Welcome to Clare Lockhart's Cozy World of Midlife Mysteries
If you love cozy mysteries featuring small towns, midlife sleuths, found family, paranormal elements, and a little magic, you’re in the right place.
As an award-winning author, I write stories where everyday heroines solve mysteries, forge deep friendships, and embrace second chances—often with a ghost or a wayward spell along the way.
It’s never too late for a fresh start, especially when midlife is when the real adventure begins.
A Ghostly Gift Awaits From the Midlife is Murder Series
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After a rough summer, Quinn Delaney is finally feeling good about her life. Her new cafe is bustling, and she’s gotten rid of her cheating husband.
Then a mysterious box shows up with surprising contents.
Quinn always does the honorable thing, so she and her best friend deliver the box to the rightful owner—a family who’s suffered a tragic loss—bringing happiness to everyone, right?
Wrong. Everything falls apart when she inadvertently starts a family feud. As tempers flare and family members tell stories that don’t add up, Quinn digs deeper to uncover the truth behind an ‘accidental death.’
Things go from bad to worse when she meets a troubled ghost who insists Quinn has put a woman in mortal danger.
They say no good deed goes unpunished, but surely Quinn couldn’t have given a killer a reason to strike again.
If you like sleuthing best friends, midlife debacles, and ghosts seeking justice, you’ll love this paranormal, cozy mystery in the Midlife is Murder series.
The Midlife is Murder Series
Come visit Bookend Bay where the coffee is spiced, the ghosts are cheeky, and midlife is murder.
Divorced cafe owner, Quinn Delaney, is going through a few changes. Some are welcome (an empty-nest and opening of her dream café) and some not so much (a sudden ability to see ghosts, an OCD twin from a parallel universe, and a rash of murders).
There’s little time to dwell on these absurdities because murder is afoot! Who knew Quinn’s paranormal visitors could be so useful? And with her best friend Toni at her side—murderers beware!
Available as eBooks, Paperbacks, Large Print, Audio, and in German
What Readers are Saying About the Midlife is Murder Series
What readers are saying about these stories:
"This story has many good life lessons, and great meaningful relationships."
"I love the notion of opening one's mind to new things we've never thought possible. And a reminder that it's never too late to consider reinventing ourselves."
"Clare Lockhart's writing style draws you in quickly and it feels like you're enjoying a cup of coffee with dear friends."
What readers are saying about the characters:
"I laughed out loud, held my breath in fear, and cheered Quinn and Toni on in their adventure."
"I felt like I knew the characters and was right beside them throughout the story."
"I really liked the idea of having a twin in a parallel universe that could pop in on the main character - just seems fun to me! The friendship between all the ladies trying to solve a murder, plus a ghost, sounded very genuine."
And more about these "page-turning mysteries":
"This was such a good book! The story captured my attention right from the start! I had trouble putting it down. Can’t wait to start the next book in the series!"
"I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put it down. The suspense and twist and turns had me on the edge of my seat until the end. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. Highly recommend reading."
"I really enjoyed this book. It had so many twists and turns! It’s fun watching the characters evolve! On to the next book in the series!"
The Midlife is Magic Paranormal Mystery Series
Come visit Whalesback Cove—a quirky seaside town where midlife comes with a magical twist.
Addie Keane was hoping for a quieter chapter when she turned fifty. Maybe open a shop. Walk on the beach. Avoid drama.
Instead? She finds out she’s a witch. A cursed one.
With powers wrapped in conditions, a tangled family legacy, and a talking cat who may have been a monk in a past life.
But Addie’s got a big heart and a knack for helping people, so when murder comes calling (as it tends to in small towns), she leans into her magic, her newfound circle of friends, and a whole lot of courage. Because midlife might be messy … but it’s also magic.
What Readers are Saying About the Midlife is Magic Series
What readers are saying about these stories:
"I didn't see it coming when the real murderer showed their true colors."
" Loved that one so much I'm getting the whole series...
50's are the new 30's!"
" Love these stories. Mystical touch and “experienced” women without coarse or degrading gratuitous elements. Very nice indeed. And such a great sense of suspense ."
What readers are saying about the characters:
"The author has created an amazing and unique plot to go with an imaginative group of characters making this hard to put down."
"I can relate to Addie's thoughts and feelings."
"I love the family dynamics at work in this series. This isn’t some happy-go-lucky story about finding out you are a witch and then taking on the world."
What readers are saying about this "great series!":
"I know a cozy mystery is working for me when I start imagining living in the community where it is set."
"This was a great storyline that I’m eager to see where it goes in the series!"
"I really enjoyed this book. It had so many twists and turns! It’s fun watching the characters evolve! On to the next book in the series!"
Book 1
Book 3
Book 1
Addie Keane thought her dream life in Whalesback Cove was perfect, until she started experiencing psychic visions. Now, she’s on a murder investigation that requires reaching out to a dead eyewitness! Addie recruits her friend Quinn Delaney to help communicate with the spirit. But secrets and an unruly ghost threaten their mission. Can they solve the murder before it’s too late?
Book 2
Book 3
Book 1
Life is supposed to be smooth sailing for Addie Keane when she moves home to develop her skincare products. But then a plea for help leads to the murder of one of her customers. When a long-lost aunt brings news of their cursed family witchcraft, Addie is stunned to learn the bizarre occurrences happening in Whalesback Cove might be her f
Life is supposed to be smooth sailing for Addie Keane when she moves home to develop her skincare products. But then a plea for help leads to the murder of one of her customers. When a long-lost aunt brings news of their cursed family witchcraft, Addie is stunned to learn the bizarre occurrences happening in Whalesback Cove might be her fault. Can she solve the murder and tame her wayward powers before another person succumbs to her unexpected enchantments? Find out in this paranormal, psychic witch, midlife is magic cozy mystery.
Book 3
Book 3
Book 3
Addie Keane has secrets that could turn anyone green with envy, literally! As a cursed witch, she’s starting to embrace her powers and untangle the twisted origins of her curse. But when a friend seeks her help in solving an unsolved murder, Addie faces a vexing challenge: using her supernatural abilities while keeping her witchcraft unde
Addie Keane has secrets that could turn anyone green with envy, literally! As a cursed witch, she’s starting to embrace her powers and untangle the twisted origins of her curse. But when a friend seeks her help in solving an unsolved murder, Addie faces a vexing challenge: using her supernatural abilities while keeping her witchcraft under wraps. Navigating a labyrinth of secrets, motives, and intertwined relationships, can Addie crack the case without exposing her witchy side? And what about her estranged brother’s return? He’s unaware of the impending curse on his own daughter. Find out what happens as Addie walks the tightrope of justice and witchcraft.
Book 4
Book 4
Book 3
When Addie Keane stumbles upon a dead body at a wedding reception, her witchy senses scream foul play. Is it murder or an accident? And can she trust her psychic visions to solve the mystery? With danger lurking and a centuries-old curse at play, nothing about Addie’s plan for freedom at fifty looks like smooth sailing.
Book 5
Book 4
Book 5
When a 19th-century diary appears on the scene, Addie thinks she’s stumbled upon the answer to clear her ancestor’s name and break the curse making her magic dangerously unstable. But will she crack the case in time? With a sassy feline familiar and her charmingly supportive aunt by her side, Addie races against time to prove to a skeptical local coven that she’s more than just a magical mess!
A Spirited Swindler
A Spirited Vengeance
A Spirited Swindler
Just when Quinn Delaney thought everything was on track for her new café’s opening, she meets a ghostly stranger with an unfathomable secret about her husband. Now, she’s being haunted, swindled, and questioned about a murder.
A Spirited Double
A Spirited Vengeance
A Spirited Swindler
An exorcism gone wrong. A web of corruption only she can stop. A ghostly encounter whose shocking allegation throws a café owner into a panic and changes her life forever.
A Spirited Vengeance
A Spirited Vengeance
A Spirited Vengeance
An OCD twin from a parallel universe. A meddling ghost. A desperate plea for help. Is it time for Quinn to accept her role as an apron-wearing crusader for justice?
A Spirited Betrayal
A Spirited Accusation
A Spirited Vengeance
Quinn’s holiday becomes an investigation when an offbeat acquaintance disappears after making an outlandish claim.
A Spirited Delusion
A Spirited Accusation
A Spirited Accusation
When a bad dream and reality collide, Quinn and Toni go undercover as contestants in a matchmaking competition to find a killer (and maybe even true love) and put a stop to Quinn’s murder-dreams, hopefully forever.
A Spirited Accusation
A Spirited Accusation
A Spirited Accusation
Quinn wants the best for her bestie, Toni, but when she finds a Bookend Bay baker dead, she must rethink what’s best when the baker’s ghost points a finger at her murderer-the new love of Toni’s life.
A Spirited Reckoning
A Spirited Reckoning
A Spirited Reckoning
When the ghost of a true-crime podcaster shows up in Quinn café and demands she help him solve a murder, she’s left with no choice. With the fired-up phantom leaving cryptic riddles and his unruly crew of spectral sleuths haunting her café, sales are tanking fast!
Canadian Cozies
Cocoa… Carols... Chaos.
Rookie investigators Juliet Marlow and Lucy Cooper are on the run.
Taking jobs as Santa’s helpers in a small, northern town is the perfect peaceful hideaway, until…
…the holiday calm unravels faster than a string of lights shorting out.
And it turns out that you can’t hang up a sleuth hat like a Christmas stocking.
From missing treasures, to deadly smoothies, to Dear Santa letters that spark murder investigations…
…welcome to Spruce Harbour Lodge, where Juliet and Lucy discover unwrapping small-town secrets is harder than they think.
Find out if the magic of Christmas can keep our two runaways safe in Tinsel Tragedy (Book 1); Mistletoe Misdeed (Book 2); Festive Folly (Book 3) and Rest in Wreath (Book 4)