Books like 'Death in Rough Water'
Readers who enjoyed Death in Rough Water by Francine Mathews also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary mystery crime cozy law-enforcement
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Above the Fold & Below the Belt by Amanda M. Lee
Rated: 4.70 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAvery Shaw has taken on her fair share of jerks. Often, she’s considered the jerk when she takes them down … a role she gladly relishes. Now, though, she’s taking on a whole faction of jerks. It seems a battle of the sexes is brewing in Macomb County... -
A Private Investigation by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen fourteen-year-old Zoe Johnson doesn’t come home on a Monday night in early December, the alarm bells in Kings Lake Central police station do not ring straight away – after all, she’s from the Dockmills, one of the toughest estates in the town... -
Extra! Extra! Dead All About It by Amanda M. Lee
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe primary election is almost here and Avery Shaw is in her glory. Her boss has unleashed her on the leading candidates - including two of whom she downright loathes - and Macomb County's leading reporter (and pot-stirrer extraordinaire) is about to turn the election on its ear.She just needs to find a story first... -
Wedding Cake and Woes by Agatha Frost
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe 15th book in the BESTSELLING Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Series!After nearly a year of being engaged, the time has finally come for Julia and Barker's wedding, but like most things in Peridale, things don't exactly go smoothly... -
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The Rags of Time by Peter Grainger
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsMark Randall lay dead in a field near Lowacre long before Smith had done what he had to do in Belfast. By the time he went back to work, the investigation was well underway. “It’s not my case” he says more than once, and he really doesn’t need it to be; he has enough to think about as it is... -
COMEBACK GIRL: part 5 of 6 by Stephanie Bond
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn Amazon exclusive!From the international bestselling author of STOP THE WEDDING! (now a Hallmark Channel movie) and the BODY MOVERS mystery series comes a new story of comedy, suspense, and romance. Home is where the hurt is. In COMEBACK GIRL, a young novelist estranged from her family is forced to return to her small hometown for a family emergency, and deal with the ghosts of her past... -
COMEBACK GIRL: part 3 of 6 (Kindle Single) by Stephanie Bond
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn Amazon exclusive! From the international bestselling author of STOP THE WEDDING! (now a Hallmark Channel movie) and the BODY MOVERS mystery series comes a new story of comedy, suspense, and romance. Home is where the hurt is... -
Mission: Possible by Camilla Chafer
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAfter PI Lexi Graves is approached to investigate an accident which has left the homeowner, Sophie Takahashi, in a coma, she quickly realizes the case isn't quite as clear cut as first appears. For one thing, Sophie's injuries are inconsistent with her supposed accident. Secondly, her husband is suspicious she might not be who she says she is...Categorized as:
cozy law-enforcement mystery romantic-love womens-fiction female-mc alpha-mc contemporary -
Jingle Bells, Rifle Shells by Bruce Hammack
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsJingle Bells, Jingle Bells…Rifle Shells? Blind private investigator Steve Smiley and his partner, Heather McBlythe, hear a rifle shot. Hordes of Christmas shoppers scatter. A famous big-game hunter drops to the sidewalk. They grab the beautiful teen who was arguing with the camo-clad man and flee to safety. The girl is Bella, the adopted daughter of the victim and a celebrity in her own right... -
Lowcountry Boondoggle by Susan M. Boyer
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPrivate investigators Liz Talbot and Nate Andrews thought they’d put Darius Baker’s troubles to rest—then his recently discovered son ropes him into a hemp farm investment with his college buddies. When a beloved Charleston professor—and potential investor—is murdered, Liz and Nate discover Darius keeps the PIs on speed dial... -
Champagne and Catastrophes by Agatha Frost
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsRead for FREE on KINDLE UNLIMITED! The 14th book in the BESTSELLING Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Series! "Love the way Agatha quietly draws you into the story and then, bam, changes the direction!" Julia and Barker have finally set a date for the wedding, but that doesn't mean Julia has jumped straight into the planning, even though it's only three months away... -
Red Velvet and Revenge by Agatha Frost
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Julia South-Brown is asked to judge the first Peridale Bake Off competition alongside local radio DJ, Tony Bridges, she expects it to be some light village fun while her new husband, Barker Brown, finishes work on his second novel. However, it ends up being anything but when Tony shows he is nothing like his charming radio personality... -
Five Card Murder by Bruce Hammack
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAn inheritance worth millions. A killer with a list…and Smiley’s on it.A phone call from out of the blue leads blind PI Steve Smiley to become executor of a large Texas estate—one which includes the last undeveloped lakefront property in the state. While the sheriff is hunting for the rancher’s killer, a second death occurs. The ranch foreman is found murdered... -
Shoot the Breeze by Gina LaManna
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWelcome to St. Paul, Minnesota—home to strong coffee, deadly winters, and Detective Kate Rosetti—a rising star in the local homicide department. When a young woman turns up dead along the Mississippi River in her latest assignment, Detective Rosetti quickly realizes it’s the work of a notorious cross-country serial killer... -
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Dagger in the Dahlias by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRiches to rags. … Chaos quiets. … Crime is circling. … And cold cases never cease …After almost a month in picturesque Kelowna, Doreen Montgomery still can’t keep her notoriety to a minimum or her nose out of other people’s business. Now those suffering from the loss of a loved one seek her out, wanting her help... -
Scones and Scandal by Agatha Frost
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen the official Peridale neighbourhood watch breaks up, Julia finds herself leading a brand new team. Their first order of business? Solving the murder of the former leader.. -
Birthday Cake and Bodies by Agatha Frost
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe 9th book in the BESTSELLING Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery series!When Julia gathered Barker's family at Peridale Manor for his surprise birthday party, she did not expect it to result in murder! Minutes before the celebration is scheduled to begin, Barker's nephew, Luke, is found strangled in his bed, putting an end to Julia's dream of a quiet family get together... -
Lowcountry Bookshop by Susan M. Boyer, Loretta Rawlins
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBetween an epic downpour and a King Tide, the historic streets of Charleston are flooded-and dangerous. A late night tragic accident along the Lower Battery leads Liz Talbot straight to her next case. Who's the client? Well, now, therein lies the first puzzle. When the police arrive at the scene of the accident, Poppy Oliver claims she's only trying to help... -
Persons of Interest by Peter Grainger
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the peace and tranquillity of the woods at Pinehills on a Saturday afternoon, a mobile phone begins to ring. The phone belongs to DC Smith and it isn’t unusual that the call is from Kings Lake Central police station; what is unusual is the fact that he seems to be the subject of an investigation rather than taking part in one... -
Exercise Is Murder by Bruce Hammack
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHow does a blind man solve a murder? Former Houston homicide detective Steve Smiley is faced with a dilemma. His college roommate, attorney Ned Logan, is found at the bottom of his exercise pool. The cops think it’s an accident. Steve’s instinct tells him it’s not. But how to prove it? He needs eyes…and a driver. Heather McBlythe is starting over, again... -
The Reluctant Coroner: A Fenway Stevenson Mystery by Paul Austin Ardoin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBlood is thicker than oil—until murder is involved.Fenway Stevenson doesn't want to return to the coastal town where her estranged father is practically king. But the death of her mother draws her back home—and the murder of the county coroner draws her into a deepening conspiracy... -
Luck and Judgement by Peter Grainger
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsWhen a worker goes missing from a North Sea gas platform, there seem to be just two possible explanations – it was a tragic accident or a suicide. It does not take Smith and his detectives long, however, to discover that James Bell led a double life back onshore in Kings Lake, a life complicated enough to make him at least one dangerous enemy... -
The Railway Murders by J.R. Ellis
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA puzzling locked-room mystery that puts someone Oldroyd loves in terrible danger…When a film shoot on Wharfedale’s vintage railway turns into a grisly crime scene, DCI Oldroyd’s idyllic visit to the countryside with his partner Deborah is well and truly stopped in its tracks. One of the film’s stars has been shot dead in a train carriage while the cameras rolled outside... -
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... -
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COMEBACK GIRL: part 4 of 6 by Stephanie Bond
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn Amazon exclusive! From the international bestselling author of STOP THE WEDDING! (now a Hallmark Channel movie) and the BODY MOVERS mystery series comes a new story of comedy, suspense, and romance. Home is where the hurt is... -
Gun in the Gardenias by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA new cozy mystery series from USA Today best-selling author Dale Mayer. Follow gardener and amateur sleuth Doreen Montgomery—and her amusing and mostly lovable cat, dog, and parrot—as they catch murderers and solve crimes in lovely Kelowna, British Columbia... -
Killer in the Kiwis by Dale Mayer
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRiches to rags. ... Chaos again. ... Winning is important, ... at least for some!Doreen is overwhelmed with joy when she sees all the volunteers who show up to help get her deck addition built. Most of the men are cops, friends of Corporal Mack Moreau’s, and are happy to help Mack’s special friend and the lady who has helped solve so many crimes for them with a spot of home renovation... -
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... -
Adverse Possession by Jenna Bennett
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSavannah Martin’s real estate career has been an uphill battle. As far as Savannah is concerned, her personal zenith was getting Aislynn Turner and Kylie Mitchell into their dream home, a Victorian cottage in the hip and happening historic district of East Nashville, last January.That was six months ago, and now the dream has turned sour... -
Festival Turmoil by Wendy Meadows
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSweetfern Harbor Bed and Breakfast Cozy Mysteries 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.Brenda Sheffield Rivers and her husband Detective Mac Rivers have returned from their honeymoon in Italy. They arrive in the depths of winter, ready to prepare for the upcoming Winter Festival... -
Beach Blanket Barbie by Kathi Daley
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsZoe suspects that something is up when Levi’s ex-girlfriend Barbie comes to town unexpectedly. When she ends up floating face down in the lake Zoe and the gang shift into full sleuth mode to find a killer. As they delve into Barbie’s life since she left Ashton Falls, they find a complex puzzle that is going to take a group effort to unravel... -
The Handyman Homicide by Libby Howard
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe new campground comes with a body. Sassy Letouroux is not normally an impulsive woman, but when the campground that held so many childhood memories comes up for sale, she throws caution to the wind and buys it—sight unseen.Arriving with her 85 year old mother and her bloodhound, Elvis, Sassy realizes there’s a lot to do before the campground will be ready for the spring rush of guests... -
Waiting by Calle J. Brookes
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEveryone made mistakes, but some were far more dangerous than others… Fin McLaughlin wanted nothing more than to make a difference in his work with the FBI. Headhunted by the deputy director of the Bureau to head up a new division located in St. Louis, Fin was determined to make amends for the mistakes he’d made six years earlier that had almost cost him his career—and his life... -
An Unholy Shame by Joyce Cato
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMonica Noble and her husband Graham, the local vicar, are invited to participate in a high-flying ecclesiastical conference being held at a swanky hotel in their village. During the Saturday night dinner, the ambitious female cleric Celia Gordon tragically dies, seemingly of a peanut allergy... -
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Murder Undeniable by Anita Waller
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLooking for a gripping and addictive cozy mystery to enjoy this winter? Katerina Rowe, a Deacon at the church in the sleepy village of Eyam, has a fulfilled life. She is happily married to Leon and her work is rewarding. But everything changes when she discovers the body of a man and a badly beaten woman, Beth, in the alleyway behind her husband’s pharmacy... -
If It Bleeds, It Leads by Amanda M. Lee
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLocal news reporter Avery Shaw’s week is going from bad to worse.It’s bad enough there’s a dead body in the parking lot of the paper, but when the investigation into the death leads to drugs – and a tie to her own family – things continue to spiral downward.If she could focus on that, though, it would just be another normal week... -
The Braque Connection by Estelle Ryan
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsForged masterpieces. Hidden messages. A desperate swan song.When world-renowned nonverbal communication expert Doctor Genevieve Lenard wakes up in an unknown location, drugged and kidnapped, it pushes the limits of her autism coping skills.For the last year, Russian philanthropist and psychopath Tomasz Kubanov has been studying Genevieve just as she and her team have been studying him... -
The Oxford Mystery by Joyce Cato, Faith Martin
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsDiscover a new series of whodunits by million-selling author Faith Martin. These charming mysteries will have you scratching your head to work out who the murderer is. Meet Jenny Starling: travelling cook and reluctant amateur detective. Please note this book was first published as “DEADLY STUFF” under Faith Martin’s pen name JOYCE CATO... -
Crossed by Death by A.C.F. Bookens
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSalvaging from historic buildings isn’t supposed to require reporting a murder. When salvage expert and historian Paisley Sutton crawls into an abandoned store with a house attached, she certainly isn’t expecting to find a body on site... -
Murder at an Irish Bakery by Carlene O'Connor
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn a book perfect for fans of Sheila Connolly and Donna Leon, the USA Today bestselling author returns readers to County Cork in Ireland’s lush countryside, where locals are simmering with excitement over the reality TV baking contest coming to town—until someone serves up a show-stopping murder that only Garda Siobhan O’Sullivan can solve... -
Dare You by Jennifer Brown
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the second book of the suspenseful Shade Me trilogy, Nikki Kill becomes embroiled in another mystery where only her synesthesia can help her unravel the dark truth.Nikki Kill didn’t realize that trying to find out who killed Peyton Hollis would tangle her in a web of dangerous family secrets that would rock her identity to the core... -
The Harbor of Lies, a Romantic Suspense Novel by Debra Burroughs
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom NY Times bestselling author Debra Burroughs comes Book 6 in the wildly popular Paradise Valley Mystery series. The captivating romance between sassy private-eye Emily Parker and sexy police detective Colin Andrews has been filled with mystery, danger, and intrigue. He’s finally convinced her to marry him—if only they can make it to the altar unscathed... -
Murder à la Mode by Susan Kiernan-Lewis
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWith the wine harvest behind them, things had just started to calm down for Maggie and Laurent in their French village of Saint-Buvard when a team of food industry entrepreneurs and celebrity judges arrives to put on a contest to decide in a blind taste test which country makes the best chocolate éclairs—the Brits, the Americans, the Germans or the French... -
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... -
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Extra Dirty by Mia Gold
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEXTRA DIRTY is book #2 in the Ruby Steele Mystery, which begins with ON THE ROCKS (Book #1).Ruby Steele, 30, beautiful, fit, seems just like any other ex-pat hiding out in the Bahamas and playing local bartender. But unruly patrons find out the hard way: Ruby is a mixed-martial-arts pro, and not one you’d want to cross.A 40-something female tourist seeks out Ruby, desperate for her help... -
The Eleventh Hour by Anina Collins
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe first book in the Poppy McGuire Mystery Series! Poppy McGuire has always been a curious soul, but it's her life that's usually the topic of conversation in the small town of Sunset Ridge. But now one of the town's most important citizens has been found murdered, and everyone's life is suspect... -
Dark Suits and Sad Songs by Denzil Meyrick
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe third installment in the bestselling DCI Daley series, packed with accurate police procedure and gritty, dark humour. The best of Scottish crime.When a senior Edinburgh civil servant spectacularly takes his own life in Kinloch harbour, DCI Jim Daley comes face to face with the murky world of politics. To add to his woes, two local drug dealers lie dead, ritually assassinated... -
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... -
Torch Scene by Renee Pawlish
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsDenver private investigator Reed Ferguson is between cases when a house fire threatens to consume the home of his girlfriend, Willie. The police think it's arson, and they look to Willie - the owner of the building - as the logical suspect. Worse yet, when a body is found in the charred third-floor apartment, the police think Willie is the killer... -
The Killing of Polly Carter by Robert Thorogood
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratings‘I love Robert Thorogood’s writing’ Peter JamesAn original story from the creator and writer of the hit BBC One TV series, Death in Paradise, featuring on-screen favourite detective, DI Richard Poole.Supermodel Polly Carter was famed for her looks and party-girl lifestyle. Now she's dead, apparently having thrown herself from the clifftop near her home on the island of Saint-Marie...
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