Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish
This week I will be showing you 10 cozy mysteries that I've recently added to my TBR list.
(Click on the book's cover to be taken to it on Amazon)
1. Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower
Sometimes you need a sweet tooth to take a bite out of crime . . .
Bailey King is living the sweet life as assistant chocolatier at world-famous JP Chocolates in New York City. But just when Bailey’s up for a life-changing promotion, her grandmother calls with news that her grandfather’s heart condition has worsened. Bailey rushes to Harvest, Ohio, where her grandparents still run Swissmen Sweets, the Amish candy shop where she was first introduced to delicious fudge, truffles, and other assorted delights.
She finds her grandfather is doing better than she feared. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for a local Englisch developer, whom Bailey finds dead in the candy shop kitchen—with Jebediah King’s chocolate knife buried in his chest. Now the police are sweet on her grandfather as the prime suspect. Despite the sincere efforts of a yummy deputy with chocolate-brown eyes, Bailey takes it on herself to clear Jebediah. But as a cunning killer tries to fudge the truth, Bailey may be headed straight into a whole batch of trouble . . .
Bailey King is living the sweet life as assistant chocolatier at world-famous JP Chocolates in New York City. But just when Bailey’s up for a life-changing promotion, her grandmother calls with news that her grandfather’s heart condition has worsened. Bailey rushes to Harvest, Ohio, where her grandparents still run Swissmen Sweets, the Amish candy shop where she was first introduced to delicious fudge, truffles, and other assorted delights.
She finds her grandfather is doing better than she feared. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for a local Englisch developer, whom Bailey finds dead in the candy shop kitchen—with Jebediah King’s chocolate knife buried in his chest. Now the police are sweet on her grandfather as the prime suspect. Despite the sincere efforts of a yummy deputy with chocolate-brown eyes, Bailey takes it on herself to clear Jebediah. But as a cunning killer tries to fudge the truth, Bailey may be headed straight into a whole batch of trouble . . .
2. Witch Summer Night's Cream by H.Y. Hanna
A witch, a kitty and a chocolate love potion...
Celebrating the summer solstice can be fun - especially when your grandmother is a witch with an enchanted chocolate shop! Caitlyn is looking forward to Midsummer's Eve in the tiny English village of Tillyhenge. But when a teenage girl is murdered and a priceless love potion goes missing, she and her cousins are plunged into a puzzling mystery.
Is the girl's death connected to the midnight bonfires at the ancient stone circle? What about the two strangers who recently arrived in the village? With her naughty black kitten and toothless old vampire uncle (not to mention handsome British aristocrat, Lord James Fitzroy!) all lending a helping hand, Caitlyn sets out to do some magical sleuthing.
But Midsummer's Eve is fast approaching and spells are going disastrously wrong... can Caitlyn use her newfound witch powers to find the killer - and maybe even mend a broken heart?
Celebrating the summer solstice can be fun - especially when your grandmother is a witch with an enchanted chocolate shop! Caitlyn is looking forward to Midsummer's Eve in the tiny English village of Tillyhenge. But when a teenage girl is murdered and a priceless love potion goes missing, she and her cousins are plunged into a puzzling mystery.
Is the girl's death connected to the midnight bonfires at the ancient stone circle? What about the two strangers who recently arrived in the village? With her naughty black kitten and toothless old vampire uncle (not to mention handsome British aristocrat, Lord James Fitzroy!) all lending a helping hand, Caitlyn sets out to do some magical sleuthing.
But Midsummer's Eve is fast approaching and spells are going disastrously wrong... can Caitlyn use her newfound witch powers to find the killer - and maybe even mend a broken heart?
3. Shortbread and Sorrow by Agatha Frost
When Julia’s gran, Dot, wins an all-inclusive spa trip to Scotland, Julia finds it difficult to refuse the offer of a relaxing week away from her café. Along with her sister, Sue, they pack up her tiny vintage car and drive all the way from Peridale to Seirbigh Castle, ready to be pampered. The last thing Julia expected was to be caught up in another murder investigation, but when the cruel owner of the family-run spa, Henry McLaughlin, is shot dead, she can’t resist ditching the facemasks and massages in favour of cracking the case.
Julia quickly befriends the young cook and talented-baker, Blair, and acquires a job in the kitchen so she can observe the strange family in the wake of the murder. Henry’s wife and children are acting suspicious, and with an incompetent young Detective Inspector on the case, Julia makes it her mission to discover the secrets held within the ancient walls before Seirbigh Castle claims another victim.
Julia quickly befriends the young cook and talented-baker, Blair, and acquires a job in the kitchen so she can observe the strange family in the wake of the murder. Henry’s wife and children are acting suspicious, and with an incompetent young Detective Inspector on the case, Julia makes it her mission to discover the secrets held within the ancient walls before Seirbigh Castle claims another victim.
4. Spells and Scones by Bailey Cates
When the bookshop next to the Honeybee Bakery hosts a signing for a Savannah radio celebrity's new self-help book, magical baker Katie Lightfoot is happy to provide some delectable desserts. A big crowd has turned out for the event, curious about the book (and maybe to sample some goodies), but the final chapter comes too soon for the author when she is found dead at the event.
The prime suspect is Angie Kissel, a former witch whose familiar was once Katie’s own terrier, Mungo. Katie is at first hesitant to help, afraid of losing the little dog who has become so important to her. But after a little nudge from Mungo himself, Katie decides to try to conjure up the real killer—before Angie gets served...
The prime suspect is Angie Kissel, a former witch whose familiar was once Katie’s own terrier, Mungo. Katie is at first hesitant to help, afraid of losing the little dog who has become so important to her. But after a little nudge from Mungo himself, Katie decides to try to conjure up the real killer—before Angie gets served...
5. Death Threads by Elizabeth Lynn Casey
Yankee librarian Tori Sinclair is basking in the warmth of her new circle of friends from South Carolina's Sweet Briar Ladies Society sewing circle. That is until local author Colby Calhoun reveals an unflattering secret about the town's historic past-and then disappears, leaving a bloody trail behind him. And when Tori begins to see a pattern of the townsfolk's age-old Southern pride standing in the way of justice, she knows it's time to unravel the mystery.
6. Much Ado About Murder by Edith Maxwell
It’s been a hot, dry spring in Westbury, Massachusetts. As organic farmer Cam Flaherty waits for much-needed rain, storm clouds of mystery begin to gather. Once again, it’s time to put away her sun hat and put on her sleuthing cap when a fellow farmer is found dead in a vat of hydroponic slurry—clutching a set of rosary beads. Showers may be scarce this spring, but there’s no shortage of suspects, including the dead woman’s embittered ex‑husband, the Other Man whose affair ruined their marriage, and Cam’s own visiting mother. Lucky for Cam, her father turns out to have a knack for sleuthing. Will he and Cam be able to clear Mom’s name before the killer strikes again?
7. Body on the Bayou by Ellen Byron
The Crozats feared that past murders at Crozat Plantation B&B might spell the death of their beloved estate, but they’ve managed to survive the scandal. Now there’s a très bigger story in Pelican, Louisiana: the upcoming nuptials between Maggie Crozat’s nemesis, Police Chief Rufus Durand, and her co-worker, Vanessa Fleer.
Maggie, inexplicably tasked with being Vanessa's Maid of Honor, quickly discovers why everyone else refused the assignment when the Bridezilla hands her a long list of duties — the most important of which is entertaining Vanessa’s cousin, Ginger Fleer-Starke, a mysterious woman with dangerous secrets. But just days before the wedding, Ginger’s lifeless body is found on the bayou behind Crozat Plantation and the Pelican PD, as well as the Crozats, have another murder mystery on their hands.
There’s a gumbo-potful of suspects, including an ex-Marine with PTSD, an annoying local newspaper reporter, and Vanessa’s own sparkplug of a mother. But when it looks like the investigation is zeroing in on Vanessa as the prime suspect, Maggie reluctantly adds keeping the bride-to-be out of jail to her list of Maid of Honor responsibilities in Body on the Bayou, the second in Ellen Byron's charming and witty series.
Maggie, inexplicably tasked with being Vanessa's Maid of Honor, quickly discovers why everyone else refused the assignment when the Bridezilla hands her a long list of duties — the most important of which is entertaining Vanessa’s cousin, Ginger Fleer-Starke, a mysterious woman with dangerous secrets. But just days before the wedding, Ginger’s lifeless body is found on the bayou behind Crozat Plantation and the Pelican PD, as well as the Crozats, have another murder mystery on their hands.
There’s a gumbo-potful of suspects, including an ex-Marine with PTSD, an annoying local newspaper reporter, and Vanessa’s own sparkplug of a mother. But when it looks like the investigation is zeroing in on Vanessa as the prime suspect, Maggie reluctantly adds keeping the bride-to-be out of jail to her list of Maid of Honor responsibilities in Body on the Bayou, the second in Ellen Byron's charming and witty series.
8. Dial P for Poison by Zara Keane
Movies. Muffins. Murder.
Maggie Doyle moved to Ireland to escape her cheating ex and crumbling career in the San Francisco PD. When the most hated woman on Whisper Island is poisoned at her aunt’s Movie Theater Café, Maggie and her rock-hard muffins are hurled into the investigation.
With the help of her UFO-enthusiast friend, a nun, and a feral puppy, Maggie is determined to clear her aunt’s name. Can she catch the murderer before they strike again? Or will her terrible baking skills burn down the café first?
Maggie Doyle moved to Ireland to escape her cheating ex and crumbling career in the San Francisco PD. When the most hated woman on Whisper Island is poisoned at her aunt’s Movie Theater Café, Maggie and her rock-hard muffins are hurled into the investigation.
With the help of her UFO-enthusiast friend, a nun, and a feral puppy, Maggie is determined to clear her aunt’s name. Can she catch the murderer before they strike again? Or will her terrible baking skills burn down the café first?
9. On the Chopping Block by Jenny Kales
Building a small business has been murder, but Callie Costas didn’t expect to be confronted with an actual body. The 36-year-old Greek-American proprietor of “Callie's Kitchen,” a meals-from-scratch business in an idyllic small town, has been busy creating a post-divorce life for herself, her young daughter and her Yorkie, Koukla. After a lot of hard work (including staving off her father’s continual advice), she’s got the locals and tourists clamoring for her delicious Mediterranean dishes and Midwest comfort food classics. Recently, she’s started a budding romance with a fellow foodie, the wealthy owner and chef of Crystal Bay’s most popular bistro.
However, success is as fleeting as one of Wisconsin’s glorious autumn days. As local businesses begin to shut down due to a slow economy, Callie is struggling not to become another statistic. A contest with a hefty cash prize seems like the perfect chance to fix her financial woes, until a shocking murder threatens not only her livelihood – but her life.
When she’s targeted as a prime suspect by an attractive expat British detective, Callie’s situation becomes more delicate than her Greek egg-lemon soup. She’s got to find the killer and fast if she wants to protect her daughter, save her business and stay alive.
However, success is as fleeting as one of Wisconsin’s glorious autumn days. As local businesses begin to shut down due to a slow economy, Callie is struggling not to become another statistic. A contest with a hefty cash prize seems like the perfect chance to fix her financial woes, until a shocking murder threatens not only her livelihood – but her life.
When she’s targeted as a prime suspect by an attractive expat British detective, Callie’s situation becomes more delicate than her Greek egg-lemon soup. She’s got to find the killer and fast if she wants to protect her daughter, save her business and stay alive.
10. Lethal Latte by Jinty James
Can a witch who can only cast one spell solve a murder?
Maddie Goodwell, Trixie, her Persian cat (who might also be her familiar), and Maddie’s best friend Suzanne Taylor, run their coffee truck, Brewed from the Bean, in the small town of Estherville, Washington state.
Maddie always thought it was a sleepy kind of town, apart from the fact that when she was seven, she found an ancient book, Wytchcraft for the Chosen.
Now, twenty years later, she can only cast one spell successfully from the book – the coffee vision spell.
But when she peeks into Joan’s future – one of her regular customers – she sees the middle-aged woman lying dead in the kitchen!
When the vision comes true, Maddie is determined to investigate – with the help of Trixie and Suzanne.
Who would want to kill Joan? Why?
And will they be coming after Maddie next?
Maddie Goodwell, Trixie, her Persian cat (who might also be her familiar), and Maddie’s best friend Suzanne Taylor, run their coffee truck, Brewed from the Bean, in the small town of Estherville, Washington state.
Maddie always thought it was a sleepy kind of town, apart from the fact that when she was seven, she found an ancient book, Wytchcraft for the Chosen.
Now, twenty years later, she can only cast one spell successfully from the book – the coffee vision spell.
But when she peeks into Joan’s future – one of her regular customers – she sees the middle-aged woman lying dead in the kitchen!
When the vision comes true, Maddie is determined to investigate – with the help of Trixie and Suzanne.
Who would want to kill Joan? Why?
And will they be coming after Maddie next?
What about you? What have you added to your TBR lately?
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