Signed with Suspicion
(2025)(The fifth book in the Verses & Victims Mystery series)
A novel by Hailey Hartley
Sloane Mitchell makes her living crafting the perfect words for every occasion through her custom card writing business, Written From the Heart, in the quaint town of Thornbury. When prominent real estate developer Judith Brennan is found dead from an apparent allergic reaction, a handwritten greeting card discovered near her body seems like a touching final message from a caring friend. But the moment Sloane sees the card, her blood runs cold—she recognizes the distinctive style and elegant flourishes as the work of Tessa Vaughn, one of her most talented workshop students. What troubles Sloane even more than the handwriting is the message itself, with seemingly innocent words of encouragement that carry an unmistakable undercurrent of warning. When the medical examiner declares Judith's death suspicious and Tessa becomes the prime suspect, Sloane faces an impossible choice: stay silent and protect her student, or tell the truth and potentially send an innocent person to prison.
Desperate to clear Tessa's name before she's arrested, Sloane teams up with her bookshop-owner best friend Ainsley to dig into Judith's ruthless business practices. With her fluffy Persian cat Verse providing companionship and the occasional helpful distraction, Sloane uncovers a trail of destroyed lives, fraudulent real estate deals, and financial ruin left in Judith's wake. From displaced families to bankrupted business partners, nearly everyone connected to Judith had motive for murder. But when threatening messages start appearing—including a chilling card written in a style eerily similar to Tessa's own—Sloane realizes the killer is close enough to know her every move and desperate enough to eliminate anyone who gets too close to the truth. Racing against time and dodging warnings from the lead detective, Sloane must use her expertise in reading between the lines to determine whether the card was a genuine threat, a tragic coincidence, or a clever frame-up by someone who knew exactly how to point the finger at an innocent person.
In this compelling fifth installment of the Verses & Victims Mysteries, greeting card writer Sloane Mitchell discovers that decoding hidden messages isn't just about crafting perfect sentiment—it's about exposing deadly deception when the right words become the perfect weapon. Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries who love plucky amateur detectives, adorable cats, and small-town secrets, Signed with Suspicion proves that in the world of greeting cards, the deadliest messages are the ones that are carefully forged.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Desperate to clear Tessa's name before she's arrested, Sloane teams up with her bookshop-owner best friend Ainsley to dig into Judith's ruthless business practices. With her fluffy Persian cat Verse providing companionship and the occasional helpful distraction, Sloane uncovers a trail of destroyed lives, fraudulent real estate deals, and financial ruin left in Judith's wake. From displaced families to bankrupted business partners, nearly everyone connected to Judith had motive for murder. But when threatening messages start appearing—including a chilling card written in a style eerily similar to Tessa's own—Sloane realizes the killer is close enough to know her every move and desperate enough to eliminate anyone who gets too close to the truth. Racing against time and dodging warnings from the lead detective, Sloane must use her expertise in reading between the lines to determine whether the card was a genuine threat, a tragic coincidence, or a clever frame-up by someone who knew exactly how to point the finger at an innocent person.
In this compelling fifth installment of the Verses & Victims Mysteries, greeting card writer Sloane Mitchell discovers that decoding hidden messages isn't just about crafting perfect sentiment—it's about exposing deadly deception when the right words become the perfect weapon. Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries who love plucky amateur detectives, adorable cats, and small-town secrets, Signed with Suspicion proves that in the world of greeting cards, the deadliest messages are the ones that are carefully forged.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
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