Gretchen Rue - Free Library Land Online - Biography

Steeped to Death

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 09:50:19 +0300

For fans of Laura Childs and Amanda Flowers, it’s teatime in Raven Creek—but a murder at the The Earl’s Study sets the stage for an intoxicating brew of small-town chicanery with a hint of the supernatural.
Phoebe Winchester’s beloved aunt Eudora has a taste for adventure—and a knack for making magical tea. It’s even rumored that she just might be a witch. So when Eudora passes away and leaves everything to her niece—her Victorian mansion, her bookshop/tea store, The Earl’s Study, and one very chubby orange cat named Bob—Phoebe gets more than she bargained for. And she knows she’s in deep when a dead man is found on the shop’s back step, apparently killed while trying to break in.

Two suspects immediately emerge among the townspeople of Raven Creek, Washington. There’s village busybody Dierdre Miller, who seems desperate to buy Eudora’s house, and handsome PI Rich, one of...

Playing with Magic

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 10:15:29 +0200

'Grab your favorite cup of tea and settle down in your favorite chair for this charming tale' - 5* NetGalley reviewer

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Return to Raven Creek with another cosy, witchy rom-com with a murder mystery twist...
As Phoebe Winchester, amateur witch and owner of Earl's Study, prepares to host her inaugural author event, nothing can spoil her big day. But when the celebrated birder and guest of honour, Sebastian Marlow, turns up dead, Phoebe's plans take an unexpected turn.
Determined to shield her beloved shop's reputation and unearth the truth behind Sebastian's death, Phoebe turns to her childhood friend and suave private investigator, Rich Lofting.
Can Phoebe and Rich untangle the web of lies before the killer strikes again?

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Perfect for fans of:
Witchy romance
Murder mystery twists
Small-town settings

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Readers...

The Grim Steeper

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 10:15:28 +0200

Bookstore owner Phoebe Winchester is putting on her first major author event when a body is discovered and the plot goes off the rails in this cozy mystery, perfect for fans of Cleo Coyle and Jenn McKinlay.
Amateur witch Phoebe Winchester is excited to host her first big author event at the Earl’s Study, her book and tea store. The author, Sebastian Marlow, is a famous birder excited to put Raven Creek on the map for his rediscovery of a presumed-extinct bird. When Sebastian is found dead before his planned bird hike, where he expected to prove the existence of the bird to fellow birding enthusiasts, it’s obvious someone wanted him to be extinct, too.
Sebastian had a few unfriendly encounters with his staff—including his recently fired manager, who was seen arguing with him at the author event. Phoebe is determined to figure out who killed Sebastian, worried that it will negatively affect her store’s image that her biggest guest author...

Spell Bound

Fri, 29 Mar 2024 08:30:42 +0200

A Pie to Die For

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 21:35:12 +0300

For fans of Sofie Kelly and Joanne Fluke, it’s the end of the tourist season in Split Pine– but a murder at the Lucky Pie Diner stirs up trouble for the sleepy town in this series debut.
Este March runs the family-owned Lucky Pie Diner on Split Pine Island in Northern Michigan. The pies at Lucky Pie aren’t just good, they’re magical, with a family recipe that grants certain customers their greatest hopes and dreams when they eat the pie. The remote island is closed to outsiders over the winter months, but on the last day of the season, the unpopular new produce vendor, Jeff, turns up dead on his boat, and Split Pine Island’s peace goes up in smoke.
Tom Cunningham, the local sheriff, casts suspicion onto Este, who may have been the last person to see Jeff alive. Not to mention several people witnessed her getting into an argument with the rude vendor in some of his final hours. Este decides to clear her name and her diner’s...

Earl Grave Tea

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 20:15:43 +0200

Halloween is coming to Raven Creek, Washington, and in addition to the town going wild for themed decor, there is also brewing enthusiasm about a famed improv group coming to help stage an Agatha Christie play for the locals. When mega-Hollywood star Naomi Novak shows up, the whole town is star-struck. But local teashop owner and witch Phoebe Winchester is shocked for a different reason: the fiance Naomi has in tow is none other than Phoebe's cheating ex-husband, Blaine.
When Naomi is found dead during local auditions for the play, suspicion quickly turns to the person who served her a seemingly poisoned beverage: Phoebe's friend Amy! Phoebe knows Amy wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone a famous actress, so Phoebe will need to rely on magic, meddling, and of course, her feline sidekick Bob, to help figure out who really killed Naomi. Even if it might be her own ex.
And she needs to do it before they strike again.
A charming, fall-themed cozy perfect for curling up...

Something Wicked

Sat, 11 Nov 2023 23:40:26 +0200

Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Gilmore Girls in your next witchy rom-com obsession, with a murder mystery twist!

Recipe for a potion to demolish life as you know it:

Step one: pack up your life and move to your aunt's old house in a small, sleepy town.
Step two: discover that she was a witch.
Step three: discover that you're also a witch.
Step four: Add a sprinkle of butterflies for your childhood friend (who's suddenly incredibly hot), a dash of prying neighbours who want you to leave their town and never come back, and – the key ingredient – a murder on the steps of your aunt's old tea shop (which, as it happens, is also a magic apothecary).
Voila. Your spell is complete.

Death by a Thousand Sips

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 12:15:10 +0300

Phoebe Winchester is back on the case in Raven Creek when a body is discovered at an estate sale in Gretchen Rue’s second book in the Witches’ Brew mystery series, perfect for fans of Laura Childs and Cleo Coyle.
Ever since she moved to Raven Creek, Washington, Phoebe Winchester knew she would have to grow accustomed to having a lot on her plate. She’s beginning to make the Victorian manor she inherited from her dear and adventurous Aunt Eudora feel more like home, successfully running the bookstore and tea shop, The Earl’s Study, and learning to harness her recently discovered magical powers. But when she discovers a dead body at an estate sale—even Phoebe wonders if this is simply too much.
Rumors of Phoebe’s involvement force her to take action; she needs to find the killer and clear her own name, once again. She enlists Rich Lofting, the handsome private detective and her childhood friend, in her investigation, all while she...