Books like 'The Plot and the Pendulum'
Readers who enjoyed The Plot and the Pendulum by Jenn McKinlay also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
mystery small town family cozy female-mc crime animals amateur-sleuth culinary
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Castaways and Longer Days by Trixie Silvertale
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA dangerous tornado. A clever crime. Can this psychic sleuth sift through the rubble to find a murder?Mitzy Moon longs to embrace the warmth of summer at a community-wide celebration. Enjoying a midsummer sailboat regatta, strawberry cake, and bonfires on the beach sounds divine... -
![Hide and Seek by Kathi Daley]()
Hide and Seek by Kathi Daley
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSydney Whitmore, a forensic psychologist working for the FBI, moves to Shipwreck Island and renews her relationship with Ezra Reinhold, a reclusive billionaire who enjoys poking around in cold cases and has the means to hire the best people to find the answers no one else has been able to... -
![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... -
![Hearts and Dark Arts by Trixie Silvertale]()
Hearts and Dark Arts by Trixie Silvertale
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen a disappearing dog leads to a decades-old feud, will this psychic sleuth settle the score?Mitzy Moon is bending over backward to be a good big sister. Spending a day at the pet invention convention seems harmless enough... -
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![The Inn at Holiday Bay: Details in the Document by Kathi Daley]()
The Inn at Holiday Bay: Details in the Document by Kathi Daley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA heartwarming cozy mystery series about losing everything, taking a chance, and starting again... -
![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... -
![Heists and Poltergeists by Trixie Silvertale]()
Heists and Poltergeists by Trixie Silvertale
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen our psychic sleuth lands in the middle of a Wonderland bank robbery, will she keep her cool or lose her head?Mitzy Moon is determined not to spoil her surprise birthday party. She’s been dodging questions and playing dumb for months, but a sassy snoop can only take so much... -
![The Mystery Before Christmas by Kathi Daley]()
The Mystery Before Christmas by Kathi Daley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHow is one to start again after losing the one thing that speaks to your heart and fuels your passion?After a serious accident leaves Calliope Rose Collins unable to continue with the career that has owned her soul for most of her life, she returns to Foxtail Lake, Hollister House, Great Aunt Gracie, and childhood friend, Officer Cass Wylander, where she begins to rebuild her life from the ashes... -
![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... -
![The Valentine Mystery by Kathi Daley]()
The Valentine Mystery by Kathi Daley
Rated: 4.42 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 is Valentine's Day in White Eagle Montana and Tess and Tilly are busier than ever delivering Valentine Cards along with the daily mail... -
![Mascara and Murder by Gina LaManna]()
Mascara and Murder by Gina LaManna
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJenna McGovern is back… under the Hollywood lights. The newest resident of Blueberry Lake is finding it hard to escape her past as it follows her home. When a movie production begins filming on Main Street, Jenna is more than a little disgruntled to find her ex-boyfriend is the producer behind it. But she’s even more disgruntled to find he’s the primary suspect in an attempted murder case... -
![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... -
![Ropes and Last Hopes: Paranormal Cozy Mystery Prequel by Trixie Silvertale]()
Ropes and Last Hopes: Paranormal Cozy Mystery Prequel by Trixie Silvertale
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen a suspicious death takes the life of a friend, our psychic sleuth must expose a killer’s dirty laundry… Mitzy Moon hopes for a normal day running errands. And this time, she’s determined to get her grandmother’s couture properly cleaned. But her day gets stuck in a spin cycle when she encounters crime-scene tape at the dry cleaner’s and a puzzling murder... -
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![Lowcountry Getaway by Susan M. Boyer]()
Lowcountry Getaway by Susan M. Boyer
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsChristmas in the Islands…Nate Andrews whisked the entire Talbot clan off for a holiday adventure in the U.S. Virgin Islands. As they relax on the beach of sunny St. John, Liz Talbot grapples with the secret her husband has kept since the day she met him—he’s a very wealthy man... -
![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... -
![Mistletoe, Moonlight, & Murder by Carolyn L. Dean]()
Mistletoe, Moonlight, & Murder by Carolyn L. Dean
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsONE... terrible mudslide TWO... feet sticking out of it THREE... carats of perfect diamonds Amanda hadn't expected snow for Christmas on the Oregon Coast, but her first winter in Ravenwood Cove brings out long-dead secrets that someone is desperately trying to hide...no matter the cost... -
![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... -
![The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit by Krista Davis]()
The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit by Krista Davis
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsShe's a young Martha Stewart.. -
![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... -
![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.. -
![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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![Best Laid Plans by Kristi Rose]()
Best Laid Plans by Kristi Rose
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNo “learn to be a PI” video prepared her for this... When Samantha True witnesses Wind River's most popular principal keel over dead she knows three things.He's been murderedProving it will be impossibleThey're gonna think she did itAs she works to clear her name, Samantha learns "Principal Josh" is the king of slime balls... -
![Deadly Reservation by CeeCee James]()
Deadly Reservation by CeeCee James
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Maisie Swenson stumbles onto the site of an ancient church steeped in pirate folklore, she's thrilled to explore it. She never expects to find a young woman lying in the churches yard clutching flowers like a real live Snow White. And just like the cartoon Snow White, this woman cannot be awakened. As Maisie tries to puzzle through that situation, one of her guests is found in a coma, too... -
![Murder in the Churchyard by Catherine Coles]()
Murder in the Churchyard by Catherine Coles
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDownton Abbey crossed with Murder, She Wrote...set in a Yorkshire village!When the body of Isolde Newley's long lost husband is found in the grounds of St Augustus churchyard, suspicion falls on Isolde and everyone close to her - especially her new love interest, the dashing Dr Mainwaring.The mystery is exacerbated by the largest snowfall seen in North Yorkshire for years... -
![Secrets and Stilettos by Gina LaManna]()
Secrets and Stilettos by Gina LaManna
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFor fans of Sophie Kinsella and Janet Evanovich... Fashion can be deadly… Jenna McGovern’s strappy shoes and sundresses are not going to cut it when she makes the move from Hollywood Hills to Blueberry Lake, Minnesota in the stone-cold dead of winter... -
![A Margin for Murder by Lauren Elliott]()
A Margin for Murder by Lauren Elliott
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the riveting new mystery from the USA Today bestselling author, a murder and a missing first edition of Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses send rare bookstore owner Addie Greyborne on an investigation to challenge even the most distinguished of bibliophiles… Addie leaves her Greyborne Harbor bookstore, Beyond the Page Books and Curios, in the capable hands of her assistant... -
![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... -
![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... -
![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... -
![The Body in the Gravel by Judi Lynn]()
The Body in the Gravel by Judi Lynn
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEven in a lovely town like River Bluffs, Indiana, flipping houses can be a challenge. Especially when there’s the proverbial skeleton in the closet—and a literal corpse in the driveway . . . House-flipper Jazzy Zanders has her work cut out for her. Her latest flip, which she co-purchased with her fiancée Ansel and cousin Jerod, is a three-story fixer-upper that’s more of a droopy-downer... -
![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... -
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![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... -
![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... -
![Deep Fried Death by Maddie Day]()
Deep Fried Death by Maddie Day
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe latest installment in Maddie Day’s deliciously popular Country Store cozy mysteries is sure to appeal to fans of Jenn McKinlay, Ellery Adams, Leslies Meier, and Joanne Fluke.Many residents of South Lick, Indiana, claim the Outhouse Race, in which competitors push old-timey outhouse replicas on wheels at the annual Abe Martin Festival on Memorial Day, is the best thing since indoor plumbing... -
![The Sign of Four Spirits by Vicki Delany]()
The Sign of Four Spirits by Vicki Delany
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsGemma Doyle won’t be spooked when a body shows up at the psychic fair in bestselling author Vicki Delany’s ninth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery.When a psychic fair arrives in West London, Gemma Doyle, owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, wants nothing to do with it... -
![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... -
![Iced Spy by A. Gardner]()
Iced Spy by A. Gardner
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe small town of Bison Creek has been chosen to host the highly-anticipated Sugar Mountain Bake-Off. But as a new snowstorm rolls in, Essie Stratter finds a frozen body near the lake - the body of her former client. As Essie joins in the murder investigation she discovers that her tiny hometown is tangled in a web of secrets. Secrets that could stab her in the back like a deadly icicle... -
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![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... -
![The Château Murder by Nell Goddin]()
The Château Murder by Nell Goddin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA dead Baron. A missing emerald. And way too many suspects.Amateur sleuth Molly Sutton has her hands full this time! Shut out of Castillac’s latest murder case and running out of money, she’s praying for a brilliant scheme or at least some dumb luck to strike... -
![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... -
![Mixing Up Murder by Emmie Lyn]()
Mixing Up Murder by Emmie Lyn
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMurder wasn’t supposed to be on the menu at the Little Dog Diner, but that’s exactly what we got served anyway. Hi, I’m Dani Mackenzie and I’m the unfortunate soul who owns said diner. Looks like business is going to be slow for a little while as the whole town scrambles to find whodunnit... -
![Hardback Homicide by S.E. Babin]()
Hardback Homicide by S.E. Babin
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI'm Dakota Adair, lifelong bibliophile and the proud owner of Tattered Pages, home to rare books and a particularly prickly Persian named Poppy. I’m not quite sure I ever pictured myself ending up in the quaint, little town of Dewdrop Springs, Maine, but the coffee, carbs, and endless reading materials inside my store keep me from venturing outside too much, anyway... -
![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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