cozy mystery

The Christmas Thief by Julie Carobini

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The Christmas Thief is book 1 of 3 in the Cottage Grove Mystery series (Print available for entire series only. Search Cottage Grove Mysteries).

There’s a thief in Cottage Grove, and Tasha’s a suspect. Not exactly the dream she’d had in mind when she moved into her rustic fixer-upper cottage.

Marc Shepherd wasn’t part of her plans either. The Stetson-wearing contractor moved in next door, kicking up dust and threatening to cut down a beloved pine that shaded Tasha’s cabin.

With Christmas around the bend, and a criminal threatening the community’s peace, will Tasha solve the puzzle … before it’s too late?

“A perfect holiday season escape.” ~ Amanda Flower, USA Today Bestselling Author

Targeted Age Group:: 18-65

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
This one actually began years ago after I'd written a few chapters of a romance and sent them to a publishing house. The editor at the time wrote back and asked, "Would you send the rest?"

I was thrilled. So while my little kids napped and played and wreaked general havoc – they're all young adults now! – I wrote the remaining chapters and sent them to the publisher. The book was rejected. Broke my heart, but I wrote another book – and that one was rejected, too. Sigh.

Eventually, I had my first sale, which led to many other book contracts. I never forgot about Tasha and Marc in the town of Cottage Grove, though. Admittedly, when I dusted off that original manuscript, I realized it needed work. So I called my mom, Elaine, a longtime mystery fan, and asked her to brainstorm with me. The result was The Christmas Thief.

The Mute of Pendywick Place and the Torn Page by Alydia Rackham

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London, November 3rd, 1881. A young woman slips through the curtains of fog down Pendy Corner, to the 26th house in the row. She vacillates at the gate. For past that sullen door, she must seek the help of the distinctively eccentric and impatient young language expert named Basil Collingwood. The fate of Europe, and indeed, the free peoples of the world, may depend upon getting him to understand her. The only trouble? She cannot speak a word.
Brace yourself for a heart-pounding, romantic romp through Victorian London, rivaling the best of Doyle and Dickens–for this is only the beginning of a series that will sweep you from the glittering pomp of Hampton Court, to the smoky slums of Shoreditch, up the stairs to 221B Baker Street, and to the murky waters of the River Thames, alongside brilliant, peculiar and outcast characters who find themselves at home within the walls of a sulking old brownstone wedged into a winding London lane: a house known by both Sherlock Holmes and the Queen of England simply as Pendywick Place.

Targeted Age Group:: young adult/adult

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I was an English major in college, and I adore British Literature, especially Austen, Dickens, Tolkien, and Doyle. I've loved Sherlock Holmes ever since I met him, my favorite book of all time is "A Christmas Carol," I get swept up in the intrigue and humor of all of Jane Austen's stories, and I so enjoy the rich mythology of Tolkien. I also grew up with the film "My Fair Lady," and had the honor of being in the theatrical production twice: first as Mrs. Higgins, then as Eliza Doolittle. "The Mute of Pendywick Place" is a hybrid of everything I love about British Literature, from the language to the history to intrigue to the humor. And especially the mysterious romance of it all. I love these misfit characters who inhabit this dour old house in the middle of Pendy Corner, and I know you will enjoy having tea and chasing along with them on their adventures as much as I do.

Sugar And Spice And Not So Nice by Janet McNulty

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Mellow Summers just wanted to go to college and get her film degree. She moved into a furnished apartment with her friend Jackie only to find that it already had a tenant: the ghost of a girl who was murdered a year earlier. Now it is up to Mellow to not only discover who the murderer is, but to prove it as well. With the help of the ghost Rachel, Mellow sets out to solve the year old mystery. She soon finds out that she may have taken on more than she can handle. Pursued by someone who wants the identity of the killer to remain a secret, Mellow will have to use all her resources to outwit him and help the spirit of Rachel move on.

Targeted Age Group:: 15-18+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I've always liked cozy mysteries and decided that it would be fun to write one myself. The idea for Mellow just popped into my head one day and I thought that it would be fun if she just happened to move into a haunted apartment with a ghost that has an energetic and flamboyant personality. It went with it and 15 books later, Mellow is still solving mysteries with a paranormal twist.

Featured Book: Murder in Seattle by Dianne Harman

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Wedding bells and murder. What a way to start a marriage!

What would you do if your sister’s husband of twelve hours was a suspect in connection with his rich Uncle Vinny’s murder? And the rich uncle just happened to be a member of the Mob?

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K-9 Cop Case #1 The Dreck Report by Erna Mueller

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K-9 Cop Case #1 The Dreck Report by Erna Mueller

Even after a lifetime of putting dangerous criminals behind bars, heartless cop Spencer needs to redeem himself before he may enter heaven. Only the J.R.P. (Jerk Redemption Program) can help him now. He’s sent back to earth in the body of his K-9 partner to help a troubled teenager and his dysfunctional family. Spencer also swallowed an important microchip his killers need to execute their evil plan. Can Spencer maul the shins (and other choice areas) of the criminals and stop them? Can a selfish man find a heart? You bet, he just has to become a dog first.

Escape to Osprey Cove by Luisa Marietta Gold

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The mystery begins with an unusual find in the secret compartment of Doug’s new Corvette. It will change his and Catherine’s life forever, forcing her to find escape at The Osprey Cove Lodge.

Targeted Age Group:: all audiences

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
The setting is the lovely Rideau Lake Region of Canada — an area close to my heart.

Featured Book: Dose Vidanya by Sam Cheever

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A death predicting cat, a cook with mad voodoo powers, and a trio of nosy sleuths who are determined to get to the bottom of the corpse in the library…some might say things couldn’t get any weirder. Some would be wrong.

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The Gingerbread House by Pamela Ackerson

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The Gingerbread House by Pamela Ackerson

The possibility of ever feeling like a woman again was a distant dream.

Since her husband’s death, Tricia Adams had been fighting to keep a roof over their heads. With the help of the Grandmothers Four, she’d finally gotten everything under control. She was happier and more comfortable than she’d been in years.

When Carol’s son, Eric Elliott, agreed to help renovate the guest house, she soon learned she was missing something in her life.

However, the dashing and handsome man held a bowl full of secrets and complications, and falling in love was not on her to-do list.

Dog Park Romeo by M K Scott

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Dog Park Romeo by M K Scott

Nala and Max think they’re ready for anything, but when a smooth-talking charmer sets his sights on unsuspecting women and their hard-earned cash, Nala discovers she may be in over her head.

With overzealous friends and family eager to help, her former crush in need of her assistance, and the Dog Park Romeo a step ahead of everyone, it will be up to her to keep everyone in line and not lose sight of the goal. That proves more difficult than she anticipated when she learns what her former crush wants her to do for him.

Decoys, sting operations, foibles, mishaps, and affairs of the heart are only the beginning of what happens when good intentions turn bad.

Can Nala rein in the madness and prove she has the skills to bring an elusive thief to justice?

Organized for Homicide by Ritter Ames

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Organized for Homicide by Ritter Ames

Who Knew planning a cross-country move could be so deadly…?

Organization expert Kate McKenzie is looking forward to her newest contract: organize the cross-country move for a divorced father and his two children. But when a dead body turns up, Kate’s carefully organized plans are thrown into chaos. Was it an accident? Or murder? Kate aims to find out when the victim’s teenage daughter becomes the police’s lead suspect. While the police follow the chain of evidence, Kate follows her gut, leading her on a dangerous investigation that could result in more than one death if she doesn’t watch her step…

Organized for Homicide is the second title in the popular Organized Mysteries series from USA TODAY bestselling author Ritter Ames, which features a small town New England setting and interesting characters, along with humor, strong family and friendship ties, and absorbing cozy mysteries.