Buried Secrets

A Coastal Bakery Cozy Mystery

When a violent coastal storm tears through Rolling Wave Cove, baker Nelly Hartley expects damaged awnings and scattered flower boxes—not a hidden compartment in her cellar containing human remains. The victim has been missing for seventeen years, and everyone in town believed he simply ran away. But Bruno, Nelly's intuitive English Bulldog, knew something was wrong the moment the storm passed, and now the whole community is questioning everything they thought they knew about a man whose reputation was destroyed by lies.

As Nelly digs into the past, she uncovers a tangled web of property disputes, broken promises, and family secrets that have been festering for nearly two decades. The victim's widow returns to town seeking answers, a former business partner still carries the scars of betrayal, and a bitter son has spent his whole life in his father's shadow. Everyone has a reason to want the truth to stay buried—but Nelly has never been good at leaving well enough alone.

With help from her best friend Trudy, the steady support of handyman Cal Jennings, and Bruno's uncanny instincts, Nelly must untangle seventeen years of deception before the killer decides some secrets are worth protecting at any cost. In this fifth installment of the beloved Baked by the Sea Mysteries, the past refuses to stay buried, and justice—however delayed—will finally be served.