First of all, sorry for changing this week’s topic, but I feel this will spare my hands and thinking process, neither of which is good right now. My doctor told me to use voice-to-text, but it doesn’t really work for me, likely due to my accent; I’m still trying to make it work. Am I the only one who isn’t enjoying the new Goodreads trend: books with no blurb or little to no information? Makes me think something is being hidden. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl, who has a new weekly topic.
I’m sharing the cosy mystery books on my Kindle I still need to read for two reasons: seasonal recommendations and to help me figure out what I have left to read before I get any more.
Goodreads Blurb:
From Hollywood, California, to Heywood, Arizona, trouble follows her…
After her husband’s brutal killing and her fall from the Hollywood elite, the disgraced Samantha Rathbone moves to Heywood hoping to forget her past and live a quiet life of anonymity as Sam Jones.
When she takes a job at the local herbal shop, Sage Advice, and the owner is found murdered, Sam is pushed back into the unwanted spotlight when she becomes the number one suspect. As she wades through ugly family drama, the questionable business practices of others, and the lies embroiled in a small town, she searches for the true killer, hoping to save herself.
Will Samantha be able to find the murderer before she’s put away for a crime she didn’t commit?
Goodreads Blurb;
In a recent survey 65% of mothers admitted feeling undervalued, over-criticised and constantly tired.
Cathy is no exception. Her dull, uneventful days as a stay at home, mother of two, are radically transformed however with the arrival of a heavily lipsticked postcard addressed to husband, Declan. Who is the mysterious La La? Could Declan really be having an affair? And is Cathy actually being stalked?
Whatever – it will definitely prove riveting gossip for the Tuesday Twice Monthlies, Cathy’s ‘Mothers Restaurant Research’ group where scandal flows as recklessly as the wine. But what starts as a light-hearted investigation with best friend Raz, soon turns into something much more sinister.
With a possible murderer on the scene, a sexy admirer igniting long-forgotten sparks, and all her friends hiding secrets, it’s not only Cathy’s marriage that’s in jeopardy. Add in the scheming antics of Declan’s new assistant, the stress of organising the school Save The Toilet’s dance and the stage is set for a dangerous showdown and some very unsettling, possibly deadly, revelations.
Goodreads Blurb:
Cathy is riding high in her brand-new job at a (surprisingly bitchy) top London advertising agency working with best friend Rosa. But when Rosa’s pregnancy goes amiss and enemies sabotage her new career, she finds herself leading a chaotic double life of lies and deception, hiding a shameful secret from all, especially husband Declan who appears in the throes of a nervous breakdown.
Meanwhile she’s agreed to unmask the notorious Crouch End Creeper, a burglar terrorizing their neighbourhood. Little does she know that her meddling, assisted by fellow mothers (the Wednesday Once Weeklies) and the Neighbourhood Watch, will lead their dangerous opponent to murder. And that it’s not only the tall elegant transvestite who is placing herself at risk…
Goodreads Blurb:
Crouch End Confidential, the agency started by housewife and mother, Cathy O’Farrell, with ex-cleaner, Pimple, is failing badly. Hardly surprising when Cathy’s too soft-hearted to charge their only clients, little old ladies seeking lost pets and a school kid searching for his stolen bike. A new case involving a teenager in possession of an unexplained Glock pistol promises to change all that. Quickly Cathy’s deep in waters over her head, forced with hilarious results to pose as a mathematics tutor, a subject of which she’s truly clueless. There’s also the tricky situation of best friend and new mother Rosa hiring her to investigate her fiancé, Alec, plus the mysterious sabotage of Cathy’s friends’ cycle shop and a gang of yobbos dealing drugs at her children’s primary school. Worst of all, an ill-fated trip to rural Norfolk has Cathy’s husband, Declan, intent on buying a post office and transplanting the family to safer climes, threatening to tear Cathy permanently from her beloved North London home. Pretty soon Cathy’s risking her friendships, her marriage and even her life untangling all these messes. But that’s what you get for meddling in murder…
Goodreads Blurb:
The annual Charleton House Food Festival is about to begin. But the first item on the menu is murder…
Nestled in the idyllic setting of Derbyshire’s rolling hills, the ancestral home of the Fitzwilliam-Scott family seems an unlikely location for murder. But when a young man is bludgeoned to death with the portafilter of a coffee machine, recent thefts from local stately homes are put in the shade, and caffeine-loving café manager Sophie Lockwood finds her interest piqued by a pair of unusual cases.
Who would want to brutally murder a gentle giant of a man? And why would a thief, with an endless treasure trove to choose from, make off with a bowl from Charleton House that only has sentimental value?
Enlisting the help of her charismatic and eccentric colleagues, including quick-witted tour guide Mark, Sophie sets off to extract inside information from Detective Constable Joe Greene in return for a generous supply of chocolate croissants. But just as Sophie finds her suspicions falling on a likely suspect, a trail of coffee beans leads to a shocking revelation that turns her caffeine-fuelled investigation on its head.
Goodreads Blurb:
Welcome to Honeyridge Falls, where the sweet scent of honey masks dark secrets. Moxie Rayburn returns to her grandmother’s cozy B&B seeking a fresh start, but her plans are derailed when a shocking tragedy strikes at Sweet Buzz Farms.
To her dismay, a person from her past becomes a prime suspect. Despite their complicated history, Moxie can’t shake the feeling that he might be innocent. Torn between lingering resentment and a sense of justice, she reluctantly decides to help uncover the truth.
As the annual Honey Festival approaches, Moxie races against time to solve the mystery, facing old demons and new threats. With the help of her spirited grandmother Iris, a newly adopted mischievous cat named Sneaker, and a quirky cast of locals, she navigates a web of small-town secrets and lies.
Goodreads Blurb:
I tried not to look down the mouth of hell staring back at me from inside the glaringly pristine outer ceramic shell of the white throne, my throat catching, stomach doing half flips and a rather impressive rollover routine that would have gotten at least a 9.5 even from the Russian judges. Instead, I forced myself to smile and swallow and remind myself the elbow length yellow rubber gloves grasping the handle of the standard issue plunger were all that stood between me and Pooageddon.
Suck it up, Fee. Big girl panties and adulting and all that.
“At what point,” I waved the dripping plunger, wincing as droplets of yuck flew, “did I think owning a bed and breakfast was going to be glamorous and romantic?”
Fiona Fleming hasn’t lived in Reading, Vermont in over a decade, her escape from small town living leading her to New York City and a life of adventure. An adventure that has left her with no career, an ex who cheated on her and zero plans for the future. Her grandmother’s death grants her a new chance—inheriting Petunia’s, Iris Fleming’s bed and breakfast, seems like the ideal fresh start. But when Fee finds out ownership of the property Iris willed her might be in question, she’s drawn into the seedy underbelly of the cutest town in America after being singled out as the main suspect in a murder.
Goodreads Blurb:
WOULD DATING BE THE DEATH OF HER?
Unsure if she is looking for Mr. Right, or Mr. Every Other Saturday Night, divorced mother of two, Laurel McKay reluctantly joins THE LOVE CLUB, a popular local dating service. Dressed to kill, she meets bachelor number one at a trendy restaurant. But the date is a bust, literally, when the guy decides Laurel is dessert, and she breaks his nose with her cell phone. It gets even worse when the man is found murdered the next morning, and Laurel has his blood on her clothes.
Despite her now being a person of interest to the police, Laurel bravely ventures out on date number two. When that unlucky bachelor disappears during dinner, Laurel’s only alibi is a bottle of Dom Perignon. The sexy investigating detective thinks she’s innocent and is worried she may be the next target. That’s more than enough motivation for Laurel to find a murderer determined to kill her social life––before dating becomes a dead end she can’t escape.
Goodreads Blurb:
In the heart of Sassafras Springs, where every day smells like pie and resonates with Southern charm, life at Vi’s Pies and Bakery is as sweet as it gets for Poppy Iverson. However, when the town’s tranquility is disrupted by a dash of murder, the cozy world of baking transforms into a mystery.
When sweet and sassy Velma is accused of a crime she didn’t commit, Poppy—along with her spirited Aunt Vi and her quick-talking friend Isobel—finds herself knee-deep in a mystery that carries more intrigue than the scent of apple pie.
Goodreads Blurb:
When celebrities need a crime solving quickly and discreetly they call in the specialists, the Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency, otherwise known as the CCIA…
One desperate phone call is all it takes to turn Amber’s day from boring to completely crazy.
The call? Her old university boyfriend Ennis, now a heartthrob actor, begs for Amber’s help.
His brother Joel is dead and Ennis has to discover the truth about his death before the world’s media hear about it and batter his door down demanding answers.
The CCIA has already assigned its top agent, Charlie Huxton, to the case.
Amber’s mission? Ennis doesn’t trust a stranger to keep quiet so he pleads with Amber to shadow and help Charlie throughout the investigation. Ennis was her first love and she still has a soft spot for him – how can she refuse?
Scarily out of her depth Amber knows she needs to somehow get Charlie on side with her involvement in the case – and fast.
Plunged into the world of crime Amber’s battling something darker and far more dangerous than she’d imagined – and it has nothing to do with the equally scary chemistry fizzing between her and Charlie.
Will Charlie agree to work with her to find out how and why Joel died?
Can she help uncover the truth before word gets out and an already distraught Ennis is hounded by story-hungry journalists?
Just as importantly, can she keep her sanity and manage to still be alive when the mystery is finally solved?