Brandy Broot Mystery

When Lila Marlowe, head baker at the beloved Butter & Bloom bakery, collapses after discovering her grandmother's prize-winning pastry recipe has vanished, amateur sleuth Brandy Broot can't resist investigating. The family heirloom, a handwritten card never photographed and guarded for generations, held the secret to Maplewoods's most celebrated pastries. But someone wanted it badly enough to break into a locked office, forge a replacement, and leave nothing but crumbs and a trail of exotic spices that don't belong.With her pragmatic partner Peter Pruit steadying her impulsive instincts, Brandy follows the evidence through jealous staff members, bitter ex-employees, and a rival bakery owner who insists she'd never stoop so low. A burned batch of failed croissants, a mysterious late-night delivery truck, and a torn corner of the original recipe lead Brandy deeper into Foxbridge's surprisingly cutthroat culinary world, where old grudges simmer beneath frosted surfaces and family legacies are worth more than their weight in saffron.As wedding season approaches and a regional food judge announces a pop-up tasting at the farmer's market, Brandy races against time to recover the stolen recipe before it's used to destroy Lila's reputation, or worse, sold to the highest bidder. But in a town where everyone knows everyone's secrets, the real mystery might be discovering which betrayal hurt the most.Enigma at the Bakery serves up the perfect blend of cozy mystery charm, small-town warmth, and a slow-burn romance that's just starting to rise. Join Brandy and Peter as they prove that justice, like the perfect pastry, requires patience, precision, and the courage to follow even the smallest crumb to the truth.Perfect for fans of gentle mysteries, quirky sleuths, and stories where community matters more than crime.Book 2 in the Brandy Broot Mystery SeriesA Standalone Cozy Mystery Novella

Enigma at the Pet ShelterA Brandy Broot MysteryWhen gentle rescue dog Maple vanishes hours before Adoption Day at Paws & Provisions, amateur sleuth Brandy Broot finds more than muddy paw prints and half-chewed intake forms, she uncovers a tangled web of jealousy, desperation, and good intentions gone dangerously wrong.A jealous volunteer. Unpaid vet bills. A shadowy informal rehoming network. As Brandy follows the trail through Maplewood's tight-knit shelter community, she discovers that saving Maple means understanding why people who truly love animals sometimes make the worst choices.With pragmatic Peter Pruit at her side and Detective Maeve Collins watching closely, Brandy must untangle motives before time runs out for a vulnerable dog caught between neglect and genuine care. Because in a small town where everyone knows everyone, the hardest mysteries aren't about finding the guilty. They're about understanding why.A cozy mystery celebrating second chances, community healing, and the quiet courage it takes to do the right thing, even when it's hard.

Brandy volunteers at Stitch & Sip Quilt Cafe during a weekend quilting retreat when a long-hidden stitched letter is discovered inside a donated quilt, accusing a beloved quilter, Mabel Hart, of stealing a wartime heirloom. The letter triggers old wounds, a theft accusation, and a framed quilter. Brandy unravels threaded clues-needle marks, thread colors, patched receipts, and old meeting notes-while Peter grounds her, Maeve manages the formal investigation, and the cafe community stitches itself toward the truth.