Well, hello there! And welcome to the Sunny Side Up Diner, where the pancakes are fluffy and the bacon is crisp. Why don’t you take a seat at the lunch counter, then go ahead a pick a song from the jukebox. I recommend J5 – it’s my favorite song on there. I’ll grab you a milkshake on the house.

I love owning this diner with my best friend, Dani. We used to work here when we were teenagers, and it was a dream for the last decade to make it our own. It took a little finessing since Jeb sold it to some Healthy Juicer guy who thought our little town in Central Pennsylvania would want their veggies hidden in a shake. But we finally bought the place, and now the shakes are the real deal, and so is the food.

Between you and me, I’m in a little bit of trouble but I’m sure I’ll get it sorted out. But first I have to figure out who killed someone with one of the lanyards I had just picked up from the printer. I don’t know how they got it out of my car, and I have absolutely no idea why they would use it to end this guy’s life, but to save my reputation and the reputation of our restaurant I have to put on my sleuthing hat, a.s.a.p!

Anyway, normally I would just be here for hours, wiping down tables and making sure that everyone has everything they need, even Janice who has a very precise way of ordering her scrapple. But with this murder, I got derailed. As soon as I figure it out with help from Dani and this very yummy but probably off-limits new chef in town, I’m sure life will go back to normal. I can sling the hash at the grill during the day and hang out with my Siamese cat Stella Luna at night. Soon, very soon, that has to happen or things might never be the same. But first, enjoy the shake and the song, and don’t forget to tell your friends we’re open for business!

Diners, Drive-Ins, and Lies, A Sunny Side Up Mystery Book 1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: September 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Welcome to the Sunny Side Up Diner, where the pancakes are fluffy, the bacon is crisp, and murder should not be on the menu…

Jax Tapman has lived in the same small town her whole life. On one hand, it’s helped her dream of buying the local diner with her best friend come true, and their newly opened business is hopping. On the other hand, it means everyone knows her, and she pretty much never gets away with anything. There are a lot of expectations that come along with being the town darling.

So, when Jax finds a dead body behind her Aunt Hildy’s restaurant, surely no one will truly believe she did it, right?

Wrong. The victim was strangled with swag from Jax’s diner, and suddenly every eye is squarely on her, town darling or not! Enter Eliot Taylor, Aunt Hildy’s new cook and a former cop who grudgingly agrees to help Jax clear her name and save the diner’s reputation. Only the deeper they dig, the more dirt they churn up, proving there’s far more happening in the small, innocent town than meets the eye.

Together they’ll uncover more secrets than Jax can shake a spatula at and far more danger than she might be ready to handle. Can Jax save her reputation and solve a murder…or will this order be her last?

About the author
Misty Simon always wanted to be a storyteller…preferably behind a Muppet. Animal was number one, followed closely by Sherlock Hemlock… Since that dream didn’t come true, she began writing stories to share her world with readers, one laugh at a time.