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Dead Drop in Lily Rock: An Avery Denning Lily Rock Mystery
Dead Drop in Lily Rock opens with a sharp, clever premise and then settles into something warmer and more interesting than a standard cozy mystery. Avery Denning arrives in Lily Rock as a dusty, displaced Pacific Crest Trail hiker, only to find her would-be host, Stella Rawlins, dead beneath a sabotaged little free library. From there, the novel braids together a murder investigation, a small town full of old loyalties and private grudges, and a surprisingly charged argument about books, taste, censorship, and belonging. Stella’s library, with its mix of Julián Is a Mermaid, All American Boys, and the haunting reappearance of Are You My Mother?, gives the mystery its emotional center, while the Switchback Syndicate, that secretive circle of little-library caretakers, gives it a mischievous edge.
I liked that Bonnie Hardy understands that charm only works if it has a pulse beneath it. Avery could easily have been written as a stock snarky amateur sleuth, but she isn’t. She’s vain, funny, brittle, lonely, proud, and more wounded than she wants anyone to see. The book gives her room to be messy. I loved the early stretch where she goes from finding a body to being folded into Olivia’s home, standing under a hot shower, eating Sierra Snowcaps, and trying not to cry into her tea. That sequence tells you almost everything about the novel’s emotional register. It knows how to make comfort feel earned. I also found the recurring animal comedy genuinely delightful. Mayor Maguire and Tater Tot add texture and rhythm, the kind of oddball local life that makes Lily Rock feel inhabited.
The argument over what belongs in a library, who gets to decide what children read, and how quickly principle curdles into self-righteousness gives the mystery more bite than I expected. The midnight hot-tub meeting, the burner phones, the bruising fights over “classic” books, and Avery’s half-mocking, half-brilliant fake book-burning proposal all give the novel a sly satirical streak. The dialogue leans into explaining the book’s positions. Still, I’d rather read a mystery that reaches openly for something real than one that stays tidily bloodless. Hardy’s prose is brisk and conversational, but every so often she lands on an image or tonal turn that lingers, especially when she writes about Avery’s shame, hunger, or sudden flashes of tenderness. The result is a book that feels light on its feet.
By the end, what stayed with me was the way the novel turns suspicion into a rough kind of community, finally reshaping the secretive Switchback Syndicate into something more open and humane. I finished it feeling that rare cozy-mystery satisfaction of having been entertained, amused, and unexpectedly touched. I’d recommend this to readers who want their mysteries with eccentric town energy, emotional bruises, bookish politics, and a heroine sharp enough to make trouble but vulnerable enough to matter. It’s cozy, but it has more ache in it than that word usually allows.
Pages: 291 | ASIN : B0GFG8TM7H
Dive Into the Past
The Man in the Dam follows a journalist hosting a dinner for members of the local amateur theatre society at her family’s country home, who wakes to find a body in her family’s paddock dam, leading to a tangled investigation full of secrets and lies. Why place the story in Victoria’s High Country?
A key feature of the Jade Riley Mysteries is that each book is set in a place where I’ve lived. We have a property in Mansfield in Victoria’s High Country, so I couldn’t wait to write a book inspired by that location.
The small town gives a cosy mystery vibe that suits the story, enabling a situation where everybody knows everybody else, leading to secrets and lies. The surrounding countryside is typically Australian with gum trees, kangaroos, and kookaburras, as well as the menace of snakes and spiders.
Further, the local Lake Eildon offers the opportunity for a dive into the past. It was formed by a dam constructed in the 1950s, flooding houses, roads, and bridges. This lost history is integral to the story.
What parts of Jade are most personal to you as a writer?
Jade shares several of my characteristics. She’s driven and determined, like me. She’s also an over-thinker, which isn’t a stretch for me either. But the most personal of her traits are the ones I wish I had, like incredible courage. Sometimes she takes this to the point of foolhardiness, but she always stands up for what is right. Whereas me? Don’t tell me state secrets because I’d spill all at the mere sight of a thumbscrew.
Jade also faces a major life choice in this book: should she marry Brett and give up her career to move to Malaysia for his job? I faced a similar decision when my husband was offered a job in Nigeria, which involved me relinquishing my beloved job as a career coach. In the end, I agreed to go, instead of turning my hand to becoming a writer. Before my novels were picked up for publication, I wondered whether I’d made a mistake, but now I have no regrets.
Performance is a strong thread in the book. How does theatre mirror the mystery itself?
I used theatre imagery throughout the story in developing the characters, setting, and plot. Everyone in the novel is playing a role, choosing what to reveal and what to keep hidden. The settings are theatrical, from the local bookshop and pub to the murky waters beneath the lake. History comes back to haunt people like a theatre ghost.
I also chose Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest as the play the characters are working on for a specific reason, but I can’t explain why without giving spoilers.
Weird coincidence: I was working on this book when I went on a writer’s retreat to Varuna, The National Writers’ House, in NSW, Australia. While there, I found The Collected Works of Oscar Wilde in my room, and that serendipity confirmed The Importance of Being Earnest as the right choice of play.
What do you enjoy most about writing mysteries?
Mysteries are all about creating a puzzle for readers, and I love puzzles. I enjoy intricate plotting, red herrings, misdirections, and creating characters who all have something to hide.
Before I start, I usually have a big picture plan, but the details only emerge as I’m writing. I love the aha moments when I can add something I hadn’t anticipated because I figure if I couldn’t predict it at the start, readers are more likely to be surprised.
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Journalist Jade Riley hosts a dinner at her parents’ idyllic country property with members of the local amateur theatre society. The next morning, she finds one of her guests dead in a dam.
As Jade investigates, the players tighten their grip on long-held secrets. Grudges and tangled motives emerge, and the past refuses to stay buried.
At the same time, a proposal from her boyfriend forces Jade to consider how much she’s willing to give up for love.
An atmospheric, fast-paced mystery, THE MAN IN THE DAM is the third book in Andrea Barton’s Jade Riley Mysteries series.
Dead Drop in Lily Rock
Bonnie Hardy’s Dead Drop in Lily Rock drops me into town alongside Avery Denning, sunburned, scruffy, and freshly unmoored after a Palos Verdes fire burns her house down and shoves her onto the Pacific Crest Trail. She’s looking for nothing more complicated than a safe bed for the Fourth of July weekend when she collides with Stella Rawlins’s death at a bright-blue little free library: a rustle in the hedge, a flash, the sulfur bite of a firecracker, and then Stella’s terrible, sudden nothing. What starts as shock hardens into a question Avery can’t put down, especially once the town’s book-obsessed social web (including the Switchback Syndicate, devotees of “older classics” for new readers) begins to look less quaint and more… curated.
I enjoyed the book’s comfort-layering: the setting is cozy, like a mug you can wrap both hands around. Hardy lets the town charm do real work, Mayor Maguire isn’t just “a dog,” he’s a small-time celebrity labradoodle politician on Stella’s bookmarks, a detail so specific it feels lived-in rather than staged. And the dialogue has bite. Officer Janis “Jets” Jets is the kind of cop who’d rather arrest you, eat lunch, and get back to crowd control than listen to anyone emote, and her sarcasm becomes its own local weather system. I was smiling at the brusque tenderness underneath it all: people in Lily Rock needle each other the way families do, affection disguised as a shove.
The second thing that hooked me was how the book treats “a book” not as decoration but as evidence. The recurring children’s title Are You My Mother? isn’t a cute motif. It’s a bruise Stella keeps being forced to touch, tied to adoption and a past she thought she’d settled. When Avery starts finding multiple copies scattered through Stella’s house, it lands as genuinely eerie, like someone has been trying to speak in a language made of paper and repetition. The late-stage revelations snap satisfyingly into place: surveillance footage, a sabotaged “shower deck,” and, finally, an unambiguous face in the after-flash, Cordelia Pratt, firecracker in hand. It’s a clean kind of catharsis, made sharper because the motive lives in obsession and secrecy rather than moustache-twirling villainy.
If you like your mysteries with warmth in the margins, and you don’t mind a little darkness under the bunting, this one’s for you: cozy mystery, small-town mystery, amateur sleuth, bookish mystery, murder mystery. The series framing is right up front (Avery Denning, Lily Rock, Book 1), so it reads like an invitation as much as a standalone case. In spirit, it sits closer to an Agatha Christie village puzzle than a gritty procedural. Dead Drop in Lily Rock shows that a murder mystery can be comforting when the clues feel human, and the town feels real.
Pages: 302 | ISBN: 1954995520
Haunted Day and Night
Haunted Day and Night follows Anastasia “Ana” Day, a young paralegal in York, Pennsylvania, who buys a crumbling 1887 Victorian row home that turns out to be a lot more crowded than the real-estate listing suggested. As she scrapes carpet, patches plaster, and fights with her controlling boyfriend Blake, strange things start happening in the house. Doors swing open on their own, cabinets sit wide open, a saw accident in the basement feels almost pushed, and messages appear in candy-apple red lipstick on the bathroom mirror that tell her to leave. Paranormal investigators eventually help her uncover the story of Eliza and Eva Klinger, former residents tied to women’s rights, whose restless presence nudges Ana away from toxic love and toward a stronger, more honest version of herself. The book blends haunted-house chills with a slow-burn story about walking out of unhealthy relationships and rethinking faith, family, and what it means to have a voice.
I really enjoyed how grounded the horror felt. The house is vivid in my mind, from the stained powder-blue carpet to the mahogany banister and those bay windows that keep catching Ana’s eye while everything else falls apart around her. The early scenes with Blake in the basement and the “LEAVE” message on the mirror genuinely made my stomach tighten, not because of jump scares, but because the danger feels emotional as much as supernatural. The writing leans descriptive and sometimes lingers on details or explanations longer than I personally wanted, yet that same patience helps the creepy moments land. I liked how the dialogue shows Blake’s gaslighting and need for control without turning him into a cartoon villain; I could imagine real conversations like the ones about “helping” her and “fixing” her house and life. Side characters like Bob the handyman and Ana’s coworkers give the story warmth and a hint of community, which makes the isolation in the house hit harder when things go sideways. At times, I wanted a bit tighter pacing, especially in the middle, but overall, the narrative flow kept me turning pages to see what the house would do next and what Ana would finally do about Blake.
What surprised me most was how much the book leans into questions about belief, the afterlife, and women’s agency, and how emotional that became for me as a reader. The ghosts are not just a spooky background; they are women with their own history of fighting for rights, and their presence feels like a protective line of ancestors standing behind Ana. I liked that she wrestles out loud with heaven, hell, reincarnation, and religious dogma, and that different characters give different answers without the story shoving one “right” view in my face. The connection between restoring the house and restoring her sense of self is pretty on the nose at times, yet it still worked for me because it felt sincere rather than gimmicky. I found the EVP scenes with Nate and his team strangely moving: hearing the names “Eliza” and “Eva” come through while Ana has just done her own historical digging gives the whole thing a bittersweet weight. The feminist thread, especially around women ignoring red flags, surviving control, and learning to trust their own instincts, hit me harder than the ghost plot at some points. Every now and then the message tilts a bit preachy, but I never doubted the heart behind it, and I appreciated that the spirits are there to empower Ana rather than just punish or terrorize her.
I would recommend Haunted Day and Night to readers who like their ghost stories emotional and character-driven, with more haunted feelings than graphic frights. If you enjoy old houses, slow-build supernatural tension, and stories about women untangling themselves from bad relationships while questioning inherited beliefs, this will probably be right up your alley. It is a good fit for book clubs that like to talk about themes like spiritual abuse, intuition, and generational female strength, and for fans of softer paranormal fiction who do not need constant jump scares. For everyone else who loves a creaky Victorian, a stubborn heroine, and ghosts who have opinions about patriarchy, I think this book will be a satisfying and sometimes surprisingly comforting read.
Pages: 400 | ASIN : B0BXJTKG4M
It Feels Personal
The Stanton Falls Mysteries: Promotion to Peril follows the newly appointed Police Chief and his team as they navigate the murky waters of corruption and injustice. Why did you choose to tell this book as three interconnected short stories rather than a single continuous mystery?
I chose three short stories because the trouble in Stanton Falls doesn’t show up all at once. It comes in pieces. Each story lets the new Police Chief face a different problem, and together they show how the corruption connects underneath it all. Breaking it up kept the pace tight and let me focus on one challenge at a time while still building the bigger mystery.
What drew you to exploring betrayal from inside the system?
Betrayal inside the police force hits harder than anything coming from outside. When the people who are supposed to protect and serve the town become part of the problem, it changes everything. It forces the Chief to question who he can trust and how deep the damage goes. That kind of betrayal affects the whole community, and that’s why I wanted to explore it.
What aspects of small-town life make it effective for exploring secrets and corruption?
Small towns are perfect for stories about secrets because everyone knows everyone, or thinks they do. People have long memories, old grudges, and close ties that make problems harder to spot and harder to fix. When something goes wrong in a place that close‑knit, it feels personal. Secrets spread quietly, loyalties get messy, and corruption can hide in plain sight.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Stanton Falls and the direction of the third book?
The third book, Undercurrents of Betrayal, came out last year. I held off on releasing Promotion to Peril for a while because the cover wasn’t finished, but once that was taken care of, the book was ready. This story takes Stanton Falls in a new direction with a fresh storyline. I didn’t want to repeat the same conflict fromPromotion to Peril. I wanted to show how the town moves forward and how new problems can rise up even after old ones are settled. There are new characters, new challenges, and a different kind of trouble working its way into the town. It opens the door to the next phase of Stanton Falls and shows that the town still has plenty of secrets left to uncover.
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In the quiet town of Stanton Falls, danger lurks beneath the surface. Chief Dan Ross and his dedicated team are back, determined to bring justice to those who have wronged the innocent.
When Chief Ross’s home is ravaged by a mysterious fire, the stakes are raised. As the team delves deeper into the investigation, they uncover a web of deceit and corruption that threatens to engulf the entire town. With unwavering support from each other, they must navigate a perilous path to uncover the truth.
As secrets are revealed and alliances are tested, Chief Ross and his team face their most challenging case yet. Will they be able to bring the culprits to justice, or will the darkness of Stanton Falls consume them?
“Promotion to Peril” is a gripping tale of suspense, loyalty, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Join Chief Dan Ross and his team as they battle against time and treachery in this thrilling continuation of the Stanton Falls Mysteries.
The Stanton Falls Mysteries – Promotion to Peril
Susan Reed-Flores’s The Stanton Falls Mysteries: Promotion to Peril explores the destructive forces of greed and envy, which drive the chilling crimes in the small town of Stanton Falls. As newly appointed Police Chief Dan Ross, along with Detective Scalari and rookie Detective Reed, navigate the murky waters of corruption and injustice, they find themselves embroiled in a deeply personal and dangerous investigation. The team embarks on a thrilling journey as they piece together clues, unravel crimes, and bring wrongdoers to justice. The discovery of corruption within their own ranks adds a compelling twist to their mission, emphasizing the importance of integrity in their pursuit to protect Stanton Falls. Despite the dangers, their unwavering commitment to justice shines through, making for an engaging and suspenseful read.
The writing is engaging and accessible, with Reed-Flores’s clear narrative style allowing the story to flow smoothly. The pacing is well-handled, especially as each short story builds upon the last, creating a cohesive and satisfying reading experience. However, I found that while the plot twists were compelling, some of the dialogue could have used a bit more polish to make the characters’ interactions feel more natural. For instance, certain conversations between Ross and his fellow detectives felt a bit stiff, which slightly detracted from the immersion. One of the strengths of this book is its ability to balance the tension of the crime-solving aspects with the personal lives of the characters. Reed-Flores does an excellent job of weaving in moments of vulnerability, particularly in the scenes involving Ross and his family, which add emotional depth to the narrative. The interplay between the professional and personal stakes keeps the reader invested in both the outcomes of the cases and the well-being of the characters. The structure of the book, with its three interconnected short stories, allows for a variety of cases and character developments, which keeps the reader engaged. The mysteries themselves are well-crafted, with clues that are thoughtfully placed and pay off in satisfying resolutions. The final story, which ties together elements from the previous ones, is particularly strong and serves as a fitting conclusion to the trilogy’s middle entry. That said, some of the secondary characters could have been developed further, as they sometimes felt like they were there more to serve the plot than to add richness to the story’s world.
The Stanton Falls Mysteries: Promotion to Peril is an enjoyable read, particularly for fans of cozy mysteries who appreciate a blend of suspense and character-driven storytelling. Reed-Flores’s ability to create a sense of place and community within Stanton Falls makes the town feel like a character in its own right, adding to the overall charm of the book. I would recommend this book to readers who are looking for a light yet engaging mystery that delves into both the personal and professional lives of its characters, with just the right amount of intrigue to keep you turning the pages.
Pages: 209 | ASIN : B0DH2QKQBC
Murder in the Mix
Murder in the Mix blends a sharp mystery with a warm character study, and the whole thing moves with an energy that kept catching me off guard. The story follows Gina Morrison, a ghostwriter who becomes entangled in the violent death of celebrity chef Marisol St. James. Their work together opens old doors, pulls forward hidden memories, and sends Gina into a dangerous world she never planned to enter. The book mixes food, friendship, and fear in a way that made the pages feel alive.
As I read, I found myself surprised by how deeply I connected to Gina. She moves through the story with this quiet strength that sneaks up on you. Her loneliness feels so real, and I felt it hit me in the gut more than once. The scenes in Marisol’s kitchen carried this soft glow. They showed a warmth that made later events land harder. Author Carolyn Eichhorn’s writing has this habit of slipping into intimate moments so smoothly that I would forget I was reading a mystery at all, then something sharp and awful would strike and pull me right back into the danger. I loved that tension.
The mystery itself unfolds in a way that felt messy in a human sense instead of messy in a structural way, which I appreciated. Clues come in sideways. Suspicions form and fall apart. People act irrationally, just like people do when they are scared or grieving. Eichhorn’s style invites chaos without ever losing control of the story. I found myself muttering at characters more than once. Sometimes laughing. Sometimes bracing. The emotional swings felt honest, and I liked that the book never tried to make grief tidy or pleasant.
It reminded me a little of The Thursday Murder Club because both books mix a warm, character-focused story with a twisty mystery that sneaks up on you and delivers more heart than you expect. I would recommend Murder in the Mix to readers who enjoy character-driven mysteries, stories about creative people, or novels that let relationships shape the danger instead of the other way around. It is especially fitting for anyone who likes culinary settings with a bite of darkness and a lot of heart.
Pages: 201 | ASIN : B0FX6SYZN2
The Stanton Falls Mysteries – Dead Reckoning
Dead Reckoning follows a tight-knit group of Stanton Falls detectives and their families as they head out on what should have been a relaxing Mediterranean cruise. Instead, the trip unravels into a tangled mess of missing passengers, eerie shipboard mysteries, emotional tension, and danger that creeps up on them when they least expect it. The story shifts between calm family moments, unsettling turns, and sharp revelations. It keeps the focus on relationships and teamwork while pushing the characters into situations that test them in new ways.
While reading, I kept feeling this warm mix of comfort and suspense. The writing leans heavily into character bonds, and I liked that a lot. There is a genuine sense of history between them, and the quieter scenes made the high-stress moments hit harder. At times, the dialogue felt a little straightforward, but the emotional weight underneath kept me hooked. I appreciated how the author balanced cozy slice-of-life beats with creeping dread. It created this enjoyable tension that made me want to keep turning pages.
Some ideas in the book surprised me in a good way. The ship’s strange happenings, the shifting cabin numbers, the subtle horror beneath the surface, all of it gave the mystery a fresh vibe. I loved that the story didn’t try to outsmart the reader with cheap tricks. It felt honest. There were moments when the pacing slowed, and I caught myself wishing for quicker movement, but the payoff eventually landed with enough emotional punch to make up for it. By the end, I felt oddly proud of the characters for what they’d pushed through.
I’d recommend Dead Reckoning to readers who enjoy character-driven mysteries with a touch of creepiness and a whole lot of heart. It’s great for anyone who wants a story that mixes friendships, family, and danger in a setting that feels fun at first and unsettling once things start going wrong. If you like mysteries that make you care about the people as much as the puzzle, this book will be right up your alley.
Pages: 187
