How does that saying go? Man plans and God laughs. My husband Harlan, Brighton, New Hampshire’s Chief of Police, was all set to retire and for the first time in our life, we would enjoy traveling.
As you can guess, that didn’t work out. My sister-in-law Page owns the local bookstore called The Purple Page. She’s Harlan’s baby sister, quirky and always full of “great” ideas that tend to get her in trouble.
Two years ago, she decided to renovate the bookstore and add a small café. As we were rearranging the store for the workers to start construction, she went a little loony on a chocolate high. That’s how she ended up wielding a sledgehammer into a wall and discovering a bag of bones.
My eldest daughter was brought in for questioning by her own father as he tried to solve this ten-year-old murder. I had no choice but to get involved. That’s how Page and I ended up solving our first murder.
A year ago, Harlan was killed during a domestic call. I wallowed in grief. I’d lost my best friend and my adventure partner, and I couldn’t see a future. I cope with stress by baking, and I’d baked a lot lately. Then, on the eve of the local Chocolate Festival, Page’s baker disappeared, and she roped me into coming in to help her out at the bookstore by manning the café.
You guessed it, that’s when we found the baker’s body in the dumpster behind the store. I couldn’t let Page take the fall for a murder she didn’t commit, so I had to get involved. In spite of the objections of Harlan’s best friend, Nolan, who’d taken over the position of Chief of Police, we cleared her name.
Now I work part-time as the bookstore’s baker. It’s given me a small sense of purpose as I try to figure out what comes next.
So, no, sleuthing isn’t something I planned or wanted. But between Page’s out-of-the-lines thinking and my ability to see patterns, it turns out we’re good at it.
But you know, Brighton is a small town where people tend to be nice to each other and cooperate, so I don’t expect this will turn into a career. I’m happy baking, spending time with the kids and planning a trip on my own.
P.S. Don’t tell Ellie, but this isn’t her last case…
OF VALENTINES AND VENDETTA
Series Name: A Brighton Village Mystery Novella, Book 2
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: February 2026
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link
Chocolate, coffee beans, and a side of murder.
When Page Hamlin’s baker vanishes on the opening day of the annual Chocolate Festival, she begs her sister-in-law Ellie to roll up her sleeves and help keep the Purple Page Bookshop and Café humming. For Ellie, the distraction is welcome—it’s the anniversary of her husband’s death, and baking is easier than crying.
But the celebration turns bittersweet when the missing baker is discovered in the dumpster out back…with her mouth stuffed full of chocolate-covered coffee beans. Even worse, the police find “evidence” that makes Page their prime suspect.
Ellie refuses to let her sister-in-law take the fall. Armed with curiosity, determination, and a dash of chocolate-fueled courage, Ellie sets out to uncover the real killer. But with too-perfect clues, simmering secrets, and plenty of suspects, she’ll have to be careful—or risk becoming the next victim on the menu.
In Brighton Village, murder has a way of spoiling even the sweetest treats.
Meet the author
Sylvie writes stories that celebrate family, friendship and food. She likes dark chocolate, knitting with soft yarn and movies that require a box of tissues, especially if they have a hint of mystery. She’s written 26 books in various genres. Visit Sylvie at www.sylviekurtz.com.