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.

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 ...

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 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.'

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 ...

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, ...

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. ...

Two centuries of staying out of the story ended the moment a dead influencer wore my name on a livestream. Celeste Fontaine has perfected the art of invisible immortality: flawless skincare, impeccable taste, and an ironclad rule about never being the interesting thing at the party. For 179 years, she's worked it. Fashion cycles through her like seasons, and she remains exactly what she appears to be: beautiful, adjacent to chaos, impossible to pin down. Then Tinsley Rowe, beauty industry's reigning executioner, applies a counterfeit of Celeste's signature lip gloss on camera and dies in ...

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.

Murder has arrived on the rails… When a body is discovered on a picturesque heritage steam railway, Judith Spears finds herself drawn into another deadly mystery. Alongside DS Raymond Collins and DC Sarah Eastly, she must navigate a tight-knit world of rivalries, secrets, and simmering grudges—where every enthusiast has something to hide. Because behind the charm of polished engines and nostalgic journeys lies something far more dangerous. Someone is willing to kill. And when an attempt is made on Judith’s life, the stakes become all too real. As suspicion falls on everyone involved, ...

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 ...

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 "...

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-...

Someone has captured the perfect shot… of a murder. In the sleepy village of Little Pickton, where the biggest scandal is usually an overbaked Victoria sponge at the church fête, death is most dreadfully inconvenient. When a local photographer is found dead, DS Raymond Collins and DC Sarah Eastly are called in to investigate—but as ever, nothing is quite as it seems. Because behind every photograph lies a story. And some stories are better left hidden. As secrets begin to surface, Judith Spears is drawn into the case, using her unconventional instincts to uncover what others have ...

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...

A flawless night of fine dining. A deadly twist. Now, Kat Calloway with a little help from her new furry feline friend, Tux is scrambling to clear her name before she’s served up as the prime choice. Kat Calloway, the rising star chef at Larkspur, is living her dream—until the unthinkable happens. Harrison Vaughn, a cruel, self-important food critic, drops dead after devouring her perfectly plated meal. What was supposed to be a night of culinary perfection crumbles into a hellish disaster. With Vaughn’s death pinned on her, Kat becomes the main suspect in the murder investigation. ...

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...

She inherited a haunted abbey. He insists the ghosts are only weather. Neither expected to find a home in the ruins. Philippa “Pip” Fairfield has spent years making hardship look amusing. When an eccentric duchess leaves her Greyfell Abbey, the inheritance could secure her mother and sisters at last. There is only one condition: Pip must survive the Northumberland winter and revive the abbey’s traditional Twelfth Night feast. Greyfell, however, is already occupied. Dr. Elias Crane is a brilliant, reclusive scholar who has filled the ancient halls with acoustic instruments designed to ...