A Midsummer Night’s Scheme – Harper Kincaid

"When a gal's treasured childhood home of Vienna, Virginia, has two murders in six months, it makes her realise there really is no place like home - and maybe that's no longer a good thing." We first met Quinn Caine in To Kill a Mocking Girl, as she returns to her home town to work as …

Murder at the Bookstore – Sue Minix

"People watching is a necessary activity for a writer." Jen's favourite writing spot is in her local bookstore, Ravenous Readers, and the owner, Aletha, has become a good friend. However, Jen's woes are about to get far worse than struggling to produce a sequel to her best-selling mystery: she's about to become a murder suspect! …

The Game is a Footnote – Vicki Delany

"Despite being the oldest house in West London, Massachusetts, Scarlet House has led a quiet, peaceful existence." When strange things start to happen at a historical re-enactment house, the trustees ask local sleuth, Gemma Doyle, if she'll look into it for them. Bookshop owner and definitely not consulting detective Gemma is reluctant, but thinks it'll …

Bookclubbed to Death – VM Burns

"'Snickers, come!' I yelled." Bookshop owner and newly published mystery writer, Samantha Washington, tries to play good samaritan by allowing a local writers' group to meet in her store after their usual location is flooded. She instantly falls foul of the group's leader, (in)famous critic, Delia Marshall. The whole event is marred by both Delia's …

Death in the Margins – Victoria Gilbert

"There's no such thing as sleeping late on a Saturday when you have pets." When a mean-spirited, antagonistic dancer is found dead in her dressing room, there is one obvious suspect: the promising young student standing over her holding the murder weapon. An earlier argument between the two only cements the case, but dance teacher, …

On Spine of Death – Tamara Berry

"Tess knew the exact moment the blood started dripping down her hands." We were first introduced to Tess Harrow, successful thriller writer, in Buried in a Good Book. Escaping a failed marriage, she moved to her late grandfather's cabin in the woods with smart teenage daughter, Gertrude. With things calming a little from the crime spree in …

Steeped in Secrets – Lauren Elliott

"Shayleigh Myers or Shay, as her friends and family called her, hopped out of the black Explorer into what was a typical cloudless California late August morning." Shay's been having a rough time of it, thanks to a nasty ex-husband and losing her business and income. But, this is a cosy mystery, so we start off …

Dewey Decimated – Allison Brook

"'Thanks, Aunt Harriet.'" This is the sixth book in the Haunted Library Mysteries series, and I think the best so far. My complaints about the series have been "a bit too chick lit", and very little reason for the whole premise: the library's ghost. This one, however, is a whole lot more balanced on the …

A Poisonous Page – Kitt Crowe

"Death is good for business." Welcome back to Confection, Oregon, with this second instalment in the Sweet Fiction bookshop cosy mysteries. The town might be full of sweet names, but there's also a killer on the loose! I really enjoyed Digging Up Trouble, where we first met Lexi, manager of her parent's bookshop, just as she …

A Fatal Booking – Victoria Gilbert

"The only thing constant in life is change." Welcome back to Chapters, the book-themed B&B run by Charlotte, who inherited from the great aunt who may or may not have been an international spy! This time, Charlotte is hosting a book club retreat. The organisers are a little more hands-on and exacting than she usually …