September 2024: Read a cozy mystery!

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September's Year in Reading category is cozy mysteries! Grab your blanket, your favorite beverage, your book, and let's get cozy.

 

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Glory be

Author(s):

Arceneaux, Danielle

Description:

"It's a hot and sticky Sunday in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Glory has settled into her usual after-church routine, meeting gamblers at the local coffee shop, where she works as a small-time bookie. Sitting at her corner table, Glory hears that her best friend--a nun beloved by the community--has been found dead in her apartment. When police declare the mysterious death a suicide, Glory is convinced that there must be more to the story. With her reluctant daughter--who has troubles of her own--in tow, Glory launches a shadow investigation into Lafayette's oil tycoons, church gossips, a rumored voodoo priestess, nosey neighbors, and longtime ne'er-do wells. As a Black woman of a certain age who grew up in a segregated Louisiana, Glory is used to being minimized and overlooked. But she's determined to make her presence known as the case leads her deep into a web of intrigue she never realized Lafayette could harbor."--Amazon

Format:

Book

Call Number:

FIC Arc

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A death in Door County

Author(s):

Ryan, Annelise

Description:

"Morgan Carter, owner of the Odds and Ends bookstore in Door County, Wisconsin, has a hobby. When she's not tending the store, she's hunting cryptids--creatures whose existence is rumored but never proven to be real. It's a hobby that cost her parents their lives but one she'll never give up on. So when a number of bodies turn up on the shores of Lake Michigan with injuries that look like bites from a giant unknown animal, police chief Jon Flanders turns to Morgan for help. A skeptic at heart, Morgan can't turn down the opportunity to find proof of an entity whose existence she can't definitively rule out. She and her beloved rescue dog, Newt, journey to the strait known as Death's Door to hunt for a homicidal monster in the lake, but if they're not careful, she just might be its next victim" --

Format:

Book

Call Number:

FIC Rya

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Vera Wong's unsolicited advice for murderers

Author(s):

Sutanto, Jesse Q.

Description:

"Vera Wong is a lonely little old lady--ah, lady of a certain age--who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco's Chinatown. Despite living alone, Vera is not needy, oh no. She likes nothing more than sipping on a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy detective work on the Internet about what her college-aged son is up to. Then one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing--a dead man in the middle of her tea shop. In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. Vera doesn't know what comes over her, but after calling the cops like any good citizen would, she sort of...swipes the flash drive from the body and tucks it safely into the pocket of her apron. Why? Because Vera is sure she would do a better job than the police possibly could, because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands. Vera knows the killer will be back for the flash drive; all she has to do is watch the increasing number of customers at her shop and figure out which one among them is the killer. What Vera does not expect is to form friendships with her customers and start to care for each and every one of them. As a protective mother hen, will she end up having to give one of her newfound chicks to the police?" --

Format:

Book

Call Number:

FIC Sut

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The Bangalore Detectives Club

Author(s):

Nagendra, Harini

Description:

"When clever, headstrong Kaveri moves to Bangalore to marry handsome young doctor Ramu, she's resigned herself to a quiet life. But that all changes the night of the party at the Century Club, where she escapes to the garden for some peace and quiet--and instead spots an uninvited guest in the shadows. Half an hour later, the party turns into a murder scene. When a vulnerable woman is connected to the crime, Kaveri becomes determined to save her and launches a private investigation to find the killer, tracing his steps from an illustrious brothel to an Englishman's mansion. She soon finds that sleuthing in a sari isn't as hard as it seems when you have a talent for mathematics, a head for logic, and a doctor for a husband. And she's going to need them all as the case leads her deeper into a hotbed of danger, sedition, and intrigue in Bangalore's darkest alleyways" --

Format:

Book

Call Number:

FIC Nag

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The Marlow Murder Club : a novel

Author(s):

Thorogood, Robert

Description:

"Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and blissfully happy. She lives on her own in a faded mansion just outside Marlow, there's no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink, and to keep herself busy she sets crosswords for The Times newspaper. One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The local police don't believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself, and is soon joined in her quest by Suzie, a salt-of-the-earth dog-walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local vicar. Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club. When another body turns up, they realize they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. And the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape" --

Format:

Book

Call Number:

FIC Tho

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The clutter corpse

Author(s):

Brett, Simon

Description:

Ellen is a professional declutterer, but when she finds a body in an over-cluttered flat, she dives into the investigation to uncover the truth and save the day.

Format:

Audiobook

Call Number:

FIC Bre

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Death by dumpling

Author(s):

Chien, Vivien

Description:

"The last place Lana Lee thought she would ever end up is back at her family's restaurant. But after a brutal break-up and a dramatic workplace walk-out, she figures that helping wait tables is her best option for putting her life back together. Even if that means having to put up with her mother, who is dead-set on finding her a husband. Lana's love life soon becomes yesterday's news once the restaurant's property manager, Mr. Feng, turns up dead after a delivery of shrimp dumplings from Ho-Lee. But how could this have happened when everyone on staff knew about Mr. Feng's severe, life-threatening shellfish allergy? Now, with the whole restaurant under suspicion for murder and the local media in a feeding frenzy, to say nothing of the gorgeous police detective who keeps turning up for take-out, it's up to Lana to find out who is behind Feng's killer order ... before her own number is up."--Adapted from back cover.

Format:

Book

Call Number:

FIC Chi

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The mimicking of known successes

Author(s):

Older, Malka, 1977-

Description:

"The Mimicking of Known Successes presents a cozy gaslamp mystery and sapphic romance, set on Jupiter. On a remote, gas-wreathed outpost of a human colony on Jupiter, a man goes missing. The enigmatic Investigator Mossa follows his trail to Valdegeld, home to the colony's erudite university--and Mossa's former girlfriend, a scholar of Earth's pre-collapse ecosystems. Pleiti has dedicated her research and her career to aiding the larger effort towards a possible return to Earth. When Mossa unexpectedly arrives and requests Pleiti's assistance in her latest investigation, the two of them embark on a twisting path in which the future of life on Earth is at stake--and, perhaps, their futures, together" --

Format:

Book

Call Number:

FIC Old

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Peg and Rose solve a murder

Author(s):

Berenson, Laurien

Description:

Rose Donovan looks for the good in everyone. With her sister-in-law, Peg, that sometimes requires a lot of searching. Even a sixty-something former nun like Rose has her limits, and gruff Peg Turnbull sure knows how to push them. But after forty years of bickering, they’re attempting to start over, partnering up to join the local bridge club. Peg and Rose barely have a chance to celebrate their first win before one of the club’s most accomplished players is killed in his home. As the newest members, the sisters-in-law come under scrutiny and decide to start some digging of their own. Bridge is typically seen as a wholesome pastime, yet this group of senior citizens harbors a wealth of vices, including gambling, cheating, and adultery. By comparison, Peg and Rose’s fractious relationship is starting to feel almost functional. But as their suspect list narrows, they’re unaware that their logic has a dangerous flaw. And they’ll have to hope that their teamwork holds steady when they’re confronted by a killer who’s through with playing games.

Format:

Large Print

Call Number:

LP FIC Ber

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Blanche on the lam

Author(s):

Neely, Barbara

Description:

Format:

Book

Call Number:

FIC Nee

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Murder in G major : a Gethsemane Brown mystery

Author(s):

Gordon, Alexia

Description:

"With few other options, African-American classical musician Gethsemane Brown accepts a less-than-ideal position turning a group of rowdy schoolboys into an award-winning orchestra. Stranded without luggage or money in the Irish countryside, she figures any job is better than none. The perk? Housesitting a lovely cliffside cottage. The catch? The ghost of the cottage's murdered owner haunts the place. Falsely accused of killing his wife (and himself), he begs Gethsemane to clear his name so he can rest in peace. Gethsemane's reluctant investigation provokes a dormant killer and she soon finds herself in grave danger. As Gethsemane races to prevent a deadly encore, will she uncover the truth or star in her own farewell performance?"--Jacket.

Format:

Book

Call Number:

FIC Gor

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Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop

Author(s):

Duncan, Emmeline

Description:

Bailey Briggs adores her year-round Halloween-themed town of Elyan Hollow, Oregon, but when she takes over her grandfather's beloved bookshop, Lazy Bones Books, she accidentally discovers the town's secret dark side... Normally, spooky season is Bailey's favorite time of year, and the town's time to shine. But between managing the store, working on her graphic novel-in-progress, and running the Spooky Season Literary Festival, Bailey hardly has a moment to enjoy Elyan Hollow's spot-on seasonal vibes. Not to mention, at every turn she seems to be tripping over the contentious crew of Gone Ghouls, a ghost-hunting reality TV show currently filming around town. Bailey tries to stay focused on the Lit Festival, which is supposed to kick off Elyan Hollow's annual Halloween Fair; instead, this year's festival begins with a murder. It's bad enough Bailey discovered the victim, but now, as a lead suspect with some (admittedly) damning evidence pointing her way, she's got to clear her name! With the help of her librarian friend, Colby, and Jack Skeleton, her world-class bookshop dog (and the absolute bestest boy ever), Bailey sets out to solve a murder.

Format:

Book

Call Number:

FIC Dun

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Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop

Author(s):

Hannah, Darci

Description:

"After catching her celebrity chef fiancé sizzling in the arms of another woman, Lindsey Bakewell left big city Wall Street for small town Beacon Harbor, Michigan to pursue her own passion as a pastry baker. More interested in kneading dough than adding it up, Lindsey's breakup inspired her to set up the shop she always wanted in a place that always made her happy. She'd spent many childhood summers near this beach community and converting the old run-down lighthouse into a bakery café and home offers a perfect fresh start for Lindsey and her devoted Newfoundland dog, Wellington. But not everyone in town has a sweet tooth. The preservation society won't have the lighthouse's history sugar coated by lattes and cakes -- and a protest group crashes Lindsey's Memorial Day opening. Then her ex-fiancé Jeffrey Plank and his girlfriend Mia Wong arrive to trash the place. In the ensuing chaos Mia chokes on a donut and dies. An autopsy reveals cyanide in Mia's bloodstream and Lindsey is the police's prime suspect. To clear her name, she's going to need to combine ingredients found in the town's checkered past to uncover the identity of a desperate killer" --Back cover

Format:

Book

Call Number:

FIC Han

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Berried secrets

Author(s):

Cochran, Peg

Description:

"When Monica Albertson comes to Cranberry Cove--a charming town on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan--to help her half-brother Jeff on his cranberry farm, the last thing she expects to harvest is a dead body." -- Provided by the publisher.

Format:

Book

Call Number:

FIC Coc

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Two parts sugar, one part murder

Author(s):

Burns, V. M., 1964-

Description:

When Maddy Montgomery’s groom is a no-show to their livestream wedding, it’s a disaster that no amount of filtering can fix. But a surprise inheritance offers a chance to regroup and rebrand--as long as Maddy is willing to live in her late, great-aunt Octavia’s house in New Bison, Michigan, for a year, running her bakery and caring for a 250-pound English mastiff named Baby. Maddy doesn’t bake, and her Louboutins aren’t made for walking giant dogs around Lake Michigan, but the locals are friendly and the scenery is beautiful. With help from her aunt’s loyal friends, aka the Baker Street Irregulars, Maddy feels ready to tackle any challenge, including Octavia’s award-winning cake recipes. That is, until New Bison’s mayor is fatally stabbed, and Maddy’s fingerprints are found on the knife. Maddy’s going to need a whole lot more than a trending hashtag to save her reputation--and her life.

Format:

Book

Call Number:

FIC Bur

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Death on tap

Author(s):

Alexander, Ellie

Description:

After catching her husband cheating on her, craft-brew expert Sloan Krause leaves the family business to work for a hip, new nano-brewery, only to discover a competitor dead in the fermenting tub, clutching a secret recipe.

Format:

Book

Call Number:

FIC Ale