Petal to the Metal
(2026)(The sixth book in the Maple Hollow Cozy Mystery series)
A novel by Tessa Teacraft
Maple Hollow's garden tour is supposed to be perfect. Roses in bloom. Pastries on every table. Ribbons ready to pin.
Then the judge opens his mouth.
Desmond Ashworth isn't scoring gardens. He's measuring property lines. Needling the committee. Asking questions nobody wants answered.
By sundown, he's made enemies. One of them means it.
Sadie's cafe was supposed to be her escape from all that. Instead, she's back in it — clues piling up, secrets she can't unhear, a cat with strong opinions and zero filter, a deputy who keeps finding reasons to linger.
The trail doesn't lead to a stranger passing through. It leads to someone the whole town trusts. Someone who's shaken hands, poured coffee, waved from every porch on the tour — and been tending a much darker garden the whole time.
Sadie's got pastries to bake, a cat to referee, and a killer to catch before the next bouquet goes out.
In Maple Hollow, even the flowers have secrets — and some of them bite back.
Genre: Mystery
Then the judge opens his mouth.
Desmond Ashworth isn't scoring gardens. He's measuring property lines. Needling the committee. Asking questions nobody wants answered.
By sundown, he's made enemies. One of them means it.
Sadie's cafe was supposed to be her escape from all that. Instead, she's back in it — clues piling up, secrets she can't unhear, a cat with strong opinions and zero filter, a deputy who keeps finding reasons to linger.
The trail doesn't lead to a stranger passing through. It leads to someone the whole town trusts. Someone who's shaken hands, poured coffee, waved from every porch on the tour — and been tending a much darker garden the whole time.
Sadie's got pastries to bake, a cat to referee, and a killer to catch before the next bouquet goes out.
In Maple Hollow, even the flowers have secrets — and some of them bite back.
Genre: Mystery
Used availability for Tessa Teacraft's Petal to the Metal