A Magical Bakery Mystery

Author: Bailey Cates - blog (not up to date)
genre - paranormal, cozy mystery (witchcraft)
location - Georgia
occupation - Baker

also writes Home Crafting Mysteries at Cricket McRae

 ~*~*~*~

Brownies and Broomsticks
May 2012
Signet

ISBN-13: 9780451236630

description: Katie Lightfoot's tired of loafing around as the assistant manager of an Ohio bakery. So when her aunt Lucy and uncle Ben open a bakery in Savannah's quaint downtown district and ask Katie to join them, she enthusiastically agrees.

While working at the Honeybee Bakery—named after Lucy's cat—Katie notices that her aunt is adding mysterious herbs to her recipes. Turns out these herbal enhancements aren't just tasty—Aunt Lucy is a witch and her recipes are actually spells!

When a curmudgeonly customer is murdered outside the Honeybee Bakery, Uncle Ben becomes the prime suspect. With the help of handsome journalist Steve Dawes, charming firefighter Declan McCarthy, and a few spells, Katie and Aunt Lucy stir up some toil and trouble to clear Ben's name and find the real killer.

~*~*~*~ 

Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti
December 31, 2012
Signet

ISBN-13: 978-0451238986

description: As a new witch—not to mention owner of Savannah’s most enchanting bakery—Katie Lightfoot is still getting used to casting spells, brewing potions, and mastering her magical powers. But that doesn’t mean she can’t find time to enjoy a picnic with firefighter Declan McCarthy…until she stumbles upon a corpse.

The dead man’s tattoo reveals he was a member of a secret society—and it turns out he's missing an object that was very important to the group. When Katie learns the killer was after more than the man's life, she and her Aunt Lucy leave the baked goods on the rack to cool and set off in hot pursuit of a killer.

~*~*~*~ 

Charms and Chocolate Chips
November 5, 2013
Signet

ISBN-13: 978-0451240620

Description: Between brewing magically spiced treats at Honeybee Bakery and volunteering with a local conservation group, Katie Lightfoot barely has time to see her firefighter boyfriend, Declan McCarthy, much less delve further into her destiny as a witch. But avoiding her fate won’t be as easy as whipping up a new recipe—especially when Katie finds herself once again mixed up in murder.

When a fellow volunteer for the conservation group is found dead, Katie’s mystical senses tell her that there’s more to the death than meets the eye. Her suspicions are confirmed when members of her coven are targeted next. Katie will have to embrace her powers quickly...or she may find herself chewed up and spit out by some serious black magic.

~*~*~*~

Some Enchanted Eclair
July 1, 2014
NAL; First Obsidian Paperback Edition

ISBN-13: 978-0451467416

When Hollywood invades Savannah’s historic district to film a Revolutionary War movie, magical baker Katie Lightfoot, and her witches’ coven, the Spellbook Club, take a break from casting spells for casting calls. One of the witches snags a part as an extra, while Katie’s firefighter boyfriend, Declan, acts as on-set security. Katie and her aunt Lucy decide to stay out of the action, but after the movie’s “fixer” fires the caterer, the Honeybee Bakery comes to the rescue, working their magic to keep the hungry crew happy.

But when someone fixes the fixer—permanently—and a spooky psychic predicts Katie will find the killer, the charming baker and her fellow conjurers step in to sift through the suspects…before someone else winds up on the cutting room floor….

~*~*~*~

Magic and Macaroons
July 7, 2015
NAL

ISBN-13: 978-0451467423

For magical baker Katie Lightfoot, the only way to beat the Savannah summer heat is to whip up some cool treats for the Honeybee Bakery’s patrons. But when a meeting of the spellbook club is interrupted by a stranger collapsing on the floor of her shop, mumbling something about a voodoo talisman, Katie drops everything to begin investigating.

Her search for answers quickly leads her into a dangerous blend of Savannah’s infamous voodoo queens, a powerful missing charm—and a deadly witch who seems to be targeting the city’s magical community. And with the case getting hotter by the second, Katie will have to work fast to track down the talisman and the killer before the timer runs out…

A Magical Cats Mystery

Author: Sofie Kelly - website
genre - cozy mystery with a touch of paranormal
location -  Minnesota
occupation - librarian

recipe for Owen's Stinky Crackers

~*~*~*~

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat
February 2011
Obsidian

ISBN-13: 978-0451232496

When librarian Kathleen Paulson moved to Mayville Heights, Minnesota, she had no idea that two strays would nuzzle their way into her life. Owen is a tabby with a catnip addiction and Hercules is a stocky tuxedo cat who shares Kathleen's fondness for Barry Manilow. But beyond all the fur and purrs, there's something more to these felines.

When murder interrupts Mayville's Wild Rose Music Festival, Kathleen finds herself the prime suspect. More stunning is her realization that Owen and Hercules are magical-and she's relying on their skills to solve a purr-fect murder.

~*~*~*~

 
Sleight of Paw
September 2011
Obsidian

ISBN-13: 978-0451234537

Mayville Heights, Minnesota librarian Kathleen Paulson never wanted to be the crazy cat lady. But after Owen and Hercules followed her home, she realized her mind wasn't playing tricks on her-her cats have magical abilities.

When the body of elderly do-gooder Agatha Shepherd is found near Kath's favorite local café, she knows Owen's talent for turning invisible and Hercules's ability to walk through walls will give the felines access to clues Kathleen couldn't get without arousing suspicion. Someone is hiding some dark secrets-and it will take a bit of furtive investigating to catch the cold-hearted killer.

~*~*~*~

 
Copycat Killing
May 2012
Obsidian

ISBN-13: 978-0451236623

It's been raining cats and dogs in Mayville Heights. The small town's been deluged, and now the local artists' co-op is on the verge of flooding. Kathleen has been up all night helping her friends move their creations to the safety of the upstairs studio.

The artwork survives, but when controversial mask maker Jaeger Merrill is found drowned in the co-op basement, Kathleen questions whether the death was accidental. After she discovers the artist was using an assumed name, she realizes she can't actually assume anything about him. With the help of handsome detective Marcus Gordon—and her cats' extraordinary powers of detection—it's up to Kathleen to unmask a killer.

~*~*~*~

Cat Trick
February 2013
Obsidian

ISBN-13: 978-0451234537

A group of Mayville Heights’ business people hope to convince the Chicago-based company, Legacy Tours, to sell a vacation package in their town. Legacy Tours partner, Mike Glazer, grew up in Mayville Heights, but it seems he’s not the same small-town boy people remember. Everyone seems to have an issue with the opinionated loudmouth Mike has become—until someone shuts him up for good.

When Kathleen and her cat, Hercules, discover Mike’s body near the boardwalk, she can’t help but get involved in the investigation—even if it might torpedo her relationship with Detective Marcus Gordon. Now, with a little help from Hercules and Owen, it’s up to Kathleen to make sure the killer is booked for an extended stay in prison before some else takes a permanent vacation.

~*~*~*~

Final Catcall
October 1, 2013

ISBN-13: 978-0451414700

With her sort-of boyfriend Marcus calling it quits and her ex-boyfriend Andrew showing up out of the blue, Kathleen has more than enough drama to deal with—and that’s before a local theatre festival relocates to Mayville Heights. Now the town is buzzing with theatre folk, and many of them have their own private dramas with the director, Hugh Davis.

When Davis is found shot to death by the marina, he leaves behind evidence of blackmail and fraud, as well as an ensemble of suspects. Now Kathleen, with a little help from her feline friends Owen and Hercules, will have to catch the real killer before another victim takes a final curtain call.

~*~*~*~

A Midwinter's Tail
October 2014

ISBN-13: 978-0451414717

Winter in Mayville Heights is busy and not just because of the holidays. Kathleen Paulson is hard at work organizing a benefit at the Stratton Theater to raise money for the library’s popular Reading Buddies program. When a guest at the gala drops dead, Kathleen, along with her magical cats Owen and Hercules, becomes entangled in secrets and murder.

The victim is the ex-wife of town “entrepreneur” Burtis Chapman, but she hasn’t lived in the area in years. And though everybody is denying knowledge of why Dayna Chapman was back in town, as Kathleen and her detective boyfriend, Marcus, begin nosing around, they discover more people are connected to the deceased than claimed to be. Now Marcus, Kathleen, and her uncanny cats have to unravel this midwinter tale before the case gets cold.

~*~*~*~

Faux Paw
October 2015

ISBN-13: 978-0451472151

Magical cats Owen and Hercules are back and ready to help librarian Kathleen Paulson pounce on a killer art thief. Normally, the arrival of an art exhibition at the Mayville Heights library would be cause for celebration. But thanks to the overbearing curator and high-tech security system that comes with it, Kathleen’s life has been completely disrupted. Even Owen and Hercules have been affected, since their favorite human doesn’t seem to have a spare moment to make their favorite sardine crackers, take them for a ride in her truck, or listen to Barry Manilow.

But when Kathleen stops by the library late one night and finds the curator sprawled on the floor—and the exhibition’s most valuable sketch missing—it’s suddenly time to canvass a crime scene. Now Kathleen, her boyfriend Detective Marcus Gordon, and her clever cats have to sniff out a murderous thief, before anyone else has a brush with death.