Death at the Cauldron
(2026)(The seventh book in the Madeleine Brooks Mystery series)
A novel by Tannis Laidlaw
When Madeleine Brooks and her fiancé Douglas arrive in a remote New Zealand village, they expect little more than a quiet consulting job—and perhaps a seaside holiday
.
Instead, they are met with shocking news. The council engineer who hired Douglas has died in a tragic accident on the treacherous coastal road above Takawhiti Bay. A barrier rail failed. His car plunged over the edge into the churning sea below, in a narrow coastal chasm locals call the Cauldron.
Case closed.
But from the moment they land, someone seems determined to send them home again. First comes a desperate attempt to stop Douglas taking the job. Then tensions inside the local council begin to surface.
When Maddie takes a closer look at the accident site, she begins to suspect the barrier didn’t simply fail. In a village where everyone knows everyone else—and where outsiders are not always welcome—Maddie soon discovers that the deceased council engineer had powerful enemies.
And someone in Whakarere is determined to keep the truth about his death from coming to light.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
.
Instead, they are met with shocking news. The council engineer who hired Douglas has died in a tragic accident on the treacherous coastal road above Takawhiti Bay. A barrier rail failed. His car plunged over the edge into the churning sea below, in a narrow coastal chasm locals call the Cauldron.
Case closed.
But from the moment they land, someone seems determined to send them home again. First comes a desperate attempt to stop Douglas taking the job. Then tensions inside the local council begin to surface.
When Maddie takes a closer look at the accident site, she begins to suspect the barrier didn’t simply fail. In a village where everyone knows everyone else—and where outsiders are not always welcome—Maddie soon discovers that the deceased council engineer had powerful enemies.
And someone in Whakarere is determined to keep the truth about his death from coming to light.
Genre: Cozy Mystery