A Deadly Taste of Deception
(2026)(The second book in the Twisted Cupcake Mystery series)
A Story by Daisy Stone
Evelyn Harrington thought she'd left her past behind—especially the boarding school bully who made her teenage years miserable.
But when Adrienne Sutherland-Price collapses at the Harborview Historical Society's wine & cupcake pairing gala, dying from anaphylactic shock while her EpiPen mysteriously fails, that past comes roaring back. Worse, one of Evie's distinctive vintage apothecary bottles is found at the scene—containing traces of the allergen that killed her former tormentor.
Detective Callum Reid knows Evie didn't kill Preston Clarke 4 months ago. But this? Evie had motive (years of bullying), means (extensive knowledge of poisons and allergies), and opportunity (she was at the gala). The evidence is damning, and Cal has to pull back from their growing friendship to maintain professional objectivity—even though it's killing him.
Evie knows she didn't murder Adrienne. But someone did, using Evie's possession as the murder weapon. Someone who knew about their history. Someone who knew exactly how to frame her—again.
To clear her name, Evie must dig into Adrienne's life and discover the woman her bully had become. A woman with secrets, blackmail materials, and a list of enemies longer than Evie's own. A woman who, according to a draft letter found in her belongings, was planning to apologize to Evie the night she died.
Between her grandmother's shocking revelations about a 50-year-old feud, her brother's crumbling marriage, and her ferret stealing evidence at the worst possible moments, Evie's beginning to wonder if she'll ever escape her past.
One thing's certain: in Harborview, old wounds run deeper than the harbor, and someone's willing to kill to keep their secrets buried.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
But when Adrienne Sutherland-Price collapses at the Harborview Historical Society's wine & cupcake pairing gala, dying from anaphylactic shock while her EpiPen mysteriously fails, that past comes roaring back. Worse, one of Evie's distinctive vintage apothecary bottles is found at the scene—containing traces of the allergen that killed her former tormentor.
Detective Callum Reid knows Evie didn't kill Preston Clarke 4 months ago. But this? Evie had motive (years of bullying), means (extensive knowledge of poisons and allergies), and opportunity (she was at the gala). The evidence is damning, and Cal has to pull back from their growing friendship to maintain professional objectivity—even though it's killing him.
Evie knows she didn't murder Adrienne. But someone did, using Evie's possession as the murder weapon. Someone who knew about their history. Someone who knew exactly how to frame her—again.
To clear her name, Evie must dig into Adrienne's life and discover the woman her bully had become. A woman with secrets, blackmail materials, and a list of enemies longer than Evie's own. A woman who, according to a draft letter found in her belongings, was planning to apologize to Evie the night she died.
Between her grandmother's shocking revelations about a 50-year-old feud, her brother's crumbling marriage, and her ferret stealing evidence at the worst possible moments, Evie's beginning to wonder if she'll ever escape her past.
One thing's certain: in Harborview, old wounds run deeper than the harbor, and someone's willing to kill to keep their secrets buried.
Genre: Cozy Mystery