First published 2026
Caroline arrives at Nancy Critchley's Federalist home to collect an antique quilt for the Arts and Crafts Museum's upcoming exhibit. Instead, she discovers Nancy dead on the floor, stabbed with sewing scissors. The muslin bag lies empty. The priceless quilt has vanished. A napkin on the table bears what looks like tomato juice arranged in a pattern that might be Nancy's dying message. Detective Garret Seldon focuses on museum intern Amber Foster, whose blog attacks the Critchley family for exploiting Banburyport's poor residents generations ago. Caroline refuses to believe Amber committed murder over historical grievances. Other suspects emerge: a humiliated caterer, a developer Nancy opposed through the Historic Preservation Committee, and angry relatives. The missing quilt, nearly two centuries old, adds another mystery. Caroline teams up with her landlady Libby to clear Amber's name. She must untangle the connections between past exploitation and present murder in small town Massachusetts.
Genres: american-fiction, mystery, contemporary, adult-fiction, detective, cozy-mystery
Vibes: atmospheric, community-driven, cozy, puzzle-solving, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, dying-message, found-family, historical-mystery
Setting: Banburyport, Massachusetts, Arts and Crafts Museum
Period: 21st-century, contemporary
272 pages · Hardcover · Kensington Cozies
Content warnings: death, murder