I opened the package with the manuscript entitled “Apple Pie ala Murder” and discovered that the narrator of the story was a potbellied pig named Apple Pie. Since I barely eke out a living as a freelance editor in my cabin by Lake Larissa in the Northwood of Minnesota, I can’t afford to be choosy. The letter from the author said, “Dear Jamie Forest, you come highly recommended. I have worked on this story for several years and feel it is ready for final edits. I hope you enjoy ‘Apple Pie ala Murder.’ As you’ll see, it’s a combination of a love story and cozy murder mystery with a few recipes added for tasty reading.”

“Oh dear,” I told my dog Bronte. “I’m not sure I know how to edit a mystery told by a pig.” Bronte, in her usual manner, had no comment.

While I was pondering what to do with “Apple Pie ala Murder,” my friend Clarence called with a different kind of editing assignment. Would I be interested in helping a reclusive elderly woman with her memoirs? Miss Nella Fox had lived all her life on the grounds of a now abandoned Gooseberry Acres, TB sanatorium. When he noted my reluctance he added, “People call it Ghostberry Acres and say the hospital is haunted.”

When we arrived, I could tell immediately there was something dark about the old hospital. Clarence told me people said the hospital was haunted by the ghost of a murder victim. Maybe the box of old diaries Miss Nella gave to me might tell the story. As I gazed around the neglected grounds and the hulk of the old hospital, I was sure I saw a movement in the second story window. Did I see a ghost or was I simply spooked by the place?

Little did I know as I drove away that the hospital would soon be the site of another death. Apple Pie the potbellied pig would have to wait for edits while I found out the truth hidden in the old building.

Death of a Fox, A Cabin by the Lake Mystery Book #4
Genre: Traditional
Release: June 2023
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Jamie Forest, transplanted New Yorker is enjoying her first spring in the Northwoods of Minnesota when her octogenarian friend Clarence introduces her to an elderly recluse, Nella Fox. Nella wants help writing her memoirs. She is the owner of an estate that was once a TB sanatorium. The hospital is long abandoned and crumbling. Rumors abound that the neglected building carries the secret of a long-ago murder. When one of the cousins who cares for Nella is found dead in the old hospital, Jamie is drawn into its dark history. Instead of enjoying the spring awakening Jamie finds herself piecing together the story of the estate and trying to solve two mysteries—one in the past and one in the present.

About the author
Linda Norlander is the author of A Cabin by the Lake mystery series set in Northern Minnesota. Death of a Fox is the fourth in the series that also includes Death of an Editor, Death of a Starling and Death of a Snow Ghost. Each mystery takes place in a different season. The first book in her new series, Liza, Mrs. Wilkens and the Ghost Mysteries will debut in October 2023. Norlander has published award winning short stories, op-ed pieces and short humor featured in regional and national publications. Before taking up the pen to write murder mysteries, she worked in end-of-life care. Norlander resides in Tacoma, Washington. Find her at lindanorlander.com or Facebook at authorlindanorlander.

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