Three priceless gems. Two hundred witnesses. Nobody saw a thing.
For one night only, the little Ashford Historical Society displays the legendary Prentiss collection. The three most famous stones are shown without their glass, before the governor and two hundred invited guests. Then a platter of crab cakes hits the floor, and every head in the room turns. When the drape comes off, the stand is empty.
Two days later, bookstore owner Nathan Cole and newspaper reporter Julia Reed walk out the Barrow road and find the town's garbage man dead on the ice of Sawyer Pond. Everyone calls it a tragic fishing accident. But Kenny Carver never fished a day in his life, and Nathan, a retired city detective, sees one set of footprints that doesn't add up.
A beloved local magician sits in jail for the theft. A sharp-eyed insurance investigator from Boston has decided Nathan is her prime suspect. And a nor'easter is bearing down on the coast. To clear an innocent man, Nathan and Julia have to work out how three stones walked out of a room where everyone was searched.
In Ashford, the ice keeps its secrets. Until it doesn't.
What Hard Water Hides is Book 4 of The Ashford Mysteries, a clean cozy mystery series set on the coast of Maine. Perfect for readers who love small-town secrets, clever puzzles, and a slow-burn romance.
Genre: Mystery
For one night only, the little Ashford Historical Society displays the legendary Prentiss collection. The three most famous stones are shown without their glass, before the governor and two hundred invited guests. Then a platter of crab cakes hits the floor, and every head in the room turns. When the drape comes off, the stand is empty.
Two days later, bookstore owner Nathan Cole and newspaper reporter Julia Reed walk out the Barrow road and find the town's garbage man dead on the ice of Sawyer Pond. Everyone calls it a tragic fishing accident. But Kenny Carver never fished a day in his life, and Nathan, a retired city detective, sees one set of footprints that doesn't add up.
A beloved local magician sits in jail for the theft. A sharp-eyed insurance investigator from Boston has decided Nathan is her prime suspect. And a nor'easter is bearing down on the coast. To clear an innocent man, Nathan and Julia have to work out how three stones walked out of a room where everyone was searched.
In Ashford, the ice keeps its secrets. Until it doesn't.
What Hard Water Hides is Book 4 of The Ashford Mysteries, a clean cozy mystery series set on the coast of Maine. Perfect for readers who love small-town secrets, clever puzzles, and a slow-burn romance.
Genre: Mystery
Used availability for Julian Brooks's What Hard Water Hides