Carmel Conundrum: A Liz Adams Mystery by Stacy Wilder
About Carmel Conundrum
Carmel Conundrum: A Liz Adams Mystery Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series Setting – California Wild Hawk Press (December 10, 2022) Paperback : 226 pages ISBN-13 : 979-8985426625 Digital ASIN : B0BPQXHL7Y
Stolen identities, a cult, a kidnapping, an attempted murder, and a budding romance . . .
Join Private Investigator Liz Adams, and her lie-detecting Labrador, Duke, in the scenic town of Carmel By-the-Sea, as the pair investigate the mystery of stolen identities. Complications arise when Liz becomes romantically entangled with her hot new client, Brad.
Enter Apollo, a charismatic cult leader, whose mission to save the homeless has a dark twist. Why does he continue to trespass on Liz’s property? She’s compelled to uncover the answer.
Tensions mount, as the stakes become a matter of life and death. Will Liz and Duke solve both mysteries before the damage is irreparable?
Travel with Liz from Charleston, SC to Carmel, CA, and back to discover the astounding truth.
The Carmel Conundrum Playlist
1. “Hotel California,” The Eagles (thanks to Barry Edick for the song suggestion)
2. “Only The Good Die Young,” Billy Joel
3. “California Dreamin,’” The Mamas & the Papas (thanks to Mary Ellen Hendricks for the song suggestion)
4. “Glitter in the Air,” P!nk
5. “King of the Road,” Roger Miller
6. “California Girls,” The Beach Boys (thanks to Barry Edick and Mary Ellen Hendricks for the song suggestion)
7. “Celebration,” Kool & The Gang
8. “Take My Breath Away,” Berlin
9. “Hit the Road Jack,” Ray Charles
10. “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay,” Otis Redding
11. “Life is a Highway,” Rascal Flatts
12. “Bad Day,” Daniel Powter
13. “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” Cyndi Lauper
14. “I Knew I Loved You,” Savage Garden
About Stacy Wilder
Stacy Wilder has traveled to six out of seven continents Books have shaped her life and her travels. Her love of mysteries began with Nancy Drew.
Carmel Conundrum is the second book in the riveting Liz Adams Mystery series. In addition to mysteries, Stacy writes children’s stories, short stories, and poetry. She and her husband live in Houston, Texas, with a totally spoiled Labrador retriever, Eve.
Not Me: Speluncaphobia, Secrets and Hidden Treasure (Macavity and Me Mystery) by Charlotte Stuart
About Not Me!
I loved this cover soooo much, I had to share it.
Not Me: Speluncaphobia, Secrets and Hidden Treasure (Macavity and Me Mystery) Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series Setting – Seattle (where the protagonist lives), Vancouver BC, and a trip up the Inside Passage Taylor and Seale Publishing (July 29, 2022) Paperback : 242 pages ISBN-10 : 1940224225 ISBN-13 : 978-1940224220 Digital ASIN : B0B8187514
Aztec gold artifacts from the 16th Century, a fake treasure map, and cryptic clues leading to a cave in the Canadian wilderness—
• Feuding family members • A suspicious death and surfeit of suspects • A sailboat trip up the Inside Passage and . . . a stowaway cat
Two cousins get together to investigate the death of a favorite uncle and to honor his legacy by fulfilling his dream to recover Aztec gold. They are thwarted in their efforts by greedy family members, a jumble of challenging clues, a prank from the grave, and unscrupulous treasure seekers.
What begins with a letter from the deceased leads to a wilderness adventure and ends with revealed secrets and a confession.
About Charlotte Stuart
Charlotte Stuart PhD is an award-winning mystery writer who got her start in academia, left a tenured faculty position to go commercial fishing in Alaska, spent a frustrating year as a political speech writer, enjoyed time as a management consultant, and survived several years as a VP of HR and training.
Her current passion is for writing mysteries with complex characters and twisty plots. Books in her Macavity & Me Mysteries have won a Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, a gold Global Ebook Award, and a Firebird Book Award for humor. Two were NYC Big Book Distinguished Favorites, one was a finalist in Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion contest, and Not Me! is currently a finalist in the Chanticleer Mystery and Mayhem competition.
Charlotte lives and writes on Vashon Island in the Pacific Northwest and is the past president of the Puget Sound Sisters in Crime.
Celebrate the holidays with mistletoe, mayhem, and murder. Join your favorite authors as they cozy up by the fire with twelve festive short mysteries that feature treasured holiday traditions. Serve up a slice of fatal fruitcake and deck the halls with danger, because the holiday season has never been so much fun.
This original collection is available for a limited time only, so grab your copy today.
Includes: A Pickle in a Pear Tree by Erin Scoggins Mistletoe and Murder by Dianne Ascroft O Deadly Night by Estelle Richards Larceny and Gingerbread Lattes by Justine Maxwell Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas by Gayle Leeson
About the Authors
About Gayle Leeson
Gayle Leeson is a pseudonym for Gayle Trent. Gayle has also written as Amanda Lee. She is currently writing the Kinsey Falls chick-lit/women’s fiction series, the Down South Cafe cozy mystery series, and the Ghostly Fashionista cozy mystery series. Her book KILLER WEDDING CAKE won the Bronze Medal in the 20th Anniversary IPPY Awards. Gayle lives in Southwest Virginia with her family and enjoys hearing from readers.
About Mollie Cox Bryan
Mollie Cox Bryan writes cozy mysteries with edge. She’s the author of several bestselling mystery series, also writing under the pen name Maggie Blackburn. Her books have been selected as finalists for an Agatha Award and a Daphne du Maurier Award and as a Top 10 Beach Reads by Woman’s World. She has also been short-listed for the Virginia Library People’s Choice Award. She’s also penned a historical fiction: MEMORY OF LIGHT: AN AFTERMATH OF GETTYSBURG. She’s the mother of two nearly perfect daughters, each pursuing careers in music.
About Erin Scoggins
USA Today Bestselling Author Erin Scoggins is a long-time Southerner with a fondness for offbeat humor and fresh fried chicken. After fifteen years in marketing with a Fortune 500 company, she traded her MBA for fictional crime scenes and feisty small-town families. She writes fun, flirty mysteries that are celebrations of food, family, and the killer South.
Visit her at www.erinscoggins.com for book news and shenanigans.
About Estelle Richards
Estelle Richards lives in the beautiful American Southwest and writes cozy mysteries. Connect with Estelle at estellerichards.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/estellerichardswriter/.
About Justine Maxwell
Justine Maxwell writes cozy mysteries with brave heroines, strong family bonds, and a touch of romance. She has degrees in psychology from Northern Arizona University and Grand Canyon University. She hopes to one day become a reclusive author in a mountain cabin near Flagstaff, AZ. Until then, she’ll be a busy mom of four small children and one (allegedly) hypoallergenic pup, writing in the midst of chaos.
About Wendy H. Jones
International Award Winning Author Wendy H. Jones lives in Scotland, and her police procedural series featuring DI Shona McKenzie are set.Wendy has led a varied and adventurous life. Her love for adventure led to her joining the Royal Navy to undertake nurse training. After six years in the Navy she joined the Army where she served as an Officer for a further 17 years. Killer’s Countdown was her first novel and the first book in the Shona McKenzie Mysteries. Killer’s Crew won the Books Go Social Book of the Year 2017. The seventh book in the series. Killer’s Curse will be released early august 2020. The Dagger’s Curse, the first book in The Fergus and Flora Mysteries, was a finalist in the Woman Alive Magazine Readers Choice Award Book of the Year. Turning to humorous crime the Cass Claymore Investigates series was born. She is also a highly successful marketer and is currently in the process of rereleasing her completely updated marketing book Marketing Matters. This will be part of the Writing Matters Series following the release of Motivation Matters. She is also the author of the Bertie the Buffalo picture book and associated soft toy and colouring book. Wendy is delighted to be one of the authors in two anthologies aimed at empowering women – The Power of Why, and Women Win Against All Odds. She is proud to be the President of the Scottish Association of Writers and is the host of The Writing and Marketing Show podcast, a writing and marketing coach. and CEO of Writing Matters online writing school, Authorpreneur Accelerator Academy.
Dianne Ascroft
Dianne Ascroft is a Canadian writer living in Britain. Since moving to Britain in 1990 she has lived in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Online she can be found at http://www.dianneascroft.com.
She writes cozy mystery, historical and contemporary fiction, often with an Irish connection. Her non-fiction articles and short stories have been printed in Canadian and Irish magazines and regional newspapers including the Toronto Star, Ireland’s Own, Senior Times, Celtic Connection and Irish Connections Canada.
She was co-editor of The Fermanagh Miscellany, the Fermanagh Authors’ Association’s yearly anthology for several years and she also contributes material to other local history and writers’ anthologies.
Dianne is a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, Sisters in Crime, Historical Novel Society, Writers Abroad, Fermanagh Authors’ Association and Fermanagh Writers.
Dianne started life in a quiet residential neighbourhood in the buzzing city of Toronto and has progressively moved to smaller places through the years. She now lives on a small farm in Northern Ireland with her husband and an assortment of strong willed animals. If she ever decides to write her autobiography the working title will be ‘Downsizing’.
Sam Cheever
USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Sam Cheever writes mystery and suspense, creating stories that draw you in and keep you eagerly turning pages. Known for writing great characters, snappy dialogue, and unique and exhilarating stories, Sam is the award-winning author of 80+ books.
NEWSLETTER: Join Sam’s Monthly newsletter and get a FREE book! You can also keep up with her appearances, enjoy special content, and get previews of her upcoming work! https://www.samcheever.com/newsletter.html
TEXT NEWS ALERTS: Or if you’d rather not receive a monthly newsletter, you can sign up for text alerts and just receive a brief text when Sam’s launching a new release or appearing somewhere fun. Just text SAMNEWS to 781-728-9542 to be added!
ONLINE HOT SPOTS: To find out more about Sam and her work, please pay her a visit: Her website: https://www.samcheever.com; Her blog: https://www.samcheever.com/blog; and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamCheeverAuthor. She looks forward to chatting with you!
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The quirky, zany characters deserve a star, and the world Elizabeth Pantley created was like no other I have visited. I know I have said I love to travel through books, but the book club takes it to a whole new level….and I love it!
Paige and her Aunt Glo inherited a house with a magical library. They created a book club of oddball characters to learn about magic.
Of course, the cruise to Hawaii holds more than they bargained for, but that what’s happen when you skim the blurb. Vampires. It doesn’t matter to them. They are prepared to do what’s necessary to solve a cozy mystery.
Vampires and Villains is everything I expect in a cozy mystery, with a couple of bonuses, vampires and a talking cat, and the travel gives a whole new meaning to being caught up in a book.
Most cozies fall into a 3 rating, for me, but Elizabeth added enough extras to take it up a notch. Mystery, laughs, a funfilled cruise, the exploration of Hawaii, vampires, a talking cat, a novel way to travel and plenty of villains to keep me guessing.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Vampires and Villains by Elizabeth Pantley.
4 Stars
About Vampires and Villains
Paige and her joyful Aunt Glo have learned that the home they inherited comes with a magical library. They put together a book club group of loveable kooks to explore the magic.
They’ve recovered from their first book journey, and they all agree on their next book which takes place on a cruise ship bound for Hawaii. Problem is, they were so excited about the cruising idea that they didn’t read the entire blurb on the back of the book. (“It was entirely too long,” explains Zell.) Once on the ship, they meet a charming and likable man who blends seamlessly into their motley group. Too bad they don’t know why he’s so scarce during the day but shows up to join them every evening for dinner, drinks, and a show. When a dead body shows up on board, their new friend is labeled a suspect. Can they help him out by finding the real murderer? Or is he the real murderer? The book club will need to solve the case to get off the ship, out of the book, and back to their home.
About Elizabeth Pantley
Elizabeth Pantley says
that writing the Destiny Falls Mystery and Magic book series is the most
fun she’s ever had at work. Fans of the series say her joy is evident
through the stories she tells. Elizabeth is also the internationally
bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and twelve other books
for parents. Her books have been published in over twenty languages. She
lives in the Pacific Northwest, the beautiful inspiration for the
enchanted Destiny Falls world.
Corpse and Robbers: A Male Housekeeper Mysteryby Stephen Kaminski
About Corpse and Robbers
Corpse and Robbers: A Male Housekeeper Mystery Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series Setting – A small town in Michigan Cozy Cat Press (April 16, 2022) Paperback : 234 pages ISBN-10 : 1952579457 ISBN-13 : 978-1952579455 Digital Cozy Cat Press (May 13, 2022) ASIN : B0B1BD759B
Paul Bearer & Sons has two memorial
services on the schedule, but three dead bodies. When Rusted Bonnet’s
funeral home becomes the site of a murder, Cam Reddick finds himself as a
prime suspect. To distance himself from the allegations, Cam must
untangle a host of clever cons and mini mysteries, from corpse robbing
to a fine art scam to a modern-day treasure hunt. Cam soon discovers
that Paul Bearer’s more closely resembles a con artists’ colony than a
funeral home. With help from his ex-wife and mother, Cam ultimately
unearths the most devious and deadly ploy of all.
Corpse and Robbers in the second installment of Stephen Kaminski’s Male Housekeeper Mystery series.
Kaminski also pens the Damon
Lassard Dabbling Detective Mysteries. He is the recipient of the Murder
& Mayhem Award for Best Classic Cozy, multiple Reader Views
Literary Awards, and was a Chanticleer Media CLUE Award finalist.
About Stephen Kaminski
Stephen Kaminski is the author of two cozy mystery series: The Male
Housekeeper Mysteries and the Damon Lassard Dabbling Detective series,
both published by Cozy Cat Press.
“Corpse & Robbers” (2022) is the
latest of Kaminski’s Male Housekeeper Mysteries. The first installment
of the series, “An Au Pair to Remember,” was penned in 2019.
Each of Kaminski’s Damon Lassard books —
“It Takes Two to Strangle” (2012), “Don’t Cry Over Killed Milk” (2013),
and “Murder, She Floats” (2014) — was awarded the Reader Views Literary
Award for the Mid-Atlantic Region, and Don’t Cry Over Killed Milk was
named Best Classic Cozy in the 2014 Murder & Mayhem Awards and was a
2013 Chanticleer Media CLUE Award Finalist.
Stephen is a graduate of Johns Hopkins
University and Harvard Law School and currently serves as the chief
executive officer of a national energy association. He lives with his
120 lb Swissie, Siberian forest cat, rescue kitty, and a gaggle of
occasionally tolerable but always loveable humans in Bethesda, MD.
The Fragrance of Death (A Sally Solari Mystery)by Leslie Karst
About The Fragrance of Death
The Fragrance of Death (A Sally Solari Mystery) Cozy Mystery 5th in Series Setting – California Severn House; Main edition (August 2, 2022) Hardcover : 224 pages ISBN-10 : 1448309034 ISBN-13 : 978-1448309030 Digital ASIN : B09V878YNB
Restaurateur Sally Solari has a
nose for trouble, but when her sense of smell goes missing, it’s not
just her career on the line . . . it’s her life.
Restaurateur Sally Solari is a champion,
both in the kitchen and on the case, but after getting mixed up in one
too many murders, she’s noticed her nonna’s friends have now taken to
crossing themselves when they see her in the street. Adding to her woes,
a sinus infection has knocked out her sense of smell, making cooking on
the hot line difficult, indeed. Nevertheless, Sally is determined to
stay out of trouble and focus on her work.
But then her old acquaintance Neil
Lerici is murdered at the annual Santa Cruz Artichoke Cook-Off, and her
powers of investigation are called into action once more. Could Neil
have been killed by the local restaurant owner who took his winning spot
at the competition? Or maybe by one of his siblings, who were desperate
to sell the family farm to a real estate developer?
Sally plunges headfirst into the case,
risking alienating everyone she knows – including the dapper Detective
Vargas, who finds her sleuthing both infuriating and endearing. And soon
it’s not only her restaurant and tentative new relationship that are on
the line – it’s her life . . .
The Fragrance of Death is a
non-stop fun cozy mystery that will keep your mind buzzing and your
mouth watering, and contains a selection of delicious recipes to cook at
home.
About Leslie Karst
Leslie Karst is the
author of the Lefty Award-nominated Sally Solari culinary mystery
series. The daughter of a law professor and a potter, she waited tables
and sang in a new wave rock band before deciding she was ready for
“real” job and ending up at Stanford Law School. It was during her
career as a research and appellate attorney in Santa Cruz, California,
that Leslie rediscovered her youthful passion for food and cooking and
once more returned to school—this time to earn a degree in culinary
arts.
Now retired from the law, Leslie spends
her time cooking, cycling, gardening, singing alto in her local
community chorus, and of course writing. She and her wife and their Jack
Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawai‘i.
Deceived (A Kelly Pruett Mystery) by Mary Keliikoa
About Deceived
Deceived (A Kelly Pruett Mystery) Cozy Mystery – Woman Sleuths 3rd in Series Setting – Oregon Camel Press (May 10, 2022) Paperback : 218 pages ISBN-10 : 1603818650 ISBN-13 : 978-1603818650 Digital ASIN : B09Q7SG18K
In the third thrilling book in
the Kelly Pruett mystery series–Her world was falling into place. Then
women started dropping off the map.
PI Kelly Pruett finally feels like she’s
coming into her own. With her personal life well on track, a gig
uncovering what drove a client’s granddaughter underground could be good
for business. But after her undercover operation at the homeless
shelter reveals rampant drug dealing, she’s suddenly kicked off the
case… just as another girl goes missing.
Vowing to expose the truth even if it
means pro-bono work, Kelly is taken aback when her half-sister helps her
hunt down answers in a tent city brimming with distrust. When her
investigation doesn’t move quickly enough to save a second woman from a
vicious murder, Kelly doubles her efforts unwilling to accept defeat.
About Mary Keliikoa
Mary Keliikoa is the
Shamus finalist and Lefty, Agatha and Anthony nominated author of the PI
Kelly Pruett mystery series, and the Misty Pines mystery series
featuring former Portland homicide detective turned small-town sheriff.
Her short stories have appeared in Woman’s World and in the anthology
Peace, Love and Crime.
A Pacific NW native, she spent years working around lawyers and admits to being that person
who gets excited when called for jury duty. When not in Washington, you
can find Mary on the beach in Hawaii. But even under the palm trees and
blazing sun, she’s plotting her next murder—novel that is.
Penny Nicols brings her “gift” to
Billington. Searching for her sister, she’s determined to stand her
ground. One woman holds the keys to Penny’s link between her past and
the present.
When is history better left buried?
When the Raven is the one telling the story.
Dinah, Penny’s old advocate, is struck down before her eyes.
Penny’s long-distance friend T.C.
continues to help her trail the whereabouts of her long-lost sibling and
solve the mystery. Musical clues and manic relationships crowd the
distracted Penny as T.C. supports her from afar.
Spades, the cat, charms the suspects as Penny untangles her omens.
Dinah may be victim number one, but Penny fears the Raven is just warming up.
You’ll love the sixth book in this binge-worthy paranormal mystery
series because Penny and her sleuthing sidekicks dig deep to uncover the
Raven’s evil plans.
About Sarah Hualde
Sarah lives in California, in a home
that brings her happiness and hay fever. She loves God, loves her
family, and loves freshly brewed coffee. She has a husband who cooks, a
son who stop animates, a daughter who loves animals, a dog that follows
her everywhere, and a turtle who scowls at her condescendingly.
Her mother raised her on Mary Higgins
Clark, Diane Mott Davidson, and Remington Steele. Her grandmother shared
True Crime stories with her as they plotted how to get away with the
perfect murder. It’s no surprise that Sarah became an award-winning
spinner of suspenseful tales brimming with quirky characters. Mysteries
are in her blood. Not that she could survive one of her own stories. She
confesses, “I’d be snuffed out by chapter two.”
Join Sarah’s Super Sleuth Squad and follow her on YouTube for behind-the-scenes insider info.
Frances Wynn, the American-born
Countess of Harleigh, returns in Dianne Freeman’s charming, lighthearted
mystery series set in Victorian England, and finds her wedding day
overshadowed by murder . . .
On the eve of her marriage to George
Hazelton, Frances has a great deal more on her mind than flowers and
seating arrangements. The Connors and the Bainbridges, two families of
American robber barons, have taken up residence in London, and their
bitter rivalry is spilling over into the highest social circles. At the
request of her brother, Alonzo, who is quite taken with Miss Madeline
Connor, Frances has invited the Connor family to her wedding. Meanwhile,
Frances’s mother has invited Mr. Bainbridge, and Frances fears the
wedding may end up being newspaper-worthy for all the wrong reasons.
On the day itself, Frances is relieved
to note that Madeline’s father is not among the guests assembled at the
church. The reason for his absence, however, turns out to be most
unfortunate: Mr. Connor is found murdered in his home. More shocking
still, Alonzo is caught at the scene, holding the murder weapon.
Powerful and ruthless, Connor appears to
have amassed a wealth of enemies alongside his fortune. Frances and
George agree to put their wedding trip on hold to try and clear Alonzo’s
name. But there are secrets to sift through, not just in the Bainbridge
and Connor families, but also in their own. And with a killer
determined to evade discovery at any cost—even if it means taking
another life—Frances’s first days as a newlywed will be perilous indeed .
. .
About Dianne Freeman
Dianne Freeman is the acclaimed author
of the Countess of Harleigh Mystery series. She is an Agatha Award and
Lefty Award winner, as well as a finalist for the prestigious Mary
Higgins Clark Award from Mystery Writers of America. After thirty years
of working in corporate accounting and finance, she now writes
full-time. Born and raised in Michigan, she and her husband split their
time between Michigan and Arizona. Visit her at www.DiFreeman.com.
WITH A SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE (A Bay Island Psychic Mystery)
By Lena Gregory
About With A Spirit of Vengeance
With A Spirit of Vengeance (A Bay Island Psychic Mystery) Paranormal Cozy Mystery 7th in Series Setting – Bay Island (Just off Long Island, New York) Beyond the Page Publishing (June 28, 2022) Paperback Print Length : 249 pages ISBN-10 : 1958384046 ISBN-13 : 978-1958384046 Digital ASIN : B0B3GG5P68
Psychic Cass Donovan must
uncover the truth about long-buried secrets and recent murders to bring
peace to a troubled spirit and bring justice to a flesh-and-blood killer
. . .
When the spirit of Ophelia Wilson turned
to clairvoyant Cass Donovan for help, Cass was able to prove Ophelia’s
innocence in the century-old murders of her family members—and solve a
contemporary murder in the process. But Ophelia’s spirit has returned,
this time angrily demanding that Cass expose the identity of whoever did
kill her family. And then eerily, two descendants from the Wilson
family tree are murdered, suggesting that Ophelia has the power to
meddle in modern-day events to satisfy her rage.
As Cass struggles to solve the two
recent murders and unravel the sparse clues about murders from a hundred
years ago, she and those around her begin to suffer Ophelia’s
wrath—including an attempt on the life of one of Cass’s closest friends.
Relying on all of her own psychic powers, Cass has to confront the
spirit’s hunger for vengeance and track down a merciless killer before
she becomes the next victim of both . . .
About Lena Gregory
Lena grew up in a small town on the
south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold,
damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of central Florida, where
she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs.
Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her
love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t
sleep through the night. She works full-time as a writer and a freelance
editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.
