Humorous Detective

When a killer strikes, single mom and PI, Tracy Belden puts game nights on hold to solve a puzzling case of murder. I’m Tracy Belden and I’m getting out of town. A quick meeting with a client in Las Vegas will pay for a weekend getaway for me and my guy. But our perfect plan derails when my client is found dead. Now the police and the perps both accuse me of having a priceless artifact. The only way to prove my innocence–and finish my crossword puzzle– is to find the missing object and track down the killer. If you like fast-paced, humorous cozies, dive into the Crossword Puzzle ...

Turquoise water, rum punch, and fun in the sun. What better way to celebrate 35 years of marriage. Emily and Henry Fox go on an anniversary cruise to the Caribbean expecting nothing less, but when Henry’s old med school buddy turns up dead in his cabin, it’s anything but smooth sailing. The captain chalks it up to an unfortunate accident but Emily and Henry know better. The deadly tarantula didn’t crawl from the Puerto Rican rainforest to the ship on its own furry legs. With the help of a retired detective, they search for the killer. Why did the victim and his wife have separate ...

“Find out what evil really lurks inside all of us...just when you think a character is likable…” -Skinny Leopard Media “A complex, interesting web. You could never be sure who to trust.” -Reedsy Discovery *** Forensic Scientist Penelope Washburn has the bad habit of finding herself in the middle of other people’s messes. Unfortunately, she’s too nice to say anything about it. She also has an Achilles heel, ex-boss Detective Jose Ortega, who also happens to be an ex-love interest. When Ortega gets tangled in a multinational crime involving COIL, a powerful cult, along with the ...

A missing manuscript. A dead author. And a mystery that’s anything but fiction. When reclusive novelist Ashton Blackwood is found dead in the aisles of Shelf Indulgence, chaos erupts in the quiet town of Bloomsville. With a missing manuscript and a long list of literary enemies, the case reads like one of Blackwood’s own thrillers. Florist-turned-sleuth Grace Thompson teams up with forensic specialist Chloe Sutton and her ever-observant Westie, Rosie, to dig through a plot tangled in ambition, betrayal, and buried secrets. From rival writers to bitter editors, the suspects are as ...

A deadly accident. A grieving boyfriend. A detective duo that can barely stand each other. When a high-speed collision leaves a young woman dead and her boyfriend devastated, Detectives Flynt and Steele are called to investigate what looks like an open-and-shut case. But as the bruises from the crash fade, a darker truth emerges—this was no accident. Someone wanted her dead, and they’re ready to kill again. Steele, ever the pragmatist, wants to follow procedure and let the evidence lead the way. Flynt, however, feels something more sinister lurking beneath the surface, and his instinct ...

Stephanie Plum is thinking her career as a fugitive apprehension agent has run its course. She's been shot at, spat at, cussed at, fire-bombed, mooned, and attacked by dogs. Time for a change, Stephanie thinks. Time to find the kind of job her mother can tell her friends about without making the sign of the cross. So Stephanie Plum quits. Resigns. No looking back. No changing her mind. She wants something safe and normal. As it turns out, jobs that are safe and normal for most people aren't necessarily safe and normal for Stephanie Plum.

After twelve-year-old John Boarhog’s mom dies, the last thing he wants is to be schlepped off to the Jersey Home for Boys, where kids are forced to make skinny jeans for hipsters and are fed nothing but kale. Instead, he makes himself a snug home in the ceiling of the New York Museum of Natural History, where he reads anything he can get his hands on and explores the artifacts after hours. But when a rare Egyptian ruby—the highlight of the museum’s new exhibit—goes missing, John is accused of the crime.

A wedding and a murder...Star football player and NFL hopeful, Michael “Bumper” Hackett is getting married. Word’s going around that it’s a shotgun wedding, and there just might be some truth to it, seeing that the bride-to-be is showing a baby bump. But before the ceremony can even get started, the poor groom collapses from what appears to be an asthma attack. Unfortunately, things aren’t always what they seem. Romaine knew it was a bad idea to have a wedding at the funeral home, but newly elected justice of the peace and sole proprietor of the Ball Funeral Home & Crematorium, ...

Julie has her freedom, a dream job as a pastry chef, and a corpse growing cold on her floor... Welcome to Beldoc, a small town in the heart of Provence, imbued with lavender and fresh baked bread! You can idle around, or you can puzzle out a murder mystery. When a man dies on her watch in her pâtisserie, newly divorced chef Julie Cavallo is dismayed. It isn’t that she’s a suspect. The local gendarmerie captain signs off the death as a natural event. A heart attack. But for a reason she won’t discuss, Julie suspects Maurice Sauve was poisoned. What’s a girl to do? She’ll ignore ...

When Victor Kensington, heir to one of the wealthiest fortunes in Cedar Grove, drops dead at the glamorous Midnight Masquerade, whispers of foul play ripple through the grand estate. The Kensington family’s wealth and secrets are a dangerous combination, and everyone in attendance is a suspect. Lila Harrington, a local innkeeper and amateur sleuth, is no stranger to mystery. She can’t resist the call to uncover the truth hidden behind the family’s gilded facade. As secrets unravel and connections to a missing heirloom emerge, Lila is drawn into the glittering yet treacherous world of ...

Thrift shop til someone drops... A Donated Death Taking in donations at a thrift store could only bring good fortune, right? That is, unless there’s more than secondhand treasures in those boxes… Jessica Braun’s thrift shop is thriving, her first donations are coming in to resell, and the new neighborhood watch is a success. Add a date with an unexpected gentleman, and Jess’s first summer back in Minnesota is sweet as maple syrup. But when donated collectibles are stolen, a local lawyer lands in deep water. The deputy is ready to let Jess help investigate when the quiet town is ...

As if planning a double wedding in a couple months isn’t stressful enough, now the wedding planner is dead and my sister's the prime suspect. Cozy Maple Lake glistens in the winter wonderland of trees lit with garland sparkling against the frozen water. Wedding planning is in full motion with poinsettias in place, cake ordered and guests invited. But when Lila’s sister, Sarah, discovers the wedding planner poisoned only weeks before the big day, plans take an abrupt stop. Sarah and Mrs. Potts, the baker, become the prime suspects. Molly, Lila, and their fiancé's, Jake and Max jump into...

A hit-and-run. A frozen body. A missing ghost. Can this psychic defrost the truth? FREE on Kindle Unlimited! Talking to ghosts is a secret, but when a sorceress catches her in the act, Mandy Rowling’s world turns upside down. Sara Abe, a detective and a local sorceress discovers Mandy’s ability. Sara asks Mandy to teach her how to speak to ghosts. A group of tourists on the Midsummer Spooky Tour found a frozen body in a bamboo forest. But the body was not part of the tour. The big question: How did someone freeze to death in the middle of summer? The bigger question: Where is the ghost?...

Romanov diamond… Fabergé egg… and a Murder! FREE on Kindle Unlimited! Mom-to-be Mandy just wants to enjoy a stress-free maternity leave, but before she can say pink or blue, her well-meaning dad-in-law Dan Rowling hands her another case to crack. With his memories slightly scrambled, a newly dead groom-to-be can’t recall how he ended up deceased, but his murder is definitely related to the theft of a Fabergé egg from one of society’s upper crustiest of families. The pressure’s on since solving the case won’t just free a trapped soul and restore countless poached objects to ...

The latest thrilling collection of “Vampire for Hire” stories featuring vampire private eye, Samantha Moon, including: Silver Hammer - When a silver hammer appears in the hands of one of Samantha Moon’s closest friends―along with a bloodthirsty need to use it―the vampire detective is about to discover just how clever the Universe can be... When Sam Met Santa - When Santa Claus shows up at Sam Moon's door, it's hardly the strangest thing that's ever happened to her. What happens next, however, is another story... One Swallow - A murdered wife. A desperate husband seeking revenge. ...

When Philip Digby first shows up on her doorstep, Zoe Webster is not impressed. He's rude and he treats her like a book he's already read and knows the ending to. But before she knows it, Digby - annoying, brilliant, and somehow...attractive? Digby - has dragged her into a series of hilarious and dangerous situations all related to an investigation into the kidnapping of a local teenage girl. A kidnapping that may be connected to the tragic disappearance of his own sister eight years ago.

A Nutty Fruitcake, a Nuttier Ghost, and a Murder... FREE on Kindle Unlimited! The newlyweds Mandy and Rick are looking forward to their first Christmas in wedded bliss when the untimely death of a real estate developer puts a crimp in their plans. A bite of deadly dessert at a trendy bakery seems to be the culprit, and now the naughty ghost of Woody Napoleon is demanding justice. A spirited investigation turns up a plethora of suspects, but only Mandy’s special gift can unwrap the killer in this holiday edition of the Manhattan Mystery Series. Wicked as a Christmas Fruitcake is part of ...

Okay, so just know from the start that it wasn't supposed to go like this. All we wanted was to get near The Ruperts, our favorite boy band. We didn't mean to kidnap one of the guys. It kind of, sort of happened that way. But now he's tied up in our hotel room. And the worst part of all, it's Rupert P. All four members of The Ruperts might have the same first name, but they couldn't be more different. And Rupert P. is the biggest flop out of the whole group.

When Jude agrees to lend her vintage chaise longue for the local Amateur Dramatic Society’s production of George Bernard Shaw’s The Devil’s Disciple, little does she realise she’ll end up in a starring role. It’s an ambitious play, culminating in a dramatic execution scene: a scene that’s played for real when one of the leading actors is found hanging from the specially constructed stage gallows during rehearsals. A tragic accident - or something more sinister?

Life is strange. But it’s never as strange as what Augie Doyle believes. When teens start vanishing from Hollowbrook High, Augie Doyle—resident horror nerd and amateur investigator—knows something isn’t right. Hollowbrook residence believes human trafficking has come to their small town, but Augie suspects something far more sinister. A new copper mine has brought an influx of jobs, families, and students. Augie isn’t sure if the newcomers can be trusted. His top suspects? His new neighbors, who burn things in their backyard long after everyone else has gone to bed. A creative way...