Books like 'From the Grounds Up'
Readers who enjoyed From the Grounds Up by Sandra Balzo also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary mystery small town cozy whodunit crime female-mc culinary
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Fortune Funhouse by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe traveling carnival has made its stop in Sinful and everyone is ready for thrilling rides, challenging games, and most importantly, funnel cake. But when a man is murdered in the funhouse and Emmaline LeBlanc is knocked unconscious so the killer can escape, the good times are over... -
![The Millionaire Murders by Rachel McLean]()
The Millionaire Murders by Rachel McLean
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAn anonymous murder victim and a missing journalist: can Lesley uncover the truth?DCI Lesley Clarke has too many suspects to choose from when a wealthy lawyer and her unidentified companion are found brutally murdered in a Sandbanks mansion... -
![Lowcountry Boughs of Holly by Susan M. Boyer]()
Lowcountry Boughs of Holly by Susan M. Boyer
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt’s the most wonderful time of the year, but Private Investigator Liz Talbot is struggling to feel festive. She hasn’t seen her best friend, Colleen, in weeks and fears she may never see her again in this life. Meanwhile Nate, Liz’s husband and partner, is spending money like he prints it in the attic on a mysterious family Christmas celebration... -
![Backrush by Jana Deleon]()
Backrush by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe sea heals all things.Tempest Island has weathered the worst of storms and still stands proud, providing its residents with the healing power of the sea and sun. When Alayna Scott’s life falls spectacularly apart, both professionally and personally, the executive chef’s only thought is getting back home to the island and her aunt Bea... -
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![The Mother's Day Mishap by Kathi Daley]()
The Mother's Day Mishap by Kathi Daley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIf you love small towns, endearing relationships, food, animals, and a touch of murder, you will love this new mystery series by Kathi Daley, author of the popular Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery Series. It's Mother's Day in White Eagle Montana and spring has come to the small foothills community... -
![Bone Deep by Kendra Elliot]()
Bone Deep by Kendra Elliot
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen two men kidnap former FBI agent Cate Wilde’s fiancé, the boldness of the crime rattles the community. Desperate to find the man she loves, Cate joins forces with the FBI and the local sheriff’s department to launch an investigation and bring Dr. Henry Powers home... -
![Buried Bones by Melinda Leigh]()
Buried Bones by Melinda Leigh
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA college student’s murder shines light on community secrets left in the dark in the seventh Widow’s Island novella by #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.All communities have their secrets…but on Widow’s Island, there’s a skeleton in every closet, as Deputy Tessa Black knows all too well... -
![A Broken Bone by Melinda Leigh]()
A Broken Bone by Melinda Leigh
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe mysterious death of a local teen leads to a hunt for a killer in the sixth Widow’s Island novella by #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.On Widow’s Island, the secrets are dark…and everybody has one. So when Deputy Tessa Black responds to a call about an explosion in a quiet neighborhood, she gets more than she bargained for: the body of a teen who went missing weeks ago... -
![Espresso and Evil by Agatha Frost]()
Espresso and Evil by Agatha Frost
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe 6th book in the BESTSELLING Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery series!When a coffee shop opens in the village, Julia is surprised when her customers flock to the new business, leaving her café almost empty... -
![Below the Bones by Kendra Elliot]()
Below the Bones by Kendra Elliot
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA former FBI special agent must come out of retirement to solve a murder in the fifth novella in the Widow’s Island series from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Kendra Elliot.Former FBI special agent Cate Wilde is a new bakery and bookstore owner—and retirement is now complete with a doctor boyfriend... -
![Burned by Her Devotion by Melinda Leigh]()
Burned by Her Devotion by Melinda Leigh
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn the second Rogue Vows novella, the town of Solitude, Oregon, will learn that good TV makes for terrible reality. When Chase Ryan, a popular crime TV star, turns up dead, the entire town of Solitude is shaken—but the show isn’t over yet. The confessed murderer is violently abducted on the way to the county jail, and now Detective Seth Harding must find both the killer and the kidnapper... -
![Banana Slit by Angela K. Ryan]()
Banana Slit by Angela K. Ryan
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe grand opening of Anna McBride’s seaside ice cream shop is anything but sweet.After the tragic death of her Irish twin sister, Bella, Anna needed a radical change. So, she closed her counseling practice in Boston to embark on a new adventure as an ice cream shop owner... -
![Marshal by Jodi Burnett]()
Marshal by Jodi Burnett
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe U.S. Marshals service seeks a K9 Unit for their elite strike team tasked with hunting down America's most wanted criminals. Caitlyn Reed and her K9 partner, Renegade, are called up to the varsity to face this harrowing challenge. Has she bitten off more than she can handle?Moose Creek Sheriff Colt Branson finds himself in the foray as a part of the U.S... -
![Vanilla Bean Vengeance by Agatha Frost]()
Vanilla Bean Vengeance by Agatha Frost
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe FIRST BOOK in a BRAND NEW cozy mystery series!Claire Harris loves nothing more than crafting homemade candles. She has always dreamed of one day opening a quaint candle shop in her home village of Northash, but at thirty-five, she still can't afford to take the risk. Stuck in a dead-end job at the local candle factory, and back living with her parents, Claire knows her life needs a shakeup... -
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![Macarons and Mayhem by Agatha Frost]()
Macarons and Mayhem by Agatha Frost
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsExcitement blossoms through Peridale when a prestigious gardening magazine picks the village as the spotlight for their next issue, but that joy quickly turns to dread when members of the local gardening society, The Peridale Green Fingers, start dying one by one after their obituaries are sent to The Peridale Post the day before their murders... -
![Murder in the Cookbook Nook by Ellery Adams]()
Murder in the Cookbook Nook by Ellery Adams
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe witty new story from the bestselling author of The Secret Book & Scone Society series is perfect for bibliophiles who love a A Bookish Cook-Off with a little murder on the side… Six chefs are preparing to compete in an outdoor tent at Storyton Hall in Virginia for prizes that will boost their careers—but is there someone who can’t stand the heat? It looks that way when one of the... -
![Bed, Breakfast & Bones by Carolyn L. Dean]()
Bed, Breakfast & Bones by Carolyn L. Dean
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAmanda Graham inherited a rundown bed and breakfast, a starving cat, and some dead guy who’s buried in her garden! What should’ve been a simple remodeling project and a new business in a small Oregon beach town winds up with her uncle named as the number one murder suspect, a slew of odd neighbors and problematic townspeople, and Amanda wanting to just sit down and eat her weight in chocolate... -
![Muffin But Trouble by Chelsea Thomas]()
Muffin But Trouble by Chelsea Thomas
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen you’re an amateur sleuth, you’ve always got baggage……and that means you never get a vacation from murder.Chelsea, Teeny, and Miss May are trying to have a fun trip to Los Angeles.But they’ve barely checked in to their hotel when they get a call from their old friends Amy and Petunia…There’s been a murder!Worse yet, all the evidence seems to point to everyone's favorite dog groomer.. -
![Fatal Reunion by Annette Dashofy]()
Fatal Reunion by Annette Dashofy
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAs Monongahela County’s new coroner Zoe Chambers-Adams gears up for a third day searching for a missing woman, she receives the news she’s been dreading: a body has been found. What she discovers at the scene leaves no doubt—the missing woman was violently murdered. Worse, the manner of death mirrors the Monongahela Strangler case that terrorized the county when Zoe was in high school... -
![A Purrfect Alibi by Leighann Dobbs]()
A Purrfect Alibi by Leighann Dobbs
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFortune tellers and mediums have descended on the Oyster Cove Guesthouse, determined to solve the mystery of local seafarer Jedediah Biddeford’s murder 300 years ago... especially if it leads them to the treasure he buried on the guesthouse grounds... -
![Poison Ivy by Helena Marchmont]()
Poison Ivy by Helena Marchmont
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt's party time in Bunburry! The deluxe Magnolia Inn is hosting surprise birthday celebrations for Bunburry's favourite senior citizens, Liz and Marge. But the party is not the only surprise. A glamorous widow, Francesca Fairfax Adams, is staying in the Magnolia Inn, and catches the eye of self-made man and amateur sleuth Alfie McAlister... -
![Cajun Kiss of Death by Ellen Byron]()
Cajun Kiss of Death by Ellen Byron
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe next shot from Cupid's bow may be fatal in USA Today bestselling, Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron's hearty and delightful seventh Cajun Country mystery.In Pelican, Louisiana, Valentine's Day has a way of warming the heart, despite the February chill. But the air at Crozat Plantation B&B turns decidedly frigid when celebrity chef Phillippe Chanson checks in... -
![Sweet Revenge by Karen MacInerney]()
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![Premeditated Mortar by Kate Carlisle]()
Premeditated Mortar by Kate Carlisle
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsContractor Shannon Hammer gets tangled up in murder at a spooky old asylum in the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Kate Carlisle. . . .Shannon Hammer is about to embark on one of the biggest projects of her career... -
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![Shortbread and Sorrow by Agatha Frost]()
Shortbread and Sorrow by Agatha Frost
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen Julia’s gran, Dot, wins an all-inclusive spa trip to Scotland, Julia finds it difficult to refuse the offer of a relaxing week away from her café. Along with her sister, Sue, they pack up her tiny vintage car and drive all the way from Peridale to Seirbigh Castle, ready to be pampered... -
![Dune, Dock, and a Dead Man by Carolyn L. Dean]()
Dune, Dock, and a Dead Man by Carolyn L. Dean
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOriginal Cover Edition can be found here Amanda Graham should be happy with her newly-inherited historic inn, a fat cat named Oscar, and living in a small Oregon beach town, but a terrible discovery between the dunes on the coast and she’s right back in the soup, trying to solve a murder and save her friend! Sure, maybe he was such a rotten person he deserved to die, but as secrets start to be... -
![Belinda Blake and the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing by Heather Day Gilbert]()
Belinda Blake and the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing by Heather Day Gilbert
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsExotic pet-sitter Belinda Blake is nervous about her new job at the White Pine Wolf Preserve, but it turns out that the care and feeding of wild carnivores may be the least dangerous part of the gig . . . Pet-sitter Belinda Blake is no stranger to dealing with wild animals, but she’s wary when the owner of the Greenwich, Connecticut, preserve asks her to help out with her “fluffy darlings... -
![Death Comes to Cornwall by Kate Johnson]()
Death Comes to Cornwall by Kate Johnson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe perfect holiday destination. The perfect place for murder... Molly Higgins never expected to be caught up in a murder investigation. All she'd hoped for this year was to work hard, save enough money to open her very own café on the Cornish coast and avoid her ex, Conor Blackstone, who has just arrived back in the village... -
![Murder on Tour by V.M. Burns]()
Murder on Tour by V.M. Burns
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBookstore owner and Michigander Samantha Washington is thrilled to see her debut historical mystery finally on the shelves, but a killer seems determined to steal away the spotlight . . . While Sam wraps up her first whirlwind book tour, Nana Jo has kept Market Street Mysteries running smoothly. The last stop is a prestigious book festival in Sam’s hometown of North Harbor, Michigan... -
![The Diva Goes Overboard by Krista Davis]()
The Diva Goes Overboard by Krista Davis
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFor once, event planner Sophie Winston finds herself a guest at a lavish engagement party, but things go horrifyingly awry when the groom-to-be is fatally poisoned . . -
![Muffalettas and Murder by Jann Franklin]()
Muffalettas and Murder by Jann Franklin
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEvangeline Delafose swore she'd never return to her ho-hum Louisiana hometown. But when her brother asks her to help solve a murder, things get a lot more interesting... -
![A Fair Time For Death by Adriana Licio]()
A Fair Time For Death by Adriana Licio
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe annual Chestnut Fair brings visitors from far and wide to the sleepy village of Trecchina. This year, one will be coming to die.The moment Vanda Riccardi makes the grisly discovery in the forest, a blow to the head knocks her cold. By the time rescuers find her, the corpse is gone... -
![Death in Darkness by Nell Goddin]()
Death in Darkness by Nell Goddin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA disturbed wife. A nanny. And a pack of cowardly, lying friends.Simon Valette, a cultured and successful Parisian, moves his family to Castillac looking for peace and quiet. Before they've had a chance to settle in, someone is found murdered in their library. Molly and Ben work double-time to disentangle all the lies--including those told by their own friends... -
![Wed, Read & Dead by V.M. Burns]()
Wed, Read & Dead by V.M. Burns
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBookstore owner Samantha Washington sells and solves mysteries in North Harbor, Michigan--including the murder of her mother's wedding planner... Sam's mother can't wait to wed her wealthy beau, Harold Robertson. The big mystery is how they're going to pull off a lavish wedding in three weeks. Harold's snobby sister-in-law proposes a solution: engage flamboyant wedding planner Lydia Lighthouse... -
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![Bridges Burned by Annette Dashofy]()
Bridges Burned by Annette Dashofy
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsParamedic Zoe Chambers is used to saving lives, but when she stops a man from running into a raging inferno in a futile attempt to rescue his wife, Zoe finds herself drawn to him, and even more so to his ten-year-old daughter. She invites them both to live at the farm while the grieving widower picks up the pieces of his life... -
![Demise in Denim by Duffy Brown]()
Demise in Denim by Duffy Brown
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt’s springtime in Savannah, Georgia, in the newest Consignment Shop Mystery from the national bestselling author of Pearls and Poison . The azaleas and magnolias are in bloom—and Walker Boone is on the run. . .When Reagan Summerside turned the first floor of her old Victorian home into a consignment shop, she never imagined she’d be harboring a fugitive in her attic... -
![Chilled to the Cone by Ellie Alexander]()
Chilled to the Cone by Ellie Alexander
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPastry chef and amateur sleuth Juliet Capshaw finds herself on thin ice as she attempts to solve her latest case of small-town murder in Ellie Alexander's Chilled to the Cone: A Bakeshop Mystery.The deep freeze has thawed in Ashland, Oregon and Torte is gearing up for a busy spring... -
![A Vacation to Die For by Lynn Cahoon]()
A Vacation to Die For by Lynn Cahoon
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn the California coastal town of South Cove, Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More, discovers that wedding planning can be murder . . .Hustling her fiancé off to a neighboring tourist town might be the only way Jill Gardner can plan her nuptials to South Cove’s in-demand police detective... -
![Murder in the Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byron]()
Murder in the Bayou Boneyard by Ellen Byron
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMaggie Crozat, proprietor of a historic Cajun Country B&B, prefers to let the good times roll. But hard times rock her hostelry when a new cell phone app makes it easy for locals to rent their spare rooms to tourists. With October--and Halloween--approaching, she conjures up a witch-crafty marketing scheme to draw visitors to Pelican, Louisiana... -
![And Then There Were Crumbs by Eve Calder]()
And Then There Were Crumbs by Eve Calder
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsShe’s a talented pastry chef―with a secret recipe for solving crimes…WELCOME TO THE COOKIE HOUSEKate McGuire’s life was sweet in Manhattan before she lost her restaurant job and fiancé both. But sometimes that’s just the way the cookie crumbles, and soon she finds herself starting from scratch in the island town of Coral Cay, Florida... -
![Word to the Wise by Jenn McKinlay]()
Word to the Wise by Jenn McKinlay
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIt's no-holds-barred murder, in the latest page-turning Library Lover's Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Hitting the Books.Lindsey Norris is finally getting married to the man of her dreams--but it's not all roses for Briar Creek's beloved library director, as gardening enthusiast and town newcomer Aaron Grady gives the term "book lover" a whole new meaning... -
![Sign Off by Patricia McLinn]()
Sign Off by Patricia McLinn
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsDivorce a husband, lose a career …grapple with a murder. TV journalist Elizabeth “E. M.” Danniher will tell you she committed two sins — she didn’t stay young, and she made an enemy of a powerful news executive — her ex. She used to break national news. Now her top story as the “Helping Out!” reporter at dinky KWMT-TV in Sherman,Wyoming is getting a refund for a defective toaster... -
![The Whispered Word by Ellery Adams]()
The Whispered Word by Ellery Adams
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams’ intriguing new Secret, Book, and Scone Society novel, Nora Pennington and her fiction loving friends in small-town Miracle Springs, North Carolina, encounter a young woman desperately in need of a new beginning . . . Nora Pennington, owner of Miracle Books, believes that a well-chosen novel can bring healing and hope... -
![Celtic Justice by Rebecca Zanetti]()
Celtic Justice by Rebecca Zanetti
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA stolen treasure, a sabotaged pie, and a town full of trouble…Silverville’s St. Patrick’s Day is bigger than ever, thanks to Nana O’Shea’s Pot of Gold display at her brand-new magic potion shop, Celtic Moon Herbals. The centerpiece? Antique gold nugget boxes that just might form a treasure map. Most people think it’s just another of Nana’s tall tales—until the display vanishes... -
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![Playing with Fire by J.J. Cook]()
Playing with Fire by J.J. Cook
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWelcome to Sweet Pepper, Tennessee. Nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains, it’s home to the hottest and sweetest peppers in the world—as well as at least one ghost and a hotbed of secrets… GETTING WARMER Fire Chief Stella Griffin is working to solve the mysterious death of her predecessor, Eric Gamlyn—who also haunts her cabin. Yet the more she learns, the more burning questions she must answer... -
![Murder on Vacation by Nell Goddin]()
Murder on Vacation by Nell Goddin
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHappy Valentine’s Day! Well, maybe not so much… Molly Sutton’s B&B is jam-packed for the holiday, but whatever romance is in the air is quickly snuffed out when somebody turns up dead. In addition to worrying that one of her remaining guests is a killer, Molly’s not feeling tip-top and spends more time napping than sleuthing... -
![Something Deadly on Desert Drive by Kris Bock]()
Something Deadly on Desert Drive by Kris Bock
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsStarting over at fifty might be hard, but it shouldn’t be deadly…Still recovering from an injury that might have permanently derailed her career as an international war correspondent, Kate Tessler is living in her childhood bedroom and pondering her second act when another case lands in her lap. Kate’s father and his coffee group are worried... -
![Left Hanging by Patricia McLinn]()
Left Hanging by Patricia McLinn
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA Rodeo Producer, Dead in the Bull Pen. Accident or Murder? Elizabeth, until recently a top-flight national TV journalist, is regaining her footing after a dizzying demotion to tiny—and entirely foreign to her—Sherman, Wyoming. But her equilibrium faces a major challenge... -
![Muffin But the Truth by Ellie Alexander]()
Muffin But the Truth by Ellie Alexander
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn Muffin But the Truth, Torte's pastry chef and amateur sleuth Juliet Capshaw finds herself in deep water.. -
![Scone Cold Killer by Lena Gregory]()
Scone Cold Killer by Lena Gregory
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFor Florida diner owner Gia Morelli, there’s no such thing as too much breakfast—unless it kills you . . .When Gia Morelli’s marriage falls apart, she knows it’s time to get out of New York. Her husband was a scam artist who swindled half the millionaires in town, and she doesn’t want to be there when they decide to take revenge...
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