Have you ever thought that what a good crime novel really needs is a meet cute? Yeah, me too. Maybe that’s because I’ve written thirty-nine romance novels (two under Cara Tanamachi and thirty-eight under the name Cara Lockwood, had my first turned into a movie, now streaming on Amazon Prime, and hit the USA Today bestseller list).
In fairness, I’ve also thought a romance might be better with a crime scene. I mean, there’s Romantasy, so why not Romanstery?
That’s why my fortieh book sets out to do just that. Kiss, Marry, Kill, combines my two favorite genres on earth: Romance and a twisty Whodunit.
In Kiss, Marry, Kill, true crime podcaster Ella Takeda finds herself investigating a series of Chicagoland murders, where the Canceled Killer dispatches people who’ve been shamed online in increasingly ironic ways. But when Ella puts the wrong suspect on blast, she gets fired from her job, has to head home to the small Wisconsin resort town where she grew up, and even worse, it seems the killer might have followed her home.
Ella soon starts to suspect the Canceled Killer might be one of the three men she’s dating: Mateo, a playful stuntman with all the right moves, Russo, the Chicago police detective who’s a walking Swipe Right, and Jude, her brother’s best friend, whose nerd vibe might be the perfect disguise for a ruthless killer. No spoilers, but by the end you find out whodunit AND you get a nice little Happily Ever After (it’s a twofer).
If you want more HEA in your next mystery, here are just a few Romansteries you should read.
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Kate Eberle, If Books Could Kill
If you’ve seen Obsession, you already know to be careful what you wish for. Main character Roxie didn’t get the memo. Her wish is to be a main character in one of the heartfelt, swoony, rom-coms of her favorite author, Anna Matthews.
But when her wish come true, and the handsome stranger in her meet cute tries to kill her, she starts to realize that Anna Matthews’ new book is a crime thriller. It would be like someone wishing to be in one of my romance novels only to discover they’d landed in Kiss, Marry, Kill. Roxie, of course, finds help (and real chemistry) with Grant Hoffman, an English professor with a love of crime novels.
This sizzling whodunit takes place in both Boston and London, a must-read for lovers of both genres.
Kate Posey, Serial Killer Games
Do you want to be a fly on the wall as a possible serial killer falls for his true-crime obsessed co-worker? This whirlwind trainwreck of a romance is dark (how would you like to get severed Ken doll parts wrapped in little boxes as sweet tokens of affection?), all set against the backdrop of the Paper Pusher who likes to shoves executives off the tops of office high rises.
This book has it all: sizzling chemistry, a real whodunit, and dark humor that had me laughing out loud. It’s like if The Hating Game and Silence of the Lambs had a baby. Trust me when I tell you, this book grabs you and doesn’t let go.
R.L. Kilmore, Murder at Cinnamon Falls
Small town. Check. Second-chance romance. Check. A Hallmark-worthy Fall Fest with Pumpkin Spice lattes and romance in the air. Check and Check. And…a crime scene, because we’re going there. When a body shows up at a local diner with a note that simply asks the question: Who’s next?
Amateur detective Nia teams up with her sexy ex-high school boyfriend Jesse to solve this cozy mystery second chance romance that delivers more than its share of twist and turns.
Liz Lawson, It Happened One Murder
If you want the perfect balance of mystery and romance, this book’s for you. In this messy second-chance romance, Harriet Baker’s extravagant birthday party is crashed by…who else? Her ex, Nic, AND a dead body. When suspicious shade is thrown to Nic’s sister, the two reluctantly team up to solve the crime, and…you know, no spoilers, but absolutely, probably, fall in love.
Also? There are more twists in this book than you can shake a butcher knife at, which will keep you guessing until the very end.
Aya de León, A Spy in the Struggle
Are you a fan of One Battle After Another, but wished it had a happily ever after? Then you need to read this razor-sharp, thrill a minute book by Aya de León, winner of the International Latino Book Award. When Yolanda Vance is asked by the FBI to spy on her own people, she’s got enough second-thoughts even before a dead body shows up. Turns out, she might just be falling for an activist who’s opened her eyes and her heart.
Shay Kauwe, The Killing Spell
Hundreds of years in the future, a catastrophic flood destroys the Hawaiian Islands and unleashes magic in the world. Displaced to Los Angeles, a young Hawaiian woman named Kea must fight to clear her name when a Filipino activist is killed by a specific Hawaiian death spell. She needs to catch a killer, though she winds up catching feelings for Sora, whose ability to read minds comes in handy when investigating a murder.
This is the urban fantasy/mystery/paranormal romance steeped in Hawaiian lore that you never knew you needed until now.
Kat Hillis, Rosiee Thor, Dead and Breakfast
I’m voting vampire couple Arthur and Sal the best pairing since Laszlo and Nadja from What We Do In the Shadows. This book had me from the first stellar opening line: “The lobby of the Iris Inn was dead, but then so were its owners.” When the mayor of their quaint Oregon town winds up murdered in their begonias—with two puncture marks in his neck—my new favorite bed and breakfast owners must solve the mystery.
This loving odd couple delights, and its sequel, Summer Coven, is out this August.
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