Recommendations based on "The Milk Tart Murders"

'Laugh-out-loud hilarious, moving and life affirming. How can one book be so many things? I couldn't put this fabulous, first class, five star read down.' JANICE HALLETT'Thoroughly wicked, compulsively page-turning, and funny as hell.' S J BENNETTHello? Can you hear me? Probably not. I'm Dr Miriam Price . . . and I'm dead.The local police, who couldn't investigate their own nostrils, think I drank myself into an early grave. The nerve! I was murdered. I was just too plastered to know whodunnit, that's all.Unless I prove to my inquest this week that my death was no 'misadventure', I'm condemned to 50 years in Limbo. I have to find my killer - but I can't communicate with any living human. Well, there's one, but she barely qualifies . . . Winnie - my neighbour and nemesis. It seems the dying can interact with the dead, which is helpful news for me, if not stellar for Winnie. Oh well. She'll live. Maybe.Suspects? How long have you got? My saintly husband, who'd reached his limit? My best friend, who was anything but? My secret lover, or his wife? My disgruntled colleague? The mother who wrongly holds me responsible for her child's death? Professor Plum? Your guess is as good as mine.So Winnie - slap on your deerstalker and strap on your granny pants. Let's catch a killer! Assuming we don't kill each other first . . .'A triumph...there are also moving moments amid the hilarity' DAILY MIRROR'Splendidly offbeat whodunnit....Evans knows how to make an unlikely plot seem entirely believable' DAILY EXPRESS'Sometimes a book comes along that reminds you why you fell in love with reading. Imaginative, witty and original...an absolute joy!' WOMAN & HOME

 The Blackbird sisters are back--and as witty and wonderful as ever! For richer, for poorer...                                                               Nora Blackbird, the Bucks County ex-debutante with a haute couture wardrobe, a hot job as a glamorous society columnist and a stone cold bank account, might finally have her own life just right, but everyone around her is going down in flames. Her sister Libby seems destined to be the lead character in a tabloid sex scandal.  Her sister Emma is expecting a mysterious love child.  Her best friend, Lexie Paine, is serving time in the slammer.  And now her mobbed-up boyfriend, Mick Abruzzo--who might actually be her husband--is conducting clandestine capers from Blackbird Farm while under house arrest. What's a good girl to do?  Find a killer, that's what!  Word arrives that the sisters' great aunt, Madeleine Blackbird, has died in a volcanic eruption on an Indonesian island and left her fabulous country estate, worth millions, to the three of them.  But when the Blackbird sisters show up to claim their windfall, they find the house in a state of disheartening decay and all of Madeleine's to-die-for treasures gone. Worse, the mansion has been hiding a grisly secret: the body of a woman who died there many years ago.  All the evidence points to a high society murder... Nora's special bond with flamboyant Aunt Madeleine compels her to seek out the truth.  With her aunt's amorous stepson dogging her footsteps, her unscrupulous lawyer acting like a skunk, and her devoted housekeeper not to be found, Nora's investigation is going nowhere.  Good thing Mick's close by to offer Nora distractions both dark and delightful.  And, as ever, her irrepressible sisters provide some unexpected... and highly unorthodox... assistance when she most needs it.

Curl up with the latest from the national bestselling author of Borrowed Crime... Springtime in Chilson, Michigan, means it's librarian Minnie Hamilton's favorite time of year: maple syrup season! But her excitement fades when her favorite syrup provider, Henry Gill, dies in a sugaring accident. It’s tough news to swallow...even if the old man wasn’t as sweet as his product.  On the bookmobile rounds with her trusty rescue cat Eddie, Minnie meets Adam, the old man's friend, who was with him when he died. Adam is convinced Henry’s death wasn’t an accident, and fears that his own life is in danger. With the police overworked, it's up to Minnie and Eddie to tap all their resources for clues—before Adam ends up in a sticky situation...

WHEN THE VILLAGE OF FARTHERING ST. JOHN IS Stunned BY A SERIES OF MURDERS, DREW FARTHERING IS DRAWN again INTO THE SLEUTHING GAME.Drew Farthering wanted nothing more than to end the summer of 1932 with the announcement of his engagement. Instead, he finds himself caught up in another mysterious case when the family solicitor is found murdered, an antique hatpin with a cryptic message, Advice to Jack, piercing his chest.Evidence of secret meetings and a young girl's tearful confession point to the victim's double life, but what does the solicitor's murder have to do with the murder of a physician on the local golf course? Nothing, it would seem--except for another puzzling note, affixed with a similar-looking bloodied hatpin.Soon the police make an arrest in connection with the murders, but Drew isn't at all certain they have the right suspect in custody. And why does his investigation seem to be drawing him closer and closer to home?PRAISE for RULES OF MURDER"Readers will want to carve out uninterrupted time to read this mystery in one sitting. Red herrings at every turn will have them guessing and flipping pages until the shocking end."--Chandra McNeil, RT Book Reviews

'With this series the author has created the most perfect pair of crime-busters since Holmes and Watson. Except Albert and Rex are WAY funnier!' Following a trail of clues to a sleepy seaside village in the southwest corner of England, retired police detective, Albert Smith, aims to prove his theory of a master criminal by catching the 'Gastrothief's' agents red-handed. With trusted former police dog, Rex Harrison at his side, the crime-busting duo know precisely who and what to look for. However, beneath the narrow streets of the picturesque resort a far more sinister plot is being hatched and if Albert were to look over his shoulder, he might notice a set of eyes lurking in his shadow. He is being hunted. To the backdrop of a cider and pasty festival, man and dog must risk it all save that which makes Britain great. Baking. It can get a guy killed.

A sharp and tangy culinary mystery featuring Tish Tarragon. Can Tish beat the curse of the cherry pie to win first prize at the Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off? When literary caterer Letitia 'Tish' Tarragon's friend and star baker at Cookin' the Books cafe, Celestine Rufus, pulls out of the prestigious Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off, an anxious Tish reluctantly takes her place. Will her signature bake, a frangipane cherry pie, be up to the grade? As the bake-off gets underway, Tish's worries increase when she learns that two contestants from the previous two competitions also had cherry pies on their menus . . . and both women died suddenly before making their bakes. Amid bitter rivalries, simmering jealousy and the bakers' insatiable appetite for winning, is the curse of the cherry pie about to strike again?

"Even though Maddie is swamped running Vintage Magic and dealing with the consequences of the visions she gets from certain of her fashion treasures, she's agreed to plan her sister Sherri's baby shower and mentor a design intern. But when Maddie goes to the Mystic train station to pick up her new student, she finds a murder scene instead. The victim: intern Isobel York. Cause of death: suspicious circumstances. Later that evening, a woman claiming to be Isobel appears on her doorstep, and Maddie knows it's not just a case of 'whodunit' but 'who-is-it.' Luckily a gift of lusciously luxe vintage clothes offers clues, and though the '50s wardrobe and accessories are to die for, Maddie is determined to iron out the wrinkles before the murderer can return to put an end to a promising fashion career. . ."--P. [4] of cover.

Don't miss Faith Martin's fiendishly clever new novel, Murder by Candlelight, set in the 1920s and described as 'the perfect village mystery' by J.M. Hall 'A beautifully crafted crime mystery I could not put down.' Anita Davison, author of the Flora Maguire series Oxford, 1960. As excitement builds for the inaugural beauty pageant, the city is abuzz with anticipation. But the celebration is cut short when one of the leading contestants is found dead. At first, her death is ruled a suicide. But as a string of sinister pranks and blackmail attempts comes to light, WPC Trudy Loveday and Coroner Clement Ryder are drawn into a complex investigation. In a world of fierce rivalries and hidden agendas, the list of suspects grows longer by the day. What began as light-hearted competition may have turned into a deadly game. With time running out, Loveday and Ryder must uncover the truth - before the killer strikes again. A gripping, twisty cosy crime novel, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Richard Osman and M.C. Beaton. 'Absolutely loved it... The characters were some of the best I've read in a long time.' Angela Marsons, no. 1 bestselling author of the Kim Stone series The Ryder and Loveday Series Book 1: A FATAL OBSESSION Book 2: A FATAL MISTAKE Book 3: A FATAL FLAW Book 4: A FATAL SECRET Book 5: A FATAL TRUTH Book 6: A FATAL AFFAIR Book 7: A FATAL NIGHT Book 8: A FATAL END Readers LOVE Faith Martin's Ryder & Loveday series! 'Absolutely perfect! This is the book I have been craving since I last read the Thursday Murder Club series!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Very entertaining... Full of red herrings, plot twists and turns. I thought I knew who was the killer but I was wrong.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Have become an addict of Faith Martin - love her novels.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This author's books are soothing to the soul. Her characters are likable, and the plots always keep me guessing. Excellent fun.'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Smart, entertaining, and laugh-out-loud funny!” —Liliana Hart, New York Times Bestselling AuthorShe’s a beautician with a plummeting reputation. Can she catch a strangler before her salon is financially frizzed out? Valentine Beaumont is desperate to revive her dying business. Trying to recover from an infamous incident where she defended herself with a perm rod to her attacker’s privates, the last thing she needs is another scandal. So when a wealthy socialite is strangled with a steamer cord while awaiting her facial, Valentine has no choice but to start combing through clues.Battling a sexy, hard-headed detective who can’t tell pigtails from a pompadour, Valentine is convinced he’s pursuing the wrong suspect. And despite his warning not to meddle, the gutsy stylist vows to clear her name before the killer claims another client.Can Valentine tie up the culprit before more lives are cut short?Murder, Curlers & Cream is the first book in the hilarious Valentine Beaumont Mystery series. If you like ambitious heroines, laugh-out-loud dialogue, and unlikely romances, you’ll love Arlene McFarlane’s clever tale!Buy Murder, Curlers & Cream to detangle a deadly case today!

"[Airth's] meticulously detailed procedural mysteries are beautifully written . . . well worth reading, and rereading." --Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Snowed in at a country manor, former Scotland Yard inspectors John Madden and Angus Sinclair find themselves trapped in the company of a murderer. On a trip into Winchester, former chief inspector Angus Sinclair learns of a tragedy that has taken place in the village he is staying in. Beloved church organist Greta Hartmann has slipped and fallen to her death in a shallow creek, and while investigations conclude it to be an accident, her friend and housemate, Vera, remains unconvinced. After learning that Greta was the widow of a prominent anti-Nazi German preacher, Sinclair meets with the distraught Vera, and he resolves to dig deeper into the story. His investigations lead him to the stately manor of Julia Lesage, where she lives with her devoted staff that includes her secretary, cook, and driver. Though confined to a wheelchair, Julia is an electrifying spirit with a sharp wit, and those who know her adore her. Among those who do, a gentleman with dubious business dealings is also staying at the house--and Julia appears to be in love with him. A blizzard hits, keeping Sinclair, and later Madden, on the grounds with little to do but analyze the case of Greta's death, until a murder takes place, and everyone becomes a suspect.