Cloaked Chaos
(2026)(The fifth book in the Nightsmith Novelties Cozy Mystery series)
A Story by Patti Benning
Some packages should never be opened…
and some secrets refuse to stay buried.
When Bridget Rowan receives a mysterious package from her globe-trotting Aunt Agnes in France, she assumes it’s just another eccentric surprise.
But in the small town of Mill Creek, Michigan, nothing is ever that simple.
The package arrives the same week as a wave of suspicious newcomers. An old friend from Grand Rapids with vague intentions, a desperate job-seeker who seems a little too eager to fit in, and an odd couple claiming to stay at a bed and breakfast that closed years ago. Coincidence? Bridget isn’t so sure.
Following her aunt’s instructions, Bridget hides the parcel safely at home. That’s when the trouble begins.
A cloaked figure shadows her through town. Strange noises echo through the night. Someone attempts to break into the antique store, and when her aunt’s house is finally breached, the intrusion ends in murder.
Now Bridget isn’t just guarding a secret package. She’s guarding her life.
With gossip swirling and fear creeping through Main Street, Bridget must untangle the connection between the mysterious shipment and the strangers who arrived with it. What was Aunt Agnes really sending? And how far will someone go to get their hands on it?
In a town where everyone notices everything, someone is hiding in plain sight.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
and some secrets refuse to stay buried.
When Bridget Rowan receives a mysterious package from her globe-trotting Aunt Agnes in France, she assumes it’s just another eccentric surprise.
But in the small town of Mill Creek, Michigan, nothing is ever that simple.
The package arrives the same week as a wave of suspicious newcomers. An old friend from Grand Rapids with vague intentions, a desperate job-seeker who seems a little too eager to fit in, and an odd couple claiming to stay at a bed and breakfast that closed years ago. Coincidence? Bridget isn’t so sure.
Following her aunt’s instructions, Bridget hides the parcel safely at home. That’s when the trouble begins.
A cloaked figure shadows her through town. Strange noises echo through the night. Someone attempts to break into the antique store, and when her aunt’s house is finally breached, the intrusion ends in murder.
Now Bridget isn’t just guarding a secret package. She’s guarding her life.
With gossip swirling and fear creeping through Main Street, Bridget must untangle the connection between the mysterious shipment and the strangers who arrived with it. What was Aunt Agnes really sending? And how far will someone go to get their hands on it?
In a town where everyone notices everything, someone is hiding in plain sight.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Used availability for Patti Benning's Cloaked Chaos