Detective Mysteries Humor

SWITCH BACK is a novella (about 1/3 of a full-length novel, about 4-5 times longer than a short story) and takes place prior to BOARD STIFF (Elliott Lisbon Mystery #1). After inheriting an entire town, Ballantyne Foundation Director, Elliott Lisbon, travels to Texas to thank them. She quickly learns they don’t want her gratitude, they want their town back. And they’re willing to kill for it. Trapped in a small town full of big suspects, Elliott must unlock their secrets, or she’ll never get out alive. Now doesn’t that sound like fun? Read the whole series and gets even better. - - -...

Classic Movies, Ghostly Mischief, and Murder! Nora Paige is settling into her new life as manager of the Palace movie theater. She only has a few things to worry about. Like keeping the theater safely out of the clutches of an evil real estate developer, dealing with her staff of movie-obsessed misfits and their daily meltdowns, and hiding the fact that her new best friend Trixie is the ghost of an usherette who died in 1937. It would also be helpful if she could figure out whether she wants to take her charming-but-cheating husband back. But when someone close to the Palace is murdered, ...

Aspiring P.I. Geri Sullivan's new case has got her talking Chihuahua, Pepe, hot under the collar. Wealthy widow Lucille Carpenter left her entire fortune to her beloved dogs, and someone is trying to poison them. Anyone who would hurt a perro is lower than a cucaracha in Pepe's book. But when Geri and Pepe investigate, they discover that it's not just the coddled canines who are in danger. Now there are human targets too.

Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she's cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel. In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide.

Having delivered a particularly stirring speech at his recently deceased colleague's funeral, Monsieur Pamplemousse is more than a little disturbed when the coffin explodes during the ceremony. Luckily, his faithful hound Pommes Frites gave out a warning cry just in time, so there were no casualties. But, who exactly is behind this explosion? And was the same person responsible for his late co-worker's demise?

Disappearing wasn’t going to be enough…they needed a plan…some answers…and a safe place where they couldn’t be found…and time to figure out what to do next….and why their pursuers are interested in Harper’s father. With only moments to spare, Jackson Riley knows that taking the elevators to the ground floor of the hotel isn’t their optimal escape route. But as always he’s prepared. But nothing could prepare him for the information that was unexpectedly obtained during his and Landon’s escape.It’s the middle of the twenty-third century and while there have been ...

After Tatiana and baby Abram are kidnapped, the werewolf pack is thrown into disarray. With the others clueless, Karina and Jack, with help from Babushka, are determined to find the two missing pack members. However, Karina and Jack also have paying investigations coming out of their ears, including some dangerous ones that involve the pursuit of serial killers. Additionally, a ghost from Babushka’s past is haunting the art studio in the packhouse. Is he trying to tell them something? If so, what? As the hunt for the two pack members continues, Karina uncovers evidence of venomous ...

The rolling pin points to murder, and Olivia Marx is the only one who sees it. In the quaint town of Whispering Falls, it's a fine line between cookie dough and crime scenes. Olivia Marx, puzzle enthusiast and reluctant detective, finds her cozy life flipped upside down. When the town's beloved baker, Ben, is found dead, Olivia dives into a web of confectionery conspiracies. Too bad Detective Ethan Blackwell insists she leave it to the pros. Crumbs of evidence present more questions than answers. Every resident seems suspicious, including Olivia herself, and secrets are as common as ...

The accidental witch, a job interview to die for—or rather, a test that could get you killed. FREE on Kindle Unlimited! In book one of an exciting new paranormal series, author Lotta Smith introduces accidental witch Fiorentina “Fio” Valentine. The Napa Valley native is desperately seeking work after yet another job goes up in smoke. Her third employer in a row has gone out of business, and her only lead for gainful employment comes from the familiar voice of her late great grandma Jane, who tells Fio in a dream to seek a position at one of the country’s largest real estate agencies...

Hanover Elementary is not your average school. The milk cartons whisper advice. The pencil sharpener leaks secrets. And the cafeteria meatballs occasionally move on their own. Tommy Tiddleton was just trying to survive another weird Wednesday when he stumbled upon the first clue: a glowing sandwich bag marked “DO NOT OPEN.” Naturally, he opened it. Now, with the help of his best friends—Dev the skeptic, Blister the chaos enthusiast, and Miss Sheila the world’s most suspicious lunch lady—Tommy must navigate a bizarre underground archive, a sentient gravy spill, memory-erasing tacos...

Mr. Chickee, the genial blind man in the neighborhood, gives nine-year-old Steven a mysterious bill with 15 zeros on it and the image of a familiar but startling face. Could it be a quadrillion dollar bill? Could it be real? Well, Agent Fondoo of the U.S. Treasury Department and his team of Secret Government Agents are determined to get that money back! But Steven and his best friends, Russell and Zoopy the giant dog, are more than a match for the Feds.

A murder in a locked room… A faceless ghost… Throw in a cross-dressing detective-savant plus his assistant extraordinaire in this new mystery series! A high profile murder calls for a high profile detective. When the famous Sushi Czar is found dead in a room that’s locked from the inside, the evidence just doesn’t add up. Of course, a killer ghost is no match for the deductive skills of Michael Archangel. The fabulous cross-dressing former FBI agent can rock a set of sky high stilettos and assemble clues like puzzle pieces, but can he actually prove a ghost committed murder? Only ...

When a dead body is found in a Irish pub, only a former chef turned amateur detective can unravel the case and its link to a fabled pot of gold. In Tempest, where mysteries are as frequent as microwavable dinners, Guy Vanduex is occupied with running an Irish pub and prepping a fresh menu for St. Patrick’s Day—quite a shift from his usual knack for solving murder mysteries. But his life is turned upside down when a former FBI agent accuses him of being involved in the very cases he’s helped solve. When this agent is found dead, Guy becomes the prime suspect. With a shepherd’s pie as...

Detective Felix finds himself pulled into another unsolved and disrespected crime. An explosion at the phonebook factory leads Agent Leonidas, Rabbit, Retired Furry Bureau of Investigations, and Detective Felix down a rabbit hole. No pun intended, unless it's funny. Who would destroy perfectly good shreddable phonebooks? Better question, why are six Agents from the FBI investigating and not making arrests? More importantly, what's today's Special at the Fast Through Pass Through Diner? You can't solve mysterious criminaling activities if you've got the low blood sugars. Felix will need all ...

It's a race against the oven timer as a culinary detective grapples with a genuine murder at a staged murder mystery party. In the charming town of Tempest, the Murder Mystery Dinner Party is more than just a social gathering. It's an event that stirs the town's imagination, a game of pretend where guests get a chance to play detective. But when Michael Sloss, the overdramatic host, fears his role may turn from make-believe to all too real, he calls upon a quirky detective—Guy Vanduex, a former chef turned private investigator. Vanduex is no ordinary sleuth. With his culinary background, ...

A festival of music, mushrooms, and murder. Two detectives who couldn’t be more out of place—or out of sync. The last thing Detectives Flynt and Steele expected when they were sent to a sun-soaked California music festival was to investigate a brutal murder. But when a vendor is found stabbed in the back amidst the swirling crowd of festival-goers, it’s clear that something far darker is happening beneath the haze of peace, love, and rock ‘n’ roll. The vendor wasn’t just any festival regular—he had deep ties to a local polygamist community, where multiple wives may hold ...

When Emlyn Goode’s mother returns to Niagara Falls for a high school reunion, so does murder. During the reunion, a woman’s body is found in the ladies room. Is this killing connected to one that occurred 40 years before in the woods below the town of Lewiston? Harry Woodward, a young police officer working his first murder case suspected Emlyn’s mother of the crime, although there wasn’t enough evidence to arrest her. Home from a year-long leave, Harry—now the Niagara Falls Chief of Detectives—together with Emlyn’s friend, Detective Roger Frey, investigates the latest killing...

A desperate voyage across the galaxy to save the human race... What could go wrong? "Like Hitchhiker's Guide... but they have no Guide!" "What's crazier than Alice jumping down the rabbit hole? Zaggar and Robbins' journey through a Wormhole! "Full of original ideas!" Will Ziegfeld Zaggar and his reluctant sidekick, Jack Robbins, finally get a few minutes to relax after their journey across parallel worlds trying to save the Multiverse from a bad case of accelerated entropy? Or will they be interrupted by a dirty rotten alien invasion? In their second outing, our mismatched duo will be ...

It’s beginning to look a lot like arson this Christmas season… The Cat Café is buzzing with excitement this holiday season as they prepare for the Holiday Fur Ball & Silent Auction. As Tinsley and her crew put the finishing touches on the treats and decorations, she can’t help but daydream about the new animal shelter she hopes to build with the money from the auction. The excitement soon fizzles, however, when a fire breaks out at the café with the fur babies inside. Thankfully, they’re rescued by firefighters and all safe and sound. But everyone at the Cat Café is shocked when ...

I’m Honorio, a noble cat. No brag, just fact. On vacation in a mysterious part of France with pink swamps, wild and free white horses and a wandering ghostly salt-marsh woman. My eccentric “owner,” her two devoted friends, and I, are eye-witnesses to a sudden and shocking murder! Was it murder? It was there in the room of this terribly tragic-looking, twisted, creepy mask that some archaeologists unearthed and maybe should not have. The detective in me that I was . . . that I am . . .moves into action. I detect a number of quirky people who are suspicious, if not downright fishy—...