Dru’s Short Musing:
When faced with a decision to help a client or not, her heart and sense of justice win out.

This evenly paced and well-written whodunit with its comfortable tone quickly became a page-turner as I had to know how this was going to end. The author did a great job in staging this mystery with a small pool of suspects all of whom have a motive for murder, sprinkled with clues that once pieced together, narrowed the list down to one. The visually descriptive narrative put me in the middle of all the action, and it was great to see familiar faces who had a pivotal role in how well this story was being told. There were several heartfelt moments when Hadley encountered someone from her past with a message which took her on a new journey in both her professional and personal life. And the conclusion was well done. Boasting a dynamic cast of characters, engaging dialogue and a small-town atmosphere, this delightfully charming and emotionally charged story is a must read and one of the best books in this endearing series.

Series Name: A Carolina Tales Mystery, Book 3
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: April 7, 2026
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Stella Maris Books

Book Synopsis:
Private Investigator Hadley Cooper has a knack for finding trouble—and this time, it’s wearing pearls.

Life on Sullivan’s Island is about as close to bliss as it gets—bike rides at sunrise, cases that don’t make headlines, and a romance with SLED agent Cash Reynolds that’s finally on solid ground. They have one ironclad rule: never work the same case.

When a wealthy Charleston socialite turns up dead, Cash charges her housekeeper, Bridget Donovan, with murder. But the young single mother has a formidable ally in Carolyn Talbot, a local matriarch who implores Hadley to help. Hadley’s heart overrides her head, and her agreement with Cash is gone like confetti in a hurricane.

Soon she’s wading through a tangle of suspects—blue bloods with deadly secrets, her client’s scheming ex-monster-in-law, and the greatest unknown country singer in Nashville. But Hadley’s also grappling with a mystery closer to home—one that will shake everything she thought she knew about her family.

To find justice for Bridget, Hadley will have to risk her heart, her life—and maybe her grip on reality.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the author.