Tag Archives: Cozy Mystery

Songbird Blitz

 

Songbird cover

Historical Mystery, Murder Mystery, Cozy Mystery

 

Release Date: November 11, 2021

Meet Jax Diamond, a sharp, sophisticated, skilled, no-nonsense private detective. Or is he?

Glued to his side is his canine partner, Ace, a fierce and unrelenting German Shepherd whose mere presence terrorizes criminals into submission. Well, maybe not.

But the two of them are a whole lot smarter than they look. And they have their hands full when a playwright’s death is declared natural causes, and his new manuscript worth a million bucks is missing.

Laura Graystone, a beautiful rising Broadway star, is dragged into the heart of their investigation, and she’s none too happy about it. Especially when danger first strikes, and she needs to rely on her own ingenuity to save their hides.

Join Jax, Laura and Ace on a fun yet deadly ride during the Roaring Twenties that takes twists and turns, and a race against time to find the real murderer before he/she/they stop them permanently.

Songbird paperback

 

Excerpt

 

1

New York City

1923

Tuesday, May 29

Sam tossed his fork back onto the plate. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, moved the brass desk lamp a few inches closer and continued reading the final draft of his new musical.

He had to admit that he’d written a brilliant play, superior to any production on Broadway thus far. He’d spent three months working on it, day and night. Ever since he heard her sing. At that moment his own creativity seemed to burst alive and the ideas kept flowing so quickly, he couldn’t stop writing until he finished the script. After editing it for the hundredth time, he had no doubt that this play would prove not only extremely profitable for the theater owner and the talented performer who had inspired him. It would also boost his career to amazing heights. After all, no other composer had ever written an entire musical from start to finish, foregoing the lyricist and book writer.

He looked at the telephone beside him. He wondered why his wife had made a rare appearance at the Ambassador this afternoon. She never ventured to the theater unless she was dressed to the nines for a night out on the town, usually without him. As he’d worked with the performers on stage, he caught a glimpse of her standing by the entranceway, but she quickly disappeared out the door.

He should phone her, he supposed, but he wasn’t up to dealing with his personal problems tonight, not when he was so close to finalizing this play. He’d already been paid a hefty advance from the owner of the Globe Theater. As soon as they discussed a production start date at their meeting tomorrow morning, he would face what awaited him at home.

A fat drop of sweat dripped from his brow and splattered across the page in front of him. Then another. He cursed out loud, snatched the cloth napkin, and dragged it across his forehead. He’d forgotten to open the window, which was the first thing he habitually did when he came to this hellhole of an apartment. This tiny room was always hotter than blazes no matter the weather outside.

He stood up to open the window, but the room took a quick spin around him, and he stumbled backwards against the desk. With a puzzled frown, he snatched the arm of his chair and eased himself back into it. He took off his suit jacket and necktie and tossed them aside. He sat there for a moment, breathing slowly and deeply to clear his head. Within a few minutes, the dizziness subsided, so he went back to reading the script.

But when he turned the page, he noticed his hand was trembling. He stared at his fingers and became almost mesmerized by them. A sharp prickly sensation spread through each one from tip to base before they went numb altogether, as if he’d kept his hand in an awkward position too long, and it fell asleep. He lifted his arm, flapped his hand in the air, and wiggled his fingers around to get the blood flowing again. The numbness soon disappeared.

With the same bewildered scowl, he looked up at the pendulum clock on the wall and squinted as the numbers appeared blurry. He removed his glasses and squeezed his eyes open and shut a few times. He’d been working too many hours. And the filthy ventilation and dim lighting in this room weren’t helping. But even with his glasses back in place, the typewritten words on the manuscript became fuzzy. Then, they seemed to be dancing across the page on their own, picking up speed the harder he tried to focus on them.

He pushed his chair back in panic, wondering what the hell was happening to him, but he suddenly doubled over in agony as crushing bolts of pain shot through him from the pit of his stomach to his chest.

Frightened out of his wits, he tried focusing on the telephone while struggling to lift himself upright. But his arms had gone numb and were useless. Using the strength of his legs and the chair behind him, he thrust himself forward and slammed down face-first onto the mahogany desk. The two-hundred-page manuscript burst into the air like confetti while the dinner plate crashed to the floor.

As he lay there gasping for air, he gathered every ounce of strength he could muster, and what lucidity he had left, and slowly dragged his right arm up along the top of the desk to reach the telephone. Just as his fingertips touched the base, he heard the door creak open.

His light eyes rolled upwards then grew wide and horrified. He tried calling for help, but only a sick gurgling noise emerged from his throat before the room went dark.

About the Author

Gail Meath

Award-winning author Gail Meath writes historical romance novels that will whisk you away to another time and place in history where you will meet fascinating characters, both fictional and real, who will capture your heart and soul. Meath loves writing about little or unknown people, places and events in history, rather than relying on the typical stories and settings.

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Hassle High Series Blitz

 

French Cruises Can Kill You Cover

French Cruises Can Kill You

 

Hassle High Mystery, Book 3

Cozy Mystery

 

Date Published: November 17, 2020

Cozy Mystery with Death, Romance and twists on a French cruise with the Hassle High group. Complete with occult, kidnapping, and French recipes.

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Previous books in the series

 

 

Murder at Hassle High cover

 

Murder at Hassle High

 

Murder at Hassle High, Book 1

Date Published: September 2, 2018

 

Maria Bruno arrives at the office of Principal Booth for a meeting and all is quiet. Slumped over a table Mrs. Booth, a letter opener sticking out of her back. Maria calls the police, and in walks Detective Viola, tall, dark, and handsome. Viola cautions Maria to not investigate the case, they will, of course, wind up working together. Viola will need all the help he can get: A student is stabbed during a rehearsal of Hamlet, and Maria becomes a target of the mysterious killer. Things heat up when we learn that Mrs. Booth was planning to retire—with a substantial financial cushion. The quirky plot is entertaining, well-paced, and filled with a large cast of malcontents, nearly all of whom are viable suspects. Especially charming is Maria’s 10th-grade English class—the Nut Squad. A fun, twisty mystery.

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Murder at Hassle High, Book 2 cover

 

Hassle High and the Summer School Murders

 

Murder at Hassle High, Book 2

Date Published: March 10, 2021

 

Maria Bruno Cohen wanted a calm summer before she took her French cruise to decide if her future would be with the Hunky Detective Joe. Viola or her husband Al. But the new Principal of Hassle High was missing and Maria is needed to fill in. When missing involves murder Viola joins her and the chase is. on.

 

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About The Author

Constance Meccarello-Gerson

Constance Meccarello-Gerson was born in Poughkeepsie N.Y. She is a graduate of Florida Southern College with a BA in Acting. She also attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. HB Studio, Actors Studio, in NYC. She is a member of SAG, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Si Omega. Her MFA in Acting is from Brooklyn College. She has appeared on TV, film, and on stage in NYC. For 20 years she taught as a mentor and teacher of English and Theatre arts for the New York City Department of Education and for the University at Santa Cruz. She also taught for ten years as a Speech Coordinator at Touro College. She was an executive at Bloomingdales. Her writing as appeared in Musings, also in the Best American Poets series. French Cruises Can kill You is her third cozy mystery.

Currently she lives in NYC with her husband Alain, a parrot named Benji, and lots of fish.

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Dead in a Dumpster Blitz

 

Dead in a Dumpster cover

 

Leah Norwood Mysteries, Book #1

 

Cozy Mystery

Date Published: September 23, 2014

When Leah Norwood finds the body of Isabel Meeks in the dumpster behind her store, she can’t believe the police consider her a suspect. Sure, she didn’t like Isabel, but then again, neither did anyone else. Isabel had a condescending attitude and a bad reputation. As manager of the antique store, Patina, she had made a lot of enemies.

There is Patina’s assistant manager, the handsome and charming Trent. Isabel was blackmailing him. There is Patina’s owner, the aloof and influential Anthony Thorpe. Isabel was smuggling drugs through his store. And there is the entire drug dealing Cantono family. Isabel had lost a box containing heroin from one of their shipments. That is just to name a few and didn’t even include the stranger who was seen arguing with Isabel just hours before her death.

The police have too many suspects and too many soft alibis. Leah needs to prove to the sexy new chief of police that she had nothing to do with Isabel’s death.

Leah loves a good mystery. Can she find the killer before the police arrest her for murder?

About the Author

B. L. Blair writes mystery/romance stories. Like most authors, she has been writing most of her life and has dozens of books started. She just needs the time to finish them.

She is the author of the Leah Norwood Mysteries and the Lost and Found Pets Mystery Novellas. She loves reading books, writing books, and traveling wherever and as often as time and money allows. She is currently working on her latest book set in Texas, where she lives with her family.

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A Deadly Inside Scoop Blitz

 

A Deadly Inside Scoop cover

 

Cozy Mystery

 

Date Published: May 12, 2020

Recent MBA grad Bronwyn Crewse has just taken over her family’s ice cream shop in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and she’s going back to basics. Win is renovating Crewse Creamery to restore its former glory, and filling the menu with delicious, homemade ice cream flavors—many from her grandmother’s original recipes. But unexpected construction delays mean she misses the summer season, and the shop has a literal cold opening: the day she opens her doors an early first snow descends on the village and keeps the customers away.

To make matters worse, that evening, Win finds a body in the snow, and it turns out the dead man was a grifter with an old feud with the Crewse family. Soon, Win’s father is implicated in his death. It’s not easy to juggle a new-to-her business while solving a crime, but Win is determined to do it. With the help of her quirky best friends and her tight-knit family, she’ll catch the ice cold killer before she has a meltdown…

About the Author


Abby L. Vandiver, also writing as Abby Collette, is a hybrid author who has penned more than twenty-five books and short stories. She has hit both the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller list. Her latest cozy series, An Ice Cream Parlor Mystery, published by Penguin Berkley, is out now, with the second book, A Game of Thrones, coming in March 2021.

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Death in Champagne Shores Blitz

 

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A Champagne Shores Cozy Mystery, book 2

 

Cozy Mystery

Date Published: November 20, 2020

Champagne Shores, Florida, is a beach town in need of a paint job.

What it doesn’t need…is a murder.

Champagne Shores, Florida, is poised to become a tourist magnet, but a murder in the marina threatens the town’s sunny reputation. Sure, the marina’s owner had been a thorn in the local chamber of commerce’s side, but he hadn’t really made serious enemies…had he?

Millie Silver wants her True Colors Paint Store to inspire a makeover for her hometown, and she’s busy leading the Champagne Shores Revitalization Committee. But when she and her dog Sunshine discover the body of the marina’s owner, they find themselves on the trail of a murderer. The clues and suspects stack up and include an estranged wife, surly fishermen, and a flashy group of treasure hunters flaunting the Spanish gold they find offshore.

While the town repaints and reinvents itself using Millie’s color inspiration, Millie recruits her family and friends to help the police chief uncover secrets, grudges, and even sunken treasure along the Florida coast.

Excerpt from chapter 3

Chief Parker propped his elbows on my paint counter and waited. I knew he was a patient man, but if he was expecting me to blow his case wide open, there was disappointment in his near future.

I didn’t see anything,” I said. “No crazed killer rushing from the scene, no one lurking about to see if anyone noticed his handiwork.”

Or hers,” my sister put in.

I gave her a raised eyebrow. “Do you really think Lisa would murder him instead of just divorcing him? How would that benefit her?”

The chief frowned. “Haven’t gotten to beneficiaries, but money is a common motivator. And secrets.”

Could be both,” Tiffany suggested. I knew she heard a lot of secrets in her line of work, but the morning’s events were too raw for me to want to inquire.

This is going to get more complicated before it’s over. Probably before the day’s over,” Chief Parker said.

I feel bad for Richard,” I said. “We’re talking about his death as a complication, but it hardly seems fair to him.”

Tiffany slipped an arm around me in a half-hug. “I know it’s upsetting.”

I wish I could have seen his reaction to Ocean Sunrise Blue at sunrise,” I said. It seemed so unjust that he never got to see it. Paint colors are a living thing and appreciating them is a rare and beautiful pleasure life offers. Sharing it is my gift. And so is finding dead bodies in Champagne Shores, it seems.

I thought lightning didn’t strike twice in the same place.”

We all looked to the shop door where Aunt Minerva stood, hands on hips. She wore her red knitting glasses and at least two different strands of yarn were stuck to her blouse. She had obviously left the house in a hurry.

Lightning can strike anywhere in the right atmospheric conditions,” Darwin said.

My aunt’s worried expression softened for a moment and then returned to full-on flustered. “I’m not even going to ask if it’s true that you discovered another body. You all look serious and I’m guessing there’s a reason the chief’s got his antacids out this early.”

Chief Parker thumbed a white disc from the roll in his hand and closed his eyes for a moment as he chewed.

Well?” Aunt Minerva asked.

I sighed. “I went to see Richard Croy about the paint color, but his shop was still locked. Sunshine drew my attention to a boat where we found Richard dead on the deck.”

Poor Sunshine,” Aunt Minerva said, giving my dog a kiss on the nose before coming over to me and giving me a warm hug. She’d been a mother to me, Tiffany, and Darwin ever since our own parents died in an accident when we were almost too young to remember them. “Have you already figured out who did it?” she asked as she drew back and patted my cheek.

What? No. And I’m not getting involved.”

You’re already involved,” Aunt Minerva said.

I shook my head. No way was I getting dragged into another murder investigation.

Sunshine didn’t touch the body this time,” I said, feeling that I’d found a particularly strong piece of exonerating evidence. “So I’m not directly involved.”

Everyone—even Darwin—gave me a skeptical look.

Well, she didn’t,” I said, hearing the note of petulance in my own voice.

Silence prevailed for a moment, and then the chief’s chair creaked as he put his antacids in his chest pocket and got up. “We’ll wait for time of death from the medical examiner, and maybe that will give us a starting point. I probably don’t need to ask when the last time was you saw him.” He paused and waited. “Alive, I mean.”

About The Author


Amie Denman lives in a small town in Ohio with her husband and sons. She has published more than 40 novels—romance, mystery, and women’s fiction. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s walking and running outside. The victim of a lifetime of curiosity, she’s chased fire trucks on her bicycle just to see what’s going on. Amie believes that everything is fun: especially roller coasters, wedding cake, and falling in love.

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