The weatherman forecasts mild weather for today. Mild is relative during winter in southwest Wisconsin, but I’ll take it. Perfect for ice skating with Scott tonight. I haven’t skated since I was a teenager over fifty years ago. Tonight, I’ll find out if I can still do it!

Luckily, I live right above the Parker Photography Studio. My family owned this business for over sixty years. I couldn’t point to the exact moment when I knew I was ready for a less stressful life. But when Aunt Ruth hinted at moving to a retirement community, the stars aligned, and I took over our family business in the small village of Harmony. Remodeling this apartment above the studio was a priority. It accomplished two important things in my life. A soaking tub for me, and meeting Scott.

I’m happy with my life here except for two things, Harmony’s startling uptick in murders since my moving back and the fact that I happen to be a part of them in some convoluted way. This year has been quiet and I’m breathing a sigh of relief. Zero murders. I have my fingers crossed it stays that way. I will admit it felt good to scratch my curiosity itch occasionally, but getting a crime attracting reputation not so much.

But I digress. Right now, I need to get my day going by walking downstairs to the studio. This is where I grew up following my dad around, watching him work. It inspired my own career as a professional photographer. From crime scenes to war zones. From commercial shoots of luxury resorts on the Adriatic Sea to top of line river cruises in Europe. No matter where I roamed, I always found my happy place when I returned for visits with Aunt Ruth.

That reminds me, I need to pick up that special birthday cake I ordered for her at Murphy’s Coffee Shop and Bakery. Before my skating adventure, I’m going to meet up with Aunt Ruth and her friends at Shady Pines for the first Wednesday of the month potluck dinner.

Let me tell you, I love that place! It used to be a Lutheran camp for kids. All those cute cabins have been turned into cottages for retirees. I often walk the Mary Go-Round Trail with my dog Libby. We take it up into the hills, through the farmlands, and back down to the river where we pass by Shady Pines. In good weather, it would be rude not to stop and visit with the gals enjoying happy hour on a picnic table. Right? I can’t refuse the libation they offer me or deny Libby the treats they give her. I look at it as sustenance to continue our journey back toward the marina and the heart of Harmony.

In the studio, the day has begun. Mandy, the best employee I could ask for, has opened the place up. The tourists love our gallery featuring the work of photographic artists from across the United States. Mandy offers specialty framing, and I know she’s on the hunt for more antique frames. Right now she’s talking to a man who saw her sign in the window. Sounds like he has frames for her to pick up later. Hooray!

Looking out my front windows, I see the village coming to life. Across the street, Hannah is arranging a new display in the front windows of Sutton’s Antiques. Such memories for me in that store. It used to be Vogue on Main, my mother’s dress shop. All the wealthy women in town loved being pampered there as they shopped for the latest fashions. My mother idolized Jacqueline Kennedy. Guess where my name came from. Fashion was her passion. . .my father’s was here in this studio.

Next door to me, my high school friend Val is opening her beauty salon, the Cut-n-Curl. I smile, remembering we have plans to meet up with Wanda at the Wildwood Supper Club tomorrow. The three amigos are back together again!

What will today bring? Maybe Harmony will simply be a quiet snow-covered village with an ice-skating rink, a local diner, and smiling neighbors. The sort of place portrayed in Hallmark movies. Maybe no one will die under suspicious circumstances. Who knows? One can only hope.

Nice to meet you,
Jackie Parker

Framed for Murder, A Parker Photography Mystery #7
Genre: Cozy
Release: January 2022
Purchase Link – Digital only

Harmony’s hoarder is discovered at the bottom of his basement stairs with a key clutched in his dead hand!

Norman Schott is at risk of his home being condemned. The residents of Harmony quickly make plans to help the hoarder clean and repair his house. They hope to save Norman from being homeless. But on the first wintery morning of the cleanup, finding his body changes all that!

The good-hearted townsfolk soon discover things are missing. Squares of colorful wallpaper, where framed pictures used to hang, is the first clue. Whatever that key was meant to open is missing too. Searches for family to claim the property and pay back taxes, reveal cryptic correspondence suggesting things were not as they appeared to be. A stranger arrives proclaiming herself a long-lost relative. But is she?

Stories of Norman’s past begin swirling round the village and Jackie’s curiosity antenna goes on high alert. What really happened in the house on Lilac Lane that cold winter night when Norman fell down the basement stairs?

Hugging the banks of the Wisconsin River and rising into the wooded hills and bluffs, the community of Harmony welcomes you! Be whisked away on a cozy mystery escape in every book in the series.

Meet the author
Suzanne Bolden is the pen name of author Brenda Felber. Brenda combined two of her passions, love of family and mystery books, by writing mysteries for her grandchildren to enjoy. The Pameroy Mystery Series takes young readers across the United States, solving historical mysteries in a different state in each book. Her love of writing expanded to cozy mysteries. The Parker Photography series is set in her home state of Wisconsin. The Katie Murphy Cozy and Sew-Sew Murder Mystery series will be coming soon!

All comments are welcomed.