Buried Truths
(2026)(The fourth book in the Leashes and Lies Mystery series)
A novel by Hailey Hartley
When Hayden Mitchell's obedience class student loses control of his enthusiastic Jack Russell Terrier during recall practice, she expects the usual chaos of a dog chasing squirrels. What she doesn't expect is Max digging up a human hand in the corner of her training field. The body belongs to Cameron Wright, a friendly business manager from the garden center next door who disappeared three months ago, and suddenly Hayden's peaceful dog training business is at the center of a murder investigation. With a detective who's methodical but skeptical of amateur sleuths and a growing list of people who had reasons to want Cameron silenced, Hayden finds herself paying closer attention to the whispers and secrets in her small town than she ever intended.
As Hayden juggles puppy classes by day and pieces together a puzzle by night, she discovers that the charming garden center hiding behind her property line has secrets far darker than overgrown weeds. Cameron had uncovered financial crimes that threatened to destroy lives and careers, and someone killed him to keep those secrets buried along with his body. The business owner with gambling debts who couldn't afford exposure. The accountant who helped cover up the crimes. The business partner who desperately needed money. The ex-wife who stood to gain from his death. Everyone had motive, everyone had opportunity, and everyone is lying about something. With her golden retriever Finn's talent for finding evidence in unexpected places and her own stubborn determination to see justice done, Hayden follows a trail of embezzlement, threatening notes, and carefully constructed alibis.
In the cozy town of Willow Creek, where dog owners know everyone's business and gossip travels faster than a terrier on a scent trail, Hayden Mitchell is about to learn that some people will do anything to protect their secrets. The more questions she asks about Cameron's death, the more someone wants her to stop asking, and threatening notes make it clear that she could be the next one buried if she doesn't back off. But Cameron Wright tried to do the right thing and paid with his life, and Hayden can't let his murder go unsolved just because it's dangerous. She'll need all her patience, Finn's sharp nose for discovering what doesn't belong, and maybe a healthy dose of caution to catch a killer who's already proven that one burial wasn't enough to keep the truth hidden forever.
Genre: Mystery
As Hayden juggles puppy classes by day and pieces together a puzzle by night, she discovers that the charming garden center hiding behind her property line has secrets far darker than overgrown weeds. Cameron had uncovered financial crimes that threatened to destroy lives and careers, and someone killed him to keep those secrets buried along with his body. The business owner with gambling debts who couldn't afford exposure. The accountant who helped cover up the crimes. The business partner who desperately needed money. The ex-wife who stood to gain from his death. Everyone had motive, everyone had opportunity, and everyone is lying about something. With her golden retriever Finn's talent for finding evidence in unexpected places and her own stubborn determination to see justice done, Hayden follows a trail of embezzlement, threatening notes, and carefully constructed alibis.
In the cozy town of Willow Creek, where dog owners know everyone's business and gossip travels faster than a terrier on a scent trail, Hayden Mitchell is about to learn that some people will do anything to protect their secrets. The more questions she asks about Cameron's death, the more someone wants her to stop asking, and threatening notes make it clear that she could be the next one buried if she doesn't back off. But Cameron Wright tried to do the right thing and paid with his life, and Hayden can't let his murder go unsolved just because it's dangerous. She'll need all her patience, Finn's sharp nose for discovering what doesn't belong, and maybe a healthy dose of caution to catch a killer who's already proven that one burial wasn't enough to keep the truth hidden forever.
Genre: Mystery
Used availability for Hailey Hartley's Buried Truths