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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Murder Beneath the Shards by Dee Dee Edwards
Missing records and buried secrets. Follow Rebecca Hartwell and her dog Gatsby into the depths of a historic mine where the truth finally shines.
A quiet weekend getaway, a historic mine, and a mystery that refuses to stay buried.
When author and amateur sleuth Rebecca Hartwell joins her partner, restoration expert Logan Reed, for a long weekend at a newly reopened quartz mine turned tourist attraction, she expects a peaceful escape—not a murder.
When a tourist is found dead in a restricted tunnel using tools Logan repaired, suspicion threatens both the project and Logan’s hard-won confidence.
Refusing to let guilt replace truth, Rebecca investigates with her emotional support dog, Gatsby, uncovering secrets buried deep within the mine’s history.
As she uncovers small cracks in the mine’s polished story: missing records, overlooked safety concerns, and secrets tucked away deeper than anyone expected.
Tensions rise underground and trust grows above ground, love deepens. Because when honesty comes to light, even buried stories can shine.
Shards of Truth is a cozy mystery about accountability, trust, and the power of telling the whole story.
“There is something inherently cozy—and slightly eerie—about a mystery set in a quartz mine. Dee Dee Edwards expertly balances the beauty of restoration work with the grit of a murder investigation. I loved following Rebecca Hartwell and her emotional support dog, Gatsby, as they dug through layers of history. It’s a poignant story about how the truth, once uncovered, can finally let a person shine.”
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
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
Rhythmic Deception by Nina Hunt
A rhythmic gymnast disappears, leaving a trail of broken dreams and dangerous secrets. Nina Hunt delivers a high-stakes mystery where the competition is fierce and the truth is hidden in plain sight.
A rhythmic gymnast disappears mid-performance in Spain, leaving behind a trail of glitter-and blood. Back in Green Acres, Susie bakes a batch of cupcakes that may or may not contain stolen jewelry.
“As a former gymnast, I love to see books featuring them. The tension Nina builds into her books is sure to be as taught as a gymnasts ribbon.”
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
Harbor Days Trilogy by Wren Ashwood
A storm-battered inn, a lighthouse with a dark past, and a festival that ends in murder. Follow Maggie Dawson through three connected mysteries in the atmospheric seaside town of Whispering Pines.
A storm-battered inn. A lighthouse with something to hide. A seaside festival that ends in murder.
When Maggie Dawson takes over the Larkspur Inn in Whispering Pines, she expects demanding guests and coastal storms — not a dead body in the parlor on her very first night. Trapped inside by wind and rain, Maggie is forced to untangle grudges, missing money, and lies that refuse to stay quiet.
At the town’s old lighthouse, a man is found drowned inside a bone-dry chamber. As secrets tied to legacy and reputation surface, Maggie begins to see how carefully Whispering Pines protects its past — and how dangerous it can be to question it.
Then Harbor Days arrives. Lights, music, packed inns — and a beloved sailor dead beneath the Ferris wheel. Police call it an accident. Maggie doesn’t. With rivalries flaring and old conflicts dragged into the open, she must uncover the truth before the festival claims another life.
The Harbor Days Trilogy is a complete Maggie Dawson mystery arc filled with coastal charm, quiet intuition, found family, and a cat who always seems to know when something isn’t right.
“There is something so atmospheric about a storm-battered inn and a lighthouse with secrets. As an author who loves a good ‘locked-in’ mystery, Maggie Dawson’s intuition—and her very observant cat—made this trilogy a page-turner for me!”
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
Deadly Campfire by Olivia Page
A summer storm, a poisoned millionaire, and a campground full of secrets. Can Harley Wood find the killer before the power comes back on? A pulse-pounding lakeside cozy mystery.
In the heat of summer, Darren Wood Campground & Trails flourishes with a new group of campers, but it holds a familiar sense of dread for Harley Wood.
A cranky millionaire didn't just die of natural causes; he was poisoned. A cryptic note in Harley's cubby, "I’m the main course meal, and they’re all starving," proves he knew his life was in danger.
Now, with Harley’s father away and the local deputy stretched thin, Harley can't help but investigate.
The suspects are all around her: a secretive lawyer, an estranged and an angry daughter, a nurse with a shaky past, and a mysteriously absent former lover. Even a charming newcomer whose guitar lessons and easy smile brightens the camp, seems to be hiding more than he’s strumming.
As a summer storm cuts the power and another life is threatened, Harley realizes the killer isn't just a stranger passing through; it’s someone she’s welcomed onto her land.
To stop a murderer before they strike again, she must untangle a web of old grudges, illicit affairs, and a desperate fight for a fortune, all before the next campfire burns out.
This is the second book in the Darren Wood Campground & Trails mystery series, Deadly Campfire blends the cozy charm of lakeside living with pulse-quickening suspense, perfect for fans of heart-pounding puzzles and small-town secrets.
“There is nothing like the atmosphere of a summer camp to set the stage for a mystery. Between the lakeside setting and the ‘stranger among us’ tension, Olivia Page keeps you guessing until the very last ember burns out!”
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
The Sourdough Murders by Capri Winslow
Discover 'The Sourdough Murders' by Capri Winslow. A charming cozy mystery set in Turtle Cove featuring baker Vera Whitcombe and her biscuit-loving beagle, Rocky.
In the seaside town of Turtle Cove, the annual Sourdough Bake-off is the hottest ticket in town --- and baker Vera Whitcombe is ready to prove her starter is the best since sliced bread.
Representing the Willowrose Inn (with moral support from Rocky, the inn's biscuit-loving beagle), Vera joins a cast of quirky townsfolk eager for bragging rights and a glowing review.
Enter Mortimer Alcott, famed food journalist for Dining Extraordinaire --- an eccentric, self-important judge with a refined palate and no shortage of opinions.
As trays of golden loaves emerge from the ovens, Mortimer samples every entry in site.....until a bite of Vera's sourdough leaves him coughing---and collapsing---dead in front of a stunned crowd.
With suspicion rising faster than yeast, Vera finds herself in danger of being the prime suspect.
Determined to clear her name, she teams up with Rocky to sniff out the truth. But in a town full of secrets, sour attitudes, and half-baked alibis, finding the real killer won't be easy.
Full of small-town charm, canine capers, and a murder that's anything but half-baked.
“Why I’m sharing this: I love a good culinary mystery, and a biscuit-loving beagle is always a win in my book!”
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