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Gossip, Guilt & Garden Parties | Domestic Cozy Mysteries

Gossip, Guilt & Garden Parties: Small-Town Secrets Served with Tea and Trouble

Garden party table under string lights with teacups and roses glowing in golden lamplight.

Polished teacups. Perfect hedges. Motives sharper than pruning shears.
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Some towns look harmless — flowerbeds, bake sales, book clubs. But listen closely and you’ll hear the real heartbeat: gossip. In these domestic and social cozies, charm is the décor and secrets are the menu. Weddings go wrong, neighbors know too much, and teatime becomes the perfect cover for murder.

Save the Date for Murder — Vivian Keyes

Save the Date for Murder — Vivian Keyes

A seaside wedding planner turns up dead and the bride-to-be is suddenly suspect. Kelsey Woods, her retired-detective friend, and dachshund Duke must solve the case before the “I do” becomes “she didn’t.”

Read → Save the Date for Murder

seaside cozy mystery · wedding planner murder · free cozy · dog sidekick · Vivian Keyes

The Fern Valley Theft — Ashley Hollow

The Fern Valley Theft — Ashley Hollow

Ethel, the mayor’s widow, turns her love of town gossip into full-on sleuthing when someone in her “perfect” community gets fingered for theft. Every rumor is a clue — and some of them bite back.

Read → The Fern Valley Theft

small-town gossip mystery · humorous sleuth · free cozy mystery · Ashley Hollow

Whispers of the Past — D.R. White

Whispers of the Past — D.R. White

Drifter Lee Winters comes to Cliffside Haven for quiet and finds a corpse, a guarded detective, and a golden retriever named Bear who won’t stop finding trouble. This seaside town keeps its secrets — violently.

Read → Whispers of the Past

cozy mystery with dog · seaside small-town thriller · secrets from the past · D.R. White

Domestic cozies work because they feel personal — the suspects are the florist, the wedding planner, the neighbor who always brings banana bread. The weapon isn’t just opportunity, it’s social leverage. And nothing travels faster than “did you hear…?”
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The teacups are trembling and someone’s smile lingers just a little too long. Step deeper for more gossip-laced cozies, seaside secrets, and mysteries lit by warm lamplight.

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“Stay curious, stay aware — and don’t underestimate the woman who knows everyone’s secrets.” — Penelope McGrath

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Location: Puerto Rico

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