July Cozy Mysteries

Summertime and the living is easy… well, at least, it’s supposed to be. I hope that you are have a glorious summer wherever you are! And just in time for that wonderful summertime reading are a slew of cozy mysteries that will keep the heat up and the adventure fun!

Here are a few that I thought you’d like to know about!


Hardback Releases:

VISION IMPOSSIBLE: A Psychic Eye Mystery #9
By Victoria Laurie
Obsidian; $23.95

Abby Cooper, the FBI’s newest Civilian Profiler, is adding Spy to her resume.

The military’s digital photography software that captures one’s aura—just like Abby can—sits in a drone aircraft that’s been stolen. It’s a major breach in security as every country’s leader can be identified by their aura...

Abby springs into action to stop the criminals before they set their diabolical plan into motion, while making herself a prime target.

THE DARLING DAHLIAS AND THE NAKED LADIES: The Darling Dahlias #2
By Susan Wittig Albert
Berkley; $26.95

Rumors are sprouting in Depression-era Darling, Alabama. The town’s newest visitors, Nona Jean Jamison and Miss Lake, may be the Naughty and Nice Sisters from the Ziegfeld Frolic, who specialize in dancing nearly naked.

The Dahlias suspect more than modesty when Nona denies her association. They’ll have to dig through clues to get to the root of the mystery...

ENGLISH TEA MURDER: A Lucy Stone Mystery
By Leslie Meier
Kensington: $24.00

Lucy Stone is saying cheerio to Tinker’s Cove and jetting off to jolly old England! But when things get dodgy, it appears murder may have followed her across the Atlantic. Between a busy family and her duties as a reporter for the Pennysaver, Lucy could use a break. So when her friend Pam tells her about a trip to England sponsored by Winchester College, she jumps at the chance for a girls getaway. But when tour leader Professor George Temple dies mid-flight after suffering an asthma attack, Lucy’s glad she packed her sleuthing skills.

In London, Lucy and her pals try to forget their harrowing journey across the pond by indulging in some retail therapy and searching for the perfect afternoon tea, from the Tower of London to the shores of Brighton. Professor Quentin Rea, a ladies’ man and former flirt of Lucy’s, arrives to take over the tour, and she finds that while his hairline may have receded, his amorous intentions have not. She also begins to notice the peculiar behavior of other members of the tour group. And when she discovers that all of them have pasts connected to Professor Temple, she suspects that his death was an elaborate act of revenge.

The truth is as elusive as the perfect cup of tea, and it seems that anyone, or everyone, could be the culprit. But when another tour member dies Lucy is suddenly ensnared in a daring scheme that could lead her to a mastermind of murder—or make her the next victim.


Trade Paperbacks:

INCOGNITO
By Gregory Murphy
Berkley; $15.00

New York City, 1911. Representing the widow of a Wall Street financier, lawyer William Dysart travels to a small Long Island town with a generous offer for Miss Sybil Curtis’s cottage and five acres of land. But when Sybil refuses to sell, the widow threatens to use her influence with the state to seize the property.

Intrigued by Sybil’s defiance and afflicted by a growing affection for her, William develops a desire to help her that becomes an obsession he cannot define, one that tears away the facade of his life, and presents him with truths he’s unprepared to face.

DEAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN
By Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli
Midnight Ink; $14.95

Something nasty is afoot in Emily Kincaid's northern Michigan town—besides Emily's increasingly cranky friend Deputy Dolly. When the body of a brutally slain woman turns up in an abandoned farmhouse, Emily and Dolly uncover a disturbing pattern. Bodies of dead dogs are being thrown into migrant Mexican workers' yards—a gruesome warning to keep someone's despicable secret.

Clues to unravel this macabre affair seem woven into the manuscript Emily is editing for Cecil Hawke, an eccentric English author. Each page paints an eerily familiar picture of intimidation, madness, and murder. But reading further into the Englishman's twisted fiction could spell Emily's untimely death.

WINED AND DIED: Home Crafting Mystery #5
By Cricket McRae
Midnight Ink; $14.95

Something is brewing in Cadyville, and it's not only dandelion wine. Sophie Mae is intrigued by a recently discovered cassette recording in which a therapist fearfully contemplates her client's murderous threats. When the same therapist ends up dead, Sophie Mae is lured—despite her husband Barr's warnings not to get involved—into an intoxicating investigation that explores the age-old art of mead and wine making.
Featuring recipes you can try at home, including one for Homemade Ginger Beer!

TWICE AS DEAD: An Odelia Grey Mystery
By Sue Ann Jaffarian
Midnight Ink: $14.95

Corpse magnet Odelia Grey is at it again—stumbling across a dead body at a wedding reception while “Achy Breaky Heart” plays in the background. Bodies are turning up so fast that Odelia enlists the help of her family and friends—Greg, Seth, Zee, Detective Frye, her half brother Clark, even her pompous boss Michael Steele. But solving a mystery is twice as hard when the victims have more secrets than the killer.

*One of my personal favorite series of all time! Love that Odelia!!


Mass-Market Paperbacks:

HOW TO MOON A CAT: A Cats and Curios Mystery #3
By Rebecca M. Hale
Berkley; $7.99

Over the past couple of months, my cat, Rupert, has successfully sniffed out several tightly wrapped bundles of cash that my late Uncle Oscar had apparently hidden throughout his apartment prior to his death. But now Rupert’s turned up something else—a dusty green vase with a toy bear inside, holding a tiny paper flag. I have no doubt this is another one of Oscar’s infamous clues to one of his valuable hidden treasures.
,br> Eager to put together the pieces of the puzzle, I’m soon heading to the former mining boomtown of Nevada City, accompanied by my nosy neighbor, Monty, and my two cats, Rupert and Isabella. Little did I realize that my uncle’s oldest enemy would be waiting for us—or that this road trip would put my life in mortal danger.

LET’S PLAY DEAD: A Museum Mystery #2
By Sheila Connolly
Berkley; $7.99

The new exhibit at the Philadelphia children’s museum, Let’s Play, isn’t meant to be shocking—but when one of the installers is zapped with a fatal electrical charge, it’s up to Nell to put her detective skills on display.

FOUL PLAY AT THE PTA: A PTA Mystery #2
By Laura Alden
Obsidian; $6.99

PTA meetings at Tarver Elementary School can get pretty heated. But after parent Sam Helmstetter is strangled in his car following a meeting, mom and PTA secretary Beth Kennedy and her best friend Marina fear there may be a cold- blooded killer in the group.

SKIRTING THE GRAVE: A Vintage Magic Mystery #4
By Annette Blair
Berkley; $7.99

Maddie Cutler thought she was taking on a new design intern for her boutique. But instead she finds her dead at the train station under suspicious circumstances. Now, Maddie is determined to iron out the wrinkles of this mystery.

PIE A’ LA MURDER: A Della Cooks Mystery #4
By Melinda Wells
Berkley; $7.99

Della Carmichael’s sweetie pie Nicholas drops a bomb—he has a teenage daughter, now living with him. When the daughter’s friend is found murdered, the protective Nicholas is a suspect, and Della must find the real killer before they all get burned.

DEATH OF A TROPHY WIFE: A Jaine Austen Mystery #9
By Laura Levine
Kensington; $7.99

Without a job or a date in sight, freelance writer Jaine Austen is equally out of luck in finance and romance. So when her friend Lance offers to treat her to brunch at the Four Seasons, Jaine leaps at the invite. They’ve barely made it through the menu when Lance spots his friend Bunny, who is the new trophy wife of mattress maven Marvin Cooper.

When Bunny generously offers Jaine a gig writing Marv’s new advertising campaign, Jaine accepts the job, and an invitation to her upcoming soirée. But at the party Bunny cruelly rules the Cooper mansion and before the evening is over, someone poisons Bunny.
The police arrest Lance, but Jaine knows his murderous urges end at her closet door. Setting out to clear his name, she soon discovers a list of suspects longer than Bunny’s credit card bill…

Debut Series

A TASTE OF THE NIGHTLIFE: A Vampire Chef Mystery #1
By Sarah Zettel
Obsidian; $7.99

Welcome to Nightlife, an eatery where the inventive fare is guaranteed to satisfy even the most discerning paranormal palate.

Charlotte Caine isn’t called “the Vampire Chef” because she’s a member of New York’s burgeoning undead community—she just cooks for them. With her vampire brother Chet, Charlotte runs Nightlife, a Greenwich Village restaurant that specializes in “haute noir” cuisine for humans and their paranormal companions.

While it isn’t a bona fide smash yet, the city’s most influential food critic is coming in for a bite, and a glowing review could mean that Nightlife will hit it big with the after-dark crowd.

The night finally arrives when Charlotte notices the food critic slinking in the door. She wants everything to be perfect...but of course that’s the moment when a drunk patron decides to cause a scene, cast a spell, and almost burn the building down. A five star review doesn’t seem in the offing, especially after the patron turns up dead in the doorway with fang marks in his neck. With the restaurant at the epicenter of a paranormal turf war, Charlotte needs to figure out who killed her customer, before all the bad press puts Nightlife out of business for good.

BOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING: A Library Lover’s Mystery #1
By Jenn McKinlay
Berkley: $7.99

Lindsey is getting into her groove as the director of the Briar Creek Public Library when a New York editor visits town, creating quite a buzz. Lindsey’s friend Beth wants to sell the editor her children’s book, but Beth’s boyfriend, a famous author, gets in the way. When they go to confront him, he’s found murdered—and Beth is the prime suspect. Lindsey has to act fast before they throw the book at the wrong person.

A KILLING IN ANTIQUES: A Lucy St. Elmo Antiques Mystery #1
By Mary Moody
Obsidian; $6.99

Lucy St. Elmo heads for the greatest treasure hunt ever, “Brimfield”, the antiques marketplace to beat them all. Everything is right for a perfect day. Lucy loves the wonderful business she has created, and she constantly strives to improve it. Her family still thinks St. Elmo Fine Antiques is a nice way for her to keep busy, and to earn a bit of extra income for special thing, the occasional upgrade vacation, or whatever.

But Lucy’s business is no longer an extension of her old hobby, collecting antiques. The business needs her attention. She’s willing, but she sometimes feels that she’s in over her head when balancing the needs of the family against the needs of the business. And then, murder! One friend murdered; another accused of it. Add Lucy’s search for the murderer into the mix ... and the pressure is on.

THE SQUARE ROOT OF MURDER: A Professor Sophie Knowles Mystery #1
By Ada Madison
Berkley; $7.99

Dr. Sophie Knowles teaches math at Henley College in Massachusetts, but when a colleague turns up dead, it’s up to her to find the killer before someone else gets subtracted.

A SLICE OF MURDER: A Pizza Lover’s Mystery #1 (reprint)
By Chris Cavender
Kensington; $7.99

Not too much happens in the sleepy little town of Timber Ridge, North Carolina—which is fine with pizza-purveyor extraordinaire Eleanor Swift. The spunky owner of A Slice of Delight is trying to mend her broken heart and could use a little quiet time. But when a late night delivery customer turns up dead, she’s in for just the opposite in this delicious mystery series debut, featuring pizza as the prima character.

There should be a little something for everyone’s liking in this batch of books! As always, if you have a series you’d like me to mention or check out, please feel free to leave a comment here!