Tides, Lies, and Alibis
(2026)(The first book in the Manatee Bay Cozy Mystery series)
A novel by Taffy Beach
Sunshine. Sea breezes. Secrets deadly enough to sink a town.
Every tide brings something new to Manatee Bay. This one brings murder.
In 1998 Manatee Bay, Florida, sunshine and small-town secrets go hand in hand—and no one knows that better than artist Kate MacGregor, the last heir to a faded Florida dynasty with a grand house and an empty bank account. When the Spring Berry Festival takes an unexpected turn, Kate’s lifelong friend Cindy—owner of the local gossip center, High Tides Bakery and Café—lands at the center of a scandal. Her signature ‘Immaculate Confection’ strawberry cream puff entry in the Berry Bake-off is suddenly a "murder weapon," and Kate decides it’s time to put her quick instincts and tactless charm to good use.
As gossip begins to rise faster than the Gulf tides and a parade of quirky locals (and a menagerie of pets, including a mouthy parrot and a stray Golden Retriever) offer more confusion than clues, Kate soon finds herself digging into a mystery that goes deeper than a simple case of ‘baker’s envy." With the help of her Scottish immigrant father and a sharp-witted eighty-eight-year-old mentor who knows where the town's bodies are buried, Kate begins to untangle a web of old family grudges that trace back to her own grandfather’s dark history. As new suspicions grow, she’ll need every ounce of courage—and a few lucky breaks—to discover the truth before Manatee Bay jumps to all the wrong conclusions.
Engaging, atmospheric, and filled with coastal charm, Tides, Lies, and Alibis marks the start of the Manatee Bay Cozy Mystery series.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Every tide brings something new to Manatee Bay. This one brings murder.
In 1998 Manatee Bay, Florida, sunshine and small-town secrets go hand in hand—and no one knows that better than artist Kate MacGregor, the last heir to a faded Florida dynasty with a grand house and an empty bank account. When the Spring Berry Festival takes an unexpected turn, Kate’s lifelong friend Cindy—owner of the local gossip center, High Tides Bakery and Café—lands at the center of a scandal. Her signature ‘Immaculate Confection’ strawberry cream puff entry in the Berry Bake-off is suddenly a "murder weapon," and Kate decides it’s time to put her quick instincts and tactless charm to good use.
As gossip begins to rise faster than the Gulf tides and a parade of quirky locals (and a menagerie of pets, including a mouthy parrot and a stray Golden Retriever) offer more confusion than clues, Kate soon finds herself digging into a mystery that goes deeper than a simple case of ‘baker’s envy." With the help of her Scottish immigrant father and a sharp-witted eighty-eight-year-old mentor who knows where the town's bodies are buried, Kate begins to untangle a web of old family grudges that trace back to her own grandfather’s dark history. As new suspicions grow, she’ll need every ounce of courage—and a few lucky breaks—to discover the truth before Manatee Bay jumps to all the wrong conclusions.
Engaging, atmospheric, and filled with coastal charm, Tides, Lies, and Alibis marks the start of the Manatee Bay Cozy Mystery series.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Visitors also looked at these books
Used availability for Taffy Beach's Tides, Lies, and Alibis