A literary cozy mystery with death distilled and justice served neat.
Virginia Varnell thought she'd finally escaped the nightmare of stolen journals and copycat killers. But when celebrity mixologist Jasper "Gin" Rickety is found floating in a whiskey vat at Ravenswood's inaugural Spirits Festival—exactly as she'd described in her private writing—V realizes her dark imagination is once again being used as a murder manual.
The crime scene is disturbingly perfect. The method matches her entry... precisely. But this time feels different—more calculated, more personal. Someone isn't just stealing her words—they're conducting an experiment.
With a Scottish bootlegger burning family secrets, a nervous festival coordinator hiding her true identity, and an academic researcher who seems unusually interested in V's psychological patterns, the mansion's prohibition-era passages hold more than historical artifacts. As bodies accumulate and false confessions emerge, V discovers she's not just investigating murder—she's the primary subject in someone's twisted academic study.
Armed with an enhanced palate from spirits judging, her loyal assistant Cleo's research skills, and Detective Stone's growing protective instincts, V must navigate hidden speakeasies and academic manipulation. Because if she can't expose the puppet master pulling the strings, the final chapter of this experiment might be written in her blood.
And this time, the most dangerous predator has a PhD.
Perfect for fans of sardonic sleuths, gothic small towns, and slow-burn detective romance with a literary twist.
Genre: Mystery
Virginia Varnell thought she'd finally escaped the nightmare of stolen journals and copycat killers. But when celebrity mixologist Jasper "Gin" Rickety is found floating in a whiskey vat at Ravenswood's inaugural Spirits Festival—exactly as she'd described in her private writing—V realizes her dark imagination is once again being used as a murder manual.
The crime scene is disturbingly perfect. The method matches her entry... precisely. But this time feels different—more calculated, more personal. Someone isn't just stealing her words—they're conducting an experiment.
With a Scottish bootlegger burning family secrets, a nervous festival coordinator hiding her true identity, and an academic researcher who seems unusually interested in V's psychological patterns, the mansion's prohibition-era passages hold more than historical artifacts. As bodies accumulate and false confessions emerge, V discovers she's not just investigating murder—she's the primary subject in someone's twisted academic study.
Armed with an enhanced palate from spirits judging, her loyal assistant Cleo's research skills, and Detective Stone's growing protective instincts, V must navigate hidden speakeasies and academic manipulation. Because if she can't expose the puppet master pulling the strings, the final chapter of this experiment might be written in her blood.
And this time, the most dangerous predator has a PhD.
Perfect for fans of sardonic sleuths, gothic small towns, and slow-burn detective romance with a literary twist.
Genre: Mystery
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Used availability for Wynn Valentine's A Stiff Drink of Murder