Witty Mysteries

Solving crimes at a crusty old Florida inn was NOT in D.C. urbanite Lilly Livingston’s 5 yr plan. But when she discovers she is the executor of a forgotten stepfather’s will and is gifted Magnolia Manor, in little Drifter’s Cove, Florida, things get a little off track. The town coroner reports her stepfather died of natural causes, but Lilly is not convinced and joins a motley crew of locals to solve her first case. Leaving D.C. for good, Lilly’s excited to start her new small-town life and reopen the inn. But, a murder at the grand opening of her newly inherited inn wasn’t ...

The Art of Witty Banter examines the art, nuance, and mechanics of banter and charm to make you a witty comeback machine, the likes of which your friends have never seen. You’ll be able to handle, defend, disarm, and engage others in a way that makes you comfortable and confident with each growing day.

A brand-new library. A quiet village. One very inconvenient murder. Judith Spears expected the opening of Little Pickton’s new library to be blissfully uneventful. She was wrong. When a body turns up among the bookshelves, Judith finds herself pulled into yet another tangled mystery—this time with an enthusiastic (and thoroughly nosy) librarian determined to turn the case into her next true-crime obsession. As secrets begin to surface, it becomes clear that beneath the village’s polite smiles lies something far darker—something with roots deep enough to shake the town to its core. ...

The doorbell rings, just days after my beloved husband’s sudden death. I don’t recognise the woman on our doorstep, with her blonde highlights, a diamond bracelet identical to my own and a bouncing baby boy in her arms. As I show her inside, I notice her eyes grow wide as she takes in our spacious hallway, and the big squashy sofas that we all used to pile on. She glances at the silver-framed family photos and my little daughter hiding behind my skirts. She looks at me, her blue eyes serious. ‘I’m sorry’ she says. ‘I am your husband’s girlfriend. And this is his son.'

It's Mardi Gras season on the bayou, which means parades, pageantry, and gumbo galore. But when a flood upends life in the tiny town of Pelican, Louisiana - and deposits a body of a stranger behind the Crozat Plantation B&B - the celebration takes a decidedly dark turn. The citizens of Pelican are ready to laissez les bon temps rouler - but there's beaucoup bad blood on hand this Mardi Gras. Maggie Crozat is determined to give the stranger a name and find out why he was murdered.

You are cordially invited to a murder… Judith Spears was expecting a quiet retirement. Instead, she’s investigating a killing at a country estate. When a loud-mouthed media celebrity is accused of murder, he insists he’s been framed—and for reasons Judith would rather keep to herself, she’s inclined to believe him. So she agrees to help. As Judith begins to dig, it quickly becomes clear that nothing about the case is straightforward. Secrets lurk behind polite smiles. Alibis don’t quite hold. And someone is determined to keep the truth buried. Unfortunately for them— Judith ...

'The perfect mix of cosy, festive, and twisty . . . the best kind of book to curl up with on a cold night by a roaring fire' KRISTEN PERRIN, author of How to Solve Your Own Murder 'Once again Katy Watson delivers the perfect cosy: atmospheric, ingenious and fun!' IAN MOORE, author of Death and...

Penny Wells, a witty features writer and architecture expert from New York, has always been enchanted by the opulent legacy of her Palm Beach upbringing and the iconic Pink Palazzo, her eccentric Grandmama’s ancestral home. But Grandmama's sudden death shatters Penny's gilded illusions, plunging her into a dizzying world of murky finances, unexpected debts, and a cryptic trust that names a mysterious "other party" as co-heir. The grand estate, once a symbol of her past, is now crumbling, threatening to drag Penny down with it. Adding fuel to the fire is William, the impossibly handsome "...

Textile scholar Eliza Bennett came to Istanbul for an academic conference, not a centuries-old cipher, a murdered weaver, or a charming museum curator who may be far more dangerous than he appears. When a mysterious merchant places a rare thread and a strange symbol in her hands, Eliza is drawn into the legend of the Sultan’s Cipher—a lost visual language hidden in ancient carpets, tapestries, knots, and dyes. The discovery could change textile history forever. It could also get her killed. Luckily, Eliza is not investigating alone. Merlin, her opinionated orange tabby and self-...

Someone has added murder to the menu… Judith Spears never expected a humble burger van to serve up anything more dangerous than questionable ketchup. She was wrong. When a local fast-food entrepreneur is found dead, Judith is drawn into a surprisingly cutthroat world of rival traders, simmering grudges, and secrets best left buried. With the ever-hungry DS Raymond Collins and the sharp-eyed DC Sarah Eastly on the case, it quickly becomes clear that country lay-bys hide more than passing trade. Because someone is willing to kill to protect their patch. And this time… the danger is closer...

At forty-six, Paige Holloway wanted a quiet reset: a small-town rental, a fresh start, and the kind of silence you can actually hear. Then she signs a lease that isn’t quite… human. The fine print moves when she isn’t looking. The basement door keeps unlocking itself. And the house comes with an extra roommate—an invisible tenant with a sense of humor and a grudge older than the town. Now Paige’s “midlife reinvention” includes sudden, inconvenient magic, a handful of suspiciously friendly locals, and a problem she can’t ignore: someone is using Briar Hollow’s hidden ...

A nervous gunman. A terrified hostage. Can Dan succeed, or is death the inevitable conclusion? Unleash your adrenaline in this heart-pounding prequel to the Austin and Archer Mystery Series where danger lurks around every corner and the fate of a terrified hostage hangs in the balance. Meet Dan Archer, the hard-hitting, no-nonsense Texas lawman who later becomes an indomitable partner in the esteemed Austin and Archer Detective Agency. After a grueling day on the job, Dan seeks solace in a simple drink. But his plans are abruptly derailed when a robbery takes a deadly turn, plunging him ...

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity… Or, at least, that’s what Albert Einstein said. But I’m not sure I believe it because it seems everything in my life has gone to heck, but I have yet to find an opportunity in any of it. Things are going so bad, in fact, that I’m wondering if I’ve been cursed. Of course, I don’t really have any enemies, so who in the world would want to curse me? Not only that, but Wanda insists I’m not cursed so maybe this bad luck is just exactly that… bad luck? Well, one thing I do know is that life would be a whole heck of a lot easier if I ...

Every bargain has a trap with good manners. By day, Darcy Leclair trades in oddities and honest prices in the heart of New Orleans. By night, the supernatural community stops pretending and starts paying in secrets, ash, and debts that refuse to stay buried. Darcy doesn't do melodrama—she does inventory, carefully managing cursed objects with warnings she pretends she can't read. But her carefully ordered world shatters when a prominent vampire client turns to a pile of ash just hours after purchasing an antique silver mirror. Suddenly, the Night Council arrives at her door with a ...

Their quest is shrouded in mystery, and the outcome is uncertain - will it lead them to a delightful destiny or their doom? When Lady Cathrine summoned her before dawn, Elizabeth knew it was going to be a terrible day. She was expecting a tirade of epic proportions; she was not expecting Lady Cathrine to drop dead. Elizabeth's shock at the woman's poisoning paled in comparison to the revelation that Mr. Darcy had been harboring feelings for her. Despite his usual stoicism, Darcy found himself consumed by love for Elizabeth Bennet and knew he had to devise a plan to win her affections. When ...

Adapted from the major television series created by Mark Gatiss - out now! 'A delicious read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW London, 1946. Gabriel Book is an erudite and unconventional London bookseller married to Trottie, the owner of the wallpaper shop next door. He is also a sleuth who uses...

When an over-the-hill American actor finds his wife, a rising star in Bollywood, dead in their Mumbai high-rise, he quickly becomes the prime suspect in this atmospheric, razor-sharp social mystery. Lucy Foley meets The White Lotus and perfect for fans of Age of Vice. "A deliciously twisting...

Solving murder mysteries has become old hat for former D.C. urbanite-turned-amateur sleuth Lilly Livingston. But please, not at her inn’s first big event of the summer! Having settled into small-town life in Drifter’s Cove, FL, Lilly is thrilled that her recently inherited inn is now on the map! With Magnolia Manor fully renovated and sold out for the Memorial Day weekend celebration, she is eagerly welcoming guests, fluffing pillows, and finalizing the menu. As ex-boyfriend Eric reluctantly mans the front desk, the motley crew of guests checks in—a persnickety chef, a local drifter, ...

Meg Butler sets sail on the Grand Voyager on a luxury world cruise, eager to visit 30 countries before she's 30. But she hasn't planned on running into murder! The ship is hosting a Bingo tournament for the length of the cruise. Several passengers are competing for the grand prize which is rumored to be in six figures. Meg runs into a friendly older man who boasts of being a skilled player. He has developed a fool proof strategy that is guaranteed to win him big money. Meg is warmed by his affectionate manner toward her and feels he is the father figure she has always yearned for. Disaster ...

The seal on the spell that’s been keeping my Fae side in check is due to break tonight at midnight… And I’m set to marry a man I don’t really know, and what I do know of him, I don’t particularly like. All because some stupid prophecy (from before I was even born) proclaimed as much. Talk about a crappy deal… With my Fae powers set to take over and the threat of becoming the Queen of the Winter Court becoming all too real, I find myself stuck at the bar of the Half-Moon Grill in a full-blown pity party. In walks Maverick, a bounty hunter who occasionally works for me and who’s...