Cozy Crime Fiction

Since her move to the country, Melissa Craig has become firmly established in village life. So, when one of the older residents fails to show up for a drinks party, Melissa goes to check on her. What she finds chills her to the bone: Her dear neighbor has been murdered, and the killer has painted a hideous smile onto her face. Melissa soon realizes that the death in her village bears the same trademark as a series of recent murders in the Cotswolds.

It isn't easy having Hollywood's biggest, brightest star for a mother - especially when her Russian oligarch boyfriend has been kidnapped. When Poppy Fields flies to London to be with her mother, she finds nothing but fog, danger, and phenomenal shopping. Too bad half the city wants Poppy dead, and she has no idea why. The odds against her are high, the menace is real, and if she doesn't find answers quickly, a dirty bomb will send global financial markets plummeting.

Right before Christmas, Fair Haven is celebrating its annual Ice Fishing Jubilee. When a bad-mannered lawyer is found frozen to death inside his fishing shack, the police soon discover he was really shot. The prime suspect is local ice-fishing legend Jim Campbell, but Maggie thinks he is innocent. The culprit could be the long-suffering wife or the mistress, and soon, Maggie is off doing her own investigating, dragging Joshua along for the ride. As her boss, Joshua couldn’t possibly be romantically interested in her. So why did he hold her so close at the town dance?

Ned Delahanty works at a rundown Wyoming convenience store. Nothing much happens there, just the way he likes it. Most customers pump their gas and drive off without ever stepping inside. When a massive blizzard blows across the plains, that all changes. Several groups of customers seek shelter at Ned’s store. Among those searching for safety are a band of crooks with the cops hot on their trail. Ned soon finds himself locked in a cunning battle of wits with his dangerous guests.

Do fairies exist? Maybe they do—maybe they don't. But few people in Ireland would risk upsetting them. Airport runways have been re-routed and building projects cancelled for fear of angering the 'little people'. Even in 1990, the year this mystery unfolds, superstition still abounds in the idyllic country town of Erin's Glen. And when a body turns up in the local fairy ring, suspicion falls on the supernatural folk.

Handywoman Barb Young has lived in the sleepy coastal town of Bullford Point for over fifty years—and in that time, not much has happened, unless you count that business where a bush turkey managed to board the ferry a couple of years ago. When Joe Griffiths returns from Sydney after six years of drug addiction, jail and, eventually, rehab, Barb offers him a job, hoping to help him turn his life around. However, when another new resident of Bullford Point is murdered, Joe becomes the prime suspect.

As May Day dawns in the peaceful village of Middle Fenton, a young woman’s body is found brutally strangled, her body tied up with ribbons in the middle of the green. A week later, her boyfriend is found hanged in a local barn, and the police assume guilt over murdering his beloved has driven him to suicide - but not everyone is convinced. WPC Trudy Loveday and coroner Clement Ryder are sent to investigate, and quickly realise that there’s a double murderer on the loose. But the killer has already shown willingness to remove anyone who threatens to discover their identity.

Le bonheur conjugal est de courte durée pour Agatha, une fois de plus délaissée par son mari. Punition divine, un véritable déluge s'abat sur la région, plongeant le petit village de Carsley sous les eaux. C'est le moral dans les chaussettes et sous une pluie torrentielle qu'Agatha aperçoit le corps sans vie d'une jeune femme en robe de mariée, un bouquet à la main, flottant dans la rivière. Pour noyer son chagrin, Agatha n'a qu'une solution : se jeter à corps perdu dans une nouvelle enquête.

Fran's dream of winning the top prize of ten thousand dollars as a contestant on a new TV baking show is quickly shattered when one of the famous judges, Jeremy Johnson, is brutally stabbed in the middle of filming. As Fran investigates, she uncovers a web of deceit, jealousy, and betrayal among the contestants and judges. With tensions high and suspicions swirling, Fran realizes that the murderer could be someone she knows all too well.

Everyone in the small town in Northern California seems drawn to Jason, the good-looking yet arrogant cupcake baker, and his French Bulldog—which means no customers for the trio. But when they discover Jason's dead body and are treated as major suspects, they decide to investigate! Who is the killer? The ex-girlfriend? The victim's best friend? Even Ms. Tobin is considered a suspect by the new detective in charge of the case. Lauren and Mitch go on a double date with Zoe and Chris, while Annie finds a possible clue.

When the townspeople of Harrogate almost riot over the Christmas décor thievery committed by the chair of the Elf on the Shelf Committee, I know I’m not going to survive the holiday season unless drastic action is taken. Biddy Jefferson turning up dead in my Christmas market stall is not exactly the type of drastic measure I had in mind. With no alibi and a town obsessed with pinning the murder on me, I have to clear my name. This is on top of planning the upcoming holiday ball, dealing with quirky stall owners in the Christmas market, and corralling confused tourists.

Rare books librarian Juniper Blume treats every researcher’s question like a mini-mystery to solve. However, no inquiry compares to her ex-brother-in-law Rory begging for her help in finding the Book of Kells’ long-lost covers. He claims they are in a southern Maryland cemetery. Juniper is not sure how the bejeweled covers of a ninth-century European masterwork could have ended up there, but she’s curious enough to find out. Juniper hops in her vintage Karmann Ghia convertible with her dog Clover and heads to the former resort town of Rose Mallow, on the western coast of the Chesapeake Bay.

Jenny Starling has her dream job cooking for Lord and Lady Avonsleigh in a genuine castle. Then one of the castle’s treasures, a fabulously jewelled dagger, is used to murder a staff member. The victim is found stabbed through the heart in the conservatory. Lady Avonsleigh insists that Jenny help the police find the murderer. But how can Jenny solve this case when the murder was committed in front of several reliable witnesses, none of whom saw a thing?

Jenny Starling has a job on a luxury paddle steamer working for a wealthy businessman. All she has to do is cook for his small number of guests. But things quickly turn sour. Then she discovers the body of one of the passengers in the store cupboard. Who wanted him dead and why? Jenny will have to ignore many red herrings and follow the clues to get to the bottom of a complex and intriguing murder mystery. This is the third of a series of enjoyable murder mysteries with a great cast of characters and baffling crimes which will keep you in suspense to the final second.

Ireland, 1990. In the idyllic country town of Erin's Glen, secrets, scandals, and a suspicious death shatter the peace. Amidst the chaos, an unexpected sleuth emerges. Rosie O'Reilly, a humble parish secretary, has a special talent. With the help of her clever spaniel, she resolves to save the day.

For centuries, the Koh-i-Noor diamond has set man against man and king against king. Now part of the British Crown Jewels, the priceless gem is a prize that many have killed to possess. So when the Crown Jewels go on display in Mumbai, security is everyone's principal concern. And yet on the very day Inspector Chopra visits the exhibition, the diamond is stolen from under his nose. The heist was daring and seemingly impossible. The hunt is on for the culprits.

It's no rest for the wicked when Kate Shackleton picks up her second professional sleuthing case. But exposing the culprit of a pawn-shop robbery turns sinister when her investigation takes her to the wealthy neighborhoods of Harrogate - and murder is only one step behind. A night at the theater should have been just what the doctor ordered, until Kate stumbles across a body in the doorway. The knife sticking out of its chest definitely suggests a killer in the theater's midst. Kate likes nothing better than a mystery - except solving it.

After two hit reality TV shows brought ex-detective Georgia Thornton into America's living rooms, audiences can't get enough of her quest for love and justice. Now producers have come up with an all-new show set in a haunted castle in Golden, California. Georgia and nine other contestants will need to solve the mystery of a young woman who disappeared at the castle in 1960. Except there's a problem waiting for everyone when they arrive: a groundskeeper is found drowned at the bottom of the castle's empty pool.

Nadia moves back to her hometown to assist her family with the family business–Carlton Manor–which is the only funeral home in Alto, GA. She is confronted by her ex and discovers a body in their hearse which has been painted Pepto-Bismal pink by the town thugs. Nadia becomes friendly with a local detective who becomes a familiar figure.

A body is found near a picture-perfect Cotswolds village...but the upstanding local residents couldn’t possibly be involved, could they? Murder is the very last thing on Melissa Craig’s mind when one of her neighbors pops in to complain loudly about a minor local robbery. She’s far too busy thinking about her next book.... But when the evening paper lands, there is a shocking headline. A young woman’s body has been found in the nearby woods, and it seems the local robbery may offer a crucial clue.