Marmalade and the Skeleton in the Stacks
(2026)(The second book in the Jailhouse Cat Cozy Mystery series)
A novel by R E Merrill
When the past wants to stay buried, it’s up to a librarian-turned-dispatcher and her guilt-sniffing cat to dig up the truth.
Ruth Daigle is still adjusting to her new life as a dispatcher at the Moose Head Mills Sheriff’s Department when spring floods lead to a chilling discovery in the town library: a skeleton sealed behind a wall for thirty years.
The victim is Craig Sullivan, a private investigator who vanished while snooping around town. Now Ruth and Deputy Harry Turke must uncover what Sullivan discovered that was worth killing for—and who wanted to keep him silent forever.
With the help of Marmalade, a clever orange tabby with an uncanny ability to sense guilt, Ruth follows a trail of cryptic journal entries, hidden photographs, and decades-old secrets through the forests and bogs of rural Maine. But as she gets closer to the truth, Ruth discovers that some people will do anything to keep the past buried—including kill again.
As election season heats up, and Deputy Val Sockalexis fights to become the county’s first female sheriff, the pressure mounts to solve a case that’s been cold for three decades. Can Ruth piece together the clues before the killer strikes again?
Perfect for fans of small-town mysteries with heart, lovable characters, and a dash of feline intuition, Marmalade and the Skeleton in the Stacks is the purr-fect cozy mystery for anyone who believes cats know more than they’re letting on.
Genre: Mystery
Ruth Daigle is still adjusting to her new life as a dispatcher at the Moose Head Mills Sheriff’s Department when spring floods lead to a chilling discovery in the town library: a skeleton sealed behind a wall for thirty years.
The victim is Craig Sullivan, a private investigator who vanished while snooping around town. Now Ruth and Deputy Harry Turke must uncover what Sullivan discovered that was worth killing for—and who wanted to keep him silent forever.
With the help of Marmalade, a clever orange tabby with an uncanny ability to sense guilt, Ruth follows a trail of cryptic journal entries, hidden photographs, and decades-old secrets through the forests and bogs of rural Maine. But as she gets closer to the truth, Ruth discovers that some people will do anything to keep the past buried—including kill again.
As election season heats up, and Deputy Val Sockalexis fights to become the county’s first female sheriff, the pressure mounts to solve a case that’s been cold for three decades. Can Ruth piece together the clues before the killer strikes again?
Perfect for fans of small-town mysteries with heart, lovable characters, and a dash of feline intuition, Marmalade and the Skeleton in the Stacks is the purr-fect cozy mystery for anyone who believes cats know more than they’re letting on.
Genre: Mystery