Mystery Reads

The Bodie Island Lighthouse Library Classic Novel Book Club is reading Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne while workers dig into the earth to repair the Lighthouse Library’s foundations. The digging halts when Lucy pulls a battered tin box containing a Civil War-era diary from the pit. Tucked inside is a hand-drawn map of the Outer Banks, accompanied by a page written in an indecipherable code.

In this short thriller from number one New York Times best-selling authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, narrated by actress Kate Mara, a young woman’s dream getaway becomes her worst nightmare. Prepare yourself for a transformative experience. Sometimes, life’s setbacks contain hidden gifts. Here at Lakewood, you’ll find the space to unwrap them. A weekend at the Lakewood Retreat is exactly what Chloe Powell needs. Freshly unemployed after her boss loses a reelection campaign, the former press secretary desperately wants a break from the bustle of Washington, DC.

When Rainbow offers to housesit for a family friend, she nearly loses her precious pet Fellini and her own skin! With the frigid Maine winter nipping at Rainbow's nose, toes and everything in between, she jumps on the chance to score some free heat while acting as package-reciever for a family friend at their mansion up the coast. The catch: no pets allowed. But that's okay because Rainbow's pal Ricki finds a pet-sitter. Ricki also comes along for the ride, keen to suss out the richie-rich property market. The pair is all set for some pre-Christmas fun! When the pet-sitter doesn't work out,...

A 30-year-old skeleton. A missing girl. Can a community police officer read the tea leaves or will a deadly secret remain buried for ever? Sergeant Keya Varma is delighted with her new part-time role as the Cotswolds’ Rural Engagement Officer. She’s also fulfilling her dream of opening a small neighbourhood café. But she gets herself into a stew with renovation works when builders unearth a young girl’s remains. While Keya and her police colleagues gain ground reviewing the unsolved disappearance of a local girl, her brief taste of success turns to dust when a friend is found dead at...

A wolf shifter and a demon have both claimed me as their mate. I'm sure nothing will go wrong with that. When you hunt supernatural baddies for a living, you're used to danger. But for once, the danger I'm facing isn't my fault. Somebody killed my best friend and set me up to take the fall. Now, I've got two days to prove I'm innocent before it's open season on hunting me down. If that wasn't bad enough, I'm partnered with a royal enforcer who isn't what he seems.

Her husband’s boss makes an indecent proposal, and there’s no way young wife Chelsea would ever consider it in a million years. Or . . . will she? When her husband goes away for business for the first time in years, Chelsea suddenly feels more alone than she has ever felt in her life… and when his boss comes around to ‘check’ on her, she finds herself in an unexpected situation that could lead to her doing things she never dreamed she’d do. . . Hot wife novella: 10,000 words

A MiniMystery Series that will touch your heart and leave you craving for more! FINNIAN CHURCH IS TRYING to piece his life back together. After losing his leg while in the Army, he is starting a new career as an insurance investigator. Joining him is newly hired videographer, Annie Summers — a woman who lost her hearing but is trying to make it as a single mother of two. The world might see them as broken and battered souls, but as they come together to solve mysteries, they discover they make a great team. Join this unlikely duo as they investigate their way through murder, arson, theft,...

When the cameras stop rolling, the real mystery begins... Lena Larsen thought hosting a popular ghost-hunting TV show in her Victorian family home would bring some much-needed attention to her sleepy town of New Oslo. Instead, it brought murder. With the charismatic host of "Specter Seekers" found dead in a locked attic room, Lena finds herself at the center of a real-life whodunit. As suspicion falls on everyone from the irritable sound technician to the ambitious producer, Lena must use her unique insight – and a little help from her ghostly grandmother – to uncover the truth. But in ...

★★★★★ "Grace McKenna knows what you've done. She can see it in your eyes." —Author of Chasing Vega, Terry Shepherd ★★★★★ "Anslinger's attention to detail is incredible." — Amazon Reader Detective Grace McKenna has a gift. When she looks into the eyes of criminals, she is inundated with glimpses of their crimes. In book four of the McKenna Mystery Series, Grace’s gift takes her back to the 1950s, when Bridgeton, Massachusetts was run by high society families. When Grace and boyfriend, Mark Connolly, sign the paperwork on their newly purchased home, Grace learns ...

Meet Dan Radford. Husband. Father of three. Paid assassin. His little secret. When the Eradication Portal needs the best, they coming calling to Radford. He'll take the case as long as the target is deserving of death and the contract pays well. This time he is hunting down Enrique Salazar, a lieutenant in the Sinaloa Cartel. A man without a conscience. Salazar is a stone-cold killer and exceptionally elusive. Good thing the Eradication Portal sent Radford.

Nora Davies doesn’t exactly fit in to Winter Park, Florida, where old-guard Floridians mix with the tax-fleeing coastal elite. Twenty-eight and barely making ends meet working at a country club, Nora feels like she’s going nowhere fast. Enter Will Somerset: a prominent forty-six-year-old lawyer, father to a teenage daughter, and recently divorced. The two set Winter Park’s social scene agog when they fall in love and marry after a whirlwind Cinderella-style courtship. But Winter Park is fully upended when Will disappears the morning after a birthday bash Nora throws for him.

The first three books featuring Sam & Daisy, hotel proprietors and private detectives. In this box set, you get: The Murder Hotel, The Cairncroft Detective Agency, and Murder & Mayhem at the Cairncroft Hotel. ‘But what’s the point in buying three books at once?’ I was in two minds whether to raise it – but if I don’t, then it’ll be “why didn’t you say something?” Daisy gives me that look – the one my maths teacher used to. ‘What’s the point in… are you crazy?’ She smacks an index finger in her palm. ONE – it’s cheaper. Only a wee bit, but hey – every little...

Retirement is bliss—or is it? Newly retired music teacher Susan Wiles puts her natural nosiness to work and discovers a talent for solving murders. In Murder is Collegiate, Susan and hubby Mike visit their old friends, Emily and Henry Fox. They no sooner hit the Vermont border when they are greeted with a dead body, stolen jewelry, and a barn full of secrets. In Murder is Chartered, Susan Wiles is driving home on a winding mountain road, late at night when she runs over the assistant principal at a school where she volunteers. About to admit guilt, Susan wonders if this was accident or a ...

In New Oslo, the fundraisers are killer... Lena Larsen's fundraising dinner for the local senior center was supposed to be a quiet, sophisticated affair. But when a guest drops dead at the table, Lena's amateur sleuthing skills are put to the test. With a ghostly grandmother offering cryptic clues, a handsome sheriff struggling to remain impartial, and a cast of small-town characters each hiding their own secrets, Lena must unravel a web of lies before the killer strikes again. Can she solve the mystery and clear her name? Or will her meddling serve up a second course of murder?Granny's ...

Winner of the Firebird Book Award for Summer Beach Read in 2024! If you enjoy Christy Barritt’s Beach Bound Books, you'll adore this cozy mystery set in the Coastal Carolinas… Here’s what reviewers had to say about Murder at Sea Oats Beach: “Those who enjoy reading cozy mysteries with a touch of humor and romance will enjoy Murder at Sea Oats Beach. It makes for an excellent beach read…” ~Crimefictioncritic “Engaging characters, perfect setting and delightful twists kept me guessing.” ~Amazon reviewer “If you love a good mystery, the beach and a bevy of cute, cuddly ...

Roses, Revenge, and Ruin: A Thorne Sisters Cozy Mystery When a mysterious woman steps into Blossom & Thorne and requests a dozen deep red roses, sisters Iris and Poppy Thorne think it’s just another day at their flower shop. But when the woman leaves behind a cryptic note and vanishes hours later, the Thorne sisters find themselves drawn into a puzzling mystery. As whispers of foul play spread through the town, Iris and Poppy use their knowledge of flowers, local gardens, and the hidden meanings behind blooms to piece together the clues. What begins as a missing persons case soon unravels...

"This series is my favorite new addiction!"~ Reviewer The coconut wireless is always humming in Ohia, Maui—and the latest topic of gossip is me, Kat Smith. I’m Secret Service, not Postal Service—but I feel like a criminal when I’m appointed postmaster to a cozy little village on Maui. Turns out I’ve stolen a well-earned promotion from beloved Auntie Pua Chang, who’s been there forever—when all I want to do is hide out in paradise until the witch hunt to kill my career is over. I haven't been in Ohia a day when Tiki the post office cat brings a prize to my doorstep—a piece of...

A cancelled wedding. A runaway bride. Can a community cop find the frightened fiancée before the church bells ring? With her sister’s nuptials nearing, Sergeant Keya Varma plans to dazzle in a drop-dead gorgeous outfit. But when the venue double books and cancels the ceremony, her sibling wonders if she’ll ever tie the knot. Taking the plunge to plead for help, they visit the other bride, dismayed to find she’s just disappeared. Desperate to track down the wife-to-be, Keya identifies sinister suspects all with a hand in the marriage. As her enquires continues, she questions whether ...

Family, friends, an unexpected sisterhood, the magic of new beginnings...mothers, daughters, brothers and sisters, sons and cousins...all finding their inner strength, facing life’s unexpected challenges, and sometimes starting over after tragedy and heartbreak, and every once in a while...finding the one true love of a lifetime. Everyone has a story... Amanda’s legacy was simple and unbelievably complicated...her sons were determined to make it happen exactly as she wanted. Hannah was distraught and in a downward spiral after her father’s death...her cousin Patricia understood but ...

A victim who dies twice. A web of deceit. With the help of her friends, can an amateur sleuth crack the case, or will she pay the ultimate price? Trainee antique expert, Dotty Sayers, knows she’s in trouble when a dead body disappears. She’s relieved to hear the victim is alive, but her confusion turns to alarm when she finds him dead, again. It’s all smoke and mirrors as evidence mounts against this amateur detective, and convinced she’s deceived them, her police associates turn their backs on her. With only her close friends believing she’s innocent, she’s determined to clear ...