Cricket McRae

Sophie Mae investigates the death of her boss after he dies of food poisoning, helps her boyfriend recouperate from a similar kind of food poisoning, and worries about a houseguest's new boyfriend, who seems to have no past.

Heaven Preserve Us

a home crafting mystery

Lye in wait

Discovering a cassette recording in which a therapist fearfully contemplates a client's murderous threats, Sophie Max investigates when the therapist is subsequently killed, in a case that explores the age-old art of mead and wine making. By the author of Lye in Wait. Original.

Wined and Died

Cocoa butter soap, check. Lemon lip balm, check. A dead body? That's just what Sophie Mae Reynolds finds in her workroom: the corpse of Walter Hanover, the neighborhood handyman. He died from drinking lye, something she has in good supply. But the police don't suspect Sophie Mae, a thirty-something widow who makes and sells beauty products. Instead they call it a suicide. But why would a man with lottery cash and a loving fiancée kill himself? No one can stop the impulsive Sophie Mae from answering this riddle, not her sensible best friend Meghan or Detective Ambrose, who incites annoyance as well as stomach flutters. Sophie Mae's big mouth and sharp nose lead her to a peppermint-scented trail of arson, bigamy, and a shocking family secret that reveals a personal connection to Walter . . . and his killer. This crafty new series features real recipes and a blundering, yet lovable, amateur sleuth who brings a fresh face to cozy mysteries.

Lye in Wait

Love—and smelly cheese—are in the air. Sophie Mae has accepted Barr's marriage proposal, and they're trying to keep her mother, Anna Belle, from taking over their no-fuss, no-muss wedding plans. But when Mom finds a cryptic suicide note that Sophie Mae's brother wrote two decades earlier, Sophie Mae reluctantly makes a trip back to her hometown of Spring Creek, Colorado, to suss things out. As she pokes around in other people's business while learning the finer points of artisan cheese making, a murderer strikes—with a glass bottle of milk. Soon, Sophie Mae discovers that aging cheese isn't the only thing in Spring Creek that doesn't pass the smell test. Includes cheese-making tips! Praise: "This series continues to add depth to its engaging cast of characters, and the home-crafting details remain a delight and an inspiration."—Booklist "The writing is sharp and skilled and Sophie Mae is an appealing, smart character."—RT Book Reviews (4 1⁄2 stars)

Something Borrowed, Something Bleu

Karen MacInerney

Deborah Sharp

In this collection of three fabulous cozy mysteries, no murder can go unsolved. Whether they’re at a bed and breakfast on the Maine coast, down on the organic farm, or in the driver’s seat of a turquoise convertible, the characters and their antics never fail to entertain. Murder on the Rocks Karen MacInerney Book 1 of the Gray Whale Inn Mysteries Trading in Texas heat for Maine's tangy salt air, Natalie Barnes risked it all to buy the Gray Whale Inn, a quaint bed and breakfast on Cranberry Island. She adores whipping up buttery muffins and other rich breakfast treats for her guests until she finds an overbearing land developer dead. Includes recipes! Deadly Row to Hoe Cricket McRae Book 6 of the Home Crafting Mysteries Harvest time in Cadyville, Washington, finds Sophie Mae Ambrose volunteering at the local organic farm—and trying to make a little sprout of her own with Barr, her police detective husband. But when a dead body is discovered in the farm’s compost heap, Sophie Mae presses her network of friends and neighbors into action. Mama Does Time Deborah Sharp Book 1 of the Mace Bauer Mysteries Meet Mama: a true Southern woman with impeccable manners, sherbet-colored pantsuits, and four prior husbands, able to serve sweet tea and sidestep alligator attacks with equal aplomb. Mama's antics — especially her penchant for finding trouble — drive her daughters Mace, Maddie, and Marty to distraction, especially when she finds a body in the trunk of her turquoise convertible.

A Collection of Cozy Mysteries from Midnight Ink

A Dash of Midnight

Things are getting serious between Sophie Mae and Detective Ambrose. But Sophie Mae has a new love in her life—spinning. Pursuing her newfound passion is great fun . . . until her fellow co-op member, Ariel, is found strangled to death with Sophie Mae's very first skein of yarn. Young and pretty, Ariel used her feminine charms and sexual magnetism to lure married men. Was the murder victim truly a gold digger in hot pants? Or just a troubled girl who met a bad end? With a tangled weave of suspects to wade through and Barr's ex turning up, it's all Sophie Mae can do to unravel this tightly knitted mystery—without coming undone herself! Praise for Spin a Wicked Web, book three in the Home Crafting Mystery series: "Cozy up for a finely crafted mystery-lots of twists and tangles, a most entertaining yarn."-Laura Childs, author of Death by Darjeeling: A Tea Shop Mystery "A fast-paced contemporary cozy."-Monica Ferris, author of Thai Die: A Needlecraft Mystery

Cricket McRae

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