Cozy Comedy

Former musician Juliet Langley has barely had a day off since taking over management of the coffeehouse owned by her best friend, Pete Bennett. But there's always more to be done - such as prepping for the annual 5K Race organized by Pete's snobby socialite girlfriend, Cecilia Hollingsworth. This year, Java Jive has a booth right at the finish line, and since Juliet and Cecilia don't always see eye to eye, everything has to be perfect. Nothing can go wrong.

One by one, people begin disappearing. If not for Liev’s twisted, genius brother Milo and Lani’s talking cat Charming Marvin, the two of them would also be missing—or dead. But someone is still playing games, stalking Lani and everyone connected to her, and the cat’s cradle web they’re weaving is becoming impossible to escape. Unless they can find a way to expose this massive cover-up and who’s behind it all, they’ll become the next vanished.

Roxy Horne is a process server—not that tracking down people and giving them paperwork is her life dream—but it feeds her cake obsession. Oh, and it pays the bills. Her dream of being a Private Investigator is far out of reach. But never once, even when serving to a slime ball who wouldn’t pay child support, did she expect to find a dead body. Now her life is crazier than the cacti being launched at her car.

In this witty and engaging novel, Dana Barry, the Shopping Channel’s star host, stops by the company’s rooftop party to pitch the new CEO her brilliant idea that just might save the flagging business, her job and possibly her love life. As she chats with the smarmy executive, he backs her into a dark corner. For Dana, it’s a quid pro oh-hell-no. She escapes his lecherous grasp and grabs her drink on her way to the dance floor. Woozy, she blacks out. When she comes to, the CEO is dead, fallen from the roof. Or was he pushed? And if so, by whom?

Elizabeth Margaret “E.M.” Danniher finds house hunting in Cottonwood County, Wyoming difficult, but deadly? That she never expected. In television, a cold open rolls before the credits, pitching the viewer into the news story. That’s how Elizabeth and her cohorts feel after she finds a body in a house for sale. A victim with a hidden history, few suspects, and the sheriff’s department not happy having Elizabeth - and amateur sleuth thorn in their sides - as the closest thing they have to a witness. Mike, Diana, Tom and the rest jump in to dig in.

When a high-tech geek named Eddie ends up in the hospital, the victim of a hit-and-run accident, Turing the investigative artificial-intelligence computer comes to the aid of her private-detective friend Tim to find out who was responsible. The following investigation leads to some of Eddie's unsavory friends who are using his computers in a variety of scams, cons, and other less-than-legal endeavors.

It’s springtime, and septuagenarian librarian Cleo Watkins is celebrating new blooms and old books. To her delight, the Georgia Antiquarian Book Society has brought its annual fair to Catalpa Springs in honor of Cleo’s gentleman friend, respected antiquarian bookseller and restorer, Henry Lafayette. But trouble rolls in with the fair when a flirtatious book scout makes the rounds, charming ladies of a certain age out of prized books.

Endlich ist es so weit: Die Eröffnungsfeier des "Albergo Annina" steht kurz bevor, und sogar der Bürgermeister von Siena hat sich angekündigt! Natürlich sind auch Annas Brüder eingeladen. Das muss sein, wenn ihr Erscheinen die frischgebackene Hotelbesitzerin auch ein bisschen nervös macht. Hoffentlich lassen die beiden niemanden merken, dass das Hotel zwei Schwerkriminelle beherbergt! Und dann läuft prompt alles aus dem Ruder. Im "Albergo Annina" checken Gäste ein, die einiges durcheinander bringen, und in der Basilica di San Francesco wird eine wertvolle Statue gestohlen.

When Gabriel Lee escapes an unhappy marriage and moves to Porlington to start over, he finds himself part of the Porlington Philharmonia - an orchestra made up of the usual characters you would find in such a thing. Until one of them is found dead following a concert. Suddenly, everybody is a suspect, but nobody seems likely. A thriller full of intrigue and humour, this tale gives an insight into just what a barmy world musicians live in, especially when things go fatally wrong.

Hetta Coffey is a sassy Texan with a snazzy yacht, and she’s not afraid to use it! She’s living aboard her 45-foot boat in Mexico’s spectacular Sea of Cortez, taking work where she can get it and, characteristically, she isn’t all that concerned about any pesky legalities involved. Docked at a pricey marina in La Paz, her cruising kitty is taking a hit, so when she’s offered a dream job, she jumps on it. All she has to do is act as a courier, babysitting equipment and sensitive documentation for her former employer to their new offices in France.

Avery Shaw has taken on her fair share of jerks. Often, she’s considered the jerk when she takes them down...a role she gladly relishes. Now, though, she’s taking on a whole faction of jerks. It seems a battle of the sexes is brewing in Macomb County. A local shock jock, a man who believes women should be home tending children and keeping the house clean while men bring home the bacon, is on trial for sexually harassing his underlings.

Jolene’s back in Kickapoo for her mother’s annual birthday bash at the DQ, which is trouble enough, but when her checkered high school past comes back to haunt her, the problems turn decidedly deadly. Thanks to her old sweetheart, Sheriff Jerry Don Parker, high school wasn’t that bad for Jolene, but with bodies turning up faster than beer cans in the river, they’re a darned sight worse now.

Inspired by her past sleuthing successes, Juliet Langley has officially joined the ranks of Nashville's licensed private investigators. Her best friend, Pete Bennett, doesn't worry that her detective work might interfere with her full-time job running his coffeehouse, Java Jive. He just wishes she would spend her free time rejoining the local music scene instead of tailing cheating spouses.

What does a gentlemen's club, mysterious men in black, a dead body, a broken down car with a lady in dire need, a heavily pregnant beauteous sheriff's deputy, and Miz Demetrice trying to unionize exotic dancers have in common? Why, it's Bubba Snoddy and the day things went south, yet again. Quite naturally, or unnaturally, there is a humdinger of a mystery, and Bubba is right in the middle of it.

The primary election is almost here, and Avery Shaw is in her glory. Her boss has unleashed her on the leading candidates - including two of whom she downright loathes - and Macomb County's leading reporter (and pot-stirrer extraordinaire) is about to turn the election on its ear. She just needs to find a story first. When her nemesis, Tad Lancaster, loses a volunteer, Avery sniffs out a bigger story...or at least she thinks she does. She has a pile of documents, too many insidious ideas to wrangle, and a long-suffering boyfriend who can do nothing but shake his head.

When you're an agent for the IRS, it's always tax time. And this season, Tara Holloway is up to her neck in work with two very knotty cases. One involves a charismatic minister who's using his mega-church as a tax shelter. The other is a crazy militant who's trying to turn Texas into a separate country. With her boyfriend out of town and her partner reassigned, Tara is on her own - and things are getting hairy. If dealing with the Lone Star State isn't enough, Tara has other new issues to take into account: There's a sexy new agent named Nick, who's got her head in the clouds...and Tara's boss, Lu, who's having a hair problem of epic proportions.

When she joined the Criminal Investigations Division, Tara knew she'd be investigating some very real crooks. Forget about waitresses hiding tips from the IRS or babysitters not declaring income! Tara and her partner, Eddie, are going after one of country's richest, dirtiest felons. Being on a diet doesn't help Tara's mood much. Hopefully, by the time the investigation is over, she'll be sitting somewhere in a string bikini, far, far away....

There's going to be trouble. Andy Caplet's wife goes away, someone is out to get him, and he loses nearly everything in a storm. Amazing both himself and his unhuman friend, Inspector Hobbes, he heroically rescues flood victims and uncovers something shocking. Is Andy being set up for blackmail by the apparently charming young woman who attempts to seduce him, or is something even more sinister afoot? Hobbes certainly believes so, and he's getting worried.

Receiving unwanted attention after foiling an armed robbery, the unhuman Inspector Hobbes takes a long-overdue camping holiday with Andy, his accident-prone friend, and Dregs, the delinquent dog. In the bleak and dangerous Blacker Mountains, Andy stumbles across something shocking before falling for an attractive widow, while Hobbes wonders why an old gold mine has reopened.

Avery Shaw is living the dream.... Kind of.

She's officially moved to her dream house, and her boyfriend Eliot Kane is making her host a housewarming party to show off the new digs to her family. All is going well–other than the endless arguments over food and hiding from Avery's family, of course–until one of Avery's enemies comes calling.

Avery's former boyfriend Jake Farrell broke up with Cara Carpenter weeks before but she's still stalking him.... and Avery in the process. When Cara turns up dead at a high-profile event, not only is Jake a suspect, but Avery and Eliot are, too.