Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Nina Hunt
Meet Nina Hunt — a competition turns deadly when murder strikes mid-biathlon. A roaring crowd, a field of suspects, and secrets someone will kill to keep.
The Book: Biathlon and Betrayal
It was supposed to be the highlight of the season: a high-stakes biathlon, a roaring crowd, the snow and the cheers and the thrill of the chase. Then, in the middle of the competition, someone turns up dead — and the celebration curdles into something far colder.
Suddenly every competitor is a suspect, the crowd's excitement has turned to panic, and no one knows who might be next. Beneath the medals and the applause runs a tangled history of jealousy, old betrayals, and secrets that someone is willing to kill to keep buried.
Every lead seems to open onto another, every suspect is hiding something, and every answer just raises a sharper question. As the pressure builds and the clock runs down, finding the killer becomes a race against time — before the next shot finds its mark.
“A murder in the middle of a biathlon, a field where every competitor has something to hide, and a chill that has nothing to do with the snow—when things get too hot this summer, you can cool off with this winter read.”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
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Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Neela Snow
Meet Neela Snow — a culinary cozy with a café owner who knows before she thinks. A body behind the judging tent, a summer market full of secrets, and a tabby named Max.
Series: A Claire Winters cozy mystery
The Book: Petals, Preserves & Peril
Claire Winters knows two things the moment she finds the body behind the judging tent: that the woman is dead, and that it was no accident. The knowing always arrives before the thought does — it's just how Claire works — and at Millfield's Summer Market, with the ribbons still pinned and the preserves still cooling, her instinct is already certain this was murder.
The dead woman is Iris Bellamy, who ran the Summer Market with a gracious smile and an iron hand. She built something genuinely beautiful in Millfield, and she flattened the livelihood of anyone who got in her way to do it. Now someone has finally stopped her — and with her tabby Max at her heels and her friend Sophie digging through the town records, Claire sets out to find out who, before the wrong person takes the fall.
The suspects are not in short supply. There's Owen Pike, a farmer who watched his crops fail year after year while Iris prospered. There's Lila Bellamy, the niece kept so far under her aunt's thumb she may have finally snapped. As Claire pulls the threads, they tangle into water-board corruption, stolen opportunities, and the quiet, smiling cruelties of a woman who never once had to raise her voice — and the answer, when it comes, is simpler and sadder than Claire is ready for. Justice, she's learning, rarely feels like victory.
“A café owner whose intuition shows up before the evidence does, a summer market with teeth, and a tabby named Max underfoot—some of my favorite tropes!”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Greta Sinclair
Meet Greta Sinclair—award-winning Hattie and Moose author. A dead jockey, a steeplechase full of suspects, and three sleuthing pets with very strong opinions.
Series: A Hattie andMoose cozy mystery
The Book: Murder at the Steeplechase
Hattie Leiper went to the Hillshire Farms Steeplechase for the fancy hats, the cross-country jumps, and a double date with Detective Bo Beckett. She did not go expecting a body. But when jockey Austin Grimes turns up dead in the stables alongside his prized horse, the authorities call it a tragic accident—and Hattie, looking at the man's open mouth, is not buying their story.
The setting is bluegrass country at the height of steeplechase season—silk hats, polished boots, and a fortune in horseflesh moving across cross-country fences. Beneath the surface runs a tangle of debts, bitter rivalries, and jockeys with secrets they would rather keep buried. Detective Beckett handles the official inquiry; Hattie, working from the edges with characteristic quiet persistence, starts her own.
What follows is a steeplechase grounds full of people who had reasons to want Austin Grimes gone—rival jockeys with bruised pride, owners with money on the line, and stable hands who saw more than they ever intended to admit. Hattie's investigation is helped, complicated, and very loudly accompanied by her menagerie: grumpy Chow Chow Moose, whose nose for trouble is matched only by his disinterest in subtlety; feisty Yorkie Mini Pearl, who keeps everyone honest; and crime-magnet British Shorthair Cecil, who absolutely refuses to be left out of the sleuthing. The further Hattie pulls at the threads of bluegrass society, the clearer it becomes that the killer is not finished—and that she'd best find them before another body turns up in the stables.
“Greta is a 2025 Global Book Awards Silver Medal winner whose Hattie & Moose books are built to stand on their own, so if you love equestrian settings, Southern small-town whodunits, and pet-driven sleuthing in the tradition of Ellery Adams or Maggie Sefton, this is the one to pick up.”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Cora Finch
Meet Cora Finch — Riverbend Cozy Mystery series. A pet sitter, a plucky dachshund, and a cooking competition are the perfect mix for cozy intrigue.
Series: A Rvierbend Cozy Mystery
The Book:
Pet-sitter Bonnie Reed came for campfire snacks, not a body by the fire pit. But when Clive Harrow, a famously ruthless food critic, drops mid-competition, Bonnie’s knack for stumbling into trouble (and solving it) kicks in. Luckily, her stubby-legged sleuth Ziggy, the dachshund, is already on the case.
The suspect list reads like a grudge buffet: Jessie Lang, a contestant caught stealing recipes, and ranch judge Walt Brennan, roasted by brutal reviews, both have scores to settle.
Meanwhile, cameras roll, Mayor Tilly smiles, and Sheriff Cordell, stoic and sharp, is starting to trust Bonnie, and ask for her help.
Because inside that tent? Nothing was accidental. The air itself was weaponized.
Now Bonnie has to expose a killer who planned every breath, before the next “safety demo” turns deadly… and this time, the whole town is watching.
“I love a small town cozy mystery. Cora Finch has created a wonderful cozy world with pet sitter Bonnie and her sidekick Ziggy. Readers are enjoying this latest installment of her Riverbend Cozy Mystery series.”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: L.B. Dayton -
Meet LB Dayton — Kat Calloway Cozy Mystery series. A Cinco de Mayo taco showdown in Dallas, a dead rival chef, and a tuxedo cat supervising like a food critic.
Series: A Kat Calloway Cozy Mystery — Book 6 of 6
The Book:
Kat Calloway is a top head chef in Dallas — the kind of woman who can run a kitchen on a Friday night without breaking a sweat. So when her boyfriend Bash and her grandmother Gramartha sign up for the city's fiercest Cinco de Mayo taco showdown, Kat's only job is to cheer from the sidelines. Until a rival chef turns up dead, and the festival goes from sizzling to seriously suspicious.
Dallas on Cinco de Mayo means smoke, salsa, and the kind of heat that has nothing to do with the grills. The taco competition is a citywide event, the trophies matter, and the trash talk runs hot enough to curdle the crema. When Bash and Gramartha land squarely in the suspect column, Kat has to step out from behind the line and start asking questions — because a top chef can handle kitchen chaos, but a murder investigation isn't on anyone's menu.
The suspect list grows hotter than ghost peppers. There's a disgraced judge with a grudge, a furious food critic with poison-pen tendencies, and a couple of former business partners who've been waiting years to settle a score. Through it all, Kat's tuxedo cat Tux supervises every move from the nearest countertop with the disdain of a Michelin reviewer. Then Gramartha is run off the road, and the case goes from spicy to sinister — and Kat has until the next round of cooking to figure out who's plating revenge.
🏆 #1 New Release in Cozy Culinary Mystery
Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (47 reviews)
What Readers Are Saying: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A great cozy mystery that kept me turning the pages until the very end! Great creative characters and writing style!" — Amazon Reviewer
Rating: 4.6 on Goodreads (51 ratings)
“A Cinco de Mayo taco showdown, a tuxedo cat with the disdain of a Michelin critic, and a grandmother named Gramartha — L.B. Dayton had me at “go.” #1 New Release in Cozy Culinary Mystery, 4.6 stars, and the sixth book in a series readers don’t want to put down. If you love food-forward cozies with a romance subplot, opinionated pets, and a sleuth who can hold her own in a kitchen, this one’s going straight to the top of my TBR.”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Becca Garner: Clues, Chaos, and a Cat
Meet Becca Garner — a new voice in paranormal cozy mystery. A cat adoption, an unconscious volunteer, and a ghost who refuses to stay quiet.
Series: Standalone
The Book: Hazel Merriweather walks into a cluttered coastal animal shelter looking for two simple things — a cat, and maybe a fresh start. What she walks back out with is an unconscious volunteer on the floor, a regret-tinged ghost only she can see, and a decision made by the cat himself. Edgar, sharp-eyed and gray, is going home with her — a fact he has settled before she has finished filling out the paperwork.
The shelter sits in a coastal town where the fog rolls in and stays as long as it likes, and Hazel quickly learns the staff is a maze of secrets. The attack on the volunteer has been brushed off as an accident — too quickly, in her opinion. The ghost is not satisfied. Neither is Edgar, who has opinions and will share them. Together the three of them start asking the questions no one at the shelter wants answered.
A conspiracy-obsessed janitor, long at odds with the victim, insists he was the real target — and may not be wrong. A fast-talking grant writer, shaken and evasive, has every reason to dread what an investigation will turn up. Add a missing rescue dog, muddy pawprints leading into the coastal fog, hushed conversations behind closed doors, and a box of secrets buried in the sand. If Hazel and Edgar cannot piece the truth together in time, the shelter will fall — and the past will stay buried with it.
What Readers Are Saying: Just launched — reader reviews are still coming in.
“A stubborn gray cat with strong opinions, a regret-tinged ghost who refuses to stay quiet, and a coastal animal shelter full of secrets. Becca Garner is a new voice in the paranormal cozy lane, and her launch reviews are still rolling in. If you love amateur sleuths with sharp-eyed animal sidekicks, take time to discover this new author..”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Sloan Foster—Cue the Catastrophe
Meet Sloan Foster — author of Cue the Catastrophe. Vintage costumes, a chandelier death played for laughs, and a nine-pound Chihuahua named Taco.
Series: A Marnie Devlin Cozy Mystery
The Book: Marnie Devlin retired from teaching English so she could spend her afternoons with her vintage costume collection, her nine-pound Chihuahua, and the quiet pleasure of saying yes when the local theater asks for help. When the Players Community Theater requests a few weeks of period costumes for their spring production, she expects sawdust, slapstick, and good company. What she gets is a director crushed by his own chandelier — in front of an audience that, for several long seconds, thinks the death is part of the bit.
The Players Community Theater is the kind of small-town stage where everyone has a history with everyone else, and the dead director was, as the audience is about to discover, notoriously cruel. Marnie's official police consultant badge gets her past the velvet rope. Her instinct for spotting what doesn't fit gets her past the cast's polished alibis. Taco — her Chihuahua, who has never once been wrong about a person — gets her past the rest. The trio start pulling threads, and the threads do not lead where anyone expected.
The scorned actress, with a shattered engagement and a freshly padded bank account, looks suspiciously like a suspect. The silver-haired theater legend, whose life's work was stolen by the dead director, looks suspiciously like a better one. Then a second body turns up. Then evidence appears in Marnie's own boutique trunk — the kind that does not arrive there by accident. Someone closer than Marnie thought is watching every move she makes. Taco knew first. Marnie just has to catch up before the killer takes the final curtain call.
What Readers Are Saying: Just launched May 8, 2026.
“A retired English teacher, a community-theater chandelier death the audience mistakes for part of the bit, vintage costumes with secrets in the trunk, and a nine-pound Chihuahua named Taco who is never, ever wrong about a person. Consider this your spring-afternoon-on-the-porch recommendation. ”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Sadie Greene—The Marine Who Came Back
Meet Sadie Greene — the San Diego author behind sweet, feel-good Southern California romance. A reality dating show, a Marine ex, and an eight-year-old truth detector.
Series: Casa Dorada Romances series
The Book: A tv personality comes to Casa Dorada to host a glossy reality dating show about second chances—the kind of polished, on-camera romance that's easy to script and hard to mean. Then she walks straight into Cole Whitaker, the Marine she loved fourteen years ago, the one who left and didn't look back. He's the resort's head of security now. He is, to put it gently, not thrilled to see her.
The trouble is the resort is small and the days are long. Cole has an eight-year-old son named Caleb — a self-styled truth detector with a documentary camera and an eye for the exact things grown-ups would rather he not film. There's a dog who has decided, with the unshakable confidence of a good dog, that she belongs to the pack. There are evening walks and stolen glances and a co-host whose on-air romance stunts get a little too creative. Cole keeps showing up to rescue her from her own job, and she keeps letting him.
Then the producers smell ratings in the air. They want to broadcast the private moments — the real ones — to an audience that doesn't know the difference between a story and a life. Which leaves her with the kind of choice second-chance romances are built on: the career she came here for, or the family she didn't see coming.
Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars (5 ratings)
What Readers Are Saying: Just launched — reader reviews are still coming in.
“A grumpy Marine, an eight-year-old documentarian, and a dog who picks his own people—this one ticks every box on my forced-proximity wishlist. If you like your second-chance romance clean, sun-drenched, and full of the kind of small-town resort details that make you want to book a long weekend, The Marine Who Came Back is going in my TBR.”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Poppy McQuay—The Mallory Harper Cozy Mystery Collection
A terrier with a nose for clues. A reluctant sleuth with a knack for trouble. Meet Poppy McQuay's Mallory Harper cozies — Books 1–3 in one bingeable boxset.
Series: A Mallory Harper Cozy Mystery — Boxset, Books 1–3
The Book: Welcome to Willow Creek, where the coffee is strong, the cardamom buns hide deadly secrets, and trouble has a habit of landing squarely in Mallory Harper's lap. She's the reluctant sleuth of the town — the one who never meant to get tangled up in anything, and somehow keeps tripping headfirst into it anyway.
This binge-worthy collection gathers the first three books in Poppy McQuay's Mallory Harper series. With a gossipy best friend, a smirking ex, and a terrier who treats crime scenes like treasure hunts, Mallory has to untangle grudges, dodge small-town gossip, and find the truths nobody wants uncovered — before she becomes the killer's next loose end.
Inside the boxset: Vendors, Villains, and a Very Good Dog (a festival vendor vanishes mid-event), Biscuits and a Body (a late-night errand leads Mallory to a dead baker), and Porchlights and a Murder (a silent street, a dead contractor, and a crash that makes no sense). Perfect for readers who like small-town charm, mischievous pets, and twisty whodunits that reward a full weekend on the couch.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars (3 reviews) — Amazon
What Readers Are Saying: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Fast-paced fun reads that keep you turning pages to see what will come up next!" — Early reader
“Three cozies, one terrier with a nose for mischief, and a sleuth who can’t seem to stay out of trouble? That’s what a weekend boxset should look like. I’ve got my eye on Willow Creek.”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Finley Page—The Poisoned Petal Express
A librarian. A rescued golden retriever named Bessie. A snowbound train and a dead influencer. Meet Finley Page — free on BookFunnel.
The Book: Librarian Charlotte Wren lives by lists and schedules. She likes knowing what's coming. So when she inherits a mystery bookstore from a great-aunt she barely knew, she does what any organized woman would — packs a neat suitcase, books a seat on the Poisoned Petal Express, and sets off to claim her inheritance the way you're supposed to.
One impulsive rescue of a shivering golden retriever named Bessie, and Charlotte's careful plans collapse in minutes. When ruthless influencer Dylan Rhinehart is found dead in his compartment during a blizzard, the elegant train becomes a locked-room mystery on rails. With Bessie at her side, a charming travel writer named Theo Parker, and rookie Deputy Mindy Collier on the case, Charlotte has to do the thing she's least comfortable with: improvise.
Was it the flamboyant magician Rhinehart humiliated? The ice-queen socialite shielding her husband's past? The quiet chef with a family secret Rhinehart was about to expose? As snowdrifts bury the train and the suspects grow desperate, Charlotte has to unmask the killer before they realize she's seen too much. On this train, everyone aboard is hiding something — but only one secret is worth killing for.
Rating: Just launched on BookFunnel — a brand-new reader magnet from Finley Page.
What Readers Are Saying: Fresh release — early readers are just discovering it.
“A librarian who inherits a mystery bookstore, a rescued golden retriever named Bessie, and a snowbound train with no way off? Every ingredient on my favorite-tropes list, all in one book. Yes please.”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Lilly Gibbs—A Hollowcrest Lodge Murder
A snowbound Colorado lodge. A murdered media mogul. Seven suspects, airtight alibis — and one reporter with a very clever Collie on her side.
Series: A Lila Lawson Cozy Mystery Series
The Book: Small-town reporter Lila Lawson thought her Colorado journalism retreat would mean quiet mornings, mountain views, and a notebook full of story ideas. What she didn't expect was a brutal blizzard — and media mogul Victor Graystone stabbed mid-signature in the middle of the lodge.
With the storm cutting off the outside world, Lila takes charge of the scene — cataloging clues and fighting the urge to straighten every room she walks into. Seven suspects emerge: a reporter whose career Victor destroyed, a business partner whose rage outpaces everyone else's, and a handful of rivals with reasons of their own. The problem? Every single one of them has an airtight alibi.
Then Lila and her loyal Collie, Ella, discover a hidden passage behind the lodge walls — and the whole case shifts. The killer wasn't trapped with the guests; they'd been using the lodge as a hunting ground all along. With a target on her back and nowhere left to run, Lila has to stay one step ahead of a culprit who now knows she's seen too much.
Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (12 reviews)
What Readers Are Saying: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "The characters were complex, the plot intriguing and well-paced, the world solidly drawn. A great addition to the series." — Amazon reviewer
“A snowbound mountain lodge, a killer who’s been hiding in the walls, and a Collie named Ella who sounds like she’ll steal every scene? This one’s going straight to the top of my stormy-Sunday-afternoon reading pile. ”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: K. Z. Black—The Lakehouse Guests
An influencer books a cozy lake weekend. The house has other plans. Meet K. Z. Black and her locked-house thriller.
Series: standalone
The Book: Influencer Kellie arrives at remote Stillwater House with a suitcase full of good lighting and a weekend plan — film a "cozy getaway" mini-series for her followers. Lake views. Soft mornings. Easy content. What she doesn't expect are hosts with rehearsed smiles, rules that feel weaponized, and cameras that never seem to blink.
Six couples arrive as strangers… until two of them react like they've met before. At midnight, a brand-new episode appears under Kellie's show — scheduled without her — and a timer starts counting up, as if someone's filming her life in real time. The house's timeline doesn't match hers. Keys change hands. Room assignments shift. Then the storm rolls in, cell service dies, and the gate locks from the inside.
When the first death at the dock looks like an accident, Kellie wants to believe it. Until the next one. And the next. The security feeds glitch, delay, and lie — proof that reality can be edited. Kellie came to capture a weekend. So why does Stillwater House look like it's been waiting for her?
Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars (13 reviews) — Amazon
“For readers who like their mysteries with a little more edge than sugar—this one looks genuinely unsettling. A remote lake house, cameras that won’t look away, and a weekend that refuses to go according to plan. Not my usual Maple Grove fare, but I’m always up for a change of pace when the setup is this cinematic!”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Greta Sinclair — The Great Nashville Bake Off Mishap
Meet Greta Sinclair — award-winning author of the Hattie and Moose Cozy Mystery series. A Nashville bake off, a collapsed judge, and furbabies with very strong opinions.
Series: A Hattie and Moose Cozy Mystery
The Book: Hattie Leiper never imagined her baking could earn a handshake from a famous TV judge — especially one that's followed by his sudden collapse.
During a tented garden bake off at a Belle Meade estate, Hattie and her bestie-slash-detective Bo Becket must navigate competitive bakers, daily mishaps, and sugary secrets. Was it a careless ingredient mix-up, or something more deliberate?
Between a retired nurse with suspicious medical knowledge, a seasoned pastry chef, and a tech-minded baker with a grudge, everyone becomes a suspect. And Hattie's furbabies — Moose the Chow Chow, Mini Pearl the feisty Yorkie, and Cecil the crime-magnet British Shorthair — are making their objections known at every turn.
🏆 2025 Global Book Awards Silver Medal Winner
Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars (110 reviews)
What Readers Are Saying: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Blossom SeaFarrer definitely knows how to write fantasy." — C. Gruver
Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (8 reviews)
“Hattie Leiper is one of those characters you root for from page one — and her furbabies have opinions about everything, which is exactly how it should be. Greta Sinclair won a 2025 Global Book Awards Silver Medal for good reason. If you love food, Southern charm, and a mystery that keeps you guessing, start here.”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Blossom Seafarer - Wildergrove Whispers
Meet Blossom SeaFarrer — author of the Dragons of Drakora series. A dragon on a sacred quest, a forest full of illusions, and a spell that changes everything.
Series: Dragons of Drakora (Book 2) — Fantasy Shifter Romance
The Book: A dragon on a sacred quest. A forest full of illusions. And a spell that binds two strangers together whether they like it or not.
Galdraux has one mission: find the Tree of Knowledge or lose his chance to become an elder. But the Wildergrove doesn't play fair, and when a quiet girl named Lyssaria offers help, he wakes up trapped by her magic. His counterspell binds her right back. Now neither can escape without the other.
What follows is an uneasy alliance through a hostile forest, villagers who want Lyssaria dead, and a bond that was never part of the plan. Galdraux must decide what matters more — the destiny he was born for, or the connection he never expected.
What Readers Are Saying: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Blossom SeaFarrer definitely knows how to write fantasy." — C. Gruver
Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (8 reviews)
“This one’s a little different from my usual picks — but if you’ve ever wanted your cozy reading to take a detour through an enchanted forest with dragons, this is your invitation. Blossom SeaFarrer builds a world you can get completely lost in.”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Susana Sage — Spiced to Death
Meet Susana Sage — author of the Texas Hill Country Cozy Mystery series. A needlepoint shop, a food festival murder, and a cat named Stitches who's on the case.
Series: A Texas Hill Country Cozy Mystery
The Book: When Tilly Martin trades city life for the small-town charm of Hillcrest, Texas, she never expects her dream of running a needlepoint shop to unravel into danger. But when a renowned chef is found dead just before the Hill Country Food Festival's opening dinner, it's clear someone has cooked up more than a recipe for success.
Rumors of secret ingredients, stolen recipes, and family rivalries simmer across the Hill Country. Every clue pulls Tilly deeper into the mystery — from feuding chefs to hidden legacies — and closer to a killer who won't hesitate to silence the truth.
Armed with a cryptic notebook, a mysterious spice mix, and her mischievous gray cat Stitches, Tilly must unravel a web of small-town secrets before the killer strikes again.
Rating: New release — be one of the first to review!
“A needlepoint shop, a food festival, a murdered chef, and a cat named Stitches. Susana Sage had me at the spice blend. If you love small-town Texas charm with a side of mystery, this one’s for you.”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Sylvia Grant — Confessions of a Wanna-Be Cowgirl
Meet Sylvia Grant — award-winning author of Confessions of a Wanna-Be Cowgirl. A fresh start, a psychotic chicken, and two cowboys who complicate everything.
Series: Standalone — Small Town Reinvention Romance
The Book: Carly Brooks died of humiliation — and Georgia Blake Brooks rose from the ashes with a new name, new boots, and a forty-something-item cowgirl glow-up list.
All she wants is a fresh start, a little peace and quiet, and maybe to win over her aunt's psychotic chicken, Henrietta. What she gets is a horse named Biscuit who steals her heart, a town full of nosy neighbors, and not one — but two — cowboys who complicate everything.
Catching a cowboy might be easier than she thought. Figuring out which one's worth keeping? That's where it gets messy. Especially when secrets don't stay buried for long in small towns — and hers has the power to ruin the only home she's ever wanted.
🏆 Global Book Awards Bronze Medalist | #1 Amazon Bestseller
“A little something different from my usual picks — but if you love small towns, second chances, and a heroine who’s rebuilding her whole life from the boots up, Sylvia Grant will win you over. Also, there’s a psychotic chicken named Henrietta. I’m not over it.”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Ellis Thorne — Snowfall at Silver Run
Meet Ellis Thorne — author of the Sable Jones Cozy Mystery series. A snowstorm, a dead rider, and a horse-rescue owner who won't stop asking questions.
Series: Sable Jones Cozy Mystery (Book 1)
The Book: Divorced horse-rescue owner Sable Jones is just trying to get through winter at Silver Run when a difficult rider fails to return and Sable's Labrador, Max, brings home a scarf that turns worry into dread.
The death is ruled an accident, and in a tight-knit equestrian community, few people seem inclined to question it. The victim wasn't well liked. Her anxious nephew can't keep his story straight. The estate manager is a little too quick with spotless paperwork. And Sable's own circle has opinions she isn't sure she trusts.
With her towering ex-racehorse Blaze, a gruff mentor who knows horses better than people, and gossip flying faster than the snow, Sable pieces together a puzzle someone hoped would stay buried.
Because in Silver Run, accidents are convenient — and the truth is anything but.
“A snowstorm, a dead rider, and a town that would rather not ask questions. Ellis Thorne writes the kind of cozy mystery where the setting is as much a character as the people — and the horses. If you love atmosphere with your whodunit, this is your book.”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon
Guest Sleuth Spotlight: Daisy Stone — Murder on the Morning Route
Meet Daisy Stone — author of The Dog Walking Detective Series. A dog walker, a dead body by the lighthouse, and a beagle-corgi who's always on the trail.
Series: The Dog Walking Detective Series (Book 1)
The Book: Six months ago, Megan traded corporate burnout for a simple life walking dogs in a picturesque seaside town. She knows everyone's routines, their secrets, and which dogs will do anything for treats.
What she didn't expect? To stumble upon the murdered body of controversial real estate developer Marcus Sterling near the historic lighthouse.
As the town's gossip reveals that nearly everyone had a motive, Megan's marketing background gives her an unexpected edge — she notices patterns others miss. But when someone starts leaving mysterious warnings along her walking routes, it becomes clear that asking questions in a small town can be dangerous.
With her loyal beagle-corgi Biscuit at her side and reluctant guidance from Detective Hayes, Megan must untangle decades of secrets before the killer strikes again.
“A dog walker, a murdered real estate developer, and a beagle-corgi named Biscuit — yes, really. Daisy Stone had my attention from page one. If you love a smart heroine who notices what everyone else misses, grab this one.”
Love Small-Town Mysteries?
If you enjoyed this spotlight, you'll love the Maple Grove Gazette—my weekly blog where a certain town archivist reports on the latest incidents in Maple Grove (there are always incidents), and I share the cozy mystery authors and books I think you need to know about.
👉 Read the latest Maple Grove Gazette
Want free early copies of my books? My ARC team, The Inner Circle, gets every new release before it hits Amazon — in exchange for honest reviews.
👉 Apply for Willow's Inner Circle | Get Ghosts Don't Use Blueprints on Amazon