Rural Town Mystery

Sandy Bay's favorite baker has just gotten married and is adjusting to living as Mrs. Irvin. Things aren't easier on the work front, as there are several new businesses in town that Meghan believes are trying to steal her clientele. When she finds that a new neighbor who owns a rival establishment has been murdered, she's torn between minding her own business and reaching out to the deceased's widow. As she delves deeper into this person's murder and business, she discovers there are many people who would gain from his demise. But who had the biggest reason to see him dead?

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.

Mack Peters is a self-made millionaire who was once a Los Angeles cop. When his friend suggested a trip to picturesque Leavenworth, Washington, she had an ulterior motive. He had no idea it would lead him to the little-known town of Watson Falls with a secret more deadly than he could ever imagine, and a search for a missing investigative reporter.

Can Jack untangle the murderous web of lies and solve the case before he gets trapped in the killer’s deadly scheme? Murder in the San Juans is a gripping tale of betrayal in the formidable San Juan Mountains around Telluride, Colorado, and the fourth book in the suspenseful Mountain Resort Mystery Series.

When Vermont antique and art dealer Edie Brown discovers an unsettlingly dark collage by the famed reclusive “outsider” artist known only as Vespa, she opens a Pandora’s Box of deception and danger. Edie teams up with Uncle Tuck and Kala to investigate the background of the collage, but they only uncover secrets that are more disturbing than the artwork itself. As Edie tracks down the validity of the piece, she stumbles into an art underground where some people are willing to kill to keep their schemes a secret.

Death has come twice to Ravenbank, a remote community in England's Lake District, each time on Hallowe'en. In 1914, a young woman's corpse was found, with a makeshift shroud frozen to her battered face. Her ghost - the Faceless Woman - is said to walk through Ravenbank on Hallowe'en. Five years ago, another woman was murdered, and again her face was covered to hide her injuries. Daniel Kind becomes fascinated by the old cases, and wonders whether the obvious suspects really did commit the crimes.

When their son Arthur mysteriously vanishes in the idyllic village of Kenwood, Emily and Derek are plunged into a heart-pounding race against time to uncover the truth behind his disappearance. As the facade of their once-perfect community crumbles, the couple must navigate a treacherous web of deceit and betrayal, testing the very meaning of family and trust. Discover the chilling secret that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about this seemingly peaceful village.

In the shadow of a massive boulder on Oklahoma’s Big Rock Prairie, a squirrel hunter discovers a charred skeleton in a homemade charcoal kiln. Johnston County deputy Hannah Bond and Chickasaw Lighthorse police sergeant Bill Maytubby are called to the scene and soon identify the victim as a young Chickasaw man from a nearby town. What begins as the search for a killer soon throws Maytubby and Bond into the deep end of a conspiracy that puts both the victim’s family and the officers themselves at risk.

In book seven, Tess and Brady are planning a haunted house fundraiser so they can expand the shelter to include a top-of-the-art training facility, as well as a permanent residence for hard-to-place animals. During the decorating party, they find a skeleton—a real one—hidden behind a false wall in the attic. They turn the skeleton over to Mike, but once they do, everything starts going wrong, and Tess wonders if they haven't somehow managed to awaken an angry spirit. The deeper they dig, the more they find, including a second more recent body hidden within the creepy old house.

No more award-winning cupcakes in White Sage, Texas. Not when the baker behind the delicious treats is discovered dead by Zella and Fairmont. Unfortunately, the baker's death was no accident. Did her killer have a personal motive, a professional one? Everyone in White Sage seemingly adores Catie, the cupcake shop owner and head baker, so who could have killed her? Zella's determined to find out who killed the small town's newest darling, and she recruits her gang of meddling friends to help her. Follow Fairmont and his favorite people as they track down the killer.

The Pen Pal follows the story of Shiloh Ray, who is a military wife, new mother, and college student. Shiloh also suffers from postpartum depression and overall loneliness from living in rural Alaska, far away from any family or friends. Shiloh then breaks out of her comfort zone and signs up for a pen pal. Weeks pass and she is matched with Penelope Young. This is where her whole life will change. Shiloh and Penelope become the best of friends and write letters every week. Until one day, the letters just stop. Penelope has vanished.

The small town of Harmony’s number-one Internet sensation is crime reporter turned blogger, Sheila Sammartino. Everything is going great for Sheila until she witnesses a newcomer to the neighborhood, Arthur Jones, murdered in the alley next to Harry’s Bagel Shop. The police are quick to call it a mugging gone wrong, but Sheila saw what she saw. With the help of her outspoken former college roommate and her handsome new next-door neighbor, she takes it upon herself to get all the answers the police refuse to look for. Who was Arthur Jones, after all? And who would want to kill him?

There isn't much crime in Lilyvale, Arkansas, but local authorities have their hands full with Ms. Sherry Mae Stanton Cutler and her housemates - a crafty group of retirees who've dubbed themselves the Silver Six. But when Sherry Mae's niece, Nixy, arrives to keep them in line, Lilyvale also plays host to a killer.

In the seaside town of Temple Regis, seagulls are wheeling overhead and the holidays are getting close. And then the body of political candidate Odile Clifford is discovered on the balcony of the lighthouse. Fearless Riviera Express reporter Judy Dimont goes in search of the killer - but who is it? And where will they strike next?

Something terrifying is happening to the dogs in the mountain community of Mason County, Virginia. Pets are vanishing mysteriously and “missing dog” posters cover the waiting room walls at Dr. Rachel Goddard’s veterinary clinic. A pack of feral canines roams at night, attacking livestock in a desperate search for food. Now a prominent physician, Gordon Hall, has been found dead in his yard, his throat torn open. Sheriff’s Department investigator Tom Bridger believes the killing was premeditated murder, with a trained attack dog as the weapon.

It was only a simple, routine assignment for private investigator Sam Blackman and his partner, Nakayla Robertson: follow a history professor, who is suing a spinal surgeon for malpractice, and catch her in physical activities that undercut her claim.

In the summer of 1880, many people are traveling to the booming health resort of Manitou Springs, Colorado, at the foot of Pike’s Peak, to “chase the cure” for tuberculosis. But Inez Stannert, partowner of the Silver Queen Saloon in Leadville, travels for a different reason to this town renowned for its mineral springs and scenery.

New Mexico Undersheriff Bill Gastner is presented with a case that appears to have brought big-time crime, including drug gangs, into Posadas County.

The year 1916 was not shaping up to be a good one for Alafair Tucker, and finding Bernie Arruda dead in a ditch didn’t help matters. Alafair had not wanted to go to Arizona in the first place. But her 10-year-old daughter, Blanche, was suffering from a stubborn ailment of the lungs, and her best chance for a cure was dry desert air. So Alafair and her husband, Shaw, had bundled their sick child onto the train and made the difficult trip from Oklahoma to the home of Alafair’s sister in Tempe, Arizona.

A supremely geeky murder mystery perfect for Whovians, gamers, and Muggles alike. Autumn has everything she could possibly want: loving friends, a successful business, and a gaggle of nerds in her store every day. Welcome to Ten Again, a tabletop gaming store that attracts nerds of every kind and fosters a community Autumn's pretty proud of - a community that also keeps business afloat. And now that Autumn's in the running for a grant, Ten Again's future is looking bright.