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Mesmerizing Michigan Mysteries

Enjoy these mysteries set in our Great Lakes State of Michigan!

Read herring hunt a Mystery Bookshop mystery by V Burns

"To the town of North Harbor, Michigan, MISU quarterback Dawson Alexander is a local hero. To Samantha Washington, owner of the Market Street Mysteries Bookstore, Dawson is more than a tenant--he's like an adopted son. But to the police, he is their prime suspect after his ex-girlfriend is found murdered. It's more than enough real-life drama for Sam to tackle, but her role as a mystery writer also calls..."--Amazon.com

A most curious murder by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli

Jenny Weston moves home to Bear Falls, Michigan, to nurse her bruised ego back to health after a bitter divorce. But the idyllic vision of her charming hometown crumbles when her mother's little library is destroyed. The next-door neighbor, Zoe Zola, a little person and Lewis Carroll enthusiast, suspects local curmudgeon Adam Cane. But when he's suddenly found dead in Zoe's fairy garden, all roads lead back to her. Jenny, however, believes Zoe is innocent, so the two women team up to find the true culprit, investigating the richest family in Bear Falls, interrogating a few odd townspeople, and delving into old, hidden transgressions-until another body turns up. Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli's quaint and compelling series debut will delight cozy mystery fans new and old

Dead dancing women by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli

For the three years after her divorce, journalist Emily Kinkaid has been living in rural northern Michigan, writing for local publications and writing mysteries that aren’t selling. One day she finds the head of a local woman in her garbage can. Working with prickly sheriff’s deputy Dolly Wakowski, widely disliked because she has taken it upon herself to keep the local back roads safe from speeders, Emily begins an investigation independent of the state police. When another murder occurs, it seems that a local group of nature-loving elderly women has been targeted.

The novel art of murder a Mystery Bookshop mystery by V Burns

The small town of North Harbor, Michigan, is just not big enough for the two of them- flamboyant phony Maria Romanov and feisty Nana Jo. The insufferable Maria claims she's descended from Russian royalty and even had a fling with King Edward VIII back in the day. She's not just a lousy liar, she's a bad actress, so when she nabs the lead in the Shady Acres Senior Follies-a part Nana Jo plays every year in their retirement village production-Nana Jo blows a gasket and reads her the riot act in front of everyone. Of course, when Maria is silenced with a bullet to the head, Nana Jo lands the leading role on the suspects list. Sam's been writing her newest mystery, set in England between the wars, with her intrepid heroine Lady Daphne drawn into murder and scandal in the household of Winston Churchill. But now she has to prove that Nana Jo's been framed. With help from her grandmother's posse of rambunctious retirees, Sam shines a spotlight on Maria's secrets, hoping to draw the real killer out of the shadows . . .

The chocolate bunny brouhaha by JoAnna Carl

"From the national bestselling author of The Chocolate Falcon Fraud comes an Easter-candy caper featuring chocolatiers Lee Woodyard and her aunt Nettie, and a killer who's hopping mad... The approach of Easter means a rush of business at TenHuis Chocolade, and Lee and her aunt Nettie need all the help they can get to make their famous chocolate bunnies and eggs. Unfortunately, new hire Bunny Birdsong is a klutzy basket case, dropping everything she picks up. But to Lee's surprise, she's a wiz with computers and fixing the store's Web site so they decide to keep her. However, Bunny receives a few visitors they could do without: Her ex-husband, Beau; his wealthy aunt Abigail; and his new girlfriend and her brother all descend on the shop one day and have abitter argument. Lee hopes they can find a peaceful way to settle their dispute and not bring any more trouble to TenHuis. But when Abigail's body is discovered in the vacant store next door, it's clear to Lee there's a bad egg in her midst. Now she's onthe hunt to find out who it is.."--

Death lease. a Michael Russo mystery by Peter Marabell

In 1922, Augustus Sanderson hired Charles W. Caskey, architect of the Grand Hotel, to build a “majestic cottage” high on the East Bluff of Mackinac Island. The Sanderson family spent summers enjoying warm weather and cool breezes off the Straits of Mackinac. They hosted elegant dinner parties for friends around the island. Camille Sanderson, like her ancestors, assumed responsibility for the cottage when her turn came. The lease for the land was transferred to her name as was the family custom. “Mackinac is my home,” she often said. The lease remained in her name after she married the imperious Conrad North. When Conrad filed for divorce, Camille was stunned to learn that her name had been removed from the lease, replaced by only one name, her husband’s. Camille turns to private investigator Michael Russo. “He’s taken my home,” Camille said. “Get my home back.” So Russo begins a journey awash in deception, forgery and murder as he attempts to untangle the web of lies that enveloped Camille Sanderson North’s life on Mackinac Island.

Berried secrets by Peg Cochran

When Monica Albertson comes to Cranberry Cove-a charming town on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan-to help her half-brother Jeff on his cranberry farm, the last thing she expects to harvest is a dead body. It seems that Sam Culbert, who ran the farm while Jeff was deployed overseas, had some juicy secrets that soon prove fatal, and Jeff is ripe for the picking as a prime suspect. Forming an uneasy alliance with her high-maintenance stepmother, Monica has her hands full trying to save the farm while searching for a killer. Culbert made plenty of enemies in the quaint small town, but which one was desperate enough to kill?

Cat with a clue by Laurie Cass

The nationally bestselling author of Pouncing on Murder returns as librarian Minnie Hamilton and her rescue cat Eddie discover there's a true crime story unraveling in their own nonfiction section . . . Early one morning while shelving books in the library, Minnie stumbles upon a dead body. Authorities identify the woman as an out-of-towner visiting Chilson for her great-aunt's funeral. What she was doing in the library after hours is anyone's guess . . . but Minnie and Eddie are determined to save the library's reputation and catch a killer. As rumors about the victim circulate through Chilson, the police are in a bind over a streak of baffling break-ins. Luckily, Minnie and Eddie are traveling the county in their bookmobile, and they'll stop at nothing to find the spineless killer before the final page is turned on someone else

Bury this : a novel by Andrea Portes

A young woman's mysterious murder in a small town becomes a thing of legend when, twenty-five years later, the case is reignited when a group of film students starts making a documentary on her fateful life

Murder on Lake Street : a Michael Russo mystery by Peter Marabell

Michael Russo’s friend and mentor, Frank Marshall, is the target of an assassination attempt one damp autumn night in Petoskey. The case goes cold fast. The police have no suspects and no leads, so Russo begins his own investigation. It is quickly apparent that the attack was not a random shooting but a professional hit. Russo vows to hold those involved accountable by whatever means necessary. He tracks the shooters, tries to find out who ordered the hit, and manages to antagonize anyone who gets in his way. When violence threatens Russo, all roads lead to Mafia boss Joseph DeMio, an old nemesis from Mackinac Island. Along the way, he discovers more about himself as an investigator, as a friend, and most important, as a man

Murder at Cherokee Point : a Michael Russo mystery by Peter Marabell

"It’s summer in Northern Michigan. A wealthy and influential aristocrat is found dead at the secluded and private Cherokee Point Resort Association, north of Harbor Springs. Fearful of outside intrusion, Point members stonewall the investigation. The cops ask Petoskey lawyer Michael Russo for his help, and Russo agrees to speed the investigation along. An interesting assignment turns difficult and dangerous when a Chicago Mafia boss warns Russo off the case. From the quiet streets of Petoskey to the nostalgic ambiance of Mackinac Island, Russo quickly finds himself embroiled in a world of political influence, old money, and what people will do to keep their dirty secrets hidden"--back cover

The chocolate cupid killings : a chocoholic mystery by JoAnna Carl

Chocolatier Lee and her Aunt Nettie are suspected of involvement in the murder of private detective Derrick Valentine while trying to keep secret the identity of one of their employees

The lock artist : a novel by Steve Hamilton

Marked by tragedy, traumatized at the age of eight, Michael, now eighteen, is no ordinary young man. Besides not uttering a single word in ten years, he discovers the one thing he can somehow do better than anyone else. Whether it's a locked door without a key, a padlock with no combination, or even an eight hundred-pound safe he can open them all. It's an unforgivable talent. A talent that will make young Michael a hot commodity with the wrong people and, whether he likes it or not, push him ever closer to a life of crime. Until he finally sees his chance to escape, and with one desperate gamble risks everything to come back home to the only person he ever loved, and to unlock the secret that has kept him silent for so long

Dead sleeping shaman by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli

Emily and Dolly investigate the murder of a female psychic in the woods after she makes accusations against certain members of an end-of-the-world revivalist group.

The hanging tree : a Starvation Lake mystery by Bryan Gruley

When Gracie McBride, the wild gilr who had left town eighteen years earlier, is found dead in an apparent sucide shortly after her homecoming, it sends shock waves through her native Starvation Lake

Amos Walker : the complete story collection by Loren D Estleman

This anthology collects all thirty-two previously published Amos Walker stories, a previously unpublished story, and an introduction by the author

Starvation Lake : a mystery by Bryan Gruley

"In the dead of a Michigan winter, pieces of a snowmobile wash up near the crumbling, small town of Starvation Lake -- the same snowmobile that went down with Starvation's legendary hockey coach years earlier. But everybody knows Coach Blackburn's accident happened five miles away on a different lake. As rumors buzz about mysterious underground tunnels, the evidence from the snowmobile says one thing: murder. Gus Carpenter, editor of the local newspaper, has recently returned to Starvation after a failed attempt to make it big at the Detroit Times. In his youth, Gus was the goalie who let a state championship get away, crushing Coach's dreams and earning the town's enmity. Now he's investigating the murder of his former coach. But even more unsettling to Gus are the holes in the town's past and the gnawing suspicion that those holes may conceal some dark and disturbing secrets secrets that some of the people closest to him may have killed to keep."-- Publisher description.

Recipient of the National Medal, the nation's highest honor for libraries.