Witty Mysteries

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.

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 ...

Retirement Village Theft Wave Ends in Tragic Death Summer at Palmville means tropical blooms, bright sunshine and walks on the beach. The lazy afternoons take an unsettling turn when a series of thefts occur in the village. Jewelry, keepsakes, artifacts - anything is up for grabs. Suspicion falls on the community's notorious petty thief. He can't help doing it and always returns what he took. But this time, the accused man insists he is being framed. Then a reclusive resident commits suicide. Is there a connection between the thefts and his death? And why would he take his own life? The ...

Someone has died in the doctor’s surgery—and no one knows how they got there. When an unidentified body is discovered behind a locked door in Little Pickton, Judith Spears finds herself once again at the centre of a baffling mystery. With DS Raymond Collins and DC Sarah Eastly struggling to untangle a web of feuding colleagues, bitter family rivalries, and long-buried secrets, Judith does what she does best—asks questions no one else dares to. But this time, the stakes are higher. As tensions rise and another murder looms, Judith must navigate not only a dangerous killer—but an am-...

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 "...

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 ...

A glowing ghost lantern. Two dogs lured into deadly danger. And one killer determined to keep the past buried. Quilt shop owner Alexandra Allin would rather be stitching than chasing killers, but when a ghost tour guide is murdered during a Halloween tour in Aspen Ridge, this small-town cozy mystery turns deadly fast. With her loyal cavapoo Saedie at her side—and Buddy, a ball-chasing visitor with a nose for trouble—Alex is pulled into a case no one else seems ready to solve. Alongside her best friend Juniper, quick-witted reporter Justin Case, and the ever-watchful Granny Squad, Alex ...

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.'

When your arch-nemesis dies and she still won't leave you alone. It's safe to say, Joyce and I don't get along. She's two-faced, for a start. So when she does me a solid and takes a drunken tumble and dies, I can finally forget all about her. Not that I wanted her dead. But peace isn’t on the cards for long because Joyce isn’t really gone. For reasons known only to the twisted universe, she’s come back to haunt me. Now, I can’t get a moment’s peace—not even in the bathroom—because this needy, ghostly, zombie version of Joyce follows me everywhere. And to make matters worse, ...

When academic textile scientist Eliza Bennett travels to Botswana for a sustainability summit, she expects baobabs, birding, and a precious few days of field research near the Makgadikgadi Pans. What she gets is Merlin. Her yellow tabby cat has opinions about airplanes, safari vehicles, lodge accommodations, ceramic cups, and the general incompetence of birds. Unfortunately for everyone involved, he also has a detective’s eye, a ruthless devotion to accuracy, and absolutely no patience for humans who miss the obvious. When a conservationist is found dead beneath an ancient baobab tree, ...

A sealed room. An unknown girl. Thirty-year-old secrets someone is finally collecting on. When renovations uncover a hidden room sealed inside Brookhaven's recreation center for thirty years, City Archivist Keira James is called in to sort through the forgotten records left behind. Among them are photographs spanning years of Brookhaven summers. But in photographs from one particular summer, an unidentified teenage girl appears again and again, even though her name appears nowhere in the Parks Department's records. With Whisper keeping watch and Ivy Tran digging through the records, Keira ...

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.

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 ...

A cozy getaway gone wrong. A secret kitchen. And a star-studded menu worth killing for. Kat Calloway’s spring getaway to New York City is supposed to be all pastries, sightseeing, and figuring out how well she and Bash travel together now that their relationship is “official.” Instead, their first full day in the city ends with the two of them discovering a dead waiter in a shadowy alley behind a trendy Manhattan restaurant. The explanation is quick and tidy, but nothing about the scene feels accidental, and Kat knows better than to ignore that familiar sense of suspicion starting to ...

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. ...

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 ...

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...

The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s. Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.

At this brewery, the last orders are to die for… When handsome, former-rugby-playing, pub landlord Mil asks Juno Mulligan for a favour, she immediately says yes. Although she’s initially disappointed that the favour doesn’t involve any sort of romantic shenanigans, Juno is reminded that...

Paranormal Women’s Fiction from #1 Amazon bestseller, J.R. Rain, and New York Times bestseller, H.P. Mallory! Things seem always to go downhill whenever it comes to me and relationships… Even though I’m in a relationship with Roy, he’s been avoiding me lately, claiming he’s just been super busy with work. It’s an excuse I’ve heard many times before. I’m not really sure what’s going on between the two of us, but I’m worried he’s lost interest in me and the relationship. But as much as it pains me, I know I’ll survive. After all, I’ve survived my myriad breakups ...