Cozy Crime Fiction

What’s worse than a self-centered beauty queen? A cruise chock full of them! “Winters will have you giggling into your book!” But what if the self-centred beauty queen is also a murderer? When the Swan of the Seas hosts a beauty pageant, Adrienne is forced to spend her time dealing with narcissistic judges, oblivious contestants and a feminist protest. The event seems hectic enough, when Diana Penn, the esteemed beauty queen and headlining judge, is found murdered! Now, it’s up to Adrienne and her friends Cece, Sam, and First Officer Hot Stuff—er, First Officer Ethan Lee—to sort...

A fanatical group of vigilantes. One local police unit. One international task force. An ex-con with a grudge… Plus a child abduction. It all adds up to a nightmare. Police and a secret group of citizen investigators are locked in a battle for child safety, and Detective Constable Holly Towns finds herself trapped between the two. Holly is paired with a new detective from the Sex Crimes Unit. Detective Danny Cavallo is working with a cross-border task force on human trafficking. And reporter Missy McLaren swears that the underground vigilante crew has the answers. But Holly distrusts the ...

Dive into this animal cozy mystery where a group of quirky cats and clever dogs become unlikely heroes, proving that sometimes it’s the pets solving a crime that leads their humans to the truth. In the gossip-filled small town of Sunridge Junction, Leona Willis, known as the reclusive “crazy cat lady,” suddenly finds herself a suspect when a prominent resident is discovered dead under mysterious circumstances. With her reputation on the line, although reluctant, Leona teams up with retired police detective Maya Thompson, a friend she hasn’t spoken to in years. Maya brings along her ...

Nothing can shake a city to its core like the killing of a serving police officer. Especially when another murder swiftly follows. Was the death a tragic accident? Or was it payback? Was the officer in over his head with the local underworld? Or was his death a personal and permanent message? The investigation is entwined with an arson attack that destroys the landmark Calais Club, and DC Holly Towns and the rest of the Port Alma CIU team are divided. Holly runs the risk of alienating her only ally, not to mention her new boss. Her vision of the crime and its origins are different than ...

A peaceful spring afternoon turns into DC Holly Towns’ worst nightmare, once the sun goes down. A blast of gunfire tears through the glass walls of a turret that rises from one end of Quinn’s Landing. It spins Holly’s world upside down and sends the Criminal Investigations Unit on a single-minded pursuit of the shooter. Holly and former detective, Danny Cavallo, are meeting with Geraldine Quinn at the elegant lakeside home that has been in her family for generations. The older woman claims she’s become nervous on her own and wants Cavallo to install a high-tech security system, with...

The Last Puzzle: When amiable old village eccentric Quentin Andrews dies, the good folk of Cherringham are astonished at the crowd that turns up to his funeral. But even more astonished are the beneficiaries of his will: Quentin has left a veritable fortune to whomever is the first who can solve an intricate 'Cherringham crossword'. That puzzle is only the first of many that Jack and Sarah will uncover as they follow the treasure hunt for clues and learn the truth about who Quentin Andrews really was.

"When I say, therefore, that [my brother] has better powers of observation than I...I am speaking the exact and literal truth." (Sherlock Holmes). This story occurs when Mycroft, an athletic Cambridge graduate, assists the secretary of State. He becomes embroiled in a mystery in Trinidad based on actual history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a huge Holmesian, seven-foot-two tall, basketball's all-time leading scorer, and a US cultural ambassador. Anna Waterhouse is a professional screenwriter and script consultant.

When Tiffany and Rosie evacuate their cottage to temporarily stay at the Sunset House boarding house, they think this might be a fun adventure... ... but instead, they witness a murder on their first morning. Soon, the duo find themselves investigating a dangerous and deadly situation. Meanwhile, the catnapper attempts to strike again, and Tiff and Rosie must form unexpected alliances to keep Mariposans safe. Praise for A.R. Winters: "The perfect balance of being lighthearted, but still a serious page-turning mystery." - Jaycie D, Amazon.com "A fun cozy mystery with engaging and ...

Joe Yetz has been a detective for nearly thirty-five years. His partner in crime and best friend, Kevin Bodine, retired the previous year, making Joe think long and hard about his own end game. Unfortunately for Joe, he doesn’t have the same financial cushion Kevin does and working cases is the only thing that makes him feel alive. When Joe comes across a murder that leaves no obvious clues, he’s at a loss until a woman comes into the department claiming to know much more about the case. Joe isn’t sure whether the woman is just looking for her fifteen minutes of fame, or whether she ...

Amateur baker Claire Walker is thrilled to be a contestant on Britain’s Battle of the Bakers. She can almost smell the fresh pastries wafting through the air. If she can win the grand prize, she can ditch her teaching job and launch her baking career. The Viscount of Colburn, Jonathan Ainsley, is the custodian of Blackfirth Park and an eligible bachelor. He reluctantly agrees to allow the cooking competition show to film on his estate, but when a contestant is found dead soon after filming begins, Jonathan is forced to get involved.

Two Cherringham locals, roaming a farm with metal detectors, discover an amazing treasure - a silver Roman plate worth millions. They must share the reward with both the farmer and the owner of the land, the formidable Lady Repton, but there will be plenty for everyone. That night, while the village pubs do a roaring trade, archaeologist Professor Peregrine Cartwright offers to keep the plate safe in his massive wall safe. But when the British Museum expert arrives to verify the find next morning, the safe is empty! Police blame a notorious gang of art thieves operating in the county.

When Tiffany and Rosie travel to a colonial-themed town, they suspect the business manager might be engaging in some unethical practices... ... but they stumble into a murder instead. Who could've killed the much-disliked "town governor"? As secrets are unveiled, tensions rise, and the duo find themselves scrambling to uncover the truth before the killer strikes again... Praise for A.R. Winters: "The perfect balance of being lighthearted, but still a serious page-turning mystery." - Jaycie D, Amazon.com "A fun cozy mystery with engaging and entertaining characters" - lq, Amazon.com "For ...

Just two weeks to go before the Cherringham Charity Christmas Concert. Choir rehearsals are in full swing. Then the worst thing happens: Kirsty Kimball, one of the singers, is found dead from a severe allergic reaction to one of the home-made rehearsal cakes. Jack is pulled in to help bolster the depleted choir - and soon he's convinced that Kirsty's death was no accident. Sarah agrees, and the two of them are soon immersed in the jealousies, rivalries, and passions of Cherringham's Rotary Club choir.

Catching a killer is a piece of cake... Or is it? When Mindy Macbay moves back to her hometown of Santa Verona, and finds herself fighting crime with her best friend, she soon finds herself on the receiving end of anonymous threats, and even worse, unpleasant encounters with her high school nemesis and former paramours. Dessert, Diamonds and Deadly Secrets When Mindy investigates the death of an unpopular cafe owner, she uncovers a trail of diamonds and a secret life... Carrot Cake and Cryptic Clues Socialite Celeste Rocheford is murdered, and Mindy’s best friend Beth Miller finds herself...

Welcome to Sarah’s Eatery, where the food is to-die-for! Kylie’s move to Camden Falls didn’t go quite as she expected: now she's got two hunky men fighting for her affections, more culinary mishaps on her café's Oops Board, and ex in-laws who won’t leave her alone. "Winters will have you giggling into your book!" And, of course, there's the latest murder that Kylie gets drawn into... When local real estate bigshot “Mean Mike” Pratt is found dead in his office, accusations fly from every other storefront—in no small part because he owned them! Kylie’s hairdresser, Susie, is ...

Victimology: tall, slim, blond hair, jeans. And a Harvest Festival t-shirt… Finding the body of a young woman in Haldane Hill Park rings alarm bells for Detective Constable Holly Towns. But can she even say the words ‘serial killer’ and be taken seriously? The media names him the Port Predator, and he’s not finished. Not even close. Another young woman is missing, and time is running out. Officers in the Criminal Investigations Unit are focused on a set of strong suspects, but Holly is drawn in another direction. The risks are high. She’ll be an outcast if she reveals her suspect,...

The Phantom is back... It's 1920 and a series of daring diamond robberies take place in London's fashionable West End by a thief who leaves a calling card. Kit Aston investigates, and this time he's brought his aunt... What seems a straightforward case spirals out of control as London gangland's 'Elephant Boys' become involved. Can Kit, his fiancee Mary, Aunt Agatha and a film-making chauffeur called Alfred succeed where Scotland Yard have failed? 'The Phantom' is a fast-paced whodunnit, sparkling with romance and humour. The Kit Aston mysteries mix real life historical characters and ...

Welcome to The Berry Home: where the food is to-die-for! When Kylie's friend Jack is accused of murder, she must go the distance to uncover the real killer... Meanwhile Kylie's nemesis, Detective Gregson, appears to be joining forces with her BFF Zoey - but to what end? "Winters will have you giggling into your book!" Zoey refuses to tell Kylie about Gregson's secret, leaving her to figure it out on her own. Meanwhile, the odds seem to be stacked against Kylie's friend Jack. He had every reason to want the horrible Gary dead - but then again, so did quite a few other people. Will Kylie ...

Nobody told Ivy planning a book launch would come with a side mysterious disappearance. Welcome to the Mystique Bookshop, where mysteries are more than just on the shelves. Ivy, an event planner extraordinaire, is about to launch a seemingly simple book event. But when the client's daughter disappears the plot thickens. Rumors of secret societies dance through the air as old cold cases resurface. The town detective shrugs off the disappearance insisting the absence of an adult isn't a cause for concern, leaving Ivy, her loyal friend, and Fable, her ever-curious cat, to sniff out the truth. ...

Jack's a retired ex-cop from New York, seeking the simple life in Cherringham. Sarah's a Web designer who's moved back to the village to find herself. But their lives are anything but quiet as the two team up to solve Cherringham's criminal mysteries. This compilation contains episodes 43 - 45. A Score to Settle: When Cherringham choir stalwart Arthur Chisholm is robbed in the middle of the night, it seems he's just the victim of bad luck. But as more of his fellow choir members are burgled, Jack and Sarah realise that these crimes are no coincidence.