Cozy Crime Fiction

Melissa Craig is absolutely delighted with her new life in an old crumbling cottage, spending her days pruning the primroses and getting to know Binkie, the ginger cat next door. She only wishes she had made the move to the countryside sooner. But when a knock at the door brings news of a shocking discovery, she suddenly finds herself thrown in to the middle of a baffling mystery: the bones of a young woman have been found in the woods just behind her new home. Perhaps the little village of Upper Bembury is not as idyllic as it first seemed? Strange phone calls in the night convince Melissa that the police are barking up completely the wrong tree, so she can’t resist doing a little digging of her own. From the bingo hall to the beauty salon and beyond, her search ruffles a few feathers and uncovers many of the village’s most scandalous secrets, but gets her no closer to finding the culprit.

When a new restaurant with a starred American chef opens in Cherringham, it seems the Spotted Pig has a worthy rival. But a series of disturbing incidents turns that rivalry into something dangerous - perhaps even fatal. Jack and Sarah get involved and soon discover dark secrets about the new chef Anna... Can they uncover what is really happening before both restaurants go belly-up? Cherringham is a serial novel à la Charles Dickens, with a new audio episode released every two weeks.

In the chilly depths of a Yorkshire winter, a well-liked rector is found bludgeoned to death in her own church. With no sign of a murder weapon, local superstition quickly pins the blame on the ghost of a medieval monk believed to haunt the building. Well accustomed to unusual murder investigations, DCI Jim Oldroyd takes on the case, along with his assistant, Sergeant Andy Carter, but they are hampered at every turn by the deepening snow and the threat of the supernatural.

Facing boredom after his long-postponed knee surgery, Jack volunteers at Fitz Morton Manor to serve as steward, chatting with visitors about the long history of the house. And when the retired volunteer Cyril Roebuck is found dead in the Great Hall, one morning, it seems at first that the dear old man must have suffered a heart attack. But the room was locked from the inside - and it quickly becomes clear that Cyril could not have bolted it. Soon Jack and Sarah are confronting the odd mystery of the locked room... and what must be - in fact - a case of foul play.

When Tiff and Rosie investigate the death of Nora, a troubled young woman, their investigation leads them straight to one of the businesses that dangerous mobsters called the Stiralshiki might be involved in. Can the duo solve the mystery of Nora's death and deal a blow to the Stiralshiki, or will the killers stay one step ahead of them? 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 fans of Janet Evanovich, Rhys Bowen ...

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.

The cold, blustery Midwest winters don't exactly agree with Betsy Devonshire, but since moving to Excelsior, Minnestoa, she sure has met a lot of warm, friendly people. So she isn't too surprised when the town's most talented needleworkers volunteer to restore a damaged tapestry that was found in the basement of a local church. Betsy even offers to donate materials for the project, thinking that the free publicity will boost sales at her financially troubled needlecraft shop. But soon Betsy is afraid of losing more than her business....

A Cupcakes-And-Crime Caper Cupcake-loving croupier Tiffany Black is taken by surprise when a woman from Ryan’s past contacts her—and claims to be his ex-fiancée. Before Tiffany can recover from that bombshell, the woman, Constance, drops another one: she’s been accused of murdering her new sweetheart’s mother, and she wants Tiffany to clear her name. As Tiffany explores the depths of a murder conspiracy, and her own feelings for Ryan and Stone, she receives bad news about Ryan’s mission. Meanwhile, Nanna decides to make Bridget her doggie assistant, and Ian tries to improve his ...

When Ian visits a nearby ghost town with Sally and her friends, Tiffany Black and Nanna find themselves tagging along. But when the ghost town’s owner is murdered, Ian angers his girlfriend by suggesting that one of her friends is the killer – after all, who else could it be? As Tiffany and Ian investigate Sally’s potentially murderous friends, new reports arrive regarding Ryan and Stone, and Jack finds himself in the crosshairs of some very unpleasant people… Praise for A.R. Winters: "Fans of Stephanie Plum, meet Tiffany Black, A.R. Winters's new heroine." - Rea, Amazon.com "You ...

The elderly Emily Pride is perfectly pleased to have inherited an island, even if her starchy pragmatism is ever so faintly appalled by the Pixie Falls spring and its reported miraculous healing properties. But really, the locals' attempts to capitalize on the 'miracles' are entirely too tacky - Ye Olde Gift Shoppe, the neon signs…not on Miss Emily’s watch, thank you.

Kevin, Meg's cyber-savvy nephew who lives in the basement, comes to her with a problem. He's become involved as the techie for a true-crime podcast, one that focuses on Virginia cold cases and unsolved crimes. And he thinks their podcast has hit a nerve with someone...one of the podcast team has had a brush with death that Kevin thinks was an attempted murder, not an accident. Kevin rather sheepishly asks for Meg's help in checking out the people involved in a couple of the cases.

When the exuberant president of Ng'ombwana proposes to dispense with the usual security arrangements on an official visit to London, his old schoolmate, Chief Superintendent Alleyn, is called in to persuade him otherwise. Consequently, on the night of the embassy's reception, the house and grounds are stiff with police.

A Cupcakes-and-Crime Caper “I didn’t kill her, I swear!” Fresh off a shift of slinging cards, blackjack dealer and private investigator Tiffany Black takes a frenzied call from Mary Bilford, the services manager at ritzy Spa Renauld. Mary needs someone to prove she didn’t kill spa client Gina Welling—which means it’s time for Tiffany and Ian to go undercover and infiltrate the spa. “Winters will have you giggling into your book!” Who stood to benefit from Gina’s death? Was it ex-husband Harry, who was coincidentally visiting the spa while his ex-wife was there; nurse ...

Marion Sharpe and her mother seem an unlikely duo to be found on the wrong side of the law. Quiet and ordinary, they have led a peaceful and unremarkable life at their country home, The Franchise. Unremarkable that is, until the police turn up with a demure young woman on their doorstep.Not only does Betty Kane accuse them of kidnap and abuse, she can back up her claim with a detailed description of the attic room in which she was kept, right down to the crack in its round window.

THE GUEST ROOM - COZY MYSTERY SERIES - SHORT READ Much to her disgust, everyone at the vicarage is helping the housekeeper, Mrs. Gladys David, prepare the mansion for two events tomorrow: a wedding, and an impromptu visit from the Bishop who will stay in the guest room. She hates it when people have to be called in to help her for she feels it makes her look incompetent. Regardless, she's frantic to make everything perfect, and Father Eli has offered to help. Lots to do and no time to spare with all the preparations. As Mrs. David enters the guest room after a year of having no visitors, ...

When a counterfeit currency racket comes to light on the French Riviera, Detective Inspector Meredith is sent speeding southwards out of the London murk to the warmth and glitter of the Mediterranean. Along with Inspector Blampignon, an amiable policeman from Nice, Meredith must trace the whereabouts of Chalky Cobbett, crook and forger.

Graves of the Forgotten A Maggie and Bentley Mystery Where Old Lies Lead to New Danger In the quiet mountain town of Pine Ridge, secrets don’t stay buried forever. When K-9 handler Maggie Shaw and her therapy dog Bentley stumble upon a disturbed patch of earth at a controversial construction site, they uncover more than just signs of trespassing; they uncover bones. As Detective Noah Rodriguez launches an official investigation, the two long-time allies find themselves drawn into a decades-old mystery that threatens to unravel the town’s carefully guarded history. With Bentley’s ...

A friend in his cigar club asks Antoine Verlaque to visit Rene Rouquet, a retired postal worker who has found a rolled-up canvas in his apartment. As the apartment once belonged to Paul Cezanne, Rouquet is convinced he's discovered a treasure. But when Antoine arrives at the apartment, he finds Rene dead, the canvas missing, and a mysterious art history professor standing over the body. When the painting is finally recovered, the mystery only deepens.

A winter weekend ends in snowbound disaster in a novel which remains a favourite among Marsh readers. It began as an entertainment: eight people, many of them enemies, gathered for a winter weekend by a host with a love for theatre. They would be the characters in a drama that he would devise. It ended in snowbound disaster. Everyone had an alibi - and most had motives as well. But Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn, when he finally arrived, knew it all hung on Thomas, the dancing footman....

Disappearing wasn’t going to be enough…they needed a plan…some answers…and a safe place so they could figure out what to do next and stop running in circles trying to stay one step ahead of the guys who seemed to want her dead. Simon Sullivan might not be who Ava always believed him to be, but along with his brother, he’d spent his life trying to protect her. That wasn’t going to change especially now when everything they’d planned for, hoping against hope it would never be needed, was playing out exactly as they’d feared. But he’s not alone. Harper Riley isn’t about to ...