Recommendations based on "Black Diamond Death"

"A refreshing and offbeat take on the female detective."--San Francisco ChronicleSPECIAL DELIVERYFor the first time in years, struggling freelance writer Liz Sullivan is headed home to Denver to visit her estranged family. No sooner does she arrive than her former husband's dead body is delivered to her father's front porch with a bullet between the eyes.Since Liz once tried to kill her violently abusive husband, the police assume she has finally succeeded. Her relatives are furious at this new disgrace, and only Liz's new, hard-won self-respect keeps her going, as she desperately tries to discover what vicious new shenanigans might have caused her ex's death--without causing her own. . . .

In the latest Library Lover’s Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Better Late Than Never, the library’s big fund-raiser leaves director Lindsey Norris booked for trouble....Lindsey Norris and her staff are gearing up for the Briar Creek Library’s annual Dinner in the Stacks fund-raiser. The night of dinner and dancing is not only a booklover’s dream—it’s the library’s biggest moneymaker of the year. But instead of raising funds, the new library board president is busy raising a stink and making the staff miserable.Although Olive Boyle acts like a storybook villain, Lindsey is determined to work with her and make the event a success. But when Olive publicly threatens the library’s newest hire, Paula, Lindsey cracks like an old book spine and throws Olive out of the library.The night of the fund-raiser, Lindsey dreads another altercation with Olive—but instead finds Paula crouched over Olive’s dead body. Paula may have secrets, but Lindsey and the rest of the crafternooners know she’s not the one who took Olive out of circulation. As the plot thickens, Lindsey must catch the real killer before the book closes on Paula’s future....

"Crombie’s characters are rich, emotionally textured, fully human. They are the remarkable creations of a remarkable writer."—Louise Penny “Nobody writes the modern English mystery the way Deborah Crombie does—and A Bitter Feast is the latest in a series that is gripping, enthralling, and just plain the best.”   — Charles Todd, New York Times bestselling author of The Black Ascot and A Cruel Deception New York Times bestselling author Deborah Crombie returns with a mesmerizing entry in her “excellent” (Miami Herald) series, in which Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James are pulled into a dangerous web of secrets, lies, and murder that simmers beneath the surface of a tranquil Cotswolds village. Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his wife, Detective Inspector Gemma James, have been invited for a relaxing weekend in the Cotswolds, one of Britain’s most enchanting regions, famous for its rolling hills, golden cottages, and picturesque villages. Duncan, Gemma, and their children are guests at Beck House, the family estate of Melody Talbot, Gemma’s detective sergeant. The Talbot family is wealthy, prominent, and powerful—Melody’s father is the publisher of one of London’s largest and most influential newspapers. The centerpiece of this glorious fall getaway is a posh charity harvest luncheon catered by up-and-coming chef Viv Holland. After fifteen years in London’s cut-throat food scene, Viv has returned to the Gloucestershire valleys of her childhood and quickly made a name for herself with her innovative meals based on traditional cuisine but using fresh local ingredients. Attended by the local well-to-do as well as national press food bloggers and restaurant critics, the event could make Viv a star. But a tragic car accident and a series of mysterious deaths rock the estate and pull Duncan and Gemma into the investigation. It soon becomes clear that the killer has a connection with Viv’s pub—or, perhaps, with Beck House itself. Does the truth lie in the past? Or is it closer to home, tied up in the tangled relationships and bitter resentments between the staff at Beck House and Viv’s new pub? Or is it more personal, entwined with secrets hidden by Viv and those closest to her?

A woman dies under suspicious circumstances, supposedly after finding evidence of her incarcerated brother's innocence. Now to prove a possible murder, Diane Fallon must root through the victim's family secrets-and the many skeletons in her closet...

Professor Olive Twist has come to Zinnia, Mississippi to study a mysterious grave wherein lies the Lady in Red, a perfectly preserved and stunningly beautiful but unnamed and unclaimed body. Olive claims she can not only identify the corpse, she can also prove the woman's scandalous role in the nation's history. Olive takes it a step too far, though, when she starts connecting elite Zinnia families with the same scandal.Dander up, Zinnia's society ladies know only one way to handle Olive: they call on the private investigative services of Sarah Booth Delaney. But Olive's real agenda is clear as Mississippi mud, and when Sarah Booth discovers a present-day dead body, she knows there's more than just family pride and Southern heritage at stake. If she can't find the murderer and fast, it might just be Sarah Booth's life on the line next.Carolyn Haines pulls out all the stops in Smarty Bones, the next charming, sassy, Southern-fried Sarah Booth Delaney mystery.

The latest novel in the series that Kirkus Reviews characterizes as “Stephanie Plum meets the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” featuring sassy Southern private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney.Delaney Detective Agency gets a taste of the spotlight when they are called to a case on a movie set in Greenville, MS, right on the Mississippi River. Marlon Brandon, heir to a wealthy and influential political family, has brought a film crew to town to film a drama about the 1927 flood that submerged a great deal of Greenville. Marlon wants the world to know the story of the flood—and the heroic role the Brandon ancestors played in rescuing dozens of local residents from drowning.Or at least that was the plan until he disappeared. If this weren't concerning enough, the situation appears even more dire when a severed foot is discovered in the Mississippi River, and clues indicate that Marlon may have fallen victim to a freak bull shark attack. But as rumors swirl around the Delta about Marlon's motives for making the film, Sarah Booth and Tinkie have to wonder whether a shark is to blame, or an equally ferocious human offender. The show must go on, and Sarah Booth and her crew will have to investigate all manner of creatures, over land and sea, in order to solve the mystery and save the day.

I've been able to add amateur sleuthing and accidental corpse finding to my CV. I'm not sure it's a good look. Juno Browne, self-proclaimed Domestic Goddess who can turn her hand to cleaning, dog walking or home help jobs, is feeling overworked and underpaid. However, she is not the only one with problems, very serious problems. Among her friends, Elizabeth is being blackmailed, and Ricky's errant nephew is on the run from criminals in London. In an attempt to get to the bottom of these disturbing developments, Juno finds herself drawn from an isolated manor house on Dartmoor to London's glamorous but shady theatreland. Can she avoid being fatally entangled in threads of deception and murder?

Welcome to Bookend Bay where the coffee is spiced, the ghosts are cheeky, and midlife is murder. An OCD twin from a parallel universe. A meddling ghost. A desperate plea for help. With her new café thriving, Quinn is trying to keep up with the bizarre twist her life has taken. But when her best friend Toni's cousin shows up with a suitcase, a mysterious man, and a risky request, Quinn makes a decision that lands her in hot water. Things take a turn for the worse when the police arrest the cousin for murder. Faced with a slack sheriff, a growing list of suspects, and a missing fortune, the two midlife friends dive into the investigation while Quinn grapples with the moral implications of enlisting her unpredictable ghostly companions to uncover the truth. Will Quinn go to any lengths to deliver justice to those in need? And is she prepared to face the repercussions of crossing the line between the living, the dead, and the mysterious in-between? If you're a fan of fast-paced, humorous, light-hearted stories that keep you guessing, you'll love A Spirited Vengeance, Book 3 in the Midlife is Murder paranormal cozy mystery series.

When Sophie Rivers is offered a temporary job at Warwickshire Cricket Club, archiving a collection of memorabilia, she jumps at the chance to spend more time with her new husband, England cricketer Mike Lowden, but when news gets out that the bequest contains some priceless objects, Sophie and her colleagues become the victims of intimidation and violence. When some of the items - and the curator - go missing, things start to look very sinister. Meanwhile, Mike has started to behave increasingly oddly - surely he can't be involved in the latest cricket scandal?

In this Sunny & Shadow Mystery from theNew York Timesbestselling author ofLast Licks, a fat-cat wedding is making waves in Kittery Harbor, Maine. Political heiress Priscilla Kingsbury is about to marry Carson de Kruk, son of business mogul Augustus de Kruk, at the Kingsburys' waterfront compound. For reporter Sunny Coolidge, an assignment from theHarbor Courierto cover the event is like catnip. But when Sunny photographs men pulling the body of a dead woman out of the water, the Kingsburys' private security isn't happy. They claim the woman's death was an accident, but the story seems fishy. Now, with a little help from her police officer boyfriend and her cunning cat Shadow, Sunny is determined to get the scoop on a killer. Praise for theNew York Timesbestselling Sunny & Shadow Mysteries 'Cozy mystery lovers will adore Shadow.' Miranda James,New York Timesbestselling author 'Applause for paws-Sunny and Shadow take Best in Show!' Susan Wittig Albert,New York Timesbestselling author