The Purr-loined Letter
(2026)(The fourth book in the Cozy Purrch Cafe Mystery series)
A novel by Erica J Whelton
A stolen manuscript. A silenced witness. And a past that refuses to stay buried.
When a priceless botanical manuscript vanishes from the Larkspur Valley Library, Alexis Belrose suspects the theft is exactly what it appears to be: a professional job, meticulously planned. But when the librarian who witnessed the break-in turns up dead, it becomes something far more dangerous.
Running The Cozy Purrch Café with her opinionated cats, Alexis has spent two years keeping her head down and her secrets close. She is a witch in hiding, and Larkspur Valley is the closest thing to safety she has ever known. The last thing she needs is to draw attention to herself. But Bobbie Barlow deserved better than a quiet death and a cold case file, and Alexis cannot let that stand.
The investigation pulls her deeper into the library's shadowy history, a web of stolen artifacts, forged replacements, and long-simmering rivalries that reach back to the town's founding families. The suspects are plentiful: a pair of shady out-of-towners with a private deal in the works, a silver-haired board member with a razor tongue and something to hide, and two women from Alexis's past who have followed her all the way to Colorado.
With Poppy, Gus, Rocky, Millie, and little Sage offering commentary she didn't always ask for, Alexis races to untangle two threats at once. One could cost her her life. The other might cost her the careful solitude she has wrapped around herself like armor.
And when the case is finally closed, a quiet evening at the café and a conversation she cannot put off any longer may change everything.
The Purrloined Letter is the fourth book in the cozy, cat-filled Cozy Purrch Café Mysteries series, blending small-town charm, light paranormal magic, and a puzzle worth purring over.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
When a priceless botanical manuscript vanishes from the Larkspur Valley Library, Alexis Belrose suspects the theft is exactly what it appears to be: a professional job, meticulously planned. But when the librarian who witnessed the break-in turns up dead, it becomes something far more dangerous.
Running The Cozy Purrch Café with her opinionated cats, Alexis has spent two years keeping her head down and her secrets close. She is a witch in hiding, and Larkspur Valley is the closest thing to safety she has ever known. The last thing she needs is to draw attention to herself. But Bobbie Barlow deserved better than a quiet death and a cold case file, and Alexis cannot let that stand.
The investigation pulls her deeper into the library's shadowy history, a web of stolen artifacts, forged replacements, and long-simmering rivalries that reach back to the town's founding families. The suspects are plentiful: a pair of shady out-of-towners with a private deal in the works, a silver-haired board member with a razor tongue and something to hide, and two women from Alexis's past who have followed her all the way to Colorado.
With Poppy, Gus, Rocky, Millie, and little Sage offering commentary she didn't always ask for, Alexis races to untangle two threats at once. One could cost her her life. The other might cost her the careful solitude she has wrapped around herself like armor.
And when the case is finally closed, a quiet evening at the café and a conversation she cannot put off any longer may change everything.
The Purrloined Letter is the fourth book in the cozy, cat-filled Cozy Purrch Café Mysteries series, blending small-town charm, light paranormal magic, and a puzzle worth purring over.
Genre: Cozy Mystery