New Year — New Mysteries from Kensington Books

0
761

lickLast Licks: A Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe Mystery #3 Cynthia Baxter

It’s autumn in the Hudson Valley, and Kate McKay has some tricks up her sleeve for a deliciously spooky season at her Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe. But with a cold-blooded murderer thrown into the mix, the scares are about to become a little too real . . .

Kate receives the shock of a lifetime when she’s blindsided by an offer she can’t refuse. An assistant movie director desperately wants to shoot a key scene at Lickety Splits and she’s willing to pay big bucks to sweeten the last-minute deal. All Kate has to do is tolerate a bustling film crew for a few hours and provide one important prop—a scoop of handmade ice cream . . .

But when up-and-coming actress Savannah Crane drops dead after spooning down some chocolate almond fudge, Kate’s first taste of Hollywood might be her last. Someone poisoned the leading lady, and with Lickety Splits draped in yellow crime scene tape, detectives are ready to cast Kate as the leading suspect . . .

Determined to clear her name, Kate finds herself churning through a long list of unsavory characters to catch the real killer lurking around town. As she uncovers the truth about the jealous rivals and obsessive stalkers who haunted Savannah’s life, Kate soon realizes that tangling with the late starlet’s “fans” could make this her most terrifying fall yet . . .

Includes mouthwatering ice cream recipes from the Lickety Splits Ice Cream Shoppe!

You can purchase LICKETY SPLITS ICE CREAM SHOPPE at:
Kensington Books

Poppy Harmon Investigates: A Desert Flowers Mystery #1 Lee Hollis

Lee Hollis begins a delightful new series in which Poppy Harmon and her friends find that life after retirement can be much busier—and deadlier—than any of them ever anticipated . . .

When Poppy goes from complacent retiree to penniless widow in a matter of weeks, the idea of spending her golden years as the biggest charity case in Palm Springs renders her speechless. With no real skills and nothing left to lose, Poppy uses her obsession with true crime shows to start a career as a private eye . . .

But after opening the Desert Flowers Detective Agency with help from her two best friends, Violet and Iris, Poppy realizes that age brings wisdom, not business—until she convinces her daughter’s handsome boyfriend, Matt, to pose as the face of the agency. It’s not long before Matt’s irresistible act snags a client desperate to retrieve priceless jewelry burglarized from an aging actress at the Palm Leaf Retirement Village. Or before Poppy stumbles upon the bloodied body of the victim’s arch rival . . .

In a flash, Poppy’s innocent detective gig is upstaged by a dangerous murder investigation riddled with slimy suspects and unspeakable scandal. As she and her team uncover the truth, Poppy must confront the secrets about her late husband’s past and swiftly catch a killer lurking around the retirement community—even if it means turning her world upside down all over again.

You can purchase POPPY HARMON INVESTIGATES at:
Kensington Books

 

Gone, Kitty, Gone: A Cat Groomer Mystery #4 Eileen Watkins

The fur is really going to fly when groomer Cassie McGlone drags in a catnapper . . .

With her new van, Cassie has expanded her Comfy Cat business to include mobile cat grooming. Next stop: a cat expo at a hotel just outside her hometown of Chadwick, New Jersey, where Cassie will give a grooming demo using shelter cats to encourage adoption while her veterinarian boyfriend Mark will offer a program on cat care and health.

The highlight of the expo will be a major cat show featuring pop sensation Jaki Natal. Almost as famous as his owner is her pet Gordie, a Scottish fold, who’s become a social media darling. But when adorable Gordie goes missing and his sitter is found murdered, Jaki is having kittens. While the cops are more interested in solving the murder of a human, Jaki insists Cassie help expose the catnapper and return gorgeous Gordie to the fold. Now it’s Cassie’s turn to solo as she plays a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a culprit who’s not afraid to pounce . . .

You can purchase GONE, KITTY, GONE at:
Kensington Books

And Dangerous To Know: Rosalind Thorne Mystery #3 Darcie Wilde

When the ladies of the ton of Regency London need discreet assistance, they turn to Rosalind Thorne—in these mysteries inspired by the novels of Jane Austen . . .

Trust is a delicate thing, and no one knows that better than Rosalind Thorne. Lady Melbourne has entrusted her with recovering a packet of highly sensitive private letters stolen from her desk. The contents of these letters hold great interest for the famous poet Lord Byron, who had carried on a notorious public affair with Lady Melbourne’s daughter-in-law, the inconveniently unstable Lady Caroline Lamb. Rosalind is to take up residence in Melbourne House, posing as Lady Melbourne’s confidential secretary. There, she must discover the thief and regain possession of the letters before any further scandal erupts.

However, Lady Melbourne omits a crucial detail. Rosalind learns from the Bow Street runner Adam Harkness that an unidentified woman was found dead in the courtyard of Melbourne House. The coroner has determined that she was poisoned. Adam urges Rosalind to use her new position in the household to help solve the murder. As she begins to untangle a web of secrets and blackmail, Rosalind finds she must risk her own life to bring this desperate business to an end . . .

You can purchase AND DANGEROUS TO KNOW at:
Kensington Books