Short Cozy Mysteries

They say chocolate is irresistible... this time it's deadly. When Savannah Stanton arrives in Spring Grove to help her cousin Holly run the family bakery, she's looking for a fresh start, not a fresh crime scene. But after a prominent charity board member drops dead at a gala event—right after eating one of Holly's cupcakes—both the bakery's reputation and Holly's freedom are at risk. As suspicions swirl around Sweet Springs Bakery, Savannah finds herself drawn into a web of small-town secrets, suspicious financial dealings, and long-buried scandals. With help from the handsome but ...

Inspired by vintage Film Noir and Alfred Hitchcock, enjoy this eclectic collection of short stories regarding clumsy attempts at retribution or retaliation, also known as a bit of comeuppance. Come on, everybody has that urge now and then. BTW: resemblance of these characters to ANY colleagues of friends (past or present) is PURELY coincidental! (No, really!). Stories include: OFF THE BEATEN PATH: A bickering couple and a robbery that goes from bad to worse . . . to unexpected. LIVING DOLL(Badgers and Colors): A little girl, a doll who looks like her and people who don’t seem to notice ...

Travel back to Chicago in the 1970s and 1980s and step into the lives of… A handsome and determined Private Investigator protected by a rather unique spirit guide. A smart and beautiful Medical Examiner who won’t give up until she uncovers the deadly truth. A family of pizza baking mobsters who will stop at nothing to defend their criminal empire. A short read cozy filled with mystery, romance, and a touch of magic. This is the story of Paul Madison PI, an idealistic cop turned private investigator. He will not rest until he figures out the real reason so many “accidents” are ...

Abi attends a murder mystery play and dinner at a local hotel with friends and family but the evening soon takes on a real sinister turn when one of the actors is found sprawled on the floor backstage. With a blizzard raging outside, it could take a while for the emergency services to battle through the weather to reach the hotel, so Abi dives into investigating what happened, why and who caused things to take such a deadly turn. As the snow falls and the story unfolds, Abi is soon unravelling a true mystery. With a bunch of convincing actors to question, will she be able to decipher who is...

***USA TODAY BESTSELLER AUTHOR*** “Carpe Bead'em is fun with a capital F. It's sad, funny, inspiring, quirky, and great chick lit! It shows that you never know what's round the corner, and anything's possible if you just take a chance on life! Perfect summer reading.” Bestselling author, Sibel Hodge “I loved how Tonya Kappes was able to bring her characters to life.” Coffee Table Reviews “I loved this book. Grandberry Falls is my kind of town and I for one would love to live there and get to know all the local folks. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read the next book...

When Santa’s visit to the Gulch is called off due to a bad storm Butterscotch Jones has to step in and save Ricky’s Christmas. While Butterscotch is busy in Manitoba, Miss Henry is in Quebec. She is trying to drum up some Christmas spirit while hunting for a missing lawyer. Nicodemus Smith has her hands full tracking down a lost philanthropist who fancies himself to be Santa Claus, and Jane Blackthorn is going her best to cope with a plum pudding thief who is vexing her first Christmas in merry olde England. While Kenneth Mayhew tries to restore order at the Mayhem Mansion revels, Chloe...

Terry Davenport is new to the job as Walkerville's chief of police, but he takes his position seriously - even though very few things of note happen in the small hamlet. Walkerville may be boring, but Terry's personal life is anything but. When termites infest his house, Terry has no choice but to check into a local inn while his home is being tented. He chooses the Winchesters' bed and breakfast, of course, and he's hoping for good food and a modicum of entertainment from the young girls he loves so much.

A phone call from Belfast shatters Isobel McKenzie’s sleep and her peace. Her nephew, Jack, is safe but two of his friends from Queen’s University are not. Michael is dead and Charlene is in a coma. Isobel leaves for Belfast immediately. The PSNI suspect theft as the motive for the crime but, as Isobel and Jack investigate, they uncover other possible motives: an online bully, a drug connection and ultimately a web of organised crime. A cross-border drug task force is set up and, amidst politics and talk of corruption, the case becomes more and more complicated. Help arrives from London...

Everyone has a story…and a dream. Patricia didn’t trust easily. Her ex-husband had taught her all the reasons not to. But Daine didn’t give up easily. Andrew wanted to make certain his granddaughter was happy with her life…then his daughter showed up. Jillian was determined to learn more about her family’s history and the mystery surrounding the woman in the painting at Daine’s house…she didn’t count on Nic being just as interested in it as she was. Hannah couldn’t be happier with her new husband…or so she thought. Livy was thrilled with her and Patricia’s business ...

Lieutenant Ethan Hendricks’ greatest nightmare just also happens to be his grandfather’s newest business venture. Logan Hendricks is thrilled about his brand new detective agency’s first case, but things weren’t turning out the way they were supposed to, including the attempted murder of one of his brand new employees. But he figures their next case, which involves finding a missing sister, should go a lot smoother. How dangerous could it be? Ethan Hendricks wasn’t quite as confident about his grandfather’s new hobby, or that the supposedly straight-forward case of a missing ...

The Premier No.1 Garage is the place to go in Mumbai if you want a luxury car. Even Mumbai's biggest gangster shops there - he's just ordered a classic race car worth millions. But now the car is gone. Stolen from a locked room in the middle of the night. Who stole it? The mechanic who is addicted to gambling? The angry ex-worker? The car thief pulling off one last job? And how on earth did they make it vanish from the locked garage? Inspector Chopra has just days to find the culprit - and the missing car - before its gangster owner finds out...and takes violent revenge.

When a local group home for orphaned children goes up in smoke right before the holidays, Tillie Winchester volunteers her family to take in some kids - even though her arch nemesis Margaret Little is dead-set against it. Three boys - all of them with a little attitude - have no idea what to expect from the Winchester household. Tillie is determined to prove the boys are innocent while also finding them a forever home...even if she has to take on a local judge and declare all-out war.

Five thrilling tales of mystery, mayhem, and murder from an exceptional quintet of Edgar, CWA Dagger, and National Book Award winners.

Hazel Arnold's mother has a strong sense of what is proper for a woman of the Arnolds' financial stature and is determined that Hazel marry a man she despises. This sets Hazel on a quest to prove the man is not who he appears to be. She enlists the help of her family's handsome chauffeur and her lady's maid. Her search takes her along a path of lies and deceit, resulting in death and destruction. Still, at the end of her quest, Hazel finds something worth much more than proving her mother wrong.

When Tabitha Clive is on the case, nothing stays hidden for long. Question: What does a rusty old tin box, peach cobbler and a dead ex-boyfriend all have in common? Answer: Tabitha Clive! When the citizens of her hometown of Kornville, Nebraska, are shocked by a murder, amateur sleuth and part time reporter Tabitha Clive takes it upon herself to investigate. Tabitha’s case proves more complicated than she anticipated. She must deal with a strange cast of characters, from a suspicious new farmhand to a rude baker with a shady past. With each new twist and turn, the mystery deepens, and the...

Middle-aged Meredith’s husband is getting on her last nerve! Suddenly being an empty nester and getting a mysterious postcard has left her wondering what’s next for her. But, it’s hard to focus on her own troubles when something weird is going on next door. Is her latest bad dream a clue to follow or just the result of too much Law & Order?Note: This is a short story prequel to Brownies & Betrayal in the Merryville Mystery series. This story stands alone and can be read before or after other books in the series.

SWEET REVENGE - COZY MYSTERY SERIES - SHORT READ If beauty had a name, it would be Anna Townsend. Adopted in Korea by an American couple and brought to the United States, Anna was forever grateful for a privileged lifestyle and family who promised her the world. As she blossomed as a sweet child into a beautiful and talented teenager, she always wondered if more was expected of her. On that fateful day of her 20th birthday party, the man who adopted her was murdered. The only person she could turn to was Father Eli.

In the charming town of Pinewood Hollow, the stakes are high as two rival bakers, Francine Hayes and Olivia Barlow, face off in a dessert duel. But when Olivia collapses in the middle of the competition and dies under suspicious circumstances, all eyes turn to Francine. Did bitter rivalry push Francine to murder? Or is there something even more sinister at play? Violet “Vi” Dumont, bakery and craft shop owner, and her clever cat Muffin are on the case. As Vi and Detective Marcus Reed dig into the history of the bakers’ feud, they uncover a tangled web of secrets, betrayals, and old ...

A short read paranormal cozy mystery with a touch of later in life romance. Take a… Newly married couple looking to peacefully begin their happily ever after. Quaint small town where shovels glow in the dark and angry witch’s like to dig up trouble. Mix in… A whinny witch who wants what she wants and doesn’t care who gets hurt. A race to find a secret journal filled with dangerous curses and spells. Unfinished business between two quarreling strong-willed sisters. And You’ve Got… Alice and Preston caught in the middle of Glenda and Polly’s bitter battle as magical spells and ...

She bought the cabin on a whim. But will it transform into her perfect getaway? Burnt out from her high-flying author career and dreaming of escaping her busy Manhattan life, when Laura discovers her husband cheating on her with another writer, she knows it’s time for a change. After her brother calls her about a country Bed and Breakfast for sale, Laura ditches New York and buys it on the spot… only to realize that the run-down cabin will need more than a little elbow grease to restore it to working condition. As she’s swept up in the quiet joys of small-town life, an ad in the local...