Books like 'Assault and Pepper'
Readers who enjoyed Assault and Pepper by Leslie Budewitz & Dara Rosenberg also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
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Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot by Sarah Osborne
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPediatrician Mabel Aphrodite Brown adores kids. So when a childhood friend asks Ditie to babysit her kids for a few days, she jumps at the chance. She never imagined she’d be solving a murder too . . . Despite growing up together, Ditie hasn’t seen Ellie Winston in two years, and she didn’t even know Ellie was living in Atlanta... -
Chicken Culprit by Vikki Walton
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCheck Out the First Book in the New Backyard Farming Mystery Series CHICKEN CULPRIT Finally healing after her heart-breaking divorce, Anne Freemont is ready to put the painful past behind her. Discovering an old Victorian for sale in the small mountain town of Carolan Springs may be just what she needs. The beauty of Colorado beckons, so Anne heads west to start her new life... -
The Vanishing Type by Ellery Adams
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEntertainment Weekly hails the Secret, Book, and Scone Society series by the beloved New York Times bestselling author as “a love letter to reading... -
Murder at the Pumpkin Patch by London Lovett
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSunni Taylor's sisters, through their power of sisterly persuasion, have convinced her to host a Halloween costume party at Cider Ridge Inn. She's a little reluctant about the whole event and rightly worried about the actual ghost, who will, no doubt, be in attendance, but she decides to just relax and enjoy it... -
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A Crafty Killing by London Lovett
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSunni Taylor is looking forward to an easy and sweetheart filled month of February. After a few blissful months as lead reporter for the Junction Times, an unexpected shake-up at the newspaper leaves her reeling and frustrated. She finds herself once again having to cover mundane stories, like the Firefly Junction Craft Fair... -
Rum and Choke by Sherry Harris
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSherry Harris gives readers a new adventure to dive into with the latest installment of her Florida-set mystery series, as local bartender Chloe Jackson’s search for treasure shores up the dead body of a contestant in the upcoming Panhandle Barback Games.. -
In Trouble with the Claw by Eryn Scott
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCould Lou be falling right into the killer’s trap?Louisa’s first fall in Button is everything she hoped it would be: corn mazes, pumpkin patches, quirky town traditions, and beautiful foliage. The only unexpected thing: a dead body found in a pile of fall leaves.When Lou starts getting clues about the murder, she’s wary, to say the least... -
Death and Wedding Cake by Nova Walsh
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA small town with big secrets. A caterer turned amateur detective. A wedding weekend plagued by murder and mystery. Home is where the heart is for Abby Hirsch, a chef returning to her small Texas hometown to cater a wedding at her aunt's charming bed and breakfast. But homecoming turns deadly when Abby finds the body of the bride's rival dumped on the grounds... -
The Diva Sweetens the Pie by Krista Davis
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn New York Times bestselling author Krista Davis's new Domestic Diva mystery, Old Town's annual Pie Festival crumbles into chaos after a celebrity judge is murdered, leaving it up to entertaining maven and sometime-sleuth Sophie Winston to dole out justice . . -
Dying for a Donut by Cindy Sample
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTo Laurel McKay, there's nothing better than spending an autumn afternoon munching on caramel apples and cinnamon donuts. It's a good thing her daughter Jenna has landed a seasonal job at Apple Tree Farm and Bakery. Then Laurel stumbles over the bakery owner coated in powdered sugar. Axel Thorson was a well-respected member of the community... -
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... -
Trick or Trouble by London Lovett
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSunni Taylor is moving forward on the remodel of the Cider Ridge Inn. She is anxious to start her bed and breakfast business. Unfortunately, the inn is not cooperating. It seems she is hit with one catastrophe after another. This time it's the plumbing... -
Inheriting Murder by Jamie Rutland Gillespie
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen Landry Burke’s favorite Aunt Tildie passes away, Landry inherits the entire estate. It includes a five story apartment building named Magnolia Place, as well as a bookstore across the street named Jasmine Bloom Books, both located in Bobwhite Mountain, Tennessee.Landry packs up and leaves Bent Branch, SC for the hills of Tennessee... -
Artistic License to Kill by Paula Darnell
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn this cozy mystery, artist Amanda Trent, accompanied by her beloved golden retriever Laddie and her persnickety calico cat Mona Lisa, is determined to start a new life after her husband divorces her to marry a younger woman, but it isn't easy... -
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A Dealer Dead Ahead by Scarlett Moss
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAll she can see is grief until a friend offers her a coastal view. But this seaside adventure could have her drowning in danger.Carter Cash struggles with starting over. Widowed for a year and looking for direction, the mystery-TV-show fanatic agrees to assist a pal refurbishing an old yacht… and makes fast friends with a retired police dog... -
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... -
Wine Tastings Are Murder by Libby Klein
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt's vintage Poppy McAllister when the gluten-free baker and B&B owner tries to solve a murder at a Cape May winery . . . When Poppy and Aunt Ginny agreed to host a Wine and Cheese Happy Hour for a tour group at their Butterfly House Bed and Breakfast on the Jersey Shore, they never anticipated such a sour bunch... -
Sadie Kramer Flair Mysteries - Box Set 1-3 by Deborah Garner
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA Flair for Chardonnay: When flamboyant senior sleuth Sadie Kramer learns the owner of Cioccolato, her favorite chocolate shop, is in trouble, she heads for the California wine country with a tote-bagged Yorkie and a slew of questions. The fourth generation Tremiato Winery promises answers, but not before a dead body turns up at the vintners’ scheduled Harvest Festival... -
Family Matters by Laurinda Wallace
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe peaceful farming community of Deer Creek is nestled in the rolling hills of Wyoming County in Western New York. It’s home to Gracie Andersen, who once again finds herself in a cemetery, laying a family member to rest. Wrestling with unresolved guilt and grief over the loss of her husband and unborn child, Gracie desperately wants to get her life back... -
A Time to Swill by Sherry Harris
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSaloon owner Chloe Jackson is after a murderer with skeletons in the closet--and one on a boat. BAD TO THE BONEChloe loves her new life pouring beers and mixing cocktails at the Sea Glass Saloon in the Florida Panhandle town of Emerald Cove. But on the job, the only exercise she gets is walking from one end of the bar to the other, so in the mornings she loves to run on the beach... -
Killer Words by V.M. Burns
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the seventh Mystery Bookshop novel from Agatha Award-finalist V.M. Burns, bookstore owner, mystery writer, and amateur sleuth Samantha Washington and her Nana Jo confront their own relationship with law enforcement when a local cop who’s unjustly persecuted their family is accused of killing a person in his custody. -
Heads Will Cinnamon Roll by London Lovett
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFor amateur sleuth Scottie Ramone, the only thing better than a hot, fresh cinnamon roll is an intriguing new mystery to solve!Scottie recently made some life-changing decisions. (One might even call them rash.) She’s turned her whole world upside down and desperately wants to set it upright... -
Cream Caramel and Murder by K.E. O'Connor
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSweet treats, revenge, and murder. ‘I truly loved the characters in this book, they were so vivid and fun!’ Amazon review. Holly Holmes loves her new job working in the kitchen at Audley Castle, home to the eccentric and wealthy Audley family... -
Brutal Brûlée by Leighann Dobbs
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA creepy haunted mansion that has been abandoned for decades, a cat that appears out of nowhere, and a murder in a locked room are just par for the course for bakery owner Lexy Baker and her posse of amateur-sleuth grandmas.Lexy takes a working vacation to help her grandmother's friend launch her new bed-and-breakfast, and she ends up in the middle of a mysterious murder investigation... -
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Ice Cream Murder by Leighann Dobbs
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen millionaire Regis Banks drops dead at his own party, everyone assumes it was from natural causes - after all, the man was celebrating his one-hundredth birthday.... Everyone except Lexy Baker’s amateur sleuth grandmother, Nans, and her three friends, that is... -
Death Over Easy by Maddie Day
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRestaurateur Robbie Jordan is ready for the boost in business a local music festival brings to South Lick, Indiana, but the beloved event strikes a sour note when one of the musicians is murdered . . . June’s annual Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival in neighboring Beanblossom is always a hit for Robbie’s country store and café, Pans ‘N Pancakes... -
Mind Your Manors by CeeCee James
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMeet Stella O'Neil, retired FBI agent Oscar O'Neil's granddaughter. She's got a lot on her plate, trying to figure out her crazy, stubborn family, the hidden secrets that caused her grandfather's estrangement from her dad, and starting out as a real estate agent. Throw in a dead body found in what used to be the town's "royalty" family manor, and she's neck deep in a mystery... -
Chaos in Little Leaf Creek by Cindy Bell
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsHer new home in the country comes with an antiquated historical society, a sour-faced next-door neighbor, and a murder victim on her front lawn…Cassie Alberta needs a fresh start... -
Tall Tails Secret Book Club by CeeCee James
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA mysterious mansion, a suspicious death, and a cat too smart for its own good…When Laura Lee took the summer job as a housekeeper at the old Thornberry Estate, she knew it was a creepy place, but she had no idea how creepy. Mrs... -
The Honeymoon Cottage by Barbara Cool Lee
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsLooking for a light and breezy, feel-good beach read? You've found it in Pajaro Bay. Camilla Stewart desperately needs to make a fresh start: her despicable ex-fiancé stole her life savings, embezzled from her job, and then disappeared without a trace—leaving behind nothing but his eight-year-old son, Oliver... -
Murder on Ivywick Island by Peter Jay Black
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA remote island, an impossible riddle, a determined killer . . .Ready for some family catch-up time before her next food consulting job, Ruth Morgan arrives at Ivywick Island. But no sooner does she step foot off the boat, than her sister asks for help locating a missing will. Without it, Margaret and her husband are about to lose their home and everything they’ve worked for... -
Give Murder A Hand by Beth Prentice
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHow many secrets can one house hide? Just when Lizzie thought the only problems she had in life were her crazy family and far too many nightmares, the house reveals yet another secret. This time it’s a skeleton in the back yard. But the unusual thing about this skeleton is that it has an extra hand. Why? Well that’s what Lizzie wants to find out... -
Too Far to Fall by Shane Sawyer
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA pretty little townAn inheritanceA break-inA bodyEdie Doyle may be new in town, but she’s about to uncover long-held secrets. Secrets someone will do anything to protect.When her Great Aunt Jane dies, Edie inherits her house—and a load of trouble. The frozen corpse is just the beginning... -
Sprinkles of Suspicion by Kim Davis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOne glass of cheap California chardonnay cost Emory Gosser Martinez her husband, her job, and her best friend. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of her troubles.Distraught after discovering the betrayal by her husband and best friend, Tori, cupcake caterer Emory Martinez allows her temper to flare. Several people witness her very public altercation with her ex-friend... -
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Pranks and Poison by Julia Koty
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMira’s dream of fixing up the new house is put on hold while she works at the diner to make some much-needed cash. So, when a patron of the Soup and Scoop is poisoned and Mira’s famed mushroom soup is called into question, she'll stop at nothing to find the real killer... -
Killer Apple Pie by Carolyn Q. Hunter
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA BRAND NEW SERIES FROM POPULAR COZY AUTHOR CAROLYN Q. HUNTER!!!Bertha Hannah’s two passions in life are books and piping hot homemade pies, and when an opportunity arises for her to open her own pie and book shop, she jumps in headfirst, only to find that preparing to open her own shop isn’t exactly a piece of cake... -
Murder at the Mansion by Janet Finsilver
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFortunes, fineries, and foul play . . . It’s whale-watching season in Redwood Cove, and B&B manager Kelly Jackson’s battening down the hatches for the tourist rush at Redwood Heights—a Victorian-style estate owned by her boss. And due to recent jewelry thefts, her duties include keeping track of the many dust-covered artifacts spread throughout the property... -
A Book to Kill For by Harper Lin
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA quiet book lover falls for a rugged carpenter... who doesn't even like to read?!?Maggie Bell loves working at a bookshop in the charming town of Fair Haven, Connecticut. After her beloved boss passes away, his son, Joshua Whitfield, comes into town and turns Maggie’s world upside down. He wants to turn part of the store into a cafe and sell books about vampires and silly romances... -
Songs of Wine and Murder by Lynn Cahoon
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSeries sleuth Jill Gardner is trying to drum up business for Coffee, Books, and More—but a killer has other ideas . . .With the Moonstone Beach Festival coming up, Jill is touching base with her fellow small business owners to make it as successful as possible... -
Slice of Murder by Rosie A. Point
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn this small town, eating the last slice of pizza is murder…After being kicked out by her cheating fiance, Gina Romano decides to return to her hometown of Lake Basil, New York. She needs a break from the city, and her uncle, Rocco, could use the help with his bustling pizza parlor.But when Gina arrives expecting a warm, cheesy welcome, she finds the pizzeria on the brink of closure instead... -
Murder on the Road by Adriana Licio
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCan murder be the cure for a broken heart?Returning to her quaint hometown in Italy following the collapse of her engagement, feisty travel writer Giò Brando just wants some peace and quiet. Instead, she finds herself a suspect in a brutal murder... -
Jackpots and Jealousies in Las Vegas by A.R. Winters
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA Cupcakes-And-Crime Caper Roger Owen’s business isn’t doing well, and when he takes his wife and son to glitzy, glamorous Las Vegas for some quality family vacation time, he brings along a surprising +1: his mistress! "Winters will have you giggling into your book!" Life seems to pick up for Roger when he wins a huge jackpot… until someone gleefully kills him on the casino floor... -
How to Bake a Murder by K.J. Emrick
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“I can’t get a pulse. Cookie, call for an ambulance.” Definitely not the words you want to hear when a man has just collapsed in the middle of your bakery. A few minutes is all it took for Karen 'Cookie' Williams to be thrust into the center of a nightmare. A customer was dead and she was considered a suspect. Her beloved shop was a crime scene. Things weren't looking so great for her... -
Foreign Éclairs by Julie Hyzy
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhite House executive chef Ollie Paras has served plenty of meals to foreign dignitaries from around the world. But someone is ready to serve her an ice-cold dish of revenge... Things are about to really heat up for Ollie. News of a bombing and attempted breakout at a federal prison reveals that the brother of a terrorist she helped defeat is back with a vengeance... -
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Gunpowder Chowder by Lyndsey Cole
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHannah Holiday is new to Hooks Harbor, Maine. With the inheritance of her Great Aunt Caroline’s café and cottages, she faces a challenge of turning it into a modern business. A challenge she is ready for—until a body turns up in an unexpected place... -
Bake, Borrow, and Steal by Ellie Alexander
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEllie Alexander's Bake, Borrow, and Steal , the most delicious installment yet in the Bakeshop Series set in Ashland, Oregon!As the autumnal hues of November fall over the Shakespearean hamlet of Ashland, Oregon, Jules and her team at Torte are working on their biggest event ever... -
Mocha, She Wrote by Ellie Alexander
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen a barista competition comes to town, Torte's favorite pastry chef finds herself sleuthing once again―in the next installment of Ellie Alexander's beloved Bakeshop Mystery Series, Mocha, She Wrote !Summer has ushered in a new season in the charming hamlet of Ashland, Oregon... -
Murder Over Easy by Rosie A. Point
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMurder has never been this easy…When Sunny Charles arrives in small-town Parfait, Florida, the last thing she expects is a note from her aunt instructing her to take control of the famous Sunny Side Up Café... -
Apple Pie and Arsenic by C.A. Phipps
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMadeline Flynn thought that opening her bakery and winning the top prize for her apple pie at the Spring Festival would be the most excitement in her day. She wasn’t expecting to find the dead body of her good friend beside her car or to be accused of murder. Things like that just don’t happen in small towns like Maple Falls... -
Gluten-Free Murder by P.D. Workman
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMurder by muffinErin Price moves to Bald Eagle Falls, a place where everyone knows everyone as well as everyone else’s business, taking over the store left to her by her aunt to start up a gluten-free bakery. The grand opening is marred by just one thing, the death of her business rival, Angela Plaint. It appears that Angela was poisoned by one of Erin’s cupcakes, making her a prime suspect...
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