Dru’s Short Musing:
Not again! Mac finds the body of a toy store worker slumped over and the Cozy Capers Book Group are on the case.
This fast-paced and well-written drama with its comfortable tone was quickly consumed by me as I had to know how this was going to turn out. The author is a prolific storyteller, and this is evident by the pitch perfect mystery that kept me engaged with its multi-plot storyline and its intriguing list of suspects that kept me immersed in this mysterious tale. The author did a great job in giving us enough clues and a few red herrings to follow the path she was leading us into. As the story moved forward, the pieces began to fit together, and it was fun watching this all play out with a few characters having a pivotal role in the apprehension of the killer. Bonus for me is the camaraderie between the group and watching Mac handle motherhood while working and sleuthing. Overall, this was a delightfully entertaining whodunit and one of the best books in this charming series.
Series: A Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, Book 8
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: August 25, 2026
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link
Book Synopsis:
It’s a cold, wet, February on Cape Cod, but a murder at the local toy store blows an especially icy wind through town—and through bike shop owner Mackenzie “Mac” Almeda’s sleuthing Cozy Capers Book Group.
Mac is extra busy these days as she and Tim do their best as working parents of a preschooler and a baby, not to mention Mac’s participation in the Cozy Capers book group. With Ella’s 4th birthday approaching, Mac uses her lunch break to shop for a gift at the Toy Soldier, which is run by June Fadiman.
Behind the counter is Zia Carven, a young woman Mac recognizes as a shopper at the Free Grocery food pantry Mac’s father sponsors. Zia finds Mac a kid-sized gardening toolkit Ella will love and offers to gift wrap it. In a rush, Mac plans to pick it up after work. But at 5:30, she finds Zia slumped over the counter, dead, dried blood on a toy rifle nearby. The first police officer to arrive is June’s son, August. Then June arrives and is upset to find the police won’t allow her inside.
Mac’s mother, Astra, confides that she’d been trying to help Zia, and now the police want to speak with her, which worries Mac. Then Mac discovers that Zia had been in town searching for her birth mother, which only multiplies the questions—and the suspects. Just one thing is certain: Mac and the book group will have to double down to find a killer who isn’t playing around . . .
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.