Harper Donovan loves three things: her cozy bookstore in Willowbrook, her sleek black cat Poe, and the quiet rhythms of small-town life in the Pacific Northwest. But when the town's biggest event—the October Cider Festival celebrating the historic Riverside Cider Mill's 125th anniversary—kicks off under picture-perfect autumn skies, Harper finds herself caught up in something far darker than she ever imagined. The sharp-tongued mill owner Claudia Riverside has made enemies all over town with her ruthless business tactics and family conflicts, and when she's found dead in the mill's antique cider press the morning after the festival opens, everyone becomes a suspect.
With her friend Deputy Police Chief Amanda Wright overwhelmed by a case that grows more complicated by the hour, Harper reluctantly agrees to help by keeping her eyes and ears open at The Book Nook. As the town's unofficial gathering place, her bookstore becomes ground zero for gossip, alibis, and secrets that have been fermenting as long as the mill's oldest cider. Between serving customers and making her famous apple cider donuts, Harper discovers a tangled web of fraud schemes, stolen evidence, family betrayals, and financial desperation. With Poe offering occasional feline wisdom and her gift for reading people paying unexpected dividends, Harper must untangle truth from lies before an innocent person takes the blame for a murder they didn't commit.
As October winds blow and the investigation twists through unexpected turns, Harper learns that solving a real mystery is far messier than anything in her carefully curated fiction section. With multiple suspects, disappearing evidence, and secrets buried deeper than anyone suspected, she'll need every ounce of her observational skills to uncover who really killed Claudia Riverside before the killer strikes again. Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries who love bookish sleuths, charming small towns, and autumn atmospheres, Death at the Cider Mill is a delightful fall read that proves sometimes the quietest observers see the most dangerous truths.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
With her friend Deputy Police Chief Amanda Wright overwhelmed by a case that grows more complicated by the hour, Harper reluctantly agrees to help by keeping her eyes and ears open at The Book Nook. As the town's unofficial gathering place, her bookstore becomes ground zero for gossip, alibis, and secrets that have been fermenting as long as the mill's oldest cider. Between serving customers and making her famous apple cider donuts, Harper discovers a tangled web of fraud schemes, stolen evidence, family betrayals, and financial desperation. With Poe offering occasional feline wisdom and her gift for reading people paying unexpected dividends, Harper must untangle truth from lies before an innocent person takes the blame for a murder they didn't commit.
As October winds blow and the investigation twists through unexpected turns, Harper learns that solving a real mystery is far messier than anything in her carefully curated fiction section. With multiple suspects, disappearing evidence, and secrets buried deeper than anyone suspected, she'll need every ounce of her observational skills to uncover who really killed Claudia Riverside before the killer strikes again. Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries who love bookish sleuths, charming small towns, and autumn atmospheres, Death at the Cider Mill is a delightful fall read that proves sometimes the quietest observers see the most dangerous truths.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Used availability for Maisy Marple's Death at the Cider Mill