“I will trade you sheep and wood for coffee. Stat,” I joke to Charlie Reynolds, slumping over the counter at the Drip and Sip, the local cafe in my adopted hometown, Hollows Way. I’ve lived here since my college days and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Even if that now means living alone. (Well, sort of alone. Pip, my very needy, black and white cat keeps me on my toes.) My husband, Marcus, passed away last year unexpectedly, leaving the daily operations of our sometimes-floundering-sometimes-booming board game store, the Cardboard Sheep, up to me.
“Coming right up, boss,” Charlie nods, and pours me a cup of plain, black coffee, knowing I don’t like anything fancy. On the counter next to them is an engineering textbook and a board game rulebook. When Charlie isn’t a part-time grad student or a part-time barista, they work part-time at the Cardboard Sheep with me. And when they aren’t doing any of those things, they live in the apartment above my shop. “Late night?” They laugh, knowing this elder-Millenial with increasingly achy joints, is anything but a night owl.
“Pip had the zoomies at two a.m.,” I groan and take a tentative sip of the steaming coffee. It’s far too hot and I burn the tip of my tongue, but the tiny jolt of caffeine is already helping. “Then my brain was running through the list of things to do before the alumni event we’re hosting this weekend. Including confirming that the game-designer alum is even still coming to give his talk.”
“We’ll figure it out. We always do,” Charlie reassures. “Maybe we can recruit Esther and Jo to help tonight after our weekly game night.” Esther Chambers and Jo Martin are my other BGFs (best gaming friends) who are always willing to help in a pinch, especially if it means more time playing or talking about board games and nerd culture in general.
I take a longer sip, letting the bitter coffee coat my tongue and wake up my brain. “Charlie, you are brilliant. Per usual. See you tonight!”
With the help of my friends, maybe this event won’t be a complete disaster afterall…
Player Elimination – A Wren Winters Mystery, Book 1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: August 2025
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link
She loves to play games, but not when it comes to murder.
Wren Winters is a businesswoman on a mission, juggling an alumni event for a rising game designer while keeping her late husband’s retail store alive. With RSVPs pouring in and her cranky landlord threatening to bulldoze her shop for high-rise apartments, Wren’s plate is full—but she’s no stranger to overcoming challenges. From economic slumps to vandalism and vicious online rumors, Wren has always found a way to persevere.
But nothing could prepare her for what she finds one fateful morning: her landlord murdered, her store turned into a crime scene, her only employee under suspicion (and hiding something), and a missing piece from an unreleased game.
Now, with her store’s future hanging by a thread and the stakes higher than ever, Wren must channel her puzzle-solving skills like never before. Can she and her friends follow the clues, clear her employee’s name, and crack the case before it’s game over?
Perfect for fans of Gigi Pandian and Ellery Adams, Player Elimination serves up page-turning suspense, clever twists, and cozy charm with every clue uncovered.
Meet the author
Shelly Jones is a professor by trade and a nerd by design. Woefully introverted, their pockets are full of post-it notes and their head is full of (unsaid) witty come-backs and un-won arguments from years past. When they aren’t grading papers or writing new cozy mysteries, Shelly can often be found hiking in the woods or playing a board game while their cats look on. For updates on their work, check out their website: shellyjonesauthor.com.