Cozy Crime Fiction

Hoteliers Maxime and Catherine Le Bon have spent their life savings restoring the hotel, which lies in an archipelago of sun-soaked islands off the coast of Marseille. To celebrate the grand opening, a group of privileged guests joins Verlaque and Bonnet: Marine's free-spirited best friend; an aging film star, his much-younger wife, and her son; a pair of affable American tourists; and a querelous Parisian couple. But the murder of one of the guests casts a shadow over everyone's vacation, and things go from bad to worse when a violent storm cuts off all communication with the mainland.

Laurie Moran's professional life is a success - her television show, Under Suspicion, is a hit in both the ratings and its record of solving cold cases. But her romantic break from former host Alex Buckley has left her with on-air talent she can't stand - Ryan Nichols - and a sense of loneliness, despite her loving family. Now Ryan has suggested a new case. Three years ago Virginia Wakeling was found in the snow after being thrown from the museum's roof on the night of its most celebrated fund-raiser, the Met Gala.

Twenty-five years ago, on a hot summer night, Tim Bell drove to a secluded spot with talented young musician Dinah Taylor after their date at the village fair. But Dinah was never seen again, and Bell - with blood spatters on his clothing - was sent to prison for her murder. Now freed, Bell has returned to Cherringham and his life is in danger from those who feel that justice hasn't really been served. But Jack and Sarah wonder: was Bell really guilty - or did the real killer escape detection all those years ago?

When a painting vanishes from a maritime museum and a dead body is found nearby, the newly established Lockwood Antique Hunter’s Agency, Freya Lockwood and her Aunt Carole, are called to investigate. Following a lead that takes them aboard a glamorous antiques cruise sailing toward the Red Sea in Jordan, they quickly discover that the ships art gallery is filled with stolen antiquities. Each antique is also listed in Freya’s late mentor’s journals that detail unsolved cases. In chasing a murderer with a stolen painting, they may have found something more sinister than they could’ve imagined.

Professional bakers and a local food blogger are participating in the Baking Spirits Bright holiday baking competition and they aren’t about to go down without a fight. The competition quickly heats to a boiling point, with flaring tempers and mysterious happenings. When one of the entrants is found dead, stabbed with Becca’s chocolate chipper, Becca tries to salvage the season by finding the killer. But the heat is on, and Becca is in danger of getting burned.

In 1965, when Frances Adams was seventeen, a fortune teller told her that one day she'd be murdered. Thus began a lifetime of trying to prevent the crime that would be her eventual demise. No one took Frances seriously for sixty years - until, of course, she was murdered. But for Frances, being the village busybody was a form of insurance. She'd spent a lifetime compiling dirt on every person she met, just in case they might turn out to be her killer.

After Viv's Desert Doula agency goes bottom up, she’s eager to put the work into rebuilding. Unfortunately, Rex Redondo keeps getting in the way. Ever since the pair solved a mystery together, Viv is convinced his only interest in her is as a partner in the private investigator business he’s determined to launch. Little does she know, his feelings for her run far deeper than friendship.

It's winter in Cherringham, and petty thief Charlie Topper's life is in danger. Desperate, he reaches out to Jack and Sarah for help: last summer - during a robbery - he witnessed a cold-blooded murder, and now he fears the killer is after him. Can Jack and Sarah solve this very cold case - before the desperate murderer comes for them too? Set in the sleepy English village of Cherringham, the detective series brings together an unlikely sleuthing duo: English web designer Sarah and American ex-cop Jack.

Imagine this: You're driving with your feline friend in the passenger seat, minding your own business, when suddenly your cat starts bossing you around like a backseat driver. You try to ignore it, but their judgmental meows just won't quit. It's like you're stuck in a never-ending episode of "Paw & Order: Special Felines Unit". I’ve realized this is now my life. I had just left my sister's house, determined to make a life for myself. But first I had to solve the crime of the kidnapped cat, which wasn't a mystery because I knew who took her. The owner didn't believe me. So, here I am in ...

When a woman is found strangled in the London borough of Soho, the police think it's a suicide, but Violet Despuis knows better, and Cassie knows that if Violet thinks it's murder, it's murder. The two women find themselves needing to prove not only who committed the crime but also that a crime was committed at all. As Cassie joins Violet in investigating the crime, they quickly find themselves embroiled in a controversy that lands them on the front page. And just in case that wasn't complicated enough, Jake is being secretive, and Cassie is pretty sure someone is following them.

When Cherringham choir stalwart Arthur Chisholm is robbed in the dead of night, ending up in hospital, it seems he's just the victim of bad luck. Bad timing too, since he will now miss the choir's special holiday performance of Handel's Messiah - to be performed with scores of other local choirs, in London's Royal Albert Hall. But as more of their fellow choir members are burgled, Jack and Sarah realise these crimes are no coincidence.

As the sun rises, a wealthy young woman, Samantha Seabrook, is found drowned in the ornamental fountain of a deserted Cambridge courtyard, the only clue: an antique silver chain wound tightly around her throat. It’s Tara Thorpe’s job to discover what happened to Miss Seabrook. But the case becomes personal when she learns that Samantha had been receiving death threats, rather like the one that landed on Tara’s doorstep the night the woman died. Together with Detective Inspector Garstin Blake, Tara tracks the killer to the dank and dangerous fens on the outskirts of the city.

SWEET REVENGE - COZY MYSTERY SERIES - SHORT READ If beauty had a name, it would be Anna Townsend. Adopted in Korea by an American couple and brought to the United States, Anna was forever grateful for a privileged lifestyle and family who promised her the world. As she blossomed as a sweet child into a beautiful and talented teenager, she always wondered if more was expected of her. On that fateful day of her 20th birthday party, the man who adopted her was murdered. The only person she could turn to was Father Eli.

An anonymous skull, an unsolved murder, sinister rumors from the Cold War era of espionage - Bruno's investigation into a long-standing cold case finds him caught between an enigmatic winegrower and a menacing communist organization from the past.

It's 1924 and investigative reporter Poppy Denby is heading up to Northumberland to celebrate her father's 60th birthday. She stops off in Newcastle en route to visit her Aunt Dot, who has temporarily relocated from London to renovate a house she's inherited. One of Aunt Dot's guests is the world renowned artist Agnes Robson, who is staging an exhibition at the Laing Art Gallery. Reluctantly, Poppy is roped in to help when the artist's press liaison man falls ill....

Ever since meeting the wary owners of an antique shop opening across the street, Robbie has been scrambling to manage weird incidences plaguing her cafe and country store. Pricey items vanish from shelves without explanation, a fully equipped breakfast food truck starts lingering around the area each morning, and loyal diners mysteriously fall ill. When an elderly man dies after devouring an omelet packed with poisonous mushrooms, Robbie must temporarily close down Pans 'N Pancakes and search for the killer with a real zest for running her out of business - or else.

In this follow-up to Austenland, Charlotte Kinder is eager to escape the numbness she feels after her divorce. Deciding to get away, she visits the Regency-themed Pembrook Park resort in England, where talented actors set the perfect scene. But with everyone playing a role, it’s hard to distinguish reality from fantasy. So when Charlotte’s heart stirs, she wonders if she’s simply caught up in the experience - or if her ability to feel is finally returning.

Meet Sukey Reynolds: proud mother, wonderful cook...and police photographer turned amateur detective. Years ago, Sukey was hoping to become a detective, but life took a different turn. Now she’s happy to be involved with the local police force, as long as she still gets to work the occasional murder case....

1936 in the Crown Colony of Singapore, and the British abdication crisis and rising Japanese threat seem very far away. When the Irish nanny looking after acting governor Palin's daughter dies suddenly - and in mysterious circumstances - mission school-educated local girl Su Lin - an aspiring journalist trying to escape an arranged marriage - is invited to take her place. But then another murder at the residence occurs and it seems very likely that a killer is stalking the corridors of Government House.

From the authors of the best-selling series CHERRINGHAM. This compilation contains episodes 10-12:. CITY HEAT. Kat brings Harry across the Atlantic to New York for a planned whirlwind time in her hometown. But when wealthy Teddy Crowther is kidnapped by the mob, the pair are called in to help. Soon they find themselves playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse. FOOL'S GOLD. When young Ewan Mackay sails his small dinghy out to a mysterious wreck site a few miles off the coast of Littlehampton, he never returns.