Tag: cozy mystery

The Crime Brûlée Bake Off by Rebecca Connolly

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The Crime Brûlée Bake Off is the first book in the Claire Walker Mystery series by Rebecca Connolly. This book reminded me of The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell as both are murder mysteries that take place during British baking competitions. Think of a mix between Clue and The Great British Baking Show and that’s exactly what these books are.

Claire Walker has been selected as a contestant on Britain’s Battle of the Bakers, an incredibly popular cooking show. To say she’s thrilled would be an understatement. If she wins, Claire wants to stop teaching and kick off her career as a baker. Turning up at Blackfirth Park where the show is to take place, Claire and the other contestants are introduced to Johnathan Ainsley, the Viscount of Colburn, and the ghost rumors that surround the family and the grounds.

Jonathan is not happy that the cooking competition will be filming on his estate, but the visibility should hopefully help the estate and the town. He doesn’t want to be involved with the show or the contestants and thankfully his staff understands and is keeping them away. When someone is found murdered on the grounds, Jonathan founds himself drawn into the case . . . and drawn to Claire. The two start working together to solve the crime. Through their investigation, they discover similarities between the current case and the death of the tenth Viscountess of Colburn over 200 years ago. Claire and Jonathan also start to feel a romantic connection and can’t stay away from each other. Their budding romance combined with the murder sends the two down a road that could either lead to disaster or happiness.

I am excited to see how the romance progresses in the book and if the characters remain friends in the next books in the series. This was a fun read, but the mystery elements were too predictable for my liking. (ALSO in every other cozy mystery I have read, the police repeatedly tell citizens not to get involved, but in the story, the detective actively sought out two people to help him investigate! What?!)

A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara

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“Life is for making messes, my girl. That’s living. That’s a privilege we only get for maybe eighty years at a go. We’re given this wonderful, beautiful sandbox to play in, and what a waste it is to never try and build something from it, even if the rain sweeps it away in the end.”
― Maxie Dara, A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer

In A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer, author Maxie Dara takes the concept of grim reapers and flips it on its head. This delightful series debut introduces readers to the employees of S.C.Y.T.H.E., also known as Secure Collection, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essences. These employees are modern day grim reapers without the black cloaks and scythes. Instead they are handled the case files of the recently departed, tasked with finding their souls and delivering them to processing as soon as they can. They must complete their jobs within 45 days or the souls are trapped on Earth, forced to haunt as ghosts.

Kathy Valence is in her early forties going through a divorce from her almost ex-husband Simon. Her job at S.C.Y.T.H.E. is the easiest part of her life, at least until she goes to collect the soul of her latest client, seventeen-year-old Conner Ortiz, and discovers that his soul is missing. Kathy must track down Conner in 45 days, but this proves tricky. When she eventually finds Conner, he is beyond angry. He insists that someone who works with Kathy killed him. Conner refuses to go with Kathy until she figures out who killed him and why.

This series debut was hilarious. Each character’s backstory was fascinating and allowed room for growth in the next books. While this book is billed as a paranormal mystery, that was not the vibe. This book read more as introductions to each of the characters with less focus on the mystery. I would have liked more information about S.C.Y.T.H.E. though! Kathy didn’t know much about how S.C.Y.T.H.E. actually worked, which was a red flag for me, but the ending made it seem like she was interested in finding out. The relationship between Connor and Kathy, plus how Kathy’s coworker Jo played into the story, kept me reading. Solid 4 star read!

Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry

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On the run from an ex, former private investigator in training Amber Winslow flees to her estranged grandmother’s house in Tamara Berry’s latest mystery, Murder Runs in the Family. This book combines elements of detective fiction and cozy mysteries to tell the story of found family and the road to forgiveness.

After a blow up with her ex-boyfriend, Amber impulsively heads to Arizona and the retirement community where her estranged grandmother lives. Growing up, Amber’s mother had nothing positive to say about her grandmother and forbid contact between them. It’s a shock when Amber runs to her grandma in her time of need, given all she knows is the woman’s name and where she is currently living. After sneaking into Seven Ponds and dropping in on her grandma, Amber is ready to learn more about Grandma Jade and what caused the massive family fallout.

Before Amber can start quizzing Jade, she is introduced to Jade’s friends and their quirky habits. They each have their own reasons for living at Seven Ponds, but they are all deeply connected. One morning, all of their lives are changed when they learn that one of their friends has been found dead in the group’s podcast studio. That’s right – Jade and her friends are responsible for a successful true crime podcast! Their friend’s death shocks everyone, especially Amber when the authorities are quick to focus on Jade as the murderer. Amber may not know her grandmother well, but there’s no way this eccentric woman would be a murderous villain. Putting her private investigator skills to use, Amber and the other podcast members work to prove Jade’s innocence.

This is a delightfully quirky cozy mystery full of compelling elements. Each character has their own independent backstory that eventually weaves into the plot, while the physical place, the retirement community itself, also plays a role. Bonus: there is a lost tortoise with an adorable name! I hope that the author decides to turn this into a series.

Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson

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Cozy mysteries are my go-to read. I’m usually always reading at least one, if not multiple, but my want-to-read list keeps growing! In an effort to cut my list down, I have purposely picked one new-to-me cozy mystery off my list to read every month. My latest read is one that fit this category: Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson, the first book in the Old Juniper Bookstore Mystery series. The cover of this book is what appealed to me first, but the story and characters quickly pulled me in!

Madeline Brimley left her small Georgia town to follow her aunt’s footsteps as an actress. After going to college, Madeline decided to pursue her dreams on the stage in New York. She ended up working in Atlanta for years, but after her eccentric Aunt Rose passed away, Madeline moves back to the small town of Enigma, Georgia where she grew up. Rose left Madeline her bookstore in an old Victorian mansion. Rolling into town in her old Fiat, Madeline is ready to start her second career as a bookseller.

Madeline’s new life starts with difficulties! Her first night in town turns to disaster when the gazebo in her backyard is lit on fire. The local authorities think Madeline is the one who set the fire. After a phone call in the middle of the night from someone threatening to burn the whole house down if Madeline doesn’t leave the house and Enigma immediately, she decides to stay and run the store, thinking that the threat can’t be serious. Once the store is open, customers flock to purchase books and visit the new owner. Everything seems to be going good until there’s another fire and a murder in the store! Who could want to harm Madeline? Who is trying to destroy her store? Suspicion is all over the newcomer, leading her to investigate the crimes with the help of her aunt’s best friend and the new priest across the street. The town of Enigma, its residents, and her Aunt Rose are full of secrets that Madeline must unearth before someone else she loves is targeted.

This cozy mystery, while predictable, is full of unique characters. The introductions to each character were not overwhelming, while each had something distinctive to add to the story. Multiple sub-plots also run through this book, calling the reader to pay attention to solve the crimes. The setting was also gorgeously described. The plot had me hooked with an intriguing resolution that involved many of the characters. Booked for Murder is definitely darker than the traditional cozy mystery, but that allows the author to highlight the characters’ relationships with each other. The second in the series, All My Bones, is supposed to be released in December 2025 and I can’t wait!

This title is also available in large print.

Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage

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Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia must solve a murder and plan a wedding in Rachel Ekstrom Courage’s new book, Murder by Cheesecake, book 1 in the Golden Girls Cozy Mystery series.

Rose is preparing to fly to St. Olaf for her young relative’s wedding when she receives a devastating phone call. There’s been a fire at the venue and the young couple have decided to elope! Desperate to make sure that all the St. Olaf traditions are adhered to, Rose offers to host the wedding in Miami. She quickly enlists the help of Dorothy, Blanche, and Sophia to help her pull off all the wedding planning in just a week and making sure the St. Olaf wedding week guidelines are met.

The Girls have their dedicated tasks, but Dorothy has one that falls outside of Rose’s list: she needs a date to the wedding. She decides to try the new VHS dating service that her daughter recommended, but her date ends up being less than desirable. Disappointed, Dorothy resigns herself to a lonely wedding.

Despite a few hiccups with the groom’s family and with the St. Olaf relatives, Rose is determined that the kickoff event will be perfect. Everything is running smoothly until a body is discovered in the kitchen freezer, face-down dead in a cheesecake. Every guest at the kickoff event is a suspect, the groom’s family is angry, and Dorothy thinks she might know the dead person. The Girls must find the real killer while planning the wedding. The happy couple doesn’t need the stress of murder and a dead body to destroy their day, so Rose, Dorothy, Blanche, and Sophia search for clues and push for the truth.

This was a fun cozy mystery read. I enjoyed seeing all of the connections between the book and the television series. This is full of references to life in the 1980s. Murder by Cheesecake is a delightful cozy mystery read that you can devour in one weekend. The character development was realistic, the mystery was believable, and the story is full of surprises. PLUS there’s a cheesecake recipe at the end of the book!

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

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“You know, if mankind has one universal superpower, it’s gaslighting women into thinking they’re the problem.”
― Ally Carter, The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

Have you ever read a book that you’re not quite sure which genre it falls into? Such was my last read, The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter. (Did you know that Ally Carter is the pen name for author Sarah Leigh Fogelman? I sure didn’t until I read this book.)

Maggie Chase has hated Ethan Wyatt for as long as she’s known him. She’s a cozy mystery writer, while he is a thriller writer known for his leather jackets. The two mix like oil and water, especially when Maggie overhears Ethan make a comment about her at a holiday party. When her agent hands Maggie an invitation to her biggest fan’s home for the holidays, Maggie reluctantly agrees and boards the plane. Maggie realizes she wasn’t the only author invited, but is trapped until the plane touches down. More people are there than she expected, plus her anonymous fan seems to be hiding secrets. Day two of the trip takes a turn when someone goes missing from a locked room in the midst of a brutal winter storm. Maggie spots clues and starts wondering if something bigger is happening behind the scenes. Who can she trust? How did the missing person disappear? Is she trapped in a mansion with a killer?

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year is described as Knives Out with a rom-com twist, and honestly I’ve never read anything more apt. I absolutely adored this book. Seeing Maggie and Ethan’s relationship progress over the years through flashbacks and from both of their points-of-view was a breath of fresh air. Romance tropes, plus mystery elements, abound in this novel. Rivals-to-lovers AND a locked room mystery? My favorites! There were some plot points that I still have questions about, but I’ll have to let them go as this is a standalone. Four of five stars!

This title is also available in large print.

“so . . . Summers were the worst. Or the best?” She honestly didn’t know. “Because I had two things: a library card and time.”
― Ally Carter, The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

Beekeeping Books

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Are you interested in beekeeping? Are you curious how adding bees can help your yard and garden? The Davenport Public Library has books to help you out! Below we have gathered a list of nonfiction books about beekeeping, plus a bonus cozy mystery about bees, to get you started.

At the time of this writing, all of these titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Descriptions provided by the publishers.

The Backyard Beekeeper: an Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Keeping Bees in your Yard and Garden 5th Edition by Kim Flottum

A Comprehensive Guide to Keeping Healthy, Happy, and Productive Bees.

Experience the timeless joy of beekeeping—right in your backyard or on your urban rooftop—with this fully updated and accessible resource for beekeepers of all levels.

More than just a how-to guide, The Backyard Beekeeper offers expert insights and practical advice on every aspect of caring for bees and harvesting their gifts. Learn how to:

  • Set Up and Maintain Hives – Start and care for thriving colonies.
  • Choose the Ideal Location – Ensure the safety of your bees and yourself.
  • Practice Nontoxic Beekeeping – Use natural, sustainable care methods.
  • Manage Swarms – Prevent and control swarming behavior.
  • Work with Top Bar Hives – Explore alternative hive options.
  • Harvest Hive Products – Collect honey, beeswax, and more.
  • Identify and Treat Bee Health Issues – Recognize problems early and apply effective solutions.

What’s New in the 5th Edition:

  • Natural Beekeeping Methods – Learn how to insulate hives for winter, mirroring the natural advantages of wild bee habitats.
  • Updated Treatments for Varroa Mites – Stay ahead in the fight against one of beekeeping’s greatest challenges.
  • Guidance on New Antibiotic Regulations – Navigate the latest recommendations for managing American foulbrood.
  • Modern Recordkeeping Tools – Discover innovative ways to track hive health and productivity.

This expanded edition also features a fresh, user-friendly design with larger, easy-to-read text, a clearer structure for quick reference, and dozens of new, vibrant photos that bring beekeeping to life.

With trusted guidance from Kim Flottum, editor emeritus of Bee Culture magazine, you’ll gain the confidence and know-how to cultivate healthy, productive bees and enjoy the sweet rewards of your own hive.

Start your beekeeping journey today—naturally, sustainably, and successfully. – Quarry Books

Beekeeping for Gardeners: the Complete Step-to-Step Guide to Keeping Bees in your Garden by Richard Rickitt

A comprehensive gardener’s guide to sustainable beekeeping.

Beekeeping has changed. While once it was a hobby that pursued the rich rewards of honey and wax, many new beekeepers now instead seek the gratification of knowing that they are aiding the survival of one of the world’s most important creatures. Keeping bees today is as much about providing the right habitats and resources to help pollinators thrive as it is about chasing every drop of golden honey.

This beautifully illustrated guide to the ancient hobby of beekeeping shows today’s gardeners how to create beautiful gardens that are richly rewarding for people and bees alike. Flowers, shrubs, trees and vegetable plots can provide colourful beauty and delicious produce as well as vital pollen and nectar when bees need it the most. There are lists of the top-performing plants and how and where to grow them, including window boxes, lawns, borders, wild gardens and even ponds.

Beekeeping for Gardeners looks at the pleasures and benefits of keeping honey bees in gardens of all types and sizes, both rural and urban. It explains the practicalities involved in keeping bees in the domestic garden setting, as well as on rooftops, allotments, parks, farmland and other locations. Importantly, and unlike any book before, this guide sets the delightful hobby of beekeeping within the context of the wider environment, asking how it can best serve the needs of all types of pollinator and the local ecology in general.

Whether you’re looking to attract more bumblebees and solitary bees or want to install a beehive, this wonderful book contains all the guidance you’ll need to have a garden buzzing with bees. – Green Books

Buzz: the Nature and Necessity of Bees by Thor Hanson

Bees are like oxygen: ubiquitous, essential, and, for the most part, unseen. While we might overlook them, they lie at the heart of relationships that bind the human and natural worlds. In Buzz, the beloved Thor Hanson takes us on a journey that begins 125 million years ago, when a wasp first dared to feed pollen to its young. From honeybees and bumbles to lesser-known diggers, miners, leafcutters, and masons, bees have long been central to our harvests, our mythologies, and our very existence. They’ve given us sweetness and light, the beauty of flowers, and as much as a third of the foodstuffs we eat. And, alarmingly, they are at risk of disappearing.

As informative and enchanting as the waggle dance of a honeybee, Buzz shows us why all bees are wonders to celebrate and protect. Read this book and you’ll never overlook them again. – Basic Books

A Honeybee Heart has Five Openings: A Year of Keeping Bees by Helen Jukes

A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings begins as the author is entering her thirties and feeling disconnected in her life. Uneasy about her future and struggling to settle into her new house in Oxford with its own small garden, she is brought back to a time of accompanying a friend in London—a beekeeper—on his hive visits. And as a gesture of good fortune for her new life, she is given a colony of honeybees. According to folklore, a colony, freely given, brings good luck, and Helen Jules embarks on a rewarding, perilous journey of becoming a beekeeper.

Jukes writes about what it means to “keep” wild creatures; on how to live alongside beings whose laws and logic are so different from our own . . . She delves into the history of beekeeping and writes about discovering the ancient, haunting, sometimes disturbing relationship between keeper and bee, human and wild thing.

A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings is a book of observation, of the irrepressible wildness of these fascinating creatures, of the ways they seem to evade our categories each time we attempt to define them. Are they wild or domestic? Individual or collective? Is honey an animal product or is it plant-based? As the author’s colony grows, the questions that have, at first compelled her interest to fade away, and the inbetweenness, the unsettledness of honeybees call for a different kind of questioning, of consideration.

A subtle yet urgent mediation on uncertainty and hope, on solitude and friendship, on feelings of restlessness and on home; on how we might better know ourselves. A book that shows us how to be alert to the large and small creatures that flit between and among us and that urge us to learn from this vital force so necessary to be continuation of life on planet Earth. – Pantheon

Bonus Cozy Mystery!

Take the Honey and Run by Jennie Marts (book 1 in the Bee Keeping Mystery series)

As a successful mystery author, Bailey Briggs writes about murder, but nothing prepares her for actually discovering the dead body of the founder of her hometown of Humble Hills, Colorado. Bailey grew up at Honeybuzz Mountain Ranch and was raised by her beekeeping grandmother, Blossom Briggs, aka Granny Bee, and her two eccentric sisters, Aster and Marigold—which is why she drops everything to come home and help Granny Bee after a bad fall.

A broken foot doesn’t stop her grandmother from ruling The Hive, her granny’s book club, or continuing to prepare and package her bee-inspired products. But when Bailey’s grandmother’s infamous “Honey I’m Home” hot spiced honey turns out to “bee” the murder weapon and her granny is now the prime suspect, Bailey has no choice but to use her fictional detective skills to help solve the murder and “smoke out” the real culprit.

With the help of Bailey’s witty bestie, a pair of meddling aunts, the feisty members of The Hive, and her computer-savvy daughter, this amateur sleuth is determined to solve the case. A malicious attack and an ominous threat reveal that someone wants Bailey to butt out of the investigation, but there’s no way she’s backing down. She must use her skills to uncover the truth and catch the clever culprit before her grandmother ends up bee-hind bars. – Crooked Lane Books

Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire

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Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire kicks off her debut Christie Bookshop Mystery series with three of my favorite things: books, a bookstore cat, and a murder. What more could a cozy mystery lover want? Maybe a quirky family? Never fear, there’s quirkiness galore!

The Christie sisters have taken over their family’s historic bookshop in the tiny Colorado hometown where they grew up. Ellie Christie is beyond ready to start a new chapter in the bookshop with her older sister Meg and their beloved shop cat, Agatha. The Book Chalet is a famed tourist and book attraction. Seated on the main street in a picturesque Swiss-style hamlet that is only accessible by ski gondola and a very twisty mountain road, the Book Chalet boasts winding shelves stacked precariously to the ceiling and a cozy reading lounge complete with a fire and comfy chairs.

When a local influencer descends upon book club to perform a seance, Ellie and Meg are skeptical of what’s in store. Their concerns prove valid when an unwelcome visitor to the seance is soon found dead in the gondola. This mysterious stranger may have visited the Book Chalet, but not much is known about him. His weird behavior set off alarm bells. Once his identity is known, the town erupts. When police focus in on friends of the Christies as possible suspects, the two know that they have to act quickly. Ellie starts poking around, summoning help from mystery novels, to seek out the killer before they strike again.

Dead and Gondola was a quirky fun read. This charming debut had me hooked from the beginning with two likeable main characters and their adorably smug sidekick cat. The supporting cast was also eclectic, but extremely entertaining. The townspeople are not shy in voicing their own opinions and aren’t afraid to dig for clues. The Book Chalet is also incredibly quaint and cozy, making me long to curl up with a book in the reading lounge for hours, reading while snow falls.

Christie Bookshop Mystery series

  1. Dead and Gondola (2022)
  2. Last Word to the Wise (2023)

The Gardener’s Plot by Deborah J. Benoit

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Did you know that the Davenport Public Library has a Seed Library? The 2025 season of the Seed Library opened on March 1st at the Davenport Public Library | Main Street location. Check out our website or give us a call at 563-326-7832 to learn more.

In celebration of the Seed Library opening, I wanted to share my most recent gardening read, The Gardener’s Plot by Deborah J. Benoit. Instead of your typical nonfiction book, this is a cozy mystery book that happens in the world of gardens, perfect for people like me who struggle keeping plants alive, but who keep trying every year! Deborah J. Benoit may have written a mystery, but she still packs in plenty about gardening and plants!

Maggie Walker’s past is full of bad decisions, mistakes, and tragedy. After the latest knock-down, Maggie heads back to the small Berkshires town where she spent most of her childhood with her grandmother. Having purchased her grandmother’s house, Maggie has big hopes that this little town of Marlowe will give her just as many positive new memories as she has positive old memories.

Looking for a way to connect with the community, Maggie turns to her love of gardening. She agrees to help Violet Bloom set up a community garden, something that takes up a lot of her time, but that she knows will be worth it in the end. On opening day of the garden, Maggie is shocked when Violet is a no-show. The gardeners are restless, so Maggie reluctantly kicks off the community garden project without Violet. Progress screeches to a halt when Maggie discovers a boot sticking up out of one of the freshly tilled plots. While attempting to dislodge the boot, she discovers the body attached to it. Police are soon on scene, asking many questions, while honing in on the fact that Violet is still missing. Maggie doesn’t believe Violet has anything to do with the body in the garden, but is forced to admit that her disappearance doesn’t look good. To prove Violet’s innocence, Maggie starts digging for the truth.

This book was a delightful spring cozy mystery read. Each chapter flowed smoothly into the next, offering questions, clues, and some answers. Like all cozy mysteries, the violence happens off page, but the author isn’t afraid to detail all that the characters learn as they explore. The Gardener’s Plot reads like an intimate small town story with relationships, both negative and positive, on display throughout the book. Here’s hoping that this is the start to a new series!

Queer Cozy and Traditional Mysteries

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What’s on your to-read list? I have quite a long list of queer mysteries that I’ve either discovered through review journals or have been recommended to me by friends. I have gathered up a list of recently published queer cozy and traditional mysteries, all first in series, to share with you all. Let me know in the comments if you have read any of these titles or of any queer mysteries that you have enjoyed!

All the items in the list are owned by the Davenport Public Library at the time of this writing. Descriptions provided by the publishers.

A Killing in Costumes by Zac Bissonnette (Book 1 in Hollywood Treasures Mystery series)

Jay Allan and Cindy Cooper were soap opera stars in the late ’90s, a wholesome young husband-and-wife duo who combined musical talent with humor and charisma. When the truth about their sexual orientations came to light, their marriage and TV careers ended, but decades later they have remained friends. Together, they open Palm Springs’ chicest movie memorabilia store, Hooray for Hollywood–but no customers and dwindling finances spell trouble.

A Hail Mary arrives in the form of Yana Tosh, a ninety-year-old diva of the silver screen who has amassed a valuable collection of costumes and props and is looking to sell. But first, Jay and Cindy have to beat their competition, a vice president from a mega-auction house with ten times their resources. And when he winds up dead, they become prime suspects in the murder.

With their freedom and livelihoods on the line, Jay and Cindy desperately need to clear their names. There are plenty of other potential suspects, but they’ll have to solve it soon before they’re forced to trade in their vintage costume collection for two orange jumpsuits. – Crooked Lane Books

Board to Death by C.J. Connor (Book 1 in Board Game Shop Mystery series)

Back in his hometown of Sugar House running his family’s board game shop and café, Ben Rosencrantz just can’t seem to get his life to pass go, much less collect $200. Once he was a happily married English professor in Seattle. Now he’s a divorced caregiver, looking after his ill father and a Chihuahua named Beans while still figuring out the rules of retail management. At least the town has become more LGBTQ+ friendly than when Ben was a teenager—and that flower shop owner, Ezra McCaslin, enjoys flirting with him.

But despite his usual clientele of gamers, Ben is barely earning enough to keep the store running and stay on top of his father’s medical bills. Then a local toy and game collector named Clive offers him a winning strategy—to purchase a turn-of-the-twentieth-century edition of The Landlord’s Game, the realty and taxation game that inspired Monopoly, at a tenth of the rare edition’s true value. Suspicious of Clive’s shady, low-priced deal, Ben turns the offer down.

Then Clive turns up dead at the front door of Ben’s and a backpack full of $100 bills appears on his doorstep. Now Ben is the #1 suspect in Clive’s death, and unless he and Ezra can prove his innocence and find the real killer, he’ll go to jail for murder—and no amount of double dice rolls will set him free . . . – Kensington Cozies

Death Drop by Greg Herren (Book 1 in Killer Queen Mystery series)

Glam artist Jem Richard loved making New Orleans’ society mavens feel beautiful-but doesn’t like being stiffed. He reluctantly agrees to help with the make-up for the fall fashion show for the House of Mercereau, but demands payment up front after what happened the last time-when designer Marigny Mercereau’s check bounced. But no one warned him before he arrives, brushes and make-up palettes in hand, that the models he’ll be working on are drag queens! Pressed into service when one of the queens doesn’t show Jim wows the crowds and slays his fellow queens with his style and presentation on the runway. But between trips down the runway (and tequila shots for courage), Jim starts noticing bits and pieces of conversations and arguments showing all is not well behind the scenes of the House of Mercereau, and everyone seems to want Marigny dead. When her body is discovered the next morning, Jim finds himself in the sites of a killer! Jim puts on his best Shirley Holmes deerstalker cap and starts tracing the clues to help that handsome police detective-who may or may not be flirting with him-catch the killer before the killer catches Jem. – Provided by publisher.

Devil’s Chew Toy by Rob Osler (Book 1 in Hayden & Friends series)

Seattle teacher and part-time blogger Hayden McCall wakes sporting one hell of a shiner, with the police knocking at his door. It seems that his new crush, dancer Camilo Rodriguez, has gone missing and they suspect foul play. What happened the night before? And where is Camilo?

Determined to find answers, pint-sized, good-hearted Hayden seeks out two of Camilo’s friends—Hollister and Burley—both lesbians and both fiercely devoted to their friend. From them, Hayden learns that Camilo is a “Dreamer” whose parents had been deported years earlier, and whose sister, Daniela, is presumed to have returned to Venezuela with them. Convinced that the cops won’t take a brown boy’s disappearance seriously, the girls join Hayden’s hunt for Camilo.

The first clues turn up at Barkingham Palace, a pet store where Camilo had taken a part-time job. The store’s owner, Della Rupert, claims ignorance, but Hayden knows something is up. And then there’s Camilo’s ex-boyfriend, Ryan, who’s suddenly grown inexplicably wealthy. When Hayden and Hollister follow Ryan to a secure airport warehouse, they make a shocking connection between him and Della—and uncover the twisted scheme that’s made both of them rich.

The trail of clues leads them to the grounds of a magnificent estate on an island in Puget Sound, where they’ll finally learn the truth about Camilo’s disappearance—and the fate of his family. – Crooked Lane Books

Renovated to Death by Frank Anthony Polito (Book 1 in Domestic Partners in Crime mystery series)

Real-life domestic partners and stars and producers of the new hit reality home renovation show Domestic Partners, bestselling mystery author Peter “PJ” Penwell and actor JP Broadway are enjoying work and life in their sleepy Detroit suburb of Pleasant Woods—until a suspicious death makes an unscripted appearance…

After a successful first season of Domestic Partners chronicling the renovation of their historic Craftsman Colonial, Peter and JP are taking on a renovation of a local Tudor Revival inherited by identical twin brothers Terry and Tom Cash. But linoleum floors and a pink-tiled bathroom aren’t the only unwelcome surprises awaiting inside the house…

Just as the show is set to start filming, Peter and JP discover Tom Cash dead at the foot of the house’s staircase. And when the police ruling changes from accidental death to homicide, the list of suspects grows fast. Could the killer be the crabby next-door-neighbor, the Realtor ex-boyfriend, the bartender ex-boyfriend, the other, much younger, ex-boyfriend, or even renovation-reluctant brother, Terry? And what’s that awful smell coming from the basement? Now Peter’s mystery writer skills, and JP’s experience as the former star of a cop show, will be put to the test—as will their relationship while they uncover the secrets of the house and its owners. With a killer on the loose, this is one fixer upper that may prove deadly… – Kensington

The Body in the Back Garden by Mark Waddell (Book 1 in Crescent Cove Mystery series)

Crescent Cove, a small hamlet on Vancouver Island, is the last place out-of-work investigative journalist Luke Tremblay ever wanted to see again. He used to spend summers here, until his family learned that he was gay and rejected him. Now, following his aunt’s sudden death, he’s inherited her entire estate, including her seaside cottage and the antiques shop she ran for forty years in Crescent Cove. Luke plans to sell everything and head back to Toronto as soon as he can…but Crescent Cove isn’t done with him just yet.

When a stranger starts making wild claims about Luke’s aunt, Luke sends him packing. The next morning, though, Luke discovers that the stranger has returned, and now he’s lying dead in the back garden. To make matters worse, the officer leading the investigation is a handsome Mountie with a chip on his shoulder who seems convinced that Luke is the culprit. If he wants to prove his innocence and leave this town once and for all, Luke will have to use all his skills as a journalist to investigate the colorful locals while coming to terms with his own painful past.

There are secrets buried in Crescent Cove, and the more Luke digs, the more he fears they might change the town forever. – Crooked Lane Books