Animal Mysteries

Welcome to The Blue Spruce Coffee Shop Where the Java is Hot and the Murder is Cold Blooded The Blue Spruce coffee shop in the heart of Myrtle Lake retirement village does a bang-up business all day long, keeping barista Charlie and owner/grandmother Carla on their toes. Local eccentrics like a former Broadway dancer, a famous landscape painter, a dotty psychic, and a mischievous sea captain pop in to share tall tales and ribald jokes, much to the delight of their over-caffeinated neighbors. But this happy crew gets the shock of their lives when Fritz Caulfield, a lovely man and horrible ...

The Tail Waggin' Winterfest is the highlight of the season in the famously pet-friendly Pocono Mountains town of Sylvan Creek. But despite attractions like an ice sculpture display, a dogsled race, and gourmet hot chocolate, Daphne Templeton finds herself annoyed by TV producer Lauren Savidge, who's filming the festivities. She's critical, controlling, and as chilly as the January air. Daphne would like to tell her to go jump in a lake - and as a matter of fact, that's exactly what they're both going to do....

The horse Susan Richards chose for rescue wouldn't be corralled into her waiting trailer. Instead, Lay Me Down, a former racehorse with a foal close on her heels, walked right up that ramp and into Susan's life. This gentle creature, malnourished, plagued by pneumonia and an eye infection, had endured a rough road, but somehow her heart was still open and generous.

Artist Celeste Cabot welcomes the chance to show her paintings at a craft fair in her hometown of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where she and her Chihuahua, Van Gogh, can park her vintage Shasta trailer and sell her creations, too. Unfortunately, her sales take a hit when a customer returns a painting, claiming it's haunted. When a fellow vendor discovers images hidden in Celeste's artwork - and a ghost pays her a late-night visit - she's shocked to realize she has psychic abilities.

To Lily Sprayberry, selling homes is easier than buttering a biscuit—until a fire ignites her deadliest case yet. When I accepted the listing for the Wilson’s charming old farmhouse just outside town, I never imagined it would end in flames—or with a body inside. But that’s exactly what happened. I arrived for a showing to find the place ablaze, smoke choking the sky. Inside, firefighters discovered my client, James Wilson, dead. The sheriff—my husband, Dylan—and his investigators labeled it a tragic accident. But I knew better. Something felt off about the scene, too many ...

An innkeeper who reads minds. An ornery detective. And a trail of bodies. Cider Cove is the premier destination for murder. THREE BOOKS* INCLUDES RECIPES! Includes: Copycat Killer Thriller (Country Cottage Mysteries 19), Happy Howl-o-ween Horror (Country Cottage Mysteries 20), ‘Twas the Night Before Murder (Country Cottage Mysteries 21) My name is Bizzy Baker, and I can read minds—not every mind, not every time but most of the time and believe me when I say it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Bizzy Baker runs the Country Cottage Inn, has the ability to pry into the darkest recesses ...

Marriage? It can be absolute murder. The royal wedding looms and Felicity can think of little else … until a member of her dream team is arrested for attempted murder. Doris, a long-time friend and superstar florist, stands accused of attempting to kill half a dozen brides, their bouquets poisoned with an unknown toxin. Ordered not to interfere by the hateful Chief Inspector Quinn, Felicity is determined to find the real person behind the bizarre crimes and clear her friend’s name – Doris must be innocent, right? But Felicity is not exactly known for her sleuthing skills. If anything,...

Field reporter Lee Barrett is not happy that her hours are being cut back at WICH-TV, although it is nice to spend more time volunteering with Aunt Ibby, a research librarian. But Lee's least favorite task is going up to the stacks, a spooky, seldom-frequented upper section of the library. On this day she has good reason to be afraid - she finds a dead man, surrounded by hundreds of scattered books and torn-out pages. Her police detective beau, Pete Mondello, is soon on the scene, and the deceased is identified as a former minor league baseball player - and ex-con....

My life was going just fine by most standards. I ran a successful business in a tight-knit magical community, and lived just blocks from a beautiful lake and series of hiking trails. Then Selene showed up. According to some magical code I inherit my aunt's ancient familiar; a grumpy 10-pound cat with a broken filter.

New York Times best-selling authors Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown continue their beloved Mrs. Murphy series in Whisker of Evil. Mystery fans cannot get enough of these cozy whodunits featuring the case-cracking duo of intrepid postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her brilliant, sleuthing cat, Mrs. Murphy.

Curiosity just might be the death of Mrs. Murphy - and her human companion, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen. Small towns are like families: Everyone lives very close together. . .and everyone keeps secrets. Crozet, Virginia, is a typical small town - until its secrets explode into murder. Crozet's thirty-something post-mistress, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, has a tiger cat (Mrs. Murphy) and a Welsh Corgi (Tucker), a pending divorce, and a bad habit of reading postcards not addressed to her.

A grieving young widow, Charlene needed a new start - so she bought a historic mansion, sight unseen, and drove from Chicago to New England to start turning it into a bed-and-breakfast. On her first night in the house, she awakens to find a handsome man with startling blue eyes in her bedroom. Terror turns to utter disbelief when he politely introduces himself as Jack Strathmore - and explains that he used to live here - when he was alive. He firmly believes that someone pushed him down the stairs three years ago, and he won't be able to leave until someone figures out who.

With her Let It Bee honey boutique buzzing along nicely, life is as sweet as nectar for Wren Johnson - until she takes a morning walk along the Pacific beach with her Havana Brown cat, Everett, and stumbles upon the body of Agnes Snow, the cranky queen of the local craft fairs, stiff as driftwood. More unfortunate? Clutched in the victim's fist is a label from Wren's homemade beeswax-and-honey lip balm. Which makes Officer Jim Hampton focus his dreamy-blue Paul Newman eyes on Wren as suspect number-one.

When Rainbow offers to help out a friend spruce up a derelict property for sale, she finds herself deep in the weeds with trouble. Resident weirdo Lisa Lepp has no intention of going without a fight. She seems to exist only to act as the thorn in everyone's side. Nonetheless, Rainbow keeps finding herself in Lisa's neck of the woods, maybe due to the arrival of a luscious out-of-towner named Phineas who is as well-versed in historical gardens as he is handsome. Could he play Adam to Rainbow's Eve? A killer on the loose threatens to separate them before Rainbow can find out whether they're ...

Charlie and Diesel, along with Charlie's fiancee, Helen Louise Brady, are heading to Asheville, North Carolina, to spend a week at a boutique hotel and participate in a gathering of a mystery reader's club composed of patrons of the Athena Public Library. The always spry Ducote sisters, friends of the hotel's owners, are helping underwrite the expenses, and they've insisted that Charlie, Helen, and Diesel join them. When an intrusive, uninvited guest turns up dead, only one mystery club member with a connection to the deceased appears to have a motive to kill.

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Pet sitter Daphne Templeton has a soft spot for every stray and misfit who wanders into the quaint, lakeside village of Sylvan Creek. But even Daphne doesn't like arrogant, womanizing Steve Beamus, the controversial owner of Blue Ribbon K-9 Academy. When Steve turns up dead during a dog agility trial, Daphne can think of a long list of people with motives for homicide, and so can the police. Unfortunately, at the top of the list is Daphne's sister, Piper - Steve's latest wronged girlfriend.

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Carolyn Ridder Aspenson welcome's you to Holiday Hills, a magical town where the tea is sweet, and magic is always on the menu. Holiday Hills was set for a sweet celebration—until murder stole the spotlight. The Enchanted Treats culinary competition has the whole town buzzing with excitement, but the party before the semi-finals takes a dark turn when Victor Havensworth, a fiery Atlanta chef and judge, is found dead. Now, with Bessie stepping in as a judge, my concern over another murder in town skyrockets. As I dig into the case, cryptic threats and sabotage ...

When Chet and Bernie happen upon a prison work crew that includes Frenchie Boutette, an old criminal pal they sent up the river, getting a new case is the last thing they expect. But Frenchie, who comes from an old Louisiana family full of black sheep, needs help finding his one law-abiding relative, his brother Ralph, a reclusive inventor who has gone missing with his houseboat.

Welcome to Quillhaven, where candy carries enchantment and secrets are as sweet—and sticky—as caramel. When Sophie Vanora inherits her great-aunt’s candy shop, Sugar Spells, she’s expecting powdered sugar and peppermint bark—not magical confections and mysterious break-ins. But when her aunt’s secret recipe book of enchanted sweets vanishes, and an ominous note reading Lullaby and good night is left behind, Sophie knows this is more than petty theft. Someone is after the magic—and they don’t intend to play nice. With the help of quirky townsfolk, a pair of mischievous feline...