Cozy Crime Fiction

Texas transplant Pru Parke has put down roots in England, but she never dreamed she'd live in a grand place such as Greenoak. When her former employers offer Pru and her new husband, former Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse, the use of their 19th-century estate while they're away for a year, she jumps at the chance. Sweetening the deal is the prospect of further bonding with her long-lost brother, Simon, who happens to be Greenoak's head gardener. But the majestic manor has at least one skeleton in its closet.

Seven people might have murdered Eric Crowther, the mysterious recluse who lived in the gaunt house whose shadow fell across the White Cottage. Seven people had good cause. It was not lack of evidence that sent Detective Chief Inspector Challenor and his son Jerry half across Europe to unravel a chaos of clues. The White Cottage Mystery was Margery Allingham's first detective story, published initially as a newspaper serial.

A Cupcakes-and-Crime Caper When an organized crime syndicate decides to come after Tiffany and Rosie, the duo must act quickly to ensure the safety of their loved ones. But when a syndicate employee attempting to help Tiffany is found dead, she insists on getting to the bottom of it all. Can Tiffany, Stone and Rosie handle these dangerous criminals? Will this be their last investigation? Praise for A.R. Winters: "The perfect balance of being lighthearted, but still a serious page-turning mystery." - Jaycie D, Amazon.com "A fun cozy mystery with engaging and entertaining characters" - lq, ...

“If you enjoy Death in Paradise or Midsomer Murders, you’ll love this series.” Amazon Reviewer Ancient treasure. A devious woman. A disgruntled client. While researching his ancestry, Matt discovers a link to the Mediterranean that he can’t ignore, and Elena’s determined to help him unravel the ancient mystery. Working in a shop isn’t Rosie Fisher’s only job. But can she hide her sleazy secret from her boyfriend? And when Rosie decides to act on an overheard conversation, will it change her life for the better or worse? A tsunami brings the secrets from the past right into the...

A pair of murders, a little romance, and rivals in pursuit of a long-lost vintage car of unfathomable value - Bruno, chief of police, is busy in another mystery set in the beautiful Dordogne. At an annual fete in St. Denis, Bruno's biggest worry is surviving in the rally race. The rally and a classic car parade are new to the festivities and draw a spate of outsiders with deep pockets, big-city egos, and, in the case of a young Englishman, an intriguing story. It's the tale of a Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic, lost somewhere in Southern France during World War II.

I thought judging the Willow Waters garden contest would be fun. A nice way to get to know a few more of my neighbors in this beautiful Cotswold village. I’d get to see how the best gardens grew, maybe even nab a few tips for my own garden. I did not expect the competition to be to the death.

Delaney Nichols has settled so comfortably into her new life in Edinburgh that she truly feels it's become more home than her once beloved Kansas. Her job at the Cracked Spine, a bookshop that specializes in rare manuscripts as well as other sundry valuable historical objects, is everything she had dreamed. Her latest task includes a trip to Castle Doune to retrieve a hard-to-find edition of an old Scottish comic, an "Oor Wullie", in a cloak-and-dagger transaction that Edwin has orchestrated.

It’s love at first sight when Penelope Kite sees Le Chant d’Eau - The Song of Water - the stone farmhouse tucked high in the hills above the Luberon valley. For years, Penelope put her unfaithful ex-husband and her ungrateful stepchildren first. Now, she’s going to start living for herself. Though her dream house needs major renovations, Penelope impulsively buys the property and moves to St. Merlot. But Penelope’s daydreams of an adventurous life in Provence didn’t include finding a corpse floating face down in her swimming pool.

Kevin, Meg's cyber-savvy nephew who lives in the basement, comes to her with a problem. He's become involved as the techie for a true-crime podcast, one that focuses on Virginia cold cases and unsolved crimes. And he thinks their podcast has hit a nerve with someone...one of the podcast team has had a brush with death that Kevin thinks was an attempted murder, not an accident. Kevin rather sheepishly asks for Meg's help in checking out the people involved in a couple of the cases.

Question: What does a dead Kornville councilman, a nationally televised baking competition, and thousands of missing dollars have in common? Answer: Tabitha Clive! Amateur sleuth and baker extraordinaire Tabitha Clive must save Kornville’s new Mayor’s reputation before it is too late. The year is 1966 and Abigail Clive is doing an excellent job as the newly appointed mayor of Kornville, Nebraska. Well, it was going well until her harshest critic turns up dead. To make matters worse, money is missing from the town’s road improvement account, and no one knows where it has gone. Among ...

The Adelphi Theatre is about to close its doors for the last time when Howard Greenwood’s lifeless form is found on the floor of his dressing room shrouded in long-stemmed red roses. Was this the act of a killer looking to ridicule the celebrated actor or did it reflect a darker connotation for his murder? DCI Fitzjohn questions the significance of the roses as layer upon layer of Howard’s life unfolds to reveal a man fixated on revenge for his wife’s death and a predator who will stop at nothing to hide the truth. Meanwhile, Constance Parsons, bookshop owner and ghost writer of ...

It’s spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge. But something has. As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried. A young man and woman have reappeared in the Sûreté du Québec investigators’ lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they’ve arrived in the village of Three Pines. But to what end?

Brian Branigan was the victim in Twelfth Grade of a false sexual molestation allegation by his younger step-sister. Those lies resulted in Brian being kicked out of his home and banished from the family he loved. Now eleven years later Brian is again being framed. He is arrested and charged with theft from the auto parts store where he had just begun work and the evidence pointing to him is damning. Brian hires a young female attorney with only six weeks of experience to help him. Will "Lady Injustice" once again torment Brian and prevent him from proving his innocence? ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ...

A body in the back of a taxi begins an elegantly constructed mystery, perhaps the finest of Marsh’s 1930s novels. The season had begun. Débutantes and chaperones were planning their luncheons, teas, dinners, balls. And the blackmailer was planning his strategies, stalking his next victim. But Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn knew that something was up. He had already planted his friend, Lord Robert Gospell, at the scene. But someone else got there first....

Opening her shop Cashmere Crush and making a new home for herself, her son Brody, Gramps, and their black Scottish terrier Wallace in the beautiful Scottish village of Nairn, is a dream come true. So Paislee is happy to give back by donating a luxurious cashmere sweater for an auction to raise money for the Nairn Food Bank. She's less happy to make the acquaintance of a clique of competitive moms at the charity event, who treat a baking contest like it's life or death. It turns out to be the latter for queen bee Kirsten Buchanan.

When Cherringham choir stalwart Arthur Chisholm is robbed in the dead of night, ending up in hospital, it seems he's just the victim of bad luck. Bad timing too, since he will now miss the choir's special holiday performance of Handel's Messiah - to be performed with scores of other local choirs, in London's Royal Albert Hall. But as more of their fellow choir members are burgled, Jack and Sarah realise these crimes are no coincidence.

Jules Capshaw is trying to keep her cool as Torte gets set to make its transformation from quaint, local confectionary cafe to royal pastry palace. Meanwhile, Jules's estranged husband, Carlos, is making a desperate plea for her to come aboard his cruise ship and dazzle everyone with her signature sweets. She may be skeptical about returning to her former nautical life with Carlos, but Jules can't resist an all-expense-paid trip, either. If only she knew that a dead body would find its way onto the itinerary....

Kosuke Kindaichi arrives on the remote Gokumon Island bearing tragic news—the son of one of the island’s most important families has died, on a troop transport ship bringing him back home after the Second World War. But Kindaichi has not come merely as a messenger—with his last words, the dying man warned that his three step-sisters’ lives would now be in danger. The scruffy detective is determined to get to the bottom of this mysterious prophesy, and to protect the three women if he can.

When famed mystery author Imelda Bywater turns up dead during her annual seaside writing retreat, recently retired police detective Mike Atwell can't resist the chance to solve one more case. Teaming up with his quirky ex-wife, Sharon, and genius teen hacker, Dexter, Mike finds himself pulled into the glitzy world of writers, agents, and obsessive fans on the hunt for Imelda's killer. Everyone's a suspect—from Imelda's cuckolded publisher husband, the kooky married writers next door, and even the arrogant guest upstairs. The list keeps growing as secrets and lies unravel.

"A riveting, charming book with exceptional and distinctive characters." Readers Favorite A chance meeting. A Mediterranean island. A dead body. When damaged ex-detective Matt Elliott stops to help a stranger in the drizzly English weather it’s the catalyst for changes in his life he could never have imagined. Elena Lacey accepts Matt’s help and her safe, predictable future is thrown upside down. Neither of them knows what new beginnings are signalled on the beautiful island of Souvia, especially their association with a crime borne out of passion, revenge, and jealousy. New Beginnings ...