The House that Wasn't Empty
(2026)(The fifth book in the Ruby and Mojo Cozy Mystery series)
A novel by Cresta Lynn
Whitcomb Lane has always held secrets.
When a hidden body is discovered inside the aging Victorian, Riverbend’s most familiar faces suddenly seem less certain– Harold Finch, the town’s most respected preservation leader with deep financial ties to a new development, and Adrian Locke, the smooth developer preparing to break ground on Whitcomb Commons.
Clara Whitcomb hadn’t returned quietly. She had been challenging property boundaries, questioning easement revisions, and pressing both men for answers about decisions that benefited their Whitcomb Commons project.
Each has a reason to safeguard the town’s future. Each has something to lose if the past is examined too closely.
Now those questions ripple through Riverbend’s coffee shops and council meetings, unsettling the comfortable and exposing quiet loyalties. As suspicion circles the town’s most respected names, Ruby Morris, and her ever-watchful corgi, Mojo, along with Detective Grady Vaughn, must untangle pride, politics, and old heartbreak before the truth is buried again.
Because someone decided one life was a fair trade for stability.
And if protecting Riverbend requires another sacrifice—They won’t hesitate.
Genre: Mystery
When a hidden body is discovered inside the aging Victorian, Riverbend’s most familiar faces suddenly seem less certain– Harold Finch, the town’s most respected preservation leader with deep financial ties to a new development, and Adrian Locke, the smooth developer preparing to break ground on Whitcomb Commons.
Clara Whitcomb hadn’t returned quietly. She had been challenging property boundaries, questioning easement revisions, and pressing both men for answers about decisions that benefited their Whitcomb Commons project.
Each has a reason to safeguard the town’s future. Each has something to lose if the past is examined too closely.
Now those questions ripple through Riverbend’s coffee shops and council meetings, unsettling the comfortable and exposing quiet loyalties. As suspicion circles the town’s most respected names, Ruby Morris, and her ever-watchful corgi, Mojo, along with Detective Grady Vaughn, must untangle pride, politics, and old heartbreak before the truth is buried again.
Because someone decided one life was a fair trade for stability.
And if protecting Riverbend requires another sacrifice—They won’t hesitate.
Genre: Mystery
Used availability for Cresta Lynn's The House that Wasn't Empty