Books like 'Strangled Prose'
Readers who enjoyed Strangled Prose by Joan Hess also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary mystery small town north-america usa arkansas cozy humor crime female-mc
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Baskets and Beignets by Jana Deleon
Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWorth dyeing for.Ten years ago, Ryan Comeaux was convicted of killing his girlfriend and was sentenced to life in prison. Now a witness has come forward who claims she was with Ryan the entire night and it’s not possible that he was the killer. But the local police assume she’s mistaken and aren’t interested in reopening what they view as an open-and-shut case... -
![A Streak of Bad Cluck by Ellen Riggs]()
A Streak of Bad Cluck by Ellen Riggs
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWith hens like these, who needs enemies?Ivy is finally starting to feel at home on Runaway Farm and she’s even settled the feathers of a formerly feisty neighbor with frequent gourmet food bribes. Unless the nosy neighbor has an ulterior motive, that is. She’s as sly as Ivy’s runaway sow.New guests descend on the inn and Ivy puts the mayhem of recent weeks behind her... -
![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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![Blind Bake by Denise Grover Swank]()
Blind Bake by Denise Grover Swank
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen a young woman is at the wrong place at the wrong time, she becomes a person of interest in a murder investigation. Maddie Baker just wants to make ends meet. She gave up her school librarian career to return to her hometown and take care of her elderly aunt... -
![Corpse in the Carnations by Dale Mayer]()
Corpse in the Carnations by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRiches to rags. … Chaos calms. … Crime quiets. … But does it really? After getting involved in two murder cases in the short time she’s lived in picturesque Kelowna, divorcee and gardener Doreen Montgomery has developed a reputation almost as notorious as her Nan’s... -
![Rest in Pink by Jennifer Crusie, Bob Mayer]()
Rest in Pink by Jennifer Crusie, Bob Mayer
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the NY Times Bestselling duo that wrote Agnes and the Hitman, the second book in a new series.Liz Danger is a ghostwriter, trapped in her old hometown for the summer... -
![Wings and Broken Things by Trixie Silvertale]()
Wings and Broken Things by Trixie Silvertale
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA crime with no eyewitnesses. A determined psychic sleuth. Will her search for clues take her where angels fear to tread? Mitzy Moon is eager to test her expanding abilities. Although she’d love to look into the hit-and-run that struck down her favorite veterinarian, leads are slim to none... -
![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... -
![An Embarrassment of Itches by M.K. Dean]()
An Embarrassment of Itches by M.K. Dean
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt's Diagnosis Murder meets All Creatures Great and Small...As a house-call vet, Ginny Reese has seen her share of the weird and wacky. But nothing in her previous experience could have prepared her to find one of her clients floating in her own swimming pool.Local artist Amanda Kelly was extremely wealthy with her share of secrets... -
![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... -
![A Humbug Holiday by London Lovett]()
A Humbug Holiday by London Lovett
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt's holiday time in Firefly Junction but not everything is sweet sugarplums and glittery tinsel.Sunni Taylor has been too busy to get into the holiday spirit, even with her mom coming to town for a visit. Her festive spirit gets a spark when Detective Brady Jackson asks her to attend the town's production of A Christmas Carol... -
![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... -
![Dirty Money by Liliana Hart]()
Dirty Money by Liliana Hart
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen the past meets the present… King George County, Virginia has it’s share of crime, but it’s generally a good place to live and raise a family. So when a string of violent murders sweeps through the county, J.J. Graves and her husband, Sheriff Jack Lawson, are left scratching their heads. It’s soon discovered all the victims have a connection—Malachi Graves—J.J.’s father... -
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![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... -
![The Book of Candlelight by Ellery Adams]()
The Book of Candlelight by Ellery Adams
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIn the new Secret, Book, and Scone Society novel from New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams, the rain in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, has been relentless—and a flood of trouble is about to be unleashed . . . As the owner of Miracle Books, Nora Pennington figures all the wet weather this spring is at least good for business... -
![Blown To Pieces by Katie Graykowski]()
Blown To Pieces by Katie Graykowski
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAfter restauranteur, Big Tommy Prather, is blown to pieces in his front yard, Mustang Ridges and her two best friends are on the case. While the local police have ruled the death an accident, Mustang and the girls suspect murder. They can prove it…sort of... -
![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.. -
![A Killer Ending by Karen MacInerney]()
A Killer Ending by Karen MacInerney
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBooks, beach roses... and bodies.Bookseller and recent divorcée Max Sayers has risked her life savings to start a fresh chapter with the purchase of Seaside Cottage Books in cozy Snug Harbor, Maine. But she's barely opened the shop's doors when her new storybook life takes a dark turn... -
!['Til Death by Sharon Sala]()
'Til Death by Sharon Sala
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHe left in handcuffs. Now it's time to set himself free. Nearly twenty years after he was wrongly convicted of setting the fire that killed his father, Lincoln Fox returns to Rebel Ridge, Kentucky. There, deep in the Appalachians, the truth of that terrible night lies buried-and he's sworn to uncover it... -
![Watch Me by Brenda Novak]()
Watch Me by Brenda Novak
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSomeone tried to kill her twelve years ago. Teenagers Sheridan Kohl and Jason Wyatt were parked at the lake in Whiterock, Tennessee, when a stranger wearing a ski mask shot them both. Sheridan lived but Jason died -- and the stranger was never caught. Even though Sheridan's family moved away right afterward, she's never been able to put the crime behind her... -
![Round Up the Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews]()
Round Up the Usual Peacocks by Donna Andrews
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNew York Times, bestselling author Donna Andrews first introduced us to Meg Langslow as a crime-solving bridesmaid. In her 31st mystery, Round Up the Usual Peacocks, Meg returns to her roots, juggling cold cases and wedding guests. Kevin, Meg's cyber-savvy nephew who lives in the basement, comes to her with a problem... -
![The Falcon Always Wings Twice by Donna Andrews]()
The Falcon Always Wings Twice by Donna Andrews
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA new side-splitting Meg Langslow mystery from award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Terns of Endearment.When Meg's grandmother Cordelia hosts a Renaissance Faire at her craft center, the whole family is put to work: Meg handles the blacksmithing, Michael and the boys will be performing, and no one misses the opportunity to dress up in full regalia... -
![Deadly Summer by Denise Grover Swank]()
Deadly Summer by Denise Grover Swank
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTen years ago, Summer Butler was television’s most popular teenage sleuth. Since then, she’s hit—what gossip sites just love to call—the gutter. Nearly bankrupt, betrayed, estranged from her greedy mother, and just about unemployable, she’s coaxed into that desperate haven for has-beens: reality TV... -
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![Buried by C.J. Carmichael]()
Buried by C.J. Carmichael
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAn alternate cover edition can be found here.Justice is overdue in the coastal town of Twisted Cedars where two unsolved mysteries lay buried in the past.Over thirty years ago a series of murders targeting Oregon librarians was never solved. Now someone with inside knowledge is feeding clues to true crime writer Dougal Lachlan, promising him the best story of his career... -
![Ink and Shadows by Ellery Adams]()
Ink and Shadows by Ellery Adams
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsControversy erupts in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, when the owner of the local bookstore tries to play peacekeeper—but winds up playing detective instead...Nora Pennington is known for her window displays, and as Halloween approaches, she decides to showcase fictional heroines like Roald Dahl’s Matilda and Madeline Miller’s Circe... -
![Doing It Over by Catherine Bybee]()
Doing It Over by Catherine Bybee
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsVoted Most Likely to Succeed, Melanie Bartlett ended up anything but. The down-on-her-luck single mom wants a complete do-over—is that too much to ask? With her family long gone from River Bend, strong, independent Mel is as surprised as anyone to end up in the quaint small town she once called home... -
![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... -
![Just Another Maniac Monday by Jennie Marts]()
Just Another Maniac Monday by Jennie Marts
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIs finding your long-lost love worth losing your life? Edna Allen’s Monday goes from mundane to murderous when she opens the front door to find the love of her life standing there. A man she thought had died years ago… after being accused of murder. John Collins is back, bringing with him a charming smile, a dog named Havoc, a second chance at love…and a threat of death... -
![Game of Gravestones by Gena Showalter, Jill Monroe]()
Game of Gravestones by Gena Showalter, Jill Monroe
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe suspects everyone of everything. Except her oldest friend. Who's found next to a body. Holding the murder weapon.For the first time, things are just right for cemetery owner Jane Ladling. Her cat only kind of hates her sort of boyfriend, Special Agent Conrad Ryan, and she isn't flat broke... -
![Purled and Poisoned by Tracey Drew]()
Purled and Poisoned by Tracey Drew
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA smart woman would dump her cheating ex, move from the city, and give herself a chance for a well-deserved do-over. A smarter woman—smarter than me, anyway—wouldn’t jump out of that same frying pan and return to Cape Discovery, a seaside village where her family is the nuttiest of all the nut-ball residents... -
![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 . . -
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![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... -
![Dying for a Dude by Cindy Sample]()
Dying for a Dude by Cindy Sample
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTHE WEST JUST GOT WILDER!When Laurel McKay agrees to perform with the Sassy Saloon Gals during Hangtown's annual Wagon Train parade, her greatest fear is a wardrobe malfunction. Before she can lace up her corset, a 150-year-old skeleton turns up on her grandmother's property. Did Laurel's great-great-grandfather murder his mining partner? Gran insists not and wants Laurel to prove it... -
![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... -
![Last Diner Standing by Terri L. Austin]()
Last Diner Standing by Terri L. Austin
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRose Strickland is having a blue Christmas. Her friend is arrested for attempted murder, her sexy bad guy crush is marked by a hit man, and her boss is locked in an epic smackdown with a rival diner. Determined to save those she loves, Rose embarks on an investigation more tangled than a box of last year's tree lights... -
![Bones in the Begonias by Dale Mayer]()
Bones in the Begonias by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRiches to rags. … Chaos continues. … Murders abound. … Honestly? Doreen Montgomery’s new life in Kelowna was supposed to be a fresh start after a nasty split from her husband of fourteen years, plus a chance to get her bearings and her life back on track. Instead her first week in her new hometown was spent digging up dead bodies, chasing clues, and getting in Corporal Mack Moreau’s way... -
![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... -
![Blue Clouds by Patricia Rice]()
Blue Clouds by Patricia Rice
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPippa Cochran flees an abusive boyfriend only to end up in a small California town working for Seth Wyatt, a man everyone calls the Grim Reaper—and not just because he’s a bestselling author of horror novels. His fame and fortune make him an imposing presence, but he’s battling more inner demons than even an indefatigable caretaker like Pippa can handle... -
![Pulp Friction by Julie Anne Lindsey]()
Pulp Friction by Julie Anne Lindsey
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNothing’s sweeter than a fruitful family business, and for Winona Mae Montgomery and her Granny Smythe, that means Smythe Orchards in Blossom Valley, West Virginia. But this year’s apple crop is especially juicy—with scandal . . -
![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... -
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![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... -
![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... -
![Evil Under The Stars by C.A. Larmer]()
Evil Under The Stars by C.A. Larmer
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt was supposed to a frivolous night out. The champagne was flowing, the rugs were arranged, and the Agatha Christie Book Club had settled in to watch their favourite mystery Evil Under the Sun on the moonlit screen above. Yet it all comes to a crashing halt when a woman’s lifeless body is discovered lying between the jumble of picnic baskets and blankets...
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