding down the investigation. Pauline now realizes this is a world where you can’t always leave things to others, you have to get involved yourself. But, as she investigates and puts pressure on the police for more action, she finds the killer wants her out of the way and the police have come to suspect she killed her friend. Can she catch the killer before she either faces the same fate as Marjorie or is hanged for killing her?

Chasing Time by Thomas Reilly

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Chasing Time by Thomas Reilly

A time-bending adventure like no other! A Literary Titan Gold Award winner, Chasing Time takes the reader on a thrilling adventure as history professor Tony Lucas seeks to unravel clues from an ancient time-bending key in an effort to save his wife from the throes of a devastating and deadly disease. The story takes the classic medical drama, historical fiction, and fantasy genres, and turns them all completely on their heads. With its sharp, precise, and witty style, Chasing Time is an engaging, must-read story like nothing like you have read before.

Rock House Grill by D. V. Stone

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Rock House Grill by D. V. Stone

Aden House, successful but driven chef and TV personality, refuses to slow down. His life implodes one night, damaging him both physically and emotionally. He’s rescued by a woman he thinks of as his angel.
Shay McDowell has rebuilt her life after her divorce. She juggles volunteer EMT duties and her job, while dreaming of becoming a chef. She finds her way to Rock House Grill and back into the life of the man she helped save.
Can love be the ingredient needed to survive the many obstacles they face?

Late for the Wedding by MK Scott

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Late for the Wedding by MK Scott

The Senior Sleuths don’t mind a little peace now and then, but after a long bout of nothing out of the ordinary, they’re eager for some excitement.

No one could’ve imagined it would arrive with such a bang.

A mysterious explosion has rocked the assisted living community, disrupting life for everyone.

Despite the stern warnings from authorities, one of the Senior Sleuths can’t help but get involved. This is their home, after all.
Herman, always eager to root out the truth, ignores the warnings and hunts for answers. He’s convinced the explosion was a rouse to cover up something far more sinister. But the other seniors aren’t as eager to get involved. They’re focused on Marcy and Lance’s upcoming wedding.

Without his usual sidekicks, can Herman track down the bomber and a missing veteran who no one else remembers?

Frayed Ends by Sally J. Ling

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Frayed Ends by Sally J. Ling

Leaving her hectic job as a news producer in Washington, D.C., was never part of Randi Brooks’ plan, but when she learns of her parents’ tragic deaths, she has no choice but to rush home to Boca Raton, Florida. When she finds out their deaths weren’t accidental, things take a turn toward the dangerous. Toss in a fire and theft at the family-owned fabric store and upholstery shop and an unscrupulous real estate developer willing to do whatever it takes to get her property, and things become deadly.

To complicate matters more, a mysterious but handsome man living in the guest house and an attractive cop harboring a high school crush are both vying for Randi’s affection.

While Randi struggles to make some difficult decisions regarding her parents’ business, her job in D.C., and her conflicting feelings toward both men, the three of them must find out who murdered Randi’s parents before the killer strikes again.