Cozy Mysteries for Fall
Curl up with a cozy mystery this fall!
The cider shop rules
Lindsey, Julie Anne, author.
2021
The Fall Festival is in full swing. Civil War reenactors from three counties are partaking in Blossom Valley's tribute to John Brown. Blue Ridge Mountain foliage is in full bloom. And best of all is Jacob Potter's pumpkin farm where his hay rides, piglet races, pumpkin picking and corn maze are time-honored draws for locals and tourists alike. That's why it's such a shock when Mr. Potter is found dead, hidden under a tarp in the back of Winnie's pickup truck. This certainly betrays Potter's reputation as one of the town's most popular citizens. Fortunately, when it comes to solving a murder, no one has a patch on Winnie. Now, all eyes are on her to do it. Unfortunately, that includes those of the killer who'll do anything to keep an orchard full of secrets buried.
Death by hot apple cider
Erickson, Alex, author
2021
"With autumn in full swing and Thanksgiving on the way, Krissy's supplying cider and her staff is manning the apple-bobbing booth at a town event. But then a patron dunks his head in--and doesn't come back up. It soon becomes clear that Krissy's brew wasn't to blame. But with her policeman boyfriend looking to make detective, she can't help being drawn into the investigation. The victim was notorious for harassing not only her own bookstore but the library and the school for promoting supposedly scandalous literature--before someone censored him permanently. Now, Krissy will have to check out a stack of suspects to find a killer who's rotten to the core..."--Page 4 of cover.
Death by jack-o'-lantern
Morgan, Alexis, author
2019
"The small town of Snowberry Creek, Washington, is gearing up for the Halloween Festival, and naturally Abby is on the planning committee. As part of her duties, she's picking up a pumpkin order from ornery farmer Ronald Minter. But what she finds instead is the farmer in the middle of his corn maze with a knife in his back. The police suspect a homeless veteran named Kevin Montgomery, who was seen arguing with Minter when the farmer accused him of trespassing and stealing pumpkins. Abby's tenant Tripp Blackston, a veteran himself who's been helping Kevin, is sure he's innocent. Together, Abby and Tripp follow the twists and turns of the case to corner the corn maze killer--before someone else meets a dead end..."--Page 4 of cover
Death overdue
Brook, Allison, author
2017
Carrie Singleton is just about done with Clover Ridge, Connecticut, until she's offered a job as the head of programs and events at the spooky local library, complete with its own librarian ghost. Her first major event is a program presented by a retired homicide detective, Al Buckley, who claims he knows who murdered Laura Foster, a much-loved part-time library aide who was bludgeoned to death fifteen years earlier. As he invites members of the audience to share stories about Laura, he suddenly keels over and dies.
Digging up the remains
Henry, Julia, 1962- author
2020
When a newspaper reporter who was digging up dirt on Goosebush's most notable family is murdered, Lilly and her Garden Squad must weed out a killer and save the Fall Festival.
Knit of the living dead
Ehrhart, Peggy, author.
2020
Among the countless revelers at the town's much-anticipated Halloween parade, a woman dressed as Little Bo Peep is the only one making people scream bloody murder. In a scene straight out of a horror movie, the Knit and Nibblers find the nursery rhyme character dead with thick strands of yarn looped around her neck. Pamela and her best friend, Bettina, are set on pinning down who wanted the woman gone forever, but it'll take every trick they can muster to catch the culprit without becoming the next poor souls to join Little Bo Peep's dark, endless sleep...-- Publisher's description.
Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant
Hannah, Darci, author
2023
"Lindsey prefers to keep her bakeshop's Halloween decor light and autumnal, rather than gruesome and ghoulish. But everyone knows her lighthouse home is haunted. Some intrepid teens have even tried to break in to witness the resident ghost themselves. Dreading Halloween night, Lindsey reluctantly allows her influencer and podcaster best friend, Kennedy, to host a live ghost-hunting investigation in the lighthouse, conducted by a professional team. Protective of her ghost, Lyndsey is understandably nervous about what they might uncover... The segment is uneventful--until things take a terrifying turn. The team freaks out. As Kennedy joins the mad dash outside, she bumps into what looks like the prankster teens' creepy clown costume hanging from a tree. But when Lindsey's dog, Wellington, begins to whine, they make a grim discovery: the clown is no dummy. It's a corpse. Now Lindsey and company will need to keep their cool if they want a ghost of a chance to solve the murder--and see another Halloween..."-- Provided by publisher.
Murder in the corn maze
McKevett, G. A.
2019
The roots of the Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency reach back to the 1980s in the little town of McGill, Georgia--where Stella Reid and her seven grandkids enjoy some spooky Halloween fun and stumble into murder... It doesn't take cash, just some good old-fashioned creativity, to turn a pillowcase into a ghost costume or a trashcan into a suit of armor. So even if she has to stick to a budget, Stella Reid always makes holidays like Halloween memorable for twelve-year-old Savannah and the rest of her grandchildren. After joining the other townspeople for trick-or-treating and the annual parade down Main Street, Granny Reid and the kids head to Judge Patterson's antebellum mansion, where a corn maze awaits. Most of the youngsters are too terrified to make it all the way to the middle. It's lucky for them, because when Savannah and Granny get there, it proves to be even scarier than they expected--half buried in the mud at the center of the maze lies a human skull. The grisly discovery uncovers a mystery that stretches back decades--and seems to be related to the long-unsolved murder of Granny Reid's own part-Cherokee mother. After all this time, the culprit may be long gone... or still hiding among them. It'll be up to Granny to dig into this Southern town's history and a mess of old family secrets.-- Amazon.com.
No parm no foul
Reilly, Linda S., author
2022
After a long hot summer in Balsam Dell, Carly Hale is ready for crisp Vermont weather and gourmet grilled cheeses at her Grilled Cheese Eatery. And the upcoming Halloween food competition is the perfect way to impress the locals. But Ferris Menard, the owner of Sub-a-Dub-Sub, is nursing a serious grudge against Carly. Two days before the competition, one of Carly's employees quit his part-time gig at Menard's sub shop, sending Menard into a serious snit. In a confrontation at the Eatery, Menard accused Carly of sabotage and vowed to bring her down. That's when Menard's body is found in his kitchen the morning after the competition, a steak knife sticking out of his heart.
The Pumpkin Spice Cafe
Gilmore, Laurie, author
2023
"When Jeanie's aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Caf©♭ in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job. Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor's gossip at all costs. But Jeanie's arrival disrupts Logan's routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her. Will Jeanie's happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won't fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes..."-- Amazon.com.
Pumpkin spice peril
McKinlay, Jenn, author
2020
Life is all sugar and spice for the Fairy Tale Cupcake bakers--Melanie Cooper is engaged to the delectable Joe DeLaura, Angie Harper and her husband Tate are savoring married life, and the bakery is bustling with happy customers. Until one of their most valued cupcake connoisseurs ends up dead. Local glass artist and cupcake lover Rene Fischer-Klein has always suffered from a wide variety of health issues. In an effort to cheer her up, her doting husband, Peter, brings her a four-pack of her favorite cupcakes every week. But when the police discover that Rene has been poisoned, there's no sugarcoating the fact that the last things she ate were the bakery's signature pumpkin spice cupcakes! With their lives and bakery at stake, it's up to Mel and Angie to find out who poisoned their artist friend and why, before their future is frosted for good.
Six Stunning Sirens A Kitchen Witch Mystery.
Cahoon, Lynn.
In the latest in the enchanting series by New York Times bestselling author Lynn Cahoon, Mia Malone is looking forward to catering the Miss Magic Springs Harvest Pageant, part of the local coven?́?s big autumn celebration?́?until death puts a chill in the air . . .
In a triumph for Mia?́?s catering business and cooking school, Mia?́?s Morsels is chosen to host a fall festival event in their Idaho mountain town?́?which means managing a bunch of stage moms and their social-media obsessed daughters as they get ready for the big beauty contest. There?́?s a lot riding on the results of the Harvest Moon Festival?́?it?́?s where the local coven leader is chosen for the following year.
But after one contestant is found in a compromising position with a judge, and another drops out when her mother is killed in a freak hiking accident, the coven suspects magical meddling. With a week to go before the coronation of the new queen, Mia must draw on her sleuthing powers to find out what?́?s going on?́?and whether this competition has gotten a little too cutthroat . . .
A very woodsy murder
Byron, Ellen, author
2024
Down-on-her-luck sitcom writer Dee Stern is flipping the script. Twice divorced and wasting her talents on an obnoxious kids' show, the lifelong Angeleno embraces the urge to jump in her car and keep driving. It's a road trip with no destination--until she pulls into a mid-century motel filled with cobwebs and retro charm. Nestled in the shadow of a national park. It's a time capsule of a place that, like her, could use some work. So, in the most impulsive move of her life, Dee teams up with her best freind, Jeff Cornetta--who happens to be her first ex-husband--to transform the aging ranch into the Golden Motel-of-the-Mountains, a hiker's oasis on the edge of the wilderness... But Dee and Jeff soon realize there couldn't be two people more unprepared for the hospitatlity business. There's also the panic-inducing reality of prowling bears and a general store as the only shopping spot for miles. Living and working in the middle of no-where takes some getting used to--especially when a disrespectful guest ends up murdered! Now, with the motel duo topping the suspect list, Dee must steer clear of a meddling park ranger, face her past in show biz, and determine if the killer is a local or tourist. Because as she quickly finds out, there are many thihngs worse than a one-star review.