women sleuths

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?

Featured Book: The Bullhead Murders by Michael Allan Scott

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Four unsolved murders in six months, a record for the riverside community of Bullhead City. Police call in a shy psychic. Jena both charms and baffles the lieutenant. Her methods of discovery, unique. But it’s far from over and she’s hard to forget. In the end, there’s a dark surprise.
The Bullhead Murders is the first Jena Halpern novel in an intriguing new Thriller series, a fresh read for fans of L.T. Ryan’s Cassie Quinn Mysteries, along with L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain, Jeffery Deaver, Lisa Gardner, Gregg Olsen, and Angela Marsons.
Eyes in the sky, she sees. Head in the clouds, she searches. Feet on the ground, she answers the call—Jena Halpern, the reluctant police consultant.

Buy The Bullhead Murders Here

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Featured Book: When Murder Comes Home by Shana Frost

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Get the free starter novel to Aileen and Callan Murder Mysteries…

Drawing out his gun, he pushed open the door. A dark abyss glared back.
He took out his torch and flashed it around…
Callan’s broad shoulders slumped, and he let out a breath between clenched teeth. Death had dipped its claws into Dachaigh again.

Ten guests, two murders, one inn. Who is responsible?
 
Aileen Mackinnon ditched spreadsheets and a steady salary for the adventurous shores of Loch Fuar in the Scottish Highlands.
 
Now she’s an amateur innkeeper to ten guests. But when one is murdered in his bed and an heirloom goes missing, can Aileen save the inn?
 
DI Callan Cameron won’t have her nosing about, but with another body he has little choice in the matter.
 
Tension sizzles as Aileen and Callan step into a world of murders, deceit and heists. They might not always see eye to eye, but can they agree whodunnit?

If books by Jullian Scott, Paul Austin Ardoin, DK Hood and Fiona Grace keep you up all night, When Murder Comes Home is the perfect puzzling mystery for you!

What readers are saying about this book:

“Shana Frost spools a great whodunnit with fun characters in When Murder Comes Home!”
-Joshua Grant, Bestselling Author and the Diabolic Shrimp 

“This makes for the perfect weekend read!”
-Mia Counts Lynch, Bookbub Reviewer

“I felt like I was part of the story. I could not put the book down.”
-Eileen Townsend, Goodreads Reviewer

Buy When Murder Comes Home Here

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Prestige, Privilege & Murder by Christa Nardi

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A divorce decree is made null and void by murder.

Stacie Maroni, HR specialist and trauma counselor, isn’t prepared for the murder of her estranged husband. His death and custody of their Maltese, Jasper, barely sink in and someone is after her. Her in-laws and her husband’s law firm strive to keep up the pretense that all is above reproach and idyllic.

As she goes through her husband’s effects, Stacie discovers possible motives for his murder. Unfortunately, neither she nor the police know why someone is after her. Whatever the true motive may be, it soon becomes clear that Stacie might be the next victim.

Can she sort it out with Jasper by her side? Mystery with a side of romance and new beginnings.

Targeted Age Group:: Adults

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I enjoy reading mysteries and writing mysteries. This book (and series) resonates with my work as a mental health professional as well as life changes like divorce or death of a loved one.

A Murder for Christmas by P.C. James

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A Murder for Christmas by P.C. James

A Murder for Christmas is the third in the popular Miss Riddell Cozy Mysteries series.

Miss Riddell has returned to her parents’ home to nurse her sick mother. It’s Christmas 1962, northern England, and the worst winter for decades. If that isn’t bad enough, there’s a crime spree in the village, a forged will that will bring ruin to the neighborhood, and her first love, a roguish cousin, has just been murdered.

Can Miss Riddell solve the mysterious crime wave before she becomes one of its victims?

Gemini Rising (Mischievous Malamute Series, Book 1) by Harley Christensen

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Gemini Rising (Mischievous Malamute Series, Book 1) by Harley Christensen

There’s a body in your alley…

Arianna Jackson—AJ to her friends—and her occasionally well-behaved Alaskan Malamute, Nicoh, live a normal, uneventful, admittedly mundane existence, where nothing out of the ordinary ever happens.Until it does.Early one morning, AJ stumbles upon a horrifying scene—a girl’s body lies broken in the dumpster behind her home, her face beaten and mutilated.

A secret reveals you’re living a lie…

As if that weren’t enough to upset the balance of normal, things go from bad to worse when she learns of her connection to the murdered girl. Suddenly, AJ realizes her entire life has been filled with secrets and lies.

A killer hunts for you…

Together with her trusty sidekick, Nicoh, and BFF, Leah, AJ must search for answers. But can she, when finding the truth proves to be more deadly than living the lie?

Would you search for the truth if you knew it could kill you?

Join AJ and her pals as they race to unravel the mystery of her past, where the pieces of the puzzle bring more questions than answers and the only certainty is the killer’s end game—AJ’s life.

Find your truth…

Grab your copy of Gemini Rising TODAY and join others who’ve enjoyed this suspense-filled page-turner that keeps you guessing to the end…and beyond.

The Reluctant Coroner by Paul Austin Ardoin

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The Reluctant Coroner by Paul Austin Ardoin

Blood is thicker than oil—until murder is involved.

Fenway Stevenson doesn’t want to return to the coastal town where her estranged father is practically king. But the death of her mother draws her back home—and the murder of the county coroner draws her into a deepening conspiracy. As the body count rises and all signs seem to point toward her father’s oil company, will Fenway uncover the truth before family bonds become deadly?

Profit and Loss by Kelly Wood

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He proposed. She ran. Right into a murder.

Regan Harris lives her life full of adventure and fun, but when her long-time love pops the question, she panics. Seeking friends and some advice, Regan runs to Chicago only to walk into a murder investigation, intrigue, and her ex-boyfriend. The one who broke her heart and soul.

Torn between her old love and her new one, Regan throws herself into the murder investigation. With her emotions riding high and blinded by friends and love, Regan finds herself in the sights of the killer.

Caught between love, friends, and murder, who will she choose? And will she solve the mystery before her time runs out?

Profit and Loss is the first book in Kelly Wood’s Regan Harris Romantic Mystery Series. If you like Sara Rosett and Cee Cee James then you’ll love this light-heart and humorous romantic mystery!

Read now to follow Regan on her first adventure!

Targeted Age Group:: 25-60

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I loved writing as a kid and making up stories. On an adventure with my husband I finally had the time. We'd taken a year off to backpack around Central America. While my husband worked on his computer, I started the first book. It was such an exciting time!

Danger Music by Jacqueline Diamond

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Her quirky assignment: solve a famous cold-case mystery for a magazine article. Then the killer reawakens.

Offbeat writer Kenny Rubin lands a freelance job to figure out who killed actress Melinda Rivers five years earlier. And she’s supposed to do it before the airing of a TV movie on the same subject.

Many of the people involved in the filming knew Melinda, and one might be the murderer. As Kenny investigates, people start dying around her. Will she be next?

She has another tough challenge: bipolar disorder makes her perceptions unreliable. Will she recognize the killer before she plays right into his hands?

Alreaders.com said: “The story line is fast-paced … a wonderful Hollywood mystery.” Jacqueline Diamond, the USA Today bestselling author of the Safe Harbor Medical Mysteries, is a former Associated Press news and entertainment reporter in Los Angeles.

Targeted Age Group:: General adult

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
My experiences as a reporter and TV columnist for The Associated Press in Los Angeles provided a wealth of background for Danger Music. The choice of a heroine with bipolar disorder sprang from my relationship with a close friend who struggled with this condition.