Biscuits and Bedlam - a Paw Paws Pet Bakery Cozy Mystery Book 1
She traded her old life for a brand-new bakery. She didn't expect to trade her grand opening for a murder scene.
If you've been looking for a cozy mystery fresh start, a series that opens with a character rebuilding her life from scratch, finding her people, and stumbling into more trouble than she ever bargained for, you just found it.
Tillie Moore is a divorced empty nester from Alabama who does not intend to spend the second half of her life being quiet about it. When her marriage of twenty-five years falls apart, she takes her divorce settlement, her St. Bernard named Daisy, her opinionated miniature pig named Beans, and what's left of her dignity and moves to Sweet Haven, Michigan. Her plan is simple: open Paw Paw's Bakery, a one-of-a-kind pet bakery on Main Street, and finally build something that belongs entirely to her.
The night before her grand opening, she finds her grumpy next-door neighbor dead on her bakery floor.
That is not part of the plan.
Now the sheriff is asking questions Tillie doesn't love the sound of. The Sweet Haven gossip mill is already running at full speed. And Tillie, who has been in town for approximately five minutes, is somehow the prime suspect in a murder she definitely did not commit. She didn't move all the way to Michigan to become a murder suspect. But with her fresh start, her bakery, and her reputation all on the line, she has no choice but to find the real killer herself.
Good thing she's stubborn.
Biscuits and Bedlam is Book 1 in the Paw Paw's Pet Bakery cozy mystery series — set in the charming lakeside town of Sweet Haven on the shores of Lake Michigan, where everyone knows your name, everyone knows your business, and murder keeps turning up at the worst possible moments. It's a cozy mystery series Michigan readers will recognize in its bones. Small town, tight community, four seasons, and the particular chaos of a town that doubles in size every summer.
If you love an amateur sleuth small town mystery with a protagonist who gets funnier and braver with every book, Tillie Moore is your next obsession. She's not a detective. She has no formal training. What she has is a nose for trouble, a friend group that refuses to let her face anything alone, and two animals who steal every scene they're in. This is a cozy mystery with animal sidekicks. Daisy the St. Bernard is loyal, enormous, and perpetually underfoot. Beans the miniature pig has never once in his life been told no and considers this entirely reasonable.
Over the course of the series, her pets and her found family, become the community she didn't know she needed.
Each book in the series solves a complete mystery with no cliffhangers and no loose ends. The cases range from a murder at a Halloween pet costume contest to a missing jeweled star at the Christmas Jubilee to a dead lawyer with Tillie's name in his pocket. What stays consistent across every book is the warmth, the humor, and the feeling that Sweet Haven is a place worth coming back to.
If you're a fan of books like Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series or Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Bear mysteries, cozy, character-driven, and endlessly readable, the Paw Paw's Pet Bakery series was made for you. Start with Biscuits and Bedlam and see how long you last before clicking Book 2.
Series: Paw Paw's Pet Bakery Cozy Mystery, Book 1
Genre: Cozy Mystery / Amateur Sleuth / Small Town Mystery
Tone: Lighthearted, warm, witty, clean
Perfect for fans of: Joanne Fluke, Diane Mott Davidson, Rita Mae Brown
Pets and Perjury - a Paw Paws Pet Bakery Cozy Mystery Book 2
Spring is blooming in the charming town of Sweet Haven, and Tillie's pet bakery is thriving. Life seems peaceful until one evening, when Tillie’s friend Hilary stumbles upon a shocking discovery: Walden Stout, a local attorney, lying dead behind the Sweet Haven Coffee Beanery.
Walden had been representing accused embezzler Theo Strauss, which raises many questions. Could rival attorney Dawson Holmes be the culprit? Or is there more to Walden’s death, especially since he had Tillie’s name in his pocket? Now, Tillie must unravel the mystery without endangering herself. Can she find the killer before it’s too late?
Hijinks and Holly - a Paw Paws Pet Bakery Cozy Mystery - Book 4
When a killer frames her friend, a small-town baker and her 100-pound sidekicks must deliver justice.
In this cozy mystery, Tillie Moore is juggling gingerbread lattes, peanut butter dog bones, and three enormous, highly spoiled pets. But when a murderer strikes Sweet Haven’s signature holiday festival, Tillie’s cozy life turns cold. Someone poisoned Santa, and the police have pinned the crime on Tillie’s baker, Missy.
The evidence—including a pan stolen from Tillie’s own pet bakery—suggests a calculated framing. But who would go to such lengths? Racing against the clock, Tillie and her canine companions, Daisy and Mr. Cuddles, track a killer lurking among rival elves, disgruntled Santa applicants, and desperate socialites.
With the killer trying to shut down the Jubilee and Tillie narrowly surviving an attack, she must expose the true culprit before she becomes the next target on their naughty list.
Claws and Clues - a Paw Paws Pet Bakery Cozy Mystery Book 5
Tillie Moore, owner of Paw Paw’s Pet Bakery, usually focuses on selling delicious treats to the residents of Sweet Haven, Michigan. But when the town’s reigning Queen of Mean, Edna Birch, is murdered, Tillie finds herself distracted by a bitter rivalry gone fatal.
All signs point to Stanley Potter, Edna’s arch-nemesis over the annual best lawn contest. Stanley had plenty of motive, especially after his prize-winning rabbit, Lord Fluffington, vanished just days before the murder. Now, with Sheriff Ben Donovan zeroing in on Stanley, Tillie starts searching for clues only a baker can find.
But when Tillie’s own beloved pet pig is poisoned, she realizes the killer is closer, and far more dangerous, than anyone suspected. Can Tillie clear Stanley's name, save the missing cat and rabbit, and track down the murderer before Sweet Haven’s gossip turns deadly?
Kitties and Christmas - a Paw Paws Pet Bakery Cozy Mystery Book 6
The holiday spirit in Sweet Haven takes a dark turn when the town’s most cherished treasure—the priceless antique star meant to crown the Christmas tree—vanishes during the annual lighting ceremony. Just as the countdown ends, the lights flicker out, panic erupts, and when the power returns…the star is gone.
Tillie Sweet, along with her loyal companions—dogs Daisy and Mr. Cuddles, clever cat Logan, and mischievous pig Beans—find themselves tangled in the mystery. Snowy paw prints hint at an unusual thief, but suspicion quickly lands on humans with plenty to hide. Could it be Philip, the Chamber of Commerce president with whispers of missing funds, or the desperate distant heir who’s been trying to reclaim the family heirloom for years?
With the whole town demanding answers and holiday cheer on the line, Tillie must untangle lies, follow the clues, and keep her menagerie out of mischief before Christmas is ruined.