Chapter and Curse: A Small Town Literature Circle Cozy Mystery (The Deadly Delights Murder Club Mystery Series Book 2)
By Daisy Danbury, Maisy Marple
Four women, one book club, and a locked-room mystery that just became deadly real…
When café owner Hazel Thompson and her friends—reserved librarian Libby Moore, former socialite Daphne Sinclair, and sarcastic bookshop clerk Charlie Banks—select a classic locked-room mystery for their book club, they never imagine fiction will become reality. But after solving their first real murder case, the self-dubbed “Deadly Delights” find themselves invited to a lavish dinner party at the estate of Plotwick’s wealthiest resident, Vivian Whitmore.
The evening starts with cocktails, conversation, and a mystery-themed game based on their latest book club selection. It ends with Vivian dead in her locked study—a seemingly impossible crime that the police quickly dismiss as natural causes.
But the Deadly Delights aren’t convinced. As they investigate, they discover hidden motives swirling around Whitmore Estate: Richard, Vivian’s estranged son with financial troubles; Edna, the housekeeper who knew Vivian’s most intimate secrets; and Hugo Pendergasth, a charismatic magician whose locked-room illusions bear a suspicious resemblance to the circumstances of Vivian’s death.
Meanwhile, Hazel finds herself being followed by Bernard O’Leary, a mysterious financial consultant with an unsettling interest in her connection to Vivian. As the club digs deeper, they uncover decades-old family secrets, financial fraud, and a killer who will stop at nothing to keep the truth locked away.
Can this book club solve another real murder before one of them becomes the next victim? And will Charlie ever admit that her constant sparring with handsome Detective Ethan Graves might be about more than just solving the case?
CHAPTER & CURSE is the second in a delightful cozy mystery series that combines bibliophile delights, small-town charm, and the unbeatable sleuthing power of female friendship.
Four women, one book club, and a locked-room mystery that just became deadly real…
When café owner Hazel Thompson and her friends—reserved librarian Libby Moore, former socialite Daphne Sinclair, and sarcastic bookshop clerk Charlie Banks—select a classic locked-room mystery for their book club, they never imagine fiction will become reality. But after solving their first real murder case, the self-dubbed “Deadly Delights” find themselves invited to a lavish dinner party at the estate of Plotwick’s wealthiest resident, Vivian Whitmore.
The evening starts with cocktails, conversation, and a mystery-themed game based on their latest book club selection. It ends with Vivian dead in her locked study—a seemingly impossible crime that the police quickly dismiss as natural causes.
But the Deadly Delights aren’t convinced. As they investigate, they discover hidden motives swirling around Whitmore Estate: Richard, Vivian’s estranged son with financial troubles; Edna, the housekeeper who knew Vivian’s most intimate secrets; and Hugo Pendergasth, a charismatic magician whose locked-room illusions bear a suspicious resemblance to the circumstances of Vivian’s death.
Meanwhile, Hazel finds herself being followed by Bernard O’Leary, a mysterious financial consultant with an unsettling interest in her connection to Vivian. As the club digs deeper, they uncover decades-old family secrets, financial fraud, and a killer who will stop at nothing to keep the truth locked away.
Can this book club solve another real murder before one of them becomes the next victim? And will Charlie ever admit that her constant sparring with handsome Detective Ethan Graves might be about more than just solving the case?
CHAPTER & CURSE is the second in a delightful cozy mystery series that combines bibliophile delights, small-town charm, and the unbeatable sleuthing power of female friendship.