Booked 4 Murder

Booked 4 Murder
Author: J.C. Eaton
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2017-06-27
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1496708563

A single mom from Minnesota discovers a nasty plot when her mother’s book club gets cancelled by murder in this cozy mystery series debut. Sophie “Phee” Kimball is no detective. She’s a middle-aged single mom who works as an account clerk for the Mankato, Minnesota, police department. But her mother, Harriet Plunkett, is convinced she’s the only one who can solve a deadly mystery. Four members of Harriet’s book club have died under mysterious circumstances, and Harriet believes their latest book selection is cursed. Whether she’s crazy or just lonely, Phee decides it’s time to pay her mother a visit. She may not believe in curses, but when Phee arrives at Harriet’s retirement community in Sun City West, Arizona, she can’t help wondering if foul play is afoot. It isn’t long before she starts uncovering dark secrets hiding in plain sight under the blazing Arizona sun. And now she’ll need to read between the lines before it’s someone else’s final chapter... “You’ll chuckle all the way through this delightful romp…It’s so cleverly written, you won’t guess the perpetrators until the very end.” —Mary Marks, award-winning author of the Quilting Mystery series

Staged 4 Murder

Staged 4 Murder
Author: J.C. Eaton
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2018-06-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1496708601

A P.I.’s bookkeeper takes a side gig in sleuthing when an amateur production of The Mousetrap features a real-life murder in this cozy mystery novel. Sophie “Phee” Kimball is trying to get work done at her private investigation company, but it’s hard to focus when her old crush just moved to Arizona to join the staff. The last thing she needs is more distraction—like constant updates from her mom on the local production of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap.” Practically everyone from Mom’s book club and retirement community, with the possible exception of her chiweenie dog, wants to join the cast and crew. But someone’s playing the role of a killer for real. After a much-despised cast member is found dead in the theater, Phee has no choice but to immerse herself in all the backstabbing, backstage gossip. Especially if her drama-queen mother is right about the threatening note left on her windshield—which could spell curtains for another victim

Booked for Murder

Booked for Murder
Author: R.J. Blain
Publisher: Pen & Page Publishing
Total Pages: 428
Release: 2020-08-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

Life as a bodyguard and driver for the rich, famous, and powerful is dangerous on a good day, and after sustaining a crippling injury while on duty, Janette’s left with few options. Having signed a ‘for life’ contract but unable to work, she uses her skills to disappear. Her new life as a librarian suits her. Nobody cares she limps and sometimes requires a cane to walk. She’s wanted for her knowledge, not her lethal magic. She’s surrounded by books, a woman’s best friend. But when her former employer’s best friend is murdered on the steps of her library, old loyalties and secrets might destroy her—or set her free. Teaming up with her co-workers to find the killer might keep her from being booked for murder, but unless she’s careful, she’ll find out exactly how far her ex-boss will go to reclaim what is rightfully his. Her. For life.

Booked for Death

Booked for Death
Author: Victoria Gilbert
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2020-08-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1643853287

Critically acclaimed author Victoria Gilbert introduces an exciting new cozy mystery series full of bookish and Southern charm—perfect for fans of Kate Carlisle and Juliet Blackwell. A book lover’s B&B in an idyllic waterfront village becomes the scene of a grisly murder—and a ruthless battle between treachery and the truth. Nestled in the historic waterfront town of Beaufort, North Carolina, Chapters Bed-and-Breakfast is a reader’s paradise. Built in 1770, the newly renovated inn hosts a roster of special events celebrating books, genres, and authors. It's the perfect literary retreat—until a rare book dealer turns up dead in the carriage house during a celebration of Golden Age mystery author Josephine Tey. The victim’s daughter points the finger at forty-two-year-old widow and former schoolteacher Charlotte Reed, who inherited the B&B from her great-aunt Isabella. Charlotte is shocked to discover that the book dealer suspected Isabella of being a thief who founded Chapters on her ill-gotten gains. Charlotte has successfully learned the B&B business in a year, but nothing has prepared her to handle a death on the premises. Armed with intelligence and courage and assisted by her vibrant older neighbor, a visiting author, and members of a local book club, Charlotte is determined to prove her innocence and to clear her great-aunt’s name. But the murderer is still at large, and equally determined to silence anyone who might discover the truth behind the book dealer’s death. Now, Charlotte must outwit an unknown killer—or end up writing her own final chapter.

Murder of a Barbie and Ken

Murder of a Barbie and Ken
Author: Denise Swanson
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2003-11-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1101567511

In search of a social life in Scumble River, Skye Denison has revently joined the GUMBettes-the ladies auxiliary of the men's Grand Union of the Mighty Bulls. Now she and her boyfriend Simon hobnob with the upwardly mobile professionals in town. But when a seemingly perfect couple is murdered, Skye discovers that success doesn't equal survival...

Can't Judge a Book By Its Murder

Can't Judge a Book By Its Murder
Author: Amy Lillard
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Total Pages: 215
Release: 2019-10-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1492687782

THE FIRST IN A NEW BOOK THEMED COZY MYSTERY SERIES You won't be able to stop turning the pages of this small town mystery, which is: Perfect for fans of Ellery Adams and Lorna Barrett A riveting bookclub cozy mystery Full of quirky, Southern charm Not every murder is by the book... As Sugar Springs gears up for its all-class high school reunion, Mississippi bookstore owner Arlo Stanley prepares to launch her largest event: a book-signing with the town's legendary alum and bestselling author, Wally Harrison. That's when Wally is discovered dead outside of Arlo's front door and her best friend is questioned for the crime. When the elderly ladies of Arlo's Friday Night Book Club start to investigate, Arlo has no choice but to follow behind to keep them out of trouble. Yet with Wally's reputation, the suspect list only grows longer—his betrayed wife, his disgruntled assistant, even the local man who holds a grudge from a long-ago accident. Between running interference with the book club and otherwise keeping it all together, Arlo anxiously works to get Chloe out of jail. And amidst it all, her one-time boyfriend-turned-private-eye returns to town, just another distraction while she digs to uncover the truth around Wally's death and just what Sugar Springs secret could have led to his murder. If you love women's murder club books, Amy Lillard's cozy mysteries are just for you!

Bound for Murder

Bound for Murder
Author: Victoria Gilbert
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2020-01-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1643852442

Blue Ridge library director Amy Webber learns it wasn't all peace and love among the "flower children" when a corpse is unearthed on the grounds of a 1960s commune. Taylorsford Public Library director Amy Webber's friend "Sunny" Fields is running for mayor. But nothing puts a damper on a campaign like an actual skeleton in a candidate's closet. Sunny's grandparents ran a commune back in the 1960s on their organic farm. But these former hippies face criminal charges when human remains are found in their fields--and a forensic examination reveals that the death was neither natural nor accidental. With Sunny's mayoral hopes fading, Amy sets her wedding plans aside, says "not yet" to the dress, and uses her research skills to clear her best friend's family. Any of the now-elderly commune members could have been the culprit. As former hippies perish one by one, Amy and her friends Richard, Aunt Lydia, and Hugh Chen pursue every lead. But if Amy can't find whoever killed these "flower children," someone may soon be placing flowers on her grave.

Checked Out for Murder

Checked Out for Murder
Author: Allison Brook
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2020-09-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1643854488

Carrie Singleton and Evelyn the ghost sleuth the slayings of a starlet and a star-crossed psychic in Agatha Award nominee Allison Brook's fourth Haunted Library mystery. Daphne Marriott strolls into Clover Ridge and informs librarian Carrie Singleton that she's a psychic. But had she foreseen what fate awaited her, Daphne would have steered clear of the quaint Connecticut town. Evelyn, the library ghost, tells Carrie that there's more to Daphne than she lets on. The mysterious woman grew up in Clover Ridge with her no-good dad, who apparently met his end at the hands of Daphne's brother, Billy. Still, Daphne proves a welcome distraction when Carrie's overbearing mother hits town. Mom's much younger husband, Tom, is in a movie that's lensing locally, and she's there to keep an eye on him: Tom's costar, sultry Ilana Reingold, is also his ex-fiancée, and there's no denying the chemistry is still there. Soon after mingling with the moviemakers at a meet-and-greet, Daphne is found dead. Carrie and Evelyn investigate, assisted by bushy-tailed library cat Smoky Joe. But the suspect list could overflow the library shelves. Has Billy killed another relative? Is their long-missing mother involved? Or Daphne's mean ex-husband? Carrie's sure she knows who committed the crime, but can she bind together the clues before the culprit Dewey-decimates the town?

Past Due for Murder

Past Due for Murder
Author: Victoria Gilbert
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2019-02-12
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1683318757

After a young woman goes missing during a spring bonfire, library director Amy Webber must wade through the web of lies entangling her small Virginia town Spring has sprung in quaint Taylorsford, Virginia, and the mayor has revived the town’s long-defunct May Day celebration to boost tourism. As part of the festivities, library director Amy Webber is helping to organize a research project and presentation by a local folklore expert. All seems well at first—but spring takes on a sudden chill when a university student inexplicably vanishes during a bonfire. The local police cast a wide net to find the missing woman, but in a shocking turn of events, Amy’s swoon-worthy neighbor Richard Muir becomes a person of interest in the case. Not only is Richard the woman’s dance instructor, he also doesn’t have an alibi for the night the student vanished—or at least not one he’ll divulge, even to Amy. When the missing student is finally discovered lost in the mountains, with no memory of recent events—and a dead body lying nearby—an already disturbing mystery takes on a sinister new hue. Blessed with her innate curiosity and a librarian’s gift for research, Amy may be the only one who can learn the truth. For fans of Miranda James and Jenn McKinlay, Past Due for Murder is the third conspiratorially delightful third entry in Victoria Gilbert’s critically acclaimed Blue Ridge Library mysteries.

Booked to Die

Booked to Die
Author: John Dunning
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2012-08-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1439117292

Booked to Die, the first book in John Dunning’s bestselling, award-winning Cliff Janeway series, is “a joy to read for its wealth of inside knowledge about the antiquarian book business and its eccentric traders” (The New York Times Book Review). Denver homicide detective Cliff Janeway may not always play by the book, but he’s an avid collector of rare and first editions. Bobby Westfall is a local bookscout, a gentle and quiet man who has sold enough valuable books to keep himself and his cats fed and housed. When Bobby is murdered, Janeway would like nothing better than to rearrange the suspect’s spine. But the suspect, local lowlife Jackie Newton, is a master at eluding the law, and Janeway’s wrathful brand of off-duty justice costs him his badge. Turning to his lifelong passion, Janeway opens a small bookshop—all the while searching for evidence to put Newton away. When prized volumes in a highly sought-after collection begin to appear, so do dead bodies. Now Janeway’s life is about to change in profound and shocking ways as he attempts to find out who’s dealing death along with vintage Chandlers and Twains. “One of the most enjoyable books I’ve read” (The Denver Post), Booked to Die is the first in the Cliff Janeway series. It is “a standout piece of crime fiction…Compelling page-turning stuff” (The Philadelphia Inquirer).