Murder Beneath Her Studio by Maple Quinn
A vanished artist, a prophetic diary, and a town full of secrets. Discover why Molly McBeal is the sleuth you need to meet in Blue Heron Bay.
A seaside mystery. A town full of secrets. And a vanished artist.
Former therapist Molly McBeal arrives in Blue Heron Bay hoping to rebuild her life and open a community coffeehouse. But her fresh start collapses when local painter Luna Ashworth disappears—and Molly becomes the last person seen with her.
With the police chief nursing a grudge, Molly McBeal turns to the one ally she fully trusts: Star, her intuitive Mini Aussiedoodle whose shifting blue eyes react to deceit like a living lie detector.
As Molly digs deeper, she discovers Luna’s prophetic art, hidden diaries, and a trail of warnings pointing to the powerful Ashworth family.
Gossip erupts. Suspects swirl, including Luna’s obsessive ex and a jealous rival artist, but someone far closer to Luna had everything to lose.
When Molly receives a threat and sabotage strikes her home, one thing becomes clear:
If she doesn’t find the real killer soon, Blue Heron Bay may bury both the truth—and Molly—forever.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the ‘sixth sense’ we use to navigate the world. In Murder Beneath Her Studio, Maple Quinn gives us Molly McBeal—a former therapist who can read people like an open book. But the real star for me is Star, her intuitive Mini Aussiedoodle. Watching a dog act as a living lie detector while uncovering a prophetic artist’s secrets? Who wouldn’t be hooked from the first chapter.”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
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The Moonlight Vanishing by Maple Quinn
A missing man, a loyal Westie, and a town hiding sharp secrets. Molly McBeal and her intuitive Aussiedoodle, Star, must read between the lines to find the truth before the Harvest Moon sets on Sunflower Falls.
A missing man. A loyal dog. And a small town where sweetness hides its sharpest secrets.
Fifty-year-old Molly McBeal is only passing through Sunflower Falls, Kansas on her way to a new life in Cape Cod when the Harvest Moon Festival takes a troubling turn—an elderly man with dementia and his little Westie vanish into the night. The town shrugs it off as typical wandering. Molly’s new companion, Star—an intuitive Mini Aussiedoodle with eyes that miss nothing—disagrees.
Molly has spent decades reading people’s microexpressions, and the quiver in the daughter’s voice, the defensiveness of the town’s security chief, and the evasiveness of a jittery carnival worker all whisper the same thing: something is wrong. Very wrong.
As Molly and Star follow overlooked trails—one made of human emotion, the other of canine instinct—they uncover motives no one wants unearthed: a caregiver at her breaking point, a festival vendor with secrets woven through his past, and a town too used to looking the other way.
When evidence starts to disappear and tempers flare, Molly realizes this mystery isn’t waiting for a detective.
It’s waiting for her—before someone’s silence becomes permanent.
“As an author, I’m always fascinated by how much we reveal without saying a word, so Molly’s talent for reading micro-expressions is absolutely fascinating. Teamed up with Star—a very clever Mini Aussiedoodle—to find a missing neighbor make this a heartfelt and tense page-turner!”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love my Weekly Notebook. Every Saturday, I share a curated round-up of the best cozy mysteries, plus exclusive updates on my own Jenna McGregor Mystery Series.
Want to read my new novella early? I'm currently recruiting for my Permanent ARC (Advance Reader) Team. Members get free early copies of all my books in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for the Willow Thorne ARC Team | Pre-order the Prequel on Amazon