Hi there I’m Riley Morgan. I am now the proud owner of my own bookstore Café, Pages & Scones. It’s right here in my little hometown of Cedar Grove, South Dakota. Cedar Grove is a small town with a population of only 3,211 people (not including myself). My father wouldn’t be proud to know that his son was a bookseller. I feel the career fits me well.

I was always around books when I was growing up. My mother was a substitute teacher who also worked as a librarian in our small town. So when my career and life wasn’t going any better in the metropolis of Minneapolis, MN, I decided to come home and own my own bookstore and coffee shop. It worked out very well except my landlord is always a pain and people seem to not like the fact that I associate with the town ‘lost cause’ and loner Jed Nelson. I don’t pay attention to the rumors and whispers, because Jed’s my friend. He and his dog Duke will always be welcome in my shop.

Anyways, business seems to be buzzing in Cedar Grove and that’s because it’s Memorial Day weekend. It’s a good thing I decided to open my store over this week. I’ll make plenty of books, food and coffee sales over the week and weekend, and still be able to relax come Memorial Day. Little did I know that things would start to change around Cedar Grove. Thursday and Friday before Memorial Day started out pretty well. I got up, shaved, showered, put on my usual workout clothes. After a short walk down by the river and on the trail, I was dressed and ready for work.

What I didn’t know is that this morning, Jed would end up in an argument with both my landlord, Brent, and some guy I’m not familiar with. That he would come to me asking if anything were to happen to him to keep them from getting to his house or taking his dog, Duke, away. If I only knew where that turn of events would lead.

Murder & Old Books is the first book in the NEW “Riley Morgan” mystery series, released November 24, 2020.

Running a bookstore. . . Is Murder!

Riley Morgan never expected to be back in his quiet hometown of Cedar Grove, South Dakota, population 3,211. The former barista turned bookstore owner has his work cut out for him. His opening day during Memorial Day Weekend turns out to be better than expected. That is until one of his customers, local curmudgeon and drunk, Jed Nelson, turns up dead. Jed decides to leave Riley his dog and house in his will, making him the prime suspect. Of course, there are lots of people that wanted Jed dead, from one of his Ex-Wives to a property developer looking to cash in on his land. Riley with the help of his childhood friend, and newfound canine companion, and his high school crush turned cop, decided to catch the Killer before they added another deadly chapter to this mystery?

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Meet the author
Ryan Hoffman has always had a deep passion for writing. He has a degree in Criminal Justice. He is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime. He has held a lot of jobs which bring him a lot of experience to add to his cozy mystery novels. Those range from currently working in a cafeteria to working as a stocking clerk in a grocery store. He has always had a soft spot for Mysteries since reading his first Hardy Boys we’re Nancy Drew book as a child. He graduated to devouring Agatha Christie and other mystery writers in his adult years. He currently lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but grew up in a small town similar to the ones he writes about.

All comments are welcomed.