Monday, February 12, 2024

VALENTINE'S DAY MYSTERIES

Although Valentine's Day is all about love, love and hate are often quite close...so this holiday is perfect for mystery crime fiction. Here's my updated Valentine's Day Crime Fiction list: Mysteries that take place on or around Valentine's Day. Be sure and check out my other blog, DyingforChocolate, for Valentine's Day Chocolate Reviews, Recipes, and Vintage Chocolate Ads.  And, I'll be posting my Sweetheart Sleuths mystery list tomorrow!

February 14, Valentine's Day, is also International Book Giving Day, so books are the perfect Valentine's Day gift. Bundle some of the following Valentine's Day Mysteries with a box of chocolate truffles, tie it all up in a red ribbon, and you're good to go!

As always, let me know if I've missed any titles.

Valentine's Day Mysteries

As Gouda as Dead by Avery Aames
Regulated for Murder by Suzanne Adair
Murder in the Paperback Parlor by Ellery Adams  

Love Lies Bleeding by Susan Wittig Albert
Death by Baguette by Jennifer S. Alderson
Valentine's Day is Murder by Carolyn Arnold
In Cold Chamomile by Joy Avon
Death of a Valentine by M. C. Beaton
Donut Hearts Homicide by Jessica Beck

Hot Chocolate and Homicide by Cindy Bell
Marked Down for Murder by Josie Belle
Valentines and Murder; Killer Valentine Cookies; Vicious Valentine by Patti Benning
A Manhattan Murder Mystery by Susan Bernhardt
The Broken Hearts Club by Ethan Black
Murder Borrowed, Murder Blue by Stephanie Blackmoore
A Witchy Valentine by Danica Britton

What Happened to Romance? by Franky A. Brown
Hearts & Hostages by Katherine H. Brown (novella)
Claws and Effect by Rita Mae Brown
Butter Off Dead by Leslie Budewitz
A Valentine for the Silencer by Cora Buhlert
Cajun Kiss of Death by Ellen Byron

How To Murder The Man Of Your Dreams by Dorothy Cannell
The Chocolate Cupid Killings by JoAnna Carl
The Mortsafe by Lillian Stewart Carl

This Old Homicide by Kate Carlisle
The Valentine's Day Ball by Susan Carroll
Sucker Punch by Sammi Carter
Cat Got Your Secrets by Julie Chase

Secret Valentine by Cherry Christensen
Lethal Treasure by Jane Cleland
A Holiday Sampler by Christine E. Collier
Red Roses for a Dead Trucker by Anna Ashwood Collins
A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette

St Valentine's Day Cookie Massacre by Elisabeth Crabtree
A Catered Valentine's Day by Isis Crawford
Murder on Valentine's Day by P. Creeden
Cupid's Curse; The Saint Valentine's Day Murders; Shamrock Shenanigans; The Valentine Mystery by Kathi Daley
Hard Feelings by Barbara D’Amato

A Valentine Wish by Sylviai Damsell
Lucy and the Valentine Verdict by Rae Davies
Love on the Rocks by Debbie De Louise

A Valentine Murder by Steve Demaree
Love With The Proper Killer by Rose Deshaw
My Lady Valentine by Lindsay Downs
The Saint Valentine's Day Murders by Ruth Dudley Edwards
Operation: Romance by Jessica L. Elliot
Valentine's Day by Liz Dodwell

The Stolen Valentine by K.J. Emrick
Plum Lovin’ by Janet Evanovich
My Funny Valentine by Caroline Fardig (novella)
Corridor Man: Valentine by Mark Faricy

A Valentine's Day Miracle by Tammy Falkner
Happy Valentine’s Day: My Funny Valentine by Michelle Fitzpatrick
The Living Daylights by Ian Fleming
Addressed to Kill by Jean Flowers (Camille Minichino)
Peach Cobbler Murder by Joanne Fluke
A Flair for Truffles by Deborah Garner

The Heartless Valentine by Kacey Gene
A Fatal Slip by Melissa Glazer
Valentine by Celina Grace
St. Valentine's Night by Andrew M. Greeley
Caveman's Valentine by George Dawes Green
A Valentine for One by Patrice Greenwood
My Bloody Valentine by Alastair Gunn
Bleeding Hearts by Jane Haddam
Sweetheart in High Heels by Gemma Halliday
The Valentine's Day Murder by Lee Harris
Deadly Valentine by Carolyn G. Hart
Deadly Valentine by Jenna Harte

Romantically Ever After by Liwen Y. Ho
Death of a Chocoholic by Lee Hollis
The Ghost of Valentine Past by Bobbie Holmes
Cupid's Revenge; The Sham by Melanie Jackson

Handmade Hearts by June McCrary Jacobs
Ghoul You Be My Valentine? by Olivia Jaymes

Valentine's Day Vandal by Annie Jones
Vistas, Vices, & Valentines by Tonya Kappas
Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz 

A Big Surprise for Valentine's Day by Jackie Lau
Killing Cupid by Laura Levine
Valentine's Victim by Harper Lin

Love from A to Z by Lia London
A Fatal Slip by Meg London 

February Fever by Jess Lourey
The Venom in the Valentine; Lady Rample and Cupid's Kiss by Shea MacLeod 
Moonshine Valentine by Tegan Maher 

Heart Attack by Terri Main

The Scent of Murder by Jeffrey Marks
Valentine's Cupcake & Murder by Ann S. Marie
A Valentine's Kill by Mona Marple
The Winter Mystery by Faith Martin
Sugar and Spite by G.A. McKevett
Buttercream Bump Off by Jenn McKinlay
The Valentine Victim by Dougal McLeish

Scot on the Rocks by Catriona McPherson
Valentine Murder; Chocolate Covered Murder: Valentine Candy Murder by Leslie Meier

Love You to Death by Grant Michaels
Murder Bites by Addison Moore & Bellamy Bloom
Cat Playing Cupid by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

Valentines & Victims Donna Muse
The Body in the Attic, The Body in the Snowdrift by Katherine Hall Page

A Blossom of Murder by Summer Prescott
Be My Valencrime by Amy M. Reade
A Judgment in Stone by Ruth Rendell

My Deadly Valentine by David W. Robinson
Valentined by Patricia Rockwell
The Valentine's Day Clue by Rupali Rajopadhye Rotti

Chocolate Covered Murder by Necole Ryse
Valentine by Tom Savage
The Treble Wore Trouble by Mark Schweizer
Sweet Hearts by Connie Shelton
Gilt by Association by Karen Rose Smith
My Wicked Valentine by Lotta Smith 
Mystery on Valentine's Day by Lee Strauss

Deadly Valentine by Kathleen Suzette

Murder of a Pink Elephant by Denise Swanson
One Rough Man by Brad Taylor

My Nerdy Valentine by Vicki Lewis Thompson
The Coniston Case by Rebecca Tope
Pineapple Valentine Mystery by Amy Vansant
Thou Art with Me by Debbie Viguie 

Outside Valentine by Liza Ward
The Lucy Valentine mystery series by Heather Webber
Valentine's Blizzard Murder by Linnea West

The Haunted Valentine by J.A. Whiting
Red Roses by J.A. Whiting and Nell McCarthy  
Daughter Of The Stars by Phyllis A. Whitney
Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff 


Short Stories

Crimes of Passion with stories by Nancy Means, B.J. Daniels, Jonathan Harrington and Maggie Right Price
Cupid Shot Me, a collection of  Valentine's Day LGBTQ+ mystery stories, edited by Frank W. Butterfield

Valentine's Madness: a 1920s Historical Mystery Anthology, edited by Beth Byers
"My Heart Cries Out for You" by Bill Crider
Valentine's Day Is Killing Me edited by Leslie Esdaile, Mary Janice Davidson, Susanna Carr
"Sweetheart in High Heels" by Gemma Halliday
Crimes of the Heart edited by Carolyn G. Hart
Love and Death, edited by Carolyn G. Hart
Valentine’s Day: Women Against Men-Stories of Revenge edited by Alice Thomas
Homicidal Holidays: Fourteen Tales of Murder and Merriment, edited by Donna Andrews, Barb Goffman & Marcia Talley

Children's Literature

Valentine's Day Disaster by Geronimo Stilton
Scooby-Doo! A Very Scary Valentine's Day

As always, let me know if I've missed any titles!

2 comments:

Katy McCoy said...

Is there any way, next time, to show what is a new mystery to the list? I love your lists and I use them to track holiday mysteries but when a new one comes out, I have to go through each book to see if it's new. Just a suggestion.

Janet Rudolph said...

That's a great idea, Katy.. I will try to remember... but like my lists, i'm getting older. LOL