Short Cozy Mysteries

Despite growing up in poverty, Pierre Lachance made it to law school where he developed an intense dislike of money and those snobs who had lots of it. When his government legal job in Northern Ontario is eliminated, Pierre heads south to start a new life. After rescuing a wealthy stranded motorist and his dog in a wicked snowstorm, Pierre is asked to use his real estate expertise and go undercover to investigate some property holdings in Dallas, Texas. That plunges Pierre into an intriguing financial mystery. As luck would have it, Pierre also meets a dazzling but wealthy beauty in Dallas....

A casual glance out his apartment window turns Magician Eli Marks’ life upside down. After spotting a dead body in the projection booth of the movie theater next door, Eli is pulled into the hunt for the killer. As he attempts to puzzle out a solution to this classic locked room mystery, he must deal with a crisis of a more personal nature: the appearance of a rival magician who threatens not only Eli’s faith in himself as a performer, but his relationship with his girlfriend.

Enjoy the holiday season with three festive mysteries set in coastal Maine. This anthology includes "Yule Log Murder" by Leslie Meier, "Death by Yule Log" by Lee Hollis, and "Logged On" by Barbara Ross.

Five fun cozy mystery books with pet-sitter Polly Parrett.

Tyler and Daphne investigate the apparent murder of Charles Yoder, a member of the city's flea market scene. But with every new development in the case, their list of suspects grows. It seems a lot of people hated Mr. Yoder.

Beloved author Mary Stewart's long-lost novella, now available again for the first time in 40 years. In 1879 a wealthy young woman elopes with an impoverished fisherman, leaving her family, who live on the volcanic island of Lanzarote, distraught. In 1968, 23-year-old Perdita West, secretary to the famous author Cora Gresham, visits Lanzarote, the strangest and wildest of the Canary Isles, on a research trip. They meet Cora's estranged son, Mike, and fall in love with the unusual, beautiful little island.

Successful attorney Larry Scott checks his watch and realizes that he is still working in his law office at four minutes past midnight which means that Larry has just turned sixty years of age while chained to his desk. He is disgusted with his workaholic ways and decides right then and there to retire from the Indianapolis law firm where he has toiled for his entire thirty-five year legal career. Larry has no idea that a bizarre set of circumstances will soon have him sorting through cryptic clues to solve three very old murders back in his home town of Vevay, Indiana. Can Larry make the ...

Peace on Earth isn’t everyone’s cup of tea in Charlotte MacLeod’s “A Cozy for Christmas”. Peter Lovesey’s “The Haunted Crescent” delivers a holiday ghost story with a twist. A training session for department-store Santas turns up Saint Nicks who are anything but angels in Isaac Asimov’s “Ho, Ho, Ho”. Marcia Muller’s “Silent Night” finds a tough private investigator searching San Francisco’s Tenderloin district - and discovering something unexpected.

Good old fashioned Southern Crime Fiction by Norman E. Morrison set near the city of Cowchip Alabama. See also the other Cowchip/AL related works. Clang! A most satisfying, if short ringing sound, unlike a bell, but every bit as rousing. The nerves of the hand and wrist perceived the minute vibrations of the instrument even as the music quickly melted. It was the sound of cast iron whacking a melon, only it was a large frying pan and it wasn't a melon at all. Mr. Poppin's Basement Improvement is a murder mystery set near Cowchip/AL in the rural Poppin Hill community. It's the culmination of...

Marjorie Hardaway runs a cafe in the small New Zealand town of Hanmer Springs, overflowing with kittens looking for new "forever" homes. A busy job made more troublesome when life throws her into the path of unsolved crimes! With her own quirky style and with the help of friends from the tight-knit community, Marjorie sets to work to solve the puzzles.

The recently rediscovered short story 'The Lost One', perfect for fans of Daphne du Maurier, Santa Montefiore and Anya Seton. First published in Woman's Journal in 1960, and set against the backdrop of unfenced country and dark winding valleys at night, the aptly named 'The Lost One' features The Wind off the Small Isles heroine Perdita West, who brings her characteristic pluck and courage to this classic Mary Stewart tale of suspense and intrigue....

If you like your cozy mysteries with a bit of humour, small town Canadian life, a hint of romance, a close circle of quirky, lovable characters that you wish you knew in real life, dogs and cats, and free knitting patterns, there's something in this series for you.

In her Food Lovers' Village Mysteries, Agatha Award-winning author Leslie Budewitz introduces us to Jewel Bay, a tight-knit Montana community that thrives on tourism and farm-to-table fare. Featuring Erin Murphy, beloved proprietor of the Merc—a century-old general store converted into a local foods market-each book brings us closer to the folks who call Jewel Bay home, and the cunning culprits in their midst.

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 ...

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.

It's the holidays, and Samantha Moon and her family are ready to get together and celebrate. No, they may not be your average family, but the love is just as real. It's two days before the big Thanksgiving meal when Sam receives a most unusual guest. Unusual because she hasn't seen her brother, Clayton, in twenty years. Turns out, he isn't just here for the pumpkin pies and yams. He's got a problem. He's been cursed and thinks his little sister is his best chance to fix it. With pie baking put on hold, Sam and company set out to break his curse, locate a kidnapped baby, and save the day. ...

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...

The Winchester witches are all about love and family - and, well, snark and sarcasm - and no one knows that better than the family members themselves, plus the people who love them. Follow Clove, Thistle, Landon, Winnie, and Aunt Tillie as they share their lives - and innermost thoughts - through a series of short novellas that take you from the present, to the past, and then back again.

Alexis Silver has spent a century dancing between two worlds: the deep, dark ocean that made her a mermaid and the human shores she can never fully leave behind. But when a playful midnight swim near a cargo ship reveals a darker truth: a young woman hidden below deck, destined for a nightmare, Alexis knows she can’t turn away. Soon, Alexis launches a daring, high-speed rescue across the waves. Saving one life won’t change the world. But for Alexis, tonight, it’s enough. Fans of Samantha Moon and urban fantasy will love this heart-racing, emotional short adventure in the Alexis Silver...

Pinewood Hollow’s annual knit-a-thon is supposed to be a celebration of yarn and creativity—but when a prominent knitter is found stabbed with her own knitting needle, cozy competition turns into chilling crime. Violet “Vi” Dumont, owner of The Sweet Stitch, is used to solving puzzles with icing and yarn, but this time she’ll need more than her baking skills to untangle the truth. As the town buzzes with gossip, and secrets unravel faster than a dropped stitch, Vi and her mischievous ginger cat, Muffin, must piece together the clues. Between heated rivalries and whispered grudges,...