Books like 'Played by the Book'
Readers who enjoyed Played by the Book by Lucy Arlington also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
romance mystery cozy crime amateur-sleuth female-mc culinary animals literary-fiction
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Alpaca Lies by Ellen Riggs
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCan a dancing alpaca waltz her way out of a murder allegation and go toe-to-toe with the real killer? Alvina, the alpaca, is the most popular rescue animal at Runaway Farm. Her passion for dancing with handsome men has created a cult-like following... -
![Till the Cat Lady Sings by Ellen Riggs]()
Till the Cat Lady Sings by Ellen Riggs
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAre there some mysteries only a clever cat can solve?There’s a handsome new guy at Runaway Farm and Keats isn’t happy about the competition. The bossy border collie wants to be Ivy’s one-and-only partner in crime-solving. Cats are unwelcome here... -
![Riddle Me This by Gina LaManna]()
Riddle Me This by Gina LaManna
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDetective Kate Rosetti is not a big fan of February 14th. Even worse than gigantic bouquets of roses and buckets of chocolate, however, are the love notes she’s been receiving from the murderer who very nearly stole her life.Unfortunately, a peaceful Valentine’s Day isn’t in the cards for Kate Rosetti... -
![Jack of Hearts: A Heart-Pounding Mystery Filled with Action, Humor and a Dash of Romance by Christopher Greyson]()
Jack of Hearts: A Heart-Pounding Mystery Filled with Action, Humor and a Dash of Romance by Christopher Greyson
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThis top-rated mystery-thriller series is on sale for a limited time to introduce you to the wildly popular Detective Jack Stratton Series from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Christopher Greyson. We hope you enjoy! Jack Stratton is heading south for some fun in the sun... -
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![Dark Side of the Moo by Ellen Riggs]()
Dark Side of the Moo by Ellen Riggs
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSweet life on the farm turns sour when a guest mooves on to greener pastures. Permanently.Ivy was happy to put her old life at Flordale Corporation behind her, but with a recent murder tarnishing her new inn’s reputation she can’t afford to be choosy about paying guests. So when her former teammates from HR ask to hold their retreat at Runaway Farm and Inn, she throws down the welcome mat... -
![Fruit Cake and Fear by Agatha Frost]()
Fruit Cake and Fear by Agatha Frost
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe 8th book in the BESTSELLING Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery series! A storm hits Peridale with disastrous effects. Barker's cottage is destroyed, forcing him to move in with Julia, but she has more to worry about than him leaving his socks around and not putting the toilet seat up... -
![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... -
![Murder on the Golden Arrow by Magda Alexander]()
Murder on the Golden Arrow by Magda Alexander
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhat’s a bright young woman to do when her brother becomes the main suspect in a murder? Why, solve the case, of course.England. 1923. After a year away at finishing school where she learned etiquette, deportment, and the difference between a salad fork and a fish one, Kitty Worthington is eager to return home... -
![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... -
![Another Man's Treasure by S.W. Hubbard]()
Another Man's Treasure by S.W. Hubbard
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOn a snowy Christmas Eve, a beautiful young mother goes out to buy a few last minute gifts and never returns…. ….thirty years later, her daughter picks up her trail. As the owner of an estate sale business, Audrey Nealon knows a lot about art, antiques, and the unlikely places old people hide their treasures... -
![A Doggone Waterfront Shame by Rimmy London]()
A Doggone Waterfront Shame by Rimmy London
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA new life. A clumsy stray. But when Megan decided to open a shop on the boardwalk of Seacrest... she never planned on murder.Start yourself off with USA Today bestselling author Rimmy London's all-new series. Tour the rugged northwest Pacific coastline from the very beginning, when Megan meets a gangly stray Great Dane, Fred... -
![Annabelle Archer's Holiday Collection by Laura Durham]()
Annabelle Archer's Holiday Collection by Laura Durham
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratings'Tis the season for mistletoe and matrimony--with a touch of murder.3 books. 450+ pages of holiday cozy mysteries that are both merry and madcap.The holidays are not so holly and jolly for DC's premier wedding planner... -
![The Gang of St Bride's by Emily Organ]()
The Gang of St Bride's by Emily Organ
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLondon 1885. A gang of lady thieves is targeting Piccadilly’s wealthy shoppers and no one seems able to stop them. As frustrations build, the body of a young woman is pulled from the River Thames. Reporter Penny Green has a lot to write about, and she faces a new challenge when a stranger approaches her with a riddle...Categorized as:
crime literary-fiction amateur-sleuth cozy female-mc romance mystery historical-fiction -
![Ice Cream and Incidents by Agatha Frost]()
Ice Cream and Incidents by Agatha Frost
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJulia and her family head to the seaside town of Blackpool for a long weekend under the sun, but the trip is quickly disrupted when the B&B owner's son is found murdered! Can be read as a standalone but will be enjoyed more as part of the series. A light, cozy mystery read with a cat loving and cafe-owning amateur female sleuth, in a small village setting with quirky characters... -
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![Absence of Mallets by Kate Carlisle]()
Absence of Mallets by Kate Carlisle
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsContractor Shannon Hammer steels her nerve to pin down a killer in the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Premeditated Mortar…Shannon could not be happier that her hunky thriller-writing boyfriend, Mac, has moved in, and it is a good thing they are living together because they are both busier than ever... -
![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... -
![Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot by Sarah Osborne]()
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... -
![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... -
![Book Club Blackmail by Dianne Harman]()
Book Club Blackmail by Dianne Harman
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHave you ever been blackmailed?How would you feel if you were?We all have secrets we don’t want others to know about.Several members of the book club did.But how did someone find out about those secrets?The blackmailer demanded $3,000 from each of them.Or the secrets they’d carefully kept would become public knowledge... -
![Big Bunny Bump Off by Kathi Daley]()
Big Bunny Bump Off by Kathi Daley
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSpring is in the air and with the warm weather comes an abundance of babies; human and otherwise. Things seem to be right on course until Jack Frost comes to town throwing the entire town of Ashton Falls into chaos. When Zoe sees the Easter Bunny running from a murder scene during a freak snowstorm she must track down the 'Cartoon Bandits' in order to catch a killer... -
![Cupids Curse by Kathi Daley]()
Cupids Curse by Kathi Daley
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen Cupid comes to town it seems everyone’s relationship is in for a challenge. Not only does Zoe suspect that her dad’s new girlfriend is really a killer, but Zoe is the only one who believes that her soon-to- be evil stepmom is guilty of such a dastardly deed... -
![Perfectly Good Crime (A Kate Bradley Mystery) by Dete Meserve]()
Perfectly Good Crime (A Kate Bradley Mystery) by Dete Meserve
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of Good Sam comes a taut and thought-provoking follow-up, Perfectly Good Crime. When the estates of the 100 wealthiest Americans are targeted in a series of sophisticated, high tech heists, Los Angeles TV news reporter Kate Bradley must venture inside the world of the super rich to investigate the biggest story of the year... -
![Brownies, Bodies & Bad Guys by Leighann Dobbs]()
Brownies, Bodies & Bad Guys by Leighann Dobbs
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen a retired mobster ends up murdered and one of her grandmother's best friends is the last one to see him alive, Lexy Baker can kiss her plans to spend an uneventful summer dreaming about her upcoming wedding to detective Jack Perillo good-bye.Lexy agrees to help her grandmother's octogenarian Ladies' Detective Club solve the murder... -
![Burden of Poof by Julie Anne Lindsey]()
Burden of Poof by Julie Anne Lindsey
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn amateur sleuth named Bonnie and her kitty companion Clyde, with names like those, what could possibly go wrong?Life hasn't sparkled too brightly for Bonnie Balfour over the past few years, but a heart-breaking divorce has brought her back to her small rural hometown of Bliss, Georgia, and things are starting to shape up... -
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![Deal Gone Dead by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson]()
Deal Gone Dead by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMeet Lily Sprayberry.Selling homes is her career.Solving crimes, her calling.There's money buried somewhere on Myrtle Redbecker's property, and people are dying to find it.Literally... -
![Banana Chiffon and Bad Deeds by London Lovett]()
Banana Chiffon and Bad Deeds by London Lovett
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMeet London's newest amateur sleuth, Scottie Ramone, in Banana Chiffon and Bad Deeds—A prequel novella to the Scottie Ramone Cozy Mystery series.A missing grandmother, a murdered neighbor and a crush from the past are just a few of the surprises waiting for Scottie in the heart of the Rocky Mountains... -
![Flip-Flops and Murder by H.Y. Hanna]()
Flip-Flops and Murder by H.Y. Hanna
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWelcome to the deadliest beach resort in Florida - in USA Today bestselling author H.Y. Hanna's new cozy mystery series!English girl Ellie is a 'fish-out-of-water' when she arrives in sunny Florida for a vacation with her aunt at a beach resort. But she's barely dipped her toe in the ocean before she stumbles on a sinister murder... -
![A Field Guide to Homicide by Lynn Cahoon]()
A Field Guide to Homicide by Lynn Cahoon
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCat Latimer and her writer’s retreat group go on a hiking trip—but a murderer has been lurking off the beaten path . . . Cat’s sweetheart, Seth, is going all out on an outing into the local mountains—for the benefit of the writing group Cat’s hosting at her Colorado B&B. But when they try to identify some plant and animal life, they find death instead... -
![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... -
![Killer Words by V.M. Burns]()
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]()
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]()
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... -
![Yews with Caution by Kate Collins]()
Yews with Caution by Kate Collins
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFlower shop owner Abby Knight is out to help a friend in need but soon finds herself in the weeds... The Spring of Abby's Discontent It's April in New Chapel, and Abby and her husband, Marco, are off to buy shrubs for their new house. But the owner of the local landscaping company is nowhere to be found... -
![The Sweet Smell of Murder by Cindy Bell]()
The Sweet Smell of Murder by Cindy Bell
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAlly Sweet is happy to be returning for a short break to the small town where she grew up. She is planning on using the time off to get over her messy divorce and she is looking forward to spending time with her much-loved grandmother and relaxing making chocolates and anything chocolaty.But then… the delivery driver for her grandmother’s chocolate shop is found murdered... -
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![Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy]()
Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhite House chef Olivia Paras and her arch nemesis, White House Sensitivity Director Peter Everett Sargeant, must work together to solve the double murder of one of the First Lady's assistants and the Chief of Staff-before they become the next victims of a merciless assassin with a secret agenda... -
![The Diva Digs Up the Dirt by Krista Davis]()
The Diva Digs Up the Dirt by Krista Davis
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTrouble in spades... Determined not to be a garden-variety diva, Sophie Winston's neighbor, Natasha, cultivates a plan to shine on television--using Sophie's backyard. As the cast and crew of the makeover show "Tear It Up With Troy" bulldoze through her backyard--and vacation--Sophie retreats to her perennial boyfriend Wolf's to replace a dead rose bush... -
![When the Grits Hit the Fan by Maddie Day]()
When the Grits Hit the Fan by Maddie Day
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDespite the bitter winter in South Lick, Indiana, business is still hot at Robbie Jordan’s restaurant. But when another murder rattles the small town, can Robbie defrost the motives of a cold-blooded killer? Before she started hosting dinners for Indiana University’s Sociology Department at Pans ‘N Pancakes, Robbie never imagined scholarly meetings could be so hostile... -
![Lethal Letters by Ellery Adams]()
Lethal Letters by Ellery Adams
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRestaurant owner and aspiring novelist Olivia Limoges is busy planning a delicious menu for Oyster Bay’s biggest soiree of the spring. But she’ll need to serve some justice as well after one resident gets eighty-sixed… Everyone’s got their hands full in Oyster Bay, North Carolina... -
![Killer Research by Jenn McKinlay]()
Killer Research by Jenn McKinlay
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSpring has sprung in Briar Creek, but it is not all sunshine and roses, in the newest Library Lover's Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of One for the Books.Spring is livening up Briar Creek after a long, cold winter, and newlyweds Lindsey and Sully could not be happier. Even though the upcoming mayoral election is getting heated, everything else in town is coming up daffodils.. -
![Strawberried Alive by Jenn McKinlay]()
Strawberried Alive by Jenn McKinlay
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe crew from the Fairy Tale Cupcakes shop risks getting burned when they set out to find a murderer who is terrorizing their townLife is smooth as buttercream at the Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery, and newlyweds Mel and Joe are stopping to smell the flours. But things start to crumble one night when an unknown gunman takes a shot at Mel... -
![The Honeymoon Cottage by Barbara Cool Lee]()
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... -
![Fudgement Day by Wendy Meadows]()
Fudgement Day by Wendy Meadows
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsChocolate Cozy Mystery series can be read in one to two hours. It is perfect for those moments when you are waiting at an appointment or want to enjoy a quick read.Olivia Cloud just can’t help herself. Where there is a mystery, she is there to try and solve it. This time the mystery involves the death of Jason Horn, her son Sebastian’s friend... -
![If the Coffin Fits by Lillian Bell]()
If the Coffin Fits by Lillian Bell
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPerfect for fans of Carolyn Haines and Donna Andrews, Lillian Bell makes the return with her second Funeral Parlor mystery featuring funeral director Desiree Turner.When an unnatural cause of death finds one of her clients, Desiree must get to the bottom of the murder before she’s fitted for a coffin, herself.Funeral director Desiree Turner deals with death by natural causes all the time... -
![A Crime of Poison by Nancy Haddock]()
A Crime of Poison by Nancy Haddock
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Silver Six are known for their arts and crafts—but they’re about to be tested in the art of catching a crafty killer.It’s early October, time for the Fall Folk Art Festival and Bake Sale in Lilyvale, Arkansas. Every business along the town square will benefit from the event, including the craft store run by Leslee Stanton Nix—aka Nixy—and the Silver Six, a group of retirees... -
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![Murder at Catmmando Mountain by Anna Celeste Burke]()
Murder at Catmmando Mountain by Anna Celeste Burke
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAs Georgie Shaw can tell you, it's not easy doing Public Relations for Catmmando Tom, a famous cartoon cat. When they find a dead body at the foot of Catmmando Mountain in Marvelous Marley World's Arcadia theme park it's a PR nightmare! Still, Georgie loves working at the "Cat Factory," but when someone frames her for murder more than her job is at stake... -
![Wedding Duress by Elizabeth Lynn Casey]()
Wedding Duress by Elizabeth Lynn Casey
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLibrarian Tori Sinclair is tying the knot—as long as a murder doesn’t unravel her plans…Tori is ecstatic to become Mrs. Milo Wentworth in a few days, but she has a lot to do before she sashays down the aisle. Favors need to be sewn, vows need to be written—and a mystifying murder needs to be solved... -
![Fleur De Kill by Carol Durand, Summer Prescott]()
Fleur De Kill by Carol Durand, Summer Prescott
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratings***Book 2 in The Frosted Love Cozy Mystery Series*** With $50,000 up for grabs in a cupcake competition, Missy Gladstone has to be on her A-game, if she plans on expanding her business, but that doesn't prevent her from deciding to use the competition as an excuse to unwind in Las Vegas while she's there... -
![A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry]()
A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAmerican antique dealer Kate Hamilton's Christmastime jaunt to a charming English village leads to an investigation of a missing ruby...and a chain of murders.It's Christmastime and antiques dealer Kate Hamilton is off to visit her daughter, Christine, in the quaint English village of Long Barston. Christine and her boyfriend, Tristan, work at stately-but-crumbling Finchley Hall... -
![Braking for Bodies by Duffy Brown]()
Braking for Bodies by Duffy Brown
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEvie Bloomfield puts the pedal to the metal—in the latest Cycle Path mystery from the national bestselling author of Geared for the Grave. Moving from Los Angeles to small, picturesque Mackinac Island to work in a bike shop might seem crazy, but Evie knows it’s the best decision she’s ever made... -
![The Novel Art of Murder by V.M. Burns]()
The Novel Art of Murder by V.M. Burns
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMystery bookstore owner Samantha Washington is trying to keep her grandmother from spending her golden years in an orange jumpsuit . . . The small town of North Harbor, Michigan, is just not big enough for the two of them: flamboyant phony Maria Romanov and feisty Nana Jo. The insufferable Maria claims she's descended from Russian royalty and even had a fling with King Edward VIII back in the day...
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