by Maddie Day
Part of Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery
First published 2026
Mackenzie "Mac" Almeda juggles her bike shop, two young children, and her Cozy Capers Book Group during a bitter February on Cape Cod. She stops by the Toy Soldier during lunch to buy a gardening toolkit for her daughter Ella's fourth birthday. Zia Carven, a young clerk Mac recognizes from the food pantry her father sponsors, gift wraps the present. Mac plans to collect it after work, but returns at 5:30 to discover Zia dead behind the counter, blood dried on a nearby toy rifle. The first officer on scene is August Fadiman, son of shop owner June. Mac's mother Astra becomes a person of interest after revealing she had been helping Zia. The investigation grows complicated when Mac learns Zia came to town searching for her birth mother. With multiple suspects emerging and her mother under scrutiny, Mac must rally her book group to identify the killer before another life is lost.
Genres: american-fiction, mystery, crime, contemporary, adult-fiction, cozy-mystery
Vibes: accessible, community-driven, cozy, engaging, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, community-investigation, found-family, mother-in-peril
Setting: Cape Cod, Toy Soldier, food pantry
Period: February, 21st-century
288 pages · ebook · Kensington Cozies
Content warnings: death, murder