What brings you to cottage country? The lake? The Adirondack chairs?

I’m not here on vacation. Not this time.

Sorry, could you get that door for me? This canvas is getting heavier by the second.

Whew! Thanks.

I’m Charley Scott. Artist.

I can’t believe I just said that. It felt so good, I’m going to say it again.

Artist.

I’d shake your hand, but I’ve been hanging art all day and, at this point, I’m covered in drywall dust.

The chocolate Labrador, frisking you for food right now, is Cocoa. If you do happen to have a Milkbone in your pocket, you’ll have a friend for life.

Isn’t this an amazing building? Right on Main Street. I saw the gabled roof, the white-washed floors and all that natural light and fell, hook, line and sinker. The place will look even better, filled with paintings. You won’t even notice that dip in the floor then or the water marks around the window frames.

I’m going to run a summer pop-up gallery. Pretty much right where you’re standing. The theme of the exhibit is Cover Art.

My addiction to yellowed paperbacks and pulp fiction covers started with my first part-time job at a library. The best book covers have this quality about them that goes beyond words, that speaks directly to the reader and makes a promise. Of thrills and happy ever afters.

To really understand an artwork, you have to pull it apart and figure out how the pieces fit together to make a whole. It’s like solving a puzzle. Or a mystery.

Art and murder—they’re all about perspective, about noticing the details.

Hold on. Did you hear that?

Thunk, thunk.

There it is again.

I know what you’re thinking. But it’s not the resident ghost.

I’ve heard the rumors. Some of them are true.

I’m not sure the building is haunted, but a woman did fall to her death during construction. I know, because her son is the handsome chocolatier I met while browsing the book section in the Coffee Nook, on my first day in Oakcrest.

We both reached for the last copy of The Big Sleep. Turns out, he’s a fan of hardboiled sleuths, just like I am. He also smells like lemon shower gel and chocolate, which is hard to resist for any self-confessed chocoholic. But I won’t be charmed.

Before you drive back to the city, you should stop by his store. Try the Gin and Tonic chocolate bar. Trust me. It is out of this world.

Death by chocolate sounds like a favorite fantasy, doesn’t it? But death by poisoned chocolate would be a different matter entirely. . .

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Cover Art, A Charley Scott Mystery #1
Genre: Cozy
Release: May 2022
Purchase Link

Charley Scott is thrilled to be running a summer pop-up gallery in cottage country. Returning to the lakeside village, not on vacation but as an artist, she’s determined to turn her hobby into a career. Joined by two other artists, including her childhood friend Kayla, the Cover Art Exhibit is a dream come true.

But, beneath the surface of this peaceful town, darkness lurks. There’s a history.

Local chocolatier, Matt Thorn, is struggling to come to terms with his father’s recent death and his legacy of deception. As Matt plans to expose his father’s secrets, Kayla’s husband is found dead, the result of eating Matt’s boutique chocolates.

The homicide investigation threatens to make Charley’s pop-up gallery a failure before it even begins. Luckily, art is all about perspective and she’s always had a keen eye. Can she see past the obvious and find the killer?

“An artfully crafted mystery full of charm, wit, and page-turning suspense, plus some of the most mouth-watering descriptions I’ve ever read.”—Daryl Wood Gerber, nationally bestselling author of the Fairy Garden mysteries

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About the author
An avid reader of mysteries, Vanessa Westermann is a former Arthur Ellis Awards judge, holds an M.A. in English Literature, as well as a Bachelor of Education, and has taught creative writing. Her debut mystery, An Excuse for Murder, was published in 2019. At the heart of all of Westermann’s stories are strong female protagonists inspired by the heroines in her own life. She currently lives in Ontario.

Visit her blog at vanessa-westermann.info or follow her on Twitter @VanessasPicks and visit her on Facebook at  VanessaWestermannAuthor.

All comments are welcomed.