Short Cozy Mysteries

Last Meal includes a half dozen flash fiction stories in which things sometimes go horribly wrong and at other times go wonderfully right, or at least they seem to. These six quick reads appeared originally in Gilbert Magazine, the journal of the American Chesterton Society.

Everyone has a story…and a dream. Patricia didn’t trust easily. Her ex-husband had taught her all the reasons not to. But Daine didn’t give up easily. Andrew wanted to make certain his granddaughter was happy with her life…then his daughter showed up. Jillian was determined to learn more about her family’s history and the mystery surrounding the woman in the painting at Daine’s house…she didn’t count on Nic being just as interested in it as she was. Hannah couldn’t be happier with her new husband…or so she thought. Livy was thrilled with her and Patricia’s business ...

She bought the cabin on a whim. But will it transform into her perfect getaway? Burnt out from her high-flying author career and dreaming of escaping her busy Manhattan life, when Laura discovers her husband cheating on her with another writer, she knows it’s time for a change. After her brother calls her about a country Bed and Breakfast for sale, Laura ditches New York and buys it on the spot… only to realize that the run-down cabin will need more than a little elbow grease to restore it to working condition. As she’s swept up in the quiet joys of small-town life, an ad in the local...

An annual Christmas parade... A missing trophy... A high school nemesis returns... Do bad things always come in threes? When an old high school nemesis of her mother is murdered, Alivia Sue Harper (Ash) and her best friend Kaley Ann Tipton (Kat) rush to prove her innocence. A short read cozy mystery.

Five thrilling tales of mystery, mayhem, and murder from an exceptional quintet of Edgar, CWA Dagger, and National Book Award winners.

A Historical Romantic mystery novella When her father is killed in a train crash, twenty-one-year-old Marian Jamison is left to care for herself and her mother. She admires Thomas Hawthorn, who enters her life by design. Mysterious occurrences and a voice in the night make Marian question her mother’s sanity. She is left not knowing whom to trust, including her own heart. Love and intrigue are woven into an intricate design, fitting perfectly inside the walls of her dress shop, but a loose thread could unravel her entire world.

Family meant everything to Ayden Stratton. It always had even when he didn’t always allow it to show. Because of that, he understood the fury in Tobias Blaise’s eyes when they learned that his sister had been dragged out the backdoor of her restaurant despite every effort to stop her from being kidnapped. Fury didn’t begin to describe what he saw in his brother’s face. Cassidy Blaise might be Tobias’s sister, but she was Benjamin’s entire world. Tobias Blaise never expected to find any woman he wanted to spend his life with, let alone one who looked at him the way Ellis did, ...

This bundle includes Charmed Offensive, Poetry in Potion, and Cloaks and Daggers.

"In Dogwood Valley, even the quietest walks can lead to the darkest secrets..." Six months after solving the town's most notorious murder, Liv Barker is content with walking dogs and baking pet treats in the idyllic Dogwood Valley. Her budding romance with Dr. Colin Matthews adds a sweet note to her tranquil life. But when she stumbles upon a dog collar while walking a client's corgi, Liv is unwittingly pulled back into the world of mystery and intrigue. The collar belongs to Shimmer, a prize-winning Afghan Hound who has vanished without a trace, jeopardizing the upcoming Dogwood Valley Dog...

When a beloved local artist is found strangled with yarn at Pinewood Hollow’s Craft Fair, the quaint town is thrown into chaos. With rumors spinning faster than the knitters can purl, Violet “Vi” Dumont, owner of The Sweet Stitch bakery, steps in to untangle the mystery. With her trusty ginger cat Muffin by her side and her knack for noticing the smallest details, Vi must weave through a tangled web of secrets and lies. Will she and Muffin uncover the killer before another craft fairgoer meets the same fate? Tangled Yarn and Tangled Lies is a delightful cozy mystery that will keep you...

When Pinewood Hollow hosts its most prestigious culinary event, the town’s excitement quickly turns into chaos when celebrity chef Maxime Dufour vanishes without a trace. The competition turns deadly as secrets bubble to the surface, and Vi Dumont is called in to investigate. With her trusty cat Muffin by her side, Vi must dig into Dufour’s controversial past and uncover the dangerous secrets someone is desperate to keep hidden. As the mystery deepens, Vi finds herself in a high-stakes game of whisk, rivalry, and betrayal. Can she uncover the truth before the competition ends in ...

When Pinewood Hollow’s annual Macaron Festival takes a deadly turn, bakery owner Violet “Vi” Dumont finds herself in the middle of another mystery. A guest judge collapses after tasting the winning macaron, and it’s up to Vi and her clever cat Muffin to unravel the sweet secrets behind the festival’s most competitive bakers. With rivalries simmering and a mysterious past bubbling to the surface, Vi must follow the crumbs to uncover a killer before they strike again. In a town where everyone has something to hide, can Muffin’s sharp nose help Vi solve the case? If you love ...

Passing Out—a compelling addition to the Cecil Whitford series—takes readers back to the formative days of the compassionate funeral director, and to his training at HMS Raleigh. As Cecil faces the challenging selection process, the atmosphere turns tense as recruits begin to mysteriously disappear. Determined to unravel the truth, Cecil finds himself entangled in events that will shape the man we later meet in Suicide in Suffolk. The suspense heightens as the disappearances cast long shadows over the training grounds. Cecil's relentless pursuit of the facts propels him into a web of ...

For fans of Hallmark Christmas movies - a light hearted holiday story to get you in the spirit of the season. Jenny King is trying hard to raise enough money for the local children's home. When a confused old man arrives on her doorstep, she welcomes him with open arms. Is Jenny's guest a trickster like her boyfriend suspects, or is he just a lost soul, looking for a warm haven? Curl up with this short cozy read this season and share it with your family and friends. **Candy Canes and Christmas is a light hearted short story set in the town of Pelican Cove. This is a bonus read for fans of ...

Lily and her aunts, Essie and Hildie, along with their man friends, Toe and Harvey, find themselves in all sorts of predicaments, including murder right in their own shop, the Coffee Cabana. Follow along as shenanigans turn into crimes and the hot java never stops flowing.

Tyler and Daphne investigate the apparent murder of Charles Yoder, a member of the city's flea market scene. But with every new development in the case, their list of suspects grows. It seems a lot of people hated Mr. Yoder.

Hawaiian holiday turns mysterious when long-time friend leads narrator on a downhill slide into Rainbow Valley. The secret hidden there is revealed in this mini twisty-turner set in modern day Hawaii on the sleepy isle of Kauai. With a derelict parrot named Barfly on his shoulder, Sky says it’s never too late to fly. Note: In response to reader comments that the timeline was confusing, I re-wrote and re-published the story in April of 2017. I hope I have corrected that problem for my readers.

Bernie moved to the Nature Coast to be near family and to fish. The Irish roots of Citrus County welcomed him. So did the Gaelic Folklore which is so important to the Irish. Mostly, he just blinks and carries on, but when bodies turn up he has to get involved. Will he figure out if Pu'ka did it? (Who the heck is Pu'ka?) Will he have to protect his family? Did the Pirates get their just desserts?

Maintaining good personal relationships with their suppliers is one of the secrets of the Cackleberry Club Café’s success, so Suzanne doesn’t mind going out to Mike Mullen’s dairy farm to pick up some wheels of cheese. She’s looking forward to a nice visit with the mild-mannered farmer before heading back to the café’s hectic kitchen. But when she arrives, Mike’s nowhere to be found. The moaning of his cows leads her to look in the barn, where she discovers a bloodcurdling sight - the farmer’s dead body.

Successful attorney Larry Scott checks his watch and realizes that he is still working in his law office at four minutes past midnight which means that Larry has just turned sixty years of age while chained to his desk. He is disgusted with his workaholic ways and decides right then and there to retire from the Indianapolis law firm where he has toiled for his entire thirty-five year legal career. Larry has no idea that a bizarre set of circumstances will soon have him sorting through cryptic clues to solve three very old murders back in his home town of Vevay, Indiana. Can Larry make the ...