I should have listened to Marcy.
I’m Junetta Beale, owner of the Shipshape Bookshop in my small Southeast Alaska town. My best friend, Marcy George, runs the adjoining Last Chance Café. She tried to talk sense into me when I agreed to host my former fiancé and his wedding party from Florida on a sightseeing trip through the waters of the Inside Passage. I love showing off my Alaska paradise. I have moved on from Liam and met a new guy who makes my heart beat faster.
What could go wrong?
We sailed away from the colorful houses of Ptarmigan Port that cling to the base of 4000-foot mountains. I pointed out the bald eagles perching on the spruce and hemlock trees as the shoreline slipped by. I hoped we would spot some humpback whales or orcas on our brief tour, but the rain was picking up. My guests took refuge in the large cabin lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with books for the children in the Native villages that I served with my floating bookmobile, the historic Northern Dream.
Suddenly, I realized that we were sailing far too close to the lighthouse on Forgotten Rock. I popped into the wheelhouse, to discover that Captain Evan had passed out at the wheel. We were perilously close to running aground. Luckily, the best man had sailed in these waters years ago and could pilot the Northern Dream to safety through the intensifying storm.
Except…a plume of smoke rose from below decks. The engine room was on fire! The emergency radio was on the fritz, even though Captain Evan took meticulous care of the historic boat. My fire extinguisher couldn’t put out the flames. We had to abandon ship.
With six of us in a dinghy meant for four, with the rain pelting down, the captain unconscious, and the bride-to-be freaking out, it was all I could do to bring our soaking wet party to safety on Price Island. We were out of cell phone range, so I couldn’t call for a rescue. But Marcy knew where we were going and when we intended to return. I could count on her to raise the alarm. Mostly, I wished I could tell my brother, Trooper Nels, that he didn’t need to worry. Our father’s fishing boat had gone down in a storm when I was fourteen and Nels was ten. A maritime distress call carried extra weight for him.
I spent a lot of energy reassuring the wedding party that all we had to do was build a campfire and a couple of improvised shelters with an Alaskan’s best friends: blue tarps and duct tape. We could sit out an uncomfortable night in the rain while awaiting rescue in the morning.
That was before we met Chuck.
Paranoid, trigger-happy Chuck commanded the campfire that we needed to survive the night. With no one else on Price Island, we had to concede that he was the boss.
Yeah, I should have listened to Marcy.
NIGHTMARE ON THE NORTHERN DREAM
Series: A Southeast Alaska Mystery, Book 2
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: February 2026
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link
Junetta Beale, owner of the Shipshape Bookshop, is happy to welcome her former fiancé and his bridal party to her small Southeast Alaska town. They plan a brief cruise of the Inside Passage on her floating bookmobile, the Northern Dream. She maintains that she no longer harbors romantic feelings toward him.
What could go wrong?
Then a fire breaks out onboard with the captain unconscious at the wheel as the weather takes a turn for the worse. They abandon ship and wash up on a remote island, where Junetta’s survival skills using duct tape and blue tarps are put to the test. When morning breaks and a dead body is discovered, Junetta faces a raft of challenges. She realizes that the fate of the wedding lies in her hands. Can she bring the group safely back home over the waves and expose a killer before her submerged feelings for her ex resurface?
About the author
Greta McKennan is a wife, mother, and author, living her dream in the boreal rainforest of Juneau, Alaska. In addition to her Southeast Alaska Mysteries, she is the author of the Stitch in Time mystery series. She enjoys a long walk in the woods on that rare sunny day and reading cozy mysteries when it rains. Her growing collection of Agatha Christie novels threatens to take over her bookshelves. Her author heroines include Louisa May Alcott, Mary Stewart, and M.M. Kaye, among many, many others. You can find her online at www.gretamckennan.com.