Hobby Light

The Heritage Hall book fair was my chance to showcase my bookbinding techniques. Instead, I become the main suspect in a murder. Paper flowers and leather bindings filled my Heritage Hall book fair booth. This was my chance to showcase traditional bookbinding techniques. Instead, I found a dead authenticator in my space. Mark Henderson, known for exposing forgeries, lay sprawled among tools stolen from my exhibit. Making me the prime suspect. Book preservation is my passion - being a murder suspect, not so much. I teamed up with Fitzgerald, my Maine Coon cat and journalist Jennifer Walsh to...

A cosy mystery compilation perfect for fans of Sally Smith, Steve Higgs, LJ Ross, Robert Thorogood, and Richard Osman. When she relocates to Spain’s Costa del Sol, Karen McLaren turns her back on an unfaithful husband and a long teaching career. She arrives at the Club Britannia complex for the over-60s carrying many plans for her future… …finding herself investigating crimes along with an eccentric group of Spanish and expat friends isn’t one of them. But Karen discovers she has a real talent as an amateur sleuth. She’s aided by her sharp intellect, the expert lip-reading skills ...

"If there was one piece of advice Olive Crisp always followed, it was that “one should never attempt to solve a crime on an empty stomach..."' 1970s. Cambridge, England. A MYSTERIOUS MURDER AT MIDNIGHT: When a student falls from the turrets of King’s College, Cambridge and the police rule his death as accidental, Olive consults her tarot cards - which confirm her suspicions of murder - and decides to take the investigation into her own hands. A COSY COMMUNITY: Fortunately, the college porter is a loyal customer of Olive’s cafe, The Biscuit Tin, and when she plies him with his ...

If there was one piece of advice Olive Crisp always followed, it was that "one should never attempt to solve a crime on an empty stomach..." 1970s. Cambridge, England. A BODY IN THE GRAVEYARD: When Olive stumbles upon a dead body while walking Biscuit one morning, she decides to investigate. The bumbling police force aren't making much progress with the local community but Olive, with a combination of her charm and delicious baked goods, manages to persuade potential witnesses to open up and reveal secrets about the victim and clues that could lead to the catching of his killer. A COSY ...

One Sip Too Fatal As Murder Brews at The Book Nook! At a charming book club gathering in the storybook town of Willow Creek, murder isn't on the menu—until sharp-tongued Madeline Prescott keels over, poisoned mid-sip. Enter Harper Lane: sarcastic, sharp-eyed, and owner of the quaint bookshop, The Book Nook. With a trusty cup of tea and her gossip-loving parrot, Edgar, Harper prefers plots on the page—until real murder lands in her lap. When the police chalk it up to a tragic accident, Harper isn’t convinced. After all, Edgar won’t stop muttering, “Not mine! Not mine!” Between ...

If there was one piece of advice Olive Crisp always followed, it was that "one should never attempt to solve a crime on an empty stomach..." 1970s. Cambridge, England. A COLD CASE AT CHRISTMAS: After officially launching her Biscuit Tin Detective Agency, Olive is delighted when she receives her first case. Miss Westmacott asks her to investigate a cold case: the disappearance of her sister, Enid, over 50 years ago. Having waited months for a bite, the detective agency café is finally in business! A COSY COMMUNITY: Together with Hugo, Olive reopens the case and tracks down the remaining ...

If there was one piece of advice Olive Crisp always followed, it was that "one should never attempt to solve a crime on an empty stomach..." 1970s. Cambridge, England. A LIZARD, A MONKEY & A MURDER: When a tyrannical businessman is murdered Olive discovers that half the citizens of Cambridge wanted him dead. And finding which one actually killed him is like trying to find a poisonous needle in a murderous haystack. A COSY COMMUNITY: Events take a turn for the bizarre when the victim’s son begs Olive to rescue his kidnapped lizard. Are the two crimes connected? As Olive delves deeper into ...

Summer on the Costa del Sol. With the soaring temperatures, the area which Karen and her friends know and love suddenly looks almost unrecognisable. Castillo is suddenly under siege from expat tourists who’ve arrived in their droves for sea, sand, sunshine and any other distractions on offer. Among the new arrivals are the board members of Bellona Productions. The women are young, beautiful, and enormously successful. They’re in town to celebrate the launch of a new product line, and to prepare for their company being floated on the stock market. But in the early morning, one of the ...

A cosy mystery perfect for fans of Sally Smith, Steve Higgs, LJ Ross, Robert Thorogood, and Richard Osman. It’s summer time in Castillo on Spain’s Costa del Sol. Though it’s tourist season and a holiday-like atmosphere infuses everyday life, all is not well. Karen McLaren and her friends in the Jimi Hendrix Supper Club are concerned about the prospect of a corporate takeover of the Club Britannia complex by an enormous corporation - Mountbatten Holdings. They envisage arguments aplenty… …what they don’t expect is the dramatic death of one of the multinational company’s ...

A bookbinder’s death. A coded clue. A publishing empire hiding deadly secrets. Meticulous book-restorer Emily Parker prefers hand-stitched spines to human drama. But when investigative reporter Jenny Walsh calls in a panic, Emily’s quiet shop becomes command central for a murder investigation. Jenny’s mentor, legendary binder Marcus Chen, is electrocuted under suspicious circumstances, and the only clue is a cryptic endpaper cipher that leads straight to Chester Creek’s crown jewel: Hawthorne Publishing. With Fitz, her clever Maine Coon, providing comic relief and distraction, Emily...

A luxurious beach resort, a missing friend, and secrets to die for. Emily Parker, meticulous bookbinder and amateur sleuth, thought a getaway to Azure Bay Resort would be the perfect escape from solving mysteries. But paradise quickly turns perilous when her best friend, investigative journalist Jenny Walsh, vanishes without a trace, leaving behind only a treasured pen near the murdered resort owner, Blake Montgomery. Accompanied by her intuitive Maine Coon, Fitzgerald, Emily teams up with Josh Reynolds, a charming local artist whose gallery hides clues as expressive as his paintings. The ...

When a tell-all book signing turns deadly, Willow Creek’s past claws back to life. Harper Lane, the bookstore owner, simply wanted to keep the cookie tray full at The Book Nook. Then, thriller superstar Dorian Hawthorne was found poisoned. With notebook in hand, Harper teams up with Edgar, her parrot, and Watson, a golden retriever. Harper uncovers suspicious behavior from two neighborhood folks: literary agent Eleanor Pierce, who's desperately hiding something in her office, and retired cop Grant Holloway, whose mysterious connection to the victim runs deeper than anyone realized. ...

Welcome to the seaside town of New Shrimpton, where magic is in the air, shrimp can be scooped up by the barrel, and a murderer hides in plain sight… Alice Munroe is the only PI in town, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a little help. For one, she can speak to animals and plants… though her cat, the extravagantly grumpy Mr. Ploppers, sometimes makes her wish she couldn’t. Still, when that’s not enough, she has a few other magical tricks up her sleeve. Things go sideways, however, when she’s hired to investigate a death that everyone has written off as natural. Save for ...

If there was one piece of advice Olive Crisp always followed, it was that “one should never attempt to solve a crime on an empty stomach..." 1970s. Cambridge, England. A SMALL-TIME ART HEIST: When two separate robberies take place at the Fitzwilliam Museum simultaneously, while Olive and Hugo are visiting the galleries, they set about investigating who could have committed the crimes. A COSY COMMUNITY: Meanwhile, Blythe faces a romantic dilemma when she's forced to decide between the two conflicting sides of her heart: being a bookshop owner or becoming a wife. And Olive has to confront ...

If there was one piece of advice Olive Crisp always followed, it was that "one should never attempt to solve a crime on an empty stomach..." 1970s. Cambridge, England. A POISONED SCONE: When a customer drops dead in the cafe during the lunch rush Olive is horrified. What's worse, the cause of death was one of her delicious scones. Now solving the case has become personal; not only does Olive want to solve the murder in order to explain the mystery she also needs to clear her name. A COSY COMMUNITY: Despite protesting her innocence, only her two best friends, Millie and Blythe, and the ...

Book 1 of a charming 8-book cosy mystery series perfect for fans of Sally Smith, Steve Higgs, LJ Ross, Robert Thorogood, and Richard Osman. When she relocates to Spain’s Costa del Sol, Karen McLaren turns her back on an unfaithful husband and a long teaching career. She arrives at the Club Britannia complex for the over-60s carrying many plans for her future… …finding herself making inquiries about the tragic death of a magician isn’t one of them. Though local police have declared the event an accident, Karen is unconvinced. Helped by an eclectic group of the resort’s residents, ...

When a theatre troupe invades Harper Lane’s bookstore for rehearsals, the bookseller expects drama, not death. But when the show’s demanding star, Victoria Chase, collapses mid-monologue, Harper and her trusty dog Watson smell the distinct scent of poison. The police ruled it a heart attack. Harper knows it’s murder. Was it the ambitious understudy, too eager to step into the spotlight? Or the brooding lighting technician, cousin to a vanished actress, whose margin notes read like blueprints for murder? Victoria Chase bullied everyone, earning boos behind the curtain, not sympathy. ...

When Pinewood Hollow’s annual Macaron Festival takes a deadly turn, bakery owner Violet “Vi” Dumont finds herself in the middle of another mystery. A guest judge collapses after tasting the winning macaron, and it’s up to Vi and her clever cat Muffin to unravel the sweet secrets behind the festival’s most competitive bakers. With rivalries simmering and a mysterious past bubbling to the surface, Vi must follow the crumbs to uncover a killer before they strike again. In a town where everyone has something to hide, can Muffin’s sharp nose help Vi solve the case? If you love ...

Book 5 of a charming 8-book cosy mystery series perfect for fans of Sally Smith, Steve Higgs, LJ Ross, Robert Thorogood, and Richard Osman. Spring has sprung on Spain’s Costa del Sol, and Karen McLaren is in high spirits. The Easter Parade is in full swing, and the residents of Club Britannia are in a celebratory mood. Karen has planned an extended weekend of delicious food, good company, and a little well-earned rest… …then Bishop Ramos is gunned down in broad daylight. When Darren Carson - a young, mild-mannered priest - admits to the crime, the village is stunned. Comisario ...

When midnight falls, mischief begins—and in Pinewood Hollow, no mystery stays unsolved for long! Violet “Vi” Dumont is preparing for Pinewood Hollow’s annual midnight cupcake sale, where friendly competition is as sweet as the icing. But when rival baker Carla Moore mysteriously disappears and a series of sabotages disrupt the event, it’s clear that something sinister is afoot. With tensions rising and suspicions swirling, Vi is determined to find out what happened to Carla—before it’s too late. Enter Muffin, Vi’s curious and clever ginger cat. With his nose for trouble and ...