Hey, everyone!

I’m Seneca James, local butterfly farmer, café owner, cat mom, and amateur sleuth! Although, the last one wasn’t something I would’ve chosen. Unfortunately, there’ve been two previous murders in Maple Junction. The latest one happened a few days ago at a wedding. What an awful day that turned out to be.

I was sitting in the chapel with my best friend, Cody, who’s also the town sheriff. We assumed it would be business as usual. He was on duty as sheriff to make sure things went smoothly. And I was there to do a monarch butterfly release during the reception, something I always love.

Somehow, my cat, Winifred, ended up at the ceremony too. Believe me, I hadn’t invited her to come with me. But she snuck into my truck and jumped out the window after I got to the chapel. I won’t go into detail what she did during the ceremony. But honestly, cats should know better than to outshine the bride on her special day. Let’s just say I was mortified at her kitty behavior and may never live it down.

I hoped that would be the end of the negative happenings for the day. But things didn’t go as planned even after that.

Because during the reception, a dead body was discovered! It was a woman no one expected to even show up to the wedding at all. She was a wealthy recluse who hid in her mansion on a hill, and rarely stepped foot into town.

My cousin, Evie, was serving food delivered from my café, Painted Wings. Evie had reconnected with her old high school boyfriend right before the reception began. She was in heaven being with him again. However, after the murder happened, she was inconsolable. Because the person who she and I discovered holding the murder weapon over the body was none other than the man she loved!

Suddenly, the day that was supposed to be joyful turned into a murder investigation. All the guests, as well as the bridal party, were questioned by Cody. As you can imagine, that didn’t go over well with the young bridezilla who’d already caused a commotion before her wedding day even arrived.

To top all of that off, I finally admitted, at least to myself, that I had feelings for Cody that went deeper than best friends. But the thought of actually saying those words to him stopped me cold. What if he didn’t feel the same way? I’d ruin the great thing we had and could never go back.

It all sounds dramatic, doesn’t it? Well, it sure has been for me. Between trying to find a killer, taking care of my farm and café, feelings for Cody, being a cat mom—

Wait… I don’t see Winifred anywhere. Where did she sneak off to this time?

Gotta go. I never know what mayhem my cat might cause. Or embarrassment for me!

WINGS OF DECEIT
Series Name: A Seneca James Mystery, Book 3
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: January 2026
Format: Digital, Print
Purchase Link

At a local wedding, Seneca James releases monarch butterflies right after the couple says, ‘I do’. But when a pompous woman is found dead following the reception, the ensuing fiasco has Seneca wishing she’d said, ‘I don’t’ to the whole affair. Seneca’s cousin, Evie, comes to her for help when Evie’s love interest is accused of the murder, and Seneca isn’t about to tell her no. But with so much evidence pointed at Evie’s boyfriend, will Seneca, and her cat, Winifred, be able to prove him innocent?

About the author
Ruth J. Hartman spends her days herding cats and her nights spinning mysterious tales. Her husband reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and adores her even though all her books must have at least one cat in them. Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling writer uses her sense of humor as she writes tales of lovable, klutzy women who find trouble without even trying. Follow updates about her mysteries at www.Ruthjhartman.com.