Antique Bookshop Mystery

The quaint warehouse district of Hokes Folly, NC, is hopping despite the drizzly November chill. The occasion? The mountain town's beloved antiquarian bookstore, Twice Upon a Time, is throwing a bash for its grand reopening. But bookseller Jenna Quinn's peace of mind is shattered when the local library's Director of Antique Books turns up dead in the parking lot-his head bashed in by a glittering pair of vintage glass bookends. As they examine the murder scene, Jenna and her police detective boyfriend happen upon the only witness-the victim's dog, who flees the scene leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind. If only dogs could speak, Jenna might be able to make quick work of the murder case and get back to stocking her bookcases. Alas, finding the killer won't be so easy, even though this is not Jenna's first murder investigation-indeed, she inherited Twice Upon a Time from her slain uncle. The suspect list is voluminous-the late librarian had not-so-friendly run-ins with numerous guests-but suspicion eventually centers on three unsavory individuals who left the party shortly before the victim did. Now Jenna must edit her inventory of suspects from three names to one before the bloodthirsty bookend-wielder becomes the author of Jenna's demise.

The birds are singing, books are selling, and the Hokes Bluff Inn has begun to host weddings on its property. Antiquarian bookseller Jenna Quinn loves the romance in the air, until her ex-fiancé, Blake Emerson, walks in with his bride-to-be, Missy Plott. Blake continues to profess his love for Jenna if she'll have him back, no matter the consequences. And the consequences are grave, indeed, when Missy turns up dead. All evidence points to Blake, who was the last one to see her alive. He begs Jenna to help him clear his name. Blake's mother, Gwendolyn, is also bent on exonerating her son. Jenna doesn't believe Blake could have killed Missy, and she starts digging for suspects. It could have been Missy's ex-boyfriend, who proclaims a love for her he says only death could sever. Or might it have been Missy's bitter little sister, who was secretly besotted with Missy's ex. Evidence turns up that links Missy's death to embezzlement and another murder-crimes that had falsely implicated Jenna herself less than a year ago. As Gwendolyn continues to beg Jenna to help prove her son's innocence, Jenna wonders if Blake could truly be innocent. Jenna has to choose whether to risk it all-her reputation, her growing relationship with her boyfriend, and maybe her life, or let a possibly innocent man go to prison.

The annual fishing tournament and festival in Hokes Folly, North Carolina, is the high-water mark event of the year. Antiquarian bookseller Jenna Quinn, owner of the Twice Upon a Time bookstore, is ready to catch some new customers with her fishing-themed book display at the festival. That is, she was...until a local author was found dead in his booth. All fingers point to Frank Sutter, a former detective with the police department. His soon-to-be ex-wife had been dating the victim, and Frank had been seen having an argument with him earlier that day. When Keith Logan, Jenna's boyfriend and detective with the local police, asks Jenna for help to solve the case, she's shocked. Frank was Keith's former partner and someone who had been determined to pin more than one murder on Jenna. Frank doesn't want Jenna's help any more than Jenna wants to help him, but the two will have to put aside their animosity for each other if they want to reel in the killer. This bookselling sleuth knows she will have to cast a wide net in order to catch the killer, even if means dangerously luring them in. Will her novel idea help her catch the killer, or is she bound for a more deadly ending?