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Cozy mysteries for fans to warm up to

A seasonal story of Scotland roots and murder is told in “Overkilt” by Kaitlyn Dunnett.

Liss is readying her Scottish Emporium for the after-Thanksgiving rush that is sure to be coming. While her father-in-law’s hotel can barely turn a profit, he decides to entice childless couples to get away from family for the holidays – and spend it at the hotel instead. When a social media campaign tries to boycott the hotel for not embracing family values, Liss is in the middle of a mess when someone turns up dead and her father-in-law is looking like the prime suspect. While Liss is ready to help prove his innocence, her meddling mother seems determined to put a crimp in Liss’ plans, but will she help or hinder? Will she find the real killer?

With a timely setting and small town secrets, this will appeal to cozy fans.

“Overkilt” is published by Kensington. It is $26 and 282 pages long.

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Knitting gets dangerous in “Purls and Poison” by Anne Canadeo.

Suzanne and Liza are rivals at Prestige Properties, with Liza constantly making comments at work and then finally showing up at Suzanne’s open houses to steal buyers. When Suzanne confronts her, it’s an explosion that the whole office witnesses, but Liza ends up dead in her office cubicle and Suzanne is the prime suspect.

Suzanne’s friends, The Black Sheep Knitters, know Suzanne didn’t poison Liza. But how can they prove it? Digging into Liza’s life shows plenty of suspects around town, but the group must find the culprit before Suzanne has to knit herself a blanket in jail.

Knitting fans will enjoy this cozy mystery that has plenty to keep readers guessing.

“Purls and Poison” is published by Kensington. It is $26 and 291 pages long.

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A new cozy series is launched with “Murder by the Book” by Lauren Elliott.

Addie finds herself in need of a fresh start when her father’s fatal car accident and her fiance’s unsolved murder drive her out of the big city and to small town life in a small New England town thanks to her inheritance from her great-aunt. Now living in Greyborne Manor, Addie is sorting through her aunt’s first edition books and dreaming of opening her own store. But her store’s beginning is marred by several incidents, including an almost hit-and-run, a theft and ends with the murder of a local merchant with Addie’s friend arrested. Can Addie prove Serena’s innocence or is there more going on in the small seaside town that even she knows?

This is the start of a clever new series that will hook cozy fans immediately.

“Murder by the Book” is published by Kensington. It is $7.99 and 286 pages long.

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How could a pie-eating contest turn deadly? That’s what Marlee is determined to find out in “Killed on Blueberry Hill” by Sharon Farrow.

The small town of Oriole Point is seeing plenty of tourists for its annual Blueberry Blow Out Festival. But her fiance, Ryan, immediately gets into an ugly fight with rival orchard owner, Porter. When after their competitions in the pie-eating contest and tug-of-far ends with Porter dead, Marlee can’t believe it. Porter was a diabetic – and someone messed with his insulin. While Ryan looks to be the likely suspect, Marlee is determined to show there’s more to Porter than meets the eye. Can she unmask the killer before its too late?

This is a fun cozy story that will take readers on a fun ride along with Marlee.

“Killed on Blueberry Hill” is published by Kensington. It is $7.99 and 335 pages long.

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Contact Amy Phelps at aphelps@newsandsentinel.com.

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