I’ve been back home on Bainbridge Island now for a year. And I still feel like I’m visiting at times. My mother for example, she’s being totally weird lately. Usually, she’s all up in my business, judging my outfits for church, telling me what I should be doing with my life (which is finding a man to support me – blah), or questioning my choices. Although she got better a month or so after I moved home. I guess we both needed to figure out who we were to each other as adults, not just in our mom and daughter roles.
Dad’s a whole nother story and I’m still actively avoiding hanging out with him and my step-mother, Elaine. I know, it’s childish but I thought maybe the parents would see the errors in their ways and get over this divorce. With a new wife in the picture, that kind of killed that dream. I’ve been on Team Mom since that happened, even though I say the right things. And he did pony up the money for my failed-to-launch wedding. But true to practical Dad, he used my reception venue and catering to host a client party so he didn’t lose much.
Like I said, I’m on Team Mom.
Lately though, I rarely see her. Even around the bookstore. She works the day shift and I come in at three most days and then keep it open until eight. Or if it’s really dead, I close up around six. She’s got me on health insurance so I know I need to be there, but some days, no one comes in on my shift. Which gives me a lot of time to hang with Dalton and Natasha when they bring me dinner. Or work on the book I’m writing. Or even finish up the tasks for my other job, doing social media and other assistant duties for Lilly Aster. Yes, I’m working for the famous LC Astor, writer of mystery. But with Mom being so flaky, I’m thinking I might need to step up my job title here at the store from just a bookseller, to trying to expand her book of business as one of my classes called it. In human speak, that means figuring out ways to bring in more customers.
Today and tomorrow, I’m in charge of the bookstore from open to close. No explanation, just a please cover me message when I got this week’s shift schedule. I’m hoping nothing is wrong. One of my friend’s mom from college just had some sort of cancer and my friend didn’t find out until after she had surgery. They didn’t want to worry her. I’d rather worry about something specific than let my imagination run wild. Anyway, I guess she didn’t tell Junior, my brother, what was going on either because he’s here to take her to lunch.
If I can’t get Mom to spill the beans, there’s always Aunt Melody. I’ll stop by later to see what she knows. They didn’t call me Nancy Drew my entire childhood for nothing.
Meg
CONFESSIONS OF AN AMATEUR SLEUTH
Series: A Bainbridge Island Mystery, Book 2
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: April 2026
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link
Bainbridge Island bookseller, aspiring author, and amateur sleuth Meg (no relation to Bill) Gates investigates the murder of a crabby food critic in New York Times bestselling author Lynn Cahoon’s latest Pacific Northwest-set mystery for fans of Kate Carlisle, Lorna Barrett, Jenn McKinlay, and Ellery Adams.
Twenty-something bookseller and sleuth Meg Gates has a confession: solving crimes may be easier than writing. She’s been working on a guide to becoming a detective—but she’s her own worst critic. She needs a how-to in order to write her how-to!
At the Bainbridge Island writers’ group, she meets freelance food critic Lee Anderson, who invites her to join him for dinner at the Local Crab so he won’t be suspected of reviewing the place. Lee is a bit of a crab himself and intends to do a hatchet job on the eatery.
Instead, someone does a job on the critic—he’s found dead by the marina. Now Bainbridge’s culinary elite are on the suspect list.
With help from her beau, Dalton, and the Mystery Crew at Island Books, Meg dons her sleuthing cap to solve the mystery du jour—before another murder is served cold . . .
About the author
Anthony-nominated and award-winning New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, Lynn Cahoon, pens several cozy mystery series including The Cat Latimer Mysteries, The Tourist Trap Mysteries, The Kitchen Witch Mysteries, Survivors’ Book Club Mysteries, The Farm to Fork Mysteries, and the Bainbridge Island Mysteries. Originally from Idaho, she now lives in a small town in Eastern Tennessee like the towns she loves to write about with her husband and three spoiled Keeshonds.