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Marshmallow Milkshakes and Missing Persons

About Marshmallow Milkshakes and Missing Persons

She never should’ve let Mama out of her sight.

The hot summer months used to be Avery Baldwin’s favorite time of year. After graduating from college, she wanted to move away from her hometown and make a life of her own, but the desire to be with her family, to return to the old, familiar haunts that were so comforting, stuck with her. As soon as the month of June rolled around, Avery enjoyed hopping in her car and driving to Buenaventura Beach where she readily embraced the salty ocean air and relished the feel of the sun’s rays as they kissed her hair.
But everything about this summer is different from all those that came before. As soon as Avery arrives in town, she learns that her mother, Loti, has been suffering from bouts of forgetfulness and even though others are pushing her to sell her restaurant, Mama Baldwin’s Café, she’s reluctant to give it up. Avery vows to help her mother, but when she bumps into Chance Zabrowski and his son Cubby at the grocery store, she quickly learns that Mama has been struggling more than she admitted.
When Avery, Chance, and Cubby all go to the café to check in on Mama, they find the doors wrapped in chains and padlocked shut. There’s even a sign on the door, announcing the closure of the restaurant. Stunned, the trio decide to ask Mama what happened and why she so suddenly changed her mind, but they can’t find her anywhere. Where did she go? What happened to Mama?
Find out by reading…Marshmallow Milkshakes and Missing Persons: Book One in the Buenaventura Beach Mystery Series.

#cozy #mystery #smalltown #singledad #missingperson #beachread #summer #female sleuth

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The Secrets of the Sorority Sisters by Annie Hudson

The Secrets of the Sorority Sisters by Annie Hudson

A Sisterhood of Secrets

Emma Anders Mountainside Bed and Breakfast serves up more than morning muffins, it has become ‘the’ destination for visitors of Boone, NC.

This time, they will host a reunion of the Kappa Boo Beta sorority sisters who plan to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Choosing Emma’s property was no coincidence. It seems the Johns family may have a hand in founding, financing and supporting the KBB.

Presided over by Sloane Reyes, a local celebrity, the ladies arrive to rekindle friendships and share in sisterhood, reliving their college years. As hidden truths come to light, chaos ensues.

Emma, her clue sniffing dog Lizzie and sleuthing buddy, Frances, are drawn into the chaos faster than you can say BOO!

Will they unravel the secret and solve the mysterious disappearance of one of the sisters before someone gets hurt or worse?

Uncle Preston’s friendly spirit will have a few things to say about this mess. After all, it is his family.

Join Emma on a journey of sisterhood, secrets and the supernatural in Secrets of the Sorority Sisters.

Read all of the Emma Anders Cozy Mystery Series!

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Bone Deep Blues

About Bone Deep Blues

“Follow JD “Big Dog” Walker, a former Navy Seal turned blues musician, as he races to rescue his kidnapped loved ones from human traffickers in a gripping tale of action and suspense that will keep readers hooked until the end.” —NewInBooks.com
Bone Deep Blues is proud to announce its entry into the 2025 Next Generation Indie Book Awards!

Bone Deep Blues is proud to announce that it’s been nominated for The 2024 American Fiction Awards!

“Bone Deep Blues” intricately navigates the life of JD “Big Dog” Walker, a former Navy Seal turned blues musician and nightclub owner. When his brother and fiancée fall victim to a ruthless kidnapping, JD plunges into a dangerous world of human trafficking, organized crime, and desperate measures. As he races against time to rescue his loved ones and safeguard his livelihood, Will they survive this descent into darkness?

JD finds himself entangled in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, facing off against law enforcement and the menacing presence of the mob and a chilling figure known as Baba Yaga, or The Ice Queen. This sadistic woman is fueled by a thirst for vengeance and revels in causing suffering, taking pleasure in destroying innocence, and inflicting excruciating pain. As JD navigates through this dangerous and treacherous landscape, he encounters daunting challenges and uncovers profound and unsettling truths that test his mettle. Their harrowing experience sheds light on a dark underworld of human trafficking, where influential individuals barter in stolen lives. Is there any hope left in a world where wealth and moral corruption intersect?

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The Past Can’t Be Escaped by Laura Armijo

About The Past Can’t Be Escaped by Laura Armijo

A car accident eleven years ago killed her best friend and left her with no memory of that tragic night. She knows the past can’t be escaped.
His biological father is a mobster. He has done all he can to distance himself from that world. He knows the past can’t be escaped.
Total strangers that are linked to the past. Will they be able to escape it.

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The Family Tree Murders: A Lainey Maynard Mystery Series – Book 1 by Laura Hern

About Featured Book : The Family Tree Murders: A Lainey Maynard Mystery Series – Book 1 (The Lainey Maynard Mystery Series) by Laura Hern

Lainey needed a change after her husband died and the quaint town of Mirror Falls, MN, was just the ticket. But the email worried her. Why was Mary so upset about a DNA test?

Mary had done it as a lark. It might be fun to find out about her family’s history. When the DNA test came back, everything changed. Was her brother next in line for a substantial inheritance…or be setup for murder?

As a seasoned insurance investigator, Lainey had worked out more than her fair share of sinister plots, but this was different. With the help of her quirky friends, she’s determined to figure out who’s been trimming off branches of the family tree.

An intriguing and fun cozy mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. You’ll love it because the characters are delightful and the twists will keep you turning the pages.

The Family Tree Murders is the first book in The Lainey Maynard Mystery series. Join Lainey and her friends as they work to solve the mystery.

This mystery book is in Kindle Unlimited and is available in ebook or print.

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RIVER OF MERCY by Susan Clayton-Goldner

RIVER OF MERCY by Susan Clayton-Goldner

Detective Winston Radhauser is called in the middle of the night to Ashland Hospital. Ten days ago, Justin Patterson, a local pediatrician, suffered a devastating brain bleed that left him paralyzed and begging for release.

When Patterson is found dead in his hospital bed, the staff assumes it was a natural death. But the victim’s son, Robbie, accuses his stepmother, Santina, of murder. Everything inside Radhauser believes she’s innocent, but when DNA supports Robbie’s claim, Radhauser is forced to arrest the woman he found lying in her husband’s hospital bed, curled around his dead body.

Phillip Mitchell, world-renowned criminal defense attorney, hears of Santina’s arrest and rushes from Tucson to Oregon. He’s driven by a love that never waned, and a belief there was no way Santina could murder anyone.

National news has the country divided. Was it a mercy killing? Or was it murder? How do we put down our suffering animals with more dignity than our fellow humans? Or is God the only one who decides when life ends?

Against a ticking clock and an unyielding DA, Radhauser and Mitchell race to expose hidden truths that could save Santina from a lethal injection.

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Diamond Raiders: Mount Kumgang Mystery by Mae Adams

Diamond Raiders: Mount Kumgang Mystery by Mae Adams

Mount Kumgang was a sacred place for many centuries. In the 7th century, the Silla Kingdom built a captivating Buddhist Temple resembling the House of Three Gods, defined as Heaven, Earth, and the God of Ancestors. Every poet and artist made an extraordinary journey to paint watercolors and write verses. The World War II division of the country in 1945 stopped the South Koreans from visiting these cherished mountains for many years. The 155-mile-long barbed-wire fence erected as part of the Demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas after the War proved to be an obstruction deadlier than any other barrier.

Numerous folk tales, myths, and legends connected to Mount Kumgang delighted people for many generations. But the story in this book is concerned with raiders of diamonds from the Temple during the Japanese occupation of 35 years, where no Korean police existed, and the Japanese police controlled all the crimes in the country. However, it was the natural law that anyone raiding things from a sacred place had to pay the price. How to identify the raiders and what price the raiders had to pay was anyone’s guess. The gentle Koreans seldom engaged in murder, although they could be hot-headed to butt their heads first and shake hands later. Thus, identifying guilty people was extremely difficult.

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Criminally Spun Out by J. Traveler Pelton

Criminally Spun Out by J. Traveler Pelton

Welcome to Lyonsville, a serene village where English and Amish shops draw tourists by the busload. The Fiber Mavens Shop has added a new craft and spinning brings out the wicked in someone. Casey’s twins are kidnapped; drop spindles are being left all over town; you are going to love J. Traveler’s newest mystery in the Fiber Mavens Mysteries.

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Death at Mistram Manor by Peter Zander-Howell

About Death at Mistram Manor by Peter Zander-Howell

A funeral service in Oxfordshire has been held for the late chatelaine of Mistram Manor.

The subsequent wake is disrupted by a further death – that of the priest who has just conducted the ceremony.

Suspicions are aroused, and Scotland Yard is called upon to investigate. DCI Philip Bryce takes charge, supported by DS Haig and DC Kittow.

Who killed the Rector – and why?

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Your Brain’s Still Flashing by Jim Lively

Your Brain’s Still Flashing by Jim Lively

When Simon Steed gets released from the mental hospital, he needs a job to pay his bills. And quick! But since his diagnosis involves a serious personality disorder, all the District Court judges refuse to assign him any cases.
At last, he convinces a night court judge to let him represent indigent clients accused of a crime. The calls to summon him always come after midnight.
Once Simon settles in at his childhood home again, he meets friendly neighbors, including a mysterious woman who is at first only visible at night through a sheer curtain. She appears to be on her phone every time he peeks at her. Who is she talking to at that late hour? None of the neighbors has seen her and claim the house has been empty until probate is resolved.
Then he lands a wealthy client from a referral. Her behavior is hard to explain until he realizes she has something on her mind other than divorce.
Has Monica come back into Simon’s life? He must avoid the trouble she caused him before. What if he gets sent to the mental hospital again?
Why is Simon’s brain still flashing?

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Played to Death: A Scott Drayco Mystery by BV Lawson

Played to Death: A Scott Drayco Mystery by BV Lawson

A Shamus Award Finalist and Named Best Mystery in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards

Still haunted by nightmares from a tragic case, brilliant detective Scott Drayco is on the brink of retirement. When a former client leaves him a dilapidated Opera House in a Virginia seaside town, Drayco hopes to sell it quickly and heal his battered soul in peace.

But that peace shatters when he discovers a corpse on the Opera House stage, marked with a cryptic “G” carved into its chest. Now a suspect himself, Drayco must unravel ancient, dangerous secrets to clear his name and solve the murder.

Facing a wary sheriff, fierce opposition over coastal development, and the seductive wife of a town councilman, Drayco is caught in a web of deceit and danger. As tensions mount and violence looms, he must act fast to prevent becoming the next victim.

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Murder Above the Fold: A Cozy Witch Mystery (The Mag and Clara Balefire Mysteries Book 1)

About Murder Above the Fold: A Cozy Witch Mystery (The Mag and Clara Balefire Mysteries Book 1)

When sister witches Mag and Clara Balefire moved to the sleepy town of Harmony, Maine, to take over leadership of the coven there, they thought they’d have achance at a new life. Fate had other plans. The Balefires hardly have time to get unpacked when they stumble over a dead body.
Local authorities consider the death an open and shut case, but Mag and Clara refuse to let the ruling of accidental death stand—not when they’re positive it was murder.
As they dig deeper, secrets begin to surface, and the sisters begin to suspect some of the townsfolk aren’t as innocent as they appear. When they discover the killer might be someone close to the victim, they don’t know who to trust. As if that’s not enough, the local coven expects them to bring their cantankerous, ancient leader to heel, and she’s having none of it.
Between solving two murders and keeping a mischievous, elderly witch with power to spare from wreaking havoc, moving to a small town isn’t quite what the Balefire sisters bargained for.

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I Think I Hate My Friends

About I Think I Hate My Friends

Hazel’s a soon-to-be-divorced mother of three who moved to Los Angeles to be near her college friends and start a new chapter. Nicole married her college sweetheart, the surgeon and all-around perfect husband, Harry, but is terrified of losing him forever if she admits to him she doesn’t want children. Ida is the child star who can’t seem to give up on her dream of being an A-list actress. Dinah is the enigmatic poet with a tragic past who remains a puzzle to everyone, even her oldest friends. When one of them is murdered, the remaining friends deal with the aftermath in varied ways, questioning how much they truly know each other. Told through three separate time periods in the lives of these women, I Think I Hate My Friends captures the sometimes toxic, often complex, but ultimately rewarding dynamic of female friendship and the ceaseless search for contentment.

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PARKING by Jemima Mori

About PARKING by Jemima Mori

A shrine to capitalism serves as the perfect setting for this compassionate tale of colliding misfits in which identities are reimagined, sub-levels fetishised, and secrets revealed. Join Norma as she steps into a strange and unexpected new life, rooted within the dark and mysterious subterranean parking bays beneath the Grove Mall.

Follow our protagonist as she tracks down the enigmatic siren Marnie and uncovers the veiled truth of her surroundings, only to find that neither her latest companions nor her senses can always be entirely trusted. However, even in the face of such uncertainty, an inner transformation is ripe to unfold—the question is, will you partake in the journey and be transformed too?

Once described as “Sharp as a Japanese sword” and “Clever as Marilyn vos Savant”, Jemima Mori is the semi-nocturnal alter ego of an English content writer based in Central Portugal. Her debut novella reads like softly lilting mallsoft vaporware music that slowly envelops its reader. The result is a surreal sense of self-assurance that is sure to linger, long after eyes have left the final page. Bizarre and comforting in equal measure, PARKING is a book for those who wish to be immersed in the unusual and step out of the everyday for a little while.

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A Murder Solved Twice

About A Murder Solved Twice

Shane Daniels, the main character in ‘A Murder Solved Twice’ is an investigator for a lawyer and he has a compelling backstory. He’s a former cop who was permanently disabled when he was shot in the left knee and must deal with his memories of his father, a convicted killer also involved in the murder of Shane’s mother. Shane’s partner, Emma Carstairs, who lost her left leg while in the Canadian Forces, counsels other amputees.
In ‘A Murder Solved Twice”, Shane is kidnapped and told he’ll be killed if he doesn’t solve the murder of a young woman for which a man has already been convicted. Gavin Benson was found guilty by a jury of killing the much younger woman he was having an affair with.
Emma searches desperately for Shane, with the help of Ben Chen, Shane’s foul-mouthed, politically incorrect childhood friend, but they’re not even sure why he’s missing. Is it related to the Benson trial or their foster child Lan’s testimony against members of a Vietnamese-Canadian criminal organization?
While Shane tries to survive and find a way to escape, ‘A Murder Solved Twice’ takes the reader back in time to follow the Benson murder trial and defence lawyer Jason Burke’s ill-fated attempt to prove his innocence.

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Murder Not Quite Buried

About Murder Not Quite Buried

Disabled former cop Shane Daniels is asked by the lawyer he works for to review the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a woman seven years ago. She’s now been declared legally dead and her husband is about to receive a huge life insurance payment.
But the discovery of the bodies of a woman and a young child, partially buried in a wooded area near Shane’s hometown, brings shocking family news for Shane and sends him looking for a cold-blooded killer.
Meanwhile, Shane’s partner, Emma, is trying to protect an eight year old girl who became an amputee in a deliberately caused accident that killed her parents. To matters worse, the young girl is being hunted by a vicious criminal gang.
In ‘Murder Not Quite Buried’, both Shane and Emma will have to deal with their personal demons and face some very dangerous adversaries.

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The Viper Lounge (Book 1)

About The Viper Lounge (Book 1)

A live music bar run by a former Marine with strong ties to the criminal underworld, becomes the perfect stage for a series of darkly comic, off-beat stories.

Retired soldier Jimmy Calder plans to relax and concentrate on running The Viper Lounge, but his long standing association with an organised crime boss, and a robust sense of justice means that old habits die hard.

The Viper Lounge is a collection of 16 darkly comic off-beat original screenplay stories, exploring the lives and misadventures of a broad set of colourful characters, connected to a lively music bar in a south Essex riverside town. From crime and vengeance to romance and redemption, each story has a twist and a bite – where anything can happen, and usually does.

Episode 1: ELECTRIC LADYLAND. After a ruthless eastern European drug gang accuses her of being a police informer, the life of a young woman hangs in the balance – plunging Jimmy Calder into a deadly crisis of conscience.

Episode 2: WELCOME TO THE VIPER LOUNGE. (Pilot) ‘Businessmen’ Perry Shaw and Dennis ‘The scrap man’ Ronson, have a territorial dispute with a rival Midlands firm, resulting in a non-traditional method of settling matters. Jim’s first date with new veterinary doctor Amanda, is compromised by a bunch of ill-mannered louts. Ready to open for business, The Viper Lounge management host a launch party.

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Healer

About Healer

In Healer, Daniel Knight, a criminal psychologist with a unique gift, finds himself in the center of a high-stakes investigation into a series of gruesome murders. Set in Alexandria, the story delves into the moral complexities of Daniel’s extraordinary ability – a gift that allows him to absorb and mend the psychological wounds of those around him.

As Daniel navigates the interrogation of a prime suspect, he grapples with the ethical implications of his powers. Through Daniel’s extraordinary interrogation techniques, the narrative plunges into the depths of the killer’s traumatic past, unraveling a harrowing tale of abuse, neglect, and psychological torment. As Daniel delves deeper, he is forced to confront his own identity as a healer and the impact of his actions on both himself and the ones he loves.

The story unfolds against the backdrop of Daniel’s personal struggles as he battles with the toll of absorbing others’ trauma and the blurred line between healing and manipulation. As the investigation progresses, Daniel’s resolve is tested, leading to a gripping climax where he must confront the darkness within himself and the evil organization determined to use his powers for their own benefit.

Healer is a gripping tale of suspense and psychological intrigue, exploring themes of justice, redemption, and the complexities of human nature. With its compelling characters, intricate plot twists, and thought-provoking narrative, the novel promises to captivate readers and leave them questioning the nature of morality and the power of empathy.

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Welcome Home to Murder by Cindy Kline

Welcome Home to Murder by Cindy Kline

A cozy mystery with a touch of Irish charm, where family ties and old grudges collide in a tangled web of murder and suspicion.

After a failed marriage in the US, Molly McGuire heads back to her hometown in Ireland to reconnect with her family. But her pleasant homecoming is spoiled by the appearance of her childhood nemesis Margery Denton, who is now dating her brother, Dillon. Things take a dark turn when Margery is found murdered, and both Molly and Dillon are suspected of the heinous crime. Despite sexy Detective Liam Fitzgerald’s warnings to stay out of the investigation, Molly steps up her game and unleashes her inner Miss Marple to find the real killer. Can she find the culprit before the wrong person gets arrested?

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