Cozy Mystery
The consequences of fear
Winspear, Jacqueline, 1955- author
2021
September 1941. While on a delivery, young Freddie Hackett witnesses an argument that ends in murder. Dismissed by the police when he attempts to report the crime, Freddie goes in search of Maisie Dobbs. While Maisie believes the boy and wants to help, she must maintain extreme caution: she's working secretly for the Special Operations Executive. Her two worlds collide when she spots the killer in a place she least expects. She soon realizes she's been pulled into the orbit of a man who has his own reasons to kill - reasons that go back to the last war.
Shucked apart
Ross, Barbara, 1953-, author
2021
"When Andie Greatorex is robbed of two buckets of oyster seed worth $35,000, she wonders if somebody's trying to mussel her out of business. Could it be a rival oyster farmer, a steamed former employee, or a snooty summer resident who objects to her unsightly oyster cages floating on the beautiful Damariscotta River? There's also a lobsterman who's worried the farm's expanding lease will encroach on his territory and Andie's ex-partner, who may come to regret their split. Before Julia can make much headway in the investigation, Andie turns up dead, stabbed by a shucking knife. Now it's up to Julia to set a trap for a cold and clammy killer ..."--Page 4 of cover.
Sleep like a baby
Harris, Charlaine, author
2018
Robin and Aurora have finally begun their adventure in parenting. With newborn Sophie proving to be quite a handful, Roe's mother pays for a partially trained nurse, Virginia Mitchell, to come help the new parents for a few weeks. One particularly stormy night, Roe wakes to hear her daughter crying and Virginia nowhere to be found. Roe's brother Philip helps her search the house and they happen upon a body outside--but it isn't Virginia's. Now, not only does she have a newborn to care for, Roe also has to contend with a new puzzle--who is this mystery woman dead in their backyard, and what happened to Virginia?
Southern sass and a crispy corpse
Young, Kate (Mystery writer), author
2020
"On Georgia's picturesque Peach Cove Island, a killer is serving up a two-for-one special . . . After their mama's passing, Marygene Brown returned to Peach Cove Island to help her sister Jena Lynn run the family diner, renowned for its homemade peach desserts. But Mama is never too far away--her sassy spirit haunts the island, and more specifically Marygene. Lately Mama has been warning her that the dead will seek her out to solve their murders, an idea Marygene is far from peachy keen on. But that prophecy appears to be coming true when she goes skinny-dipping off the island and swims right into a woman's charred corpse floating in the waves. And when Marygene and her brother Sam come upon a second burned body in a wine cellar at an event they're catering, it appears they have a double homicide on their hands. It soon turns out the victims have more in common than their charred remains, and Marygene will need to double down to find a killer who has no aversion to playing with fire. Good thing Mama has her back . . . "--Back cover.
An unexpected peril
Raybourn, Deanna, author.
2021
January 1889. As the newest member of the Curiosity Club-an elite society of brilliant, intrepid women-Veronica Speedwell is excited to put her many skills to good use. As she assembles a memorial exhibition for pioneering mountain climber Alice Baker-Greene, Veronica discovers evidence that the recent death was not a tragic climbing accident but murder. Veronica and her natural historian beau, Stoker, tell the patron of the exhibit, Princess Gisela of Alpenwald, of their findings. With Europe on the verge of war, Gisela's chancellor, Count von Rechstein, does not want to make waves-and before Veronica and Stoker can figure out their next move, the princess disappears. Having noted Veronica's resemblance to the princess, von Rechstein begs her to pose as Gisela for the sake of the peace treaty that brought the princess to England. Veronica reluctantly agrees to the scheme. She and Stoker must work together to keep the treaty intact while navigating unwelcome advances, assassination attempts, and Veronica's own family-the royalty who has never claimed her.
