The Lighthouse Hex: A witchy seaside cozy mystery of ghosts, lighthouses, and slow-burn romance (Starling Cove Mysteries Book 1)

When Ivy Hart inherits the crumbling Starling Point Lighthouse, she expects dust and seawater—not a dead body on the beach, a ghostly grandmother with opinions, and a sheriff who thinks logic can explain a town that clearly runs on magic.

Welcome to Starling Cove: a salt-sprayed island where the boardwalk is called Harbor Row, the cemetery locks its gates at night, and the locals treat a hex like a weather report. The moment Ivy arrives, her latent witchcraft wakes up…along with a killer who prefers poison and secrets that won’t stay buried.

With the help of toolbelt-wielding best friend Beck Wilder, bartender/empath Poppy Quinn, and lighthouse-lingering Maeve Porter (Ivy’s very talkative ghost of a grandmother), Ivy is drafted into sleuthing. Unfortunately, Sheriff Declan Shore—equal parts exasperating and distractingly handsome—would like her to leave the detecting to law enforcement. Too bad Ivy’s magic refuses to sit on the bench.

As another clue washes ashore and an intruder comes for Ivy in the night, the island’s pretty postcard edges tear, revealing a tangle of property feuds, old spells, and a development authority that knows more than it admits. To survive, Ivy must master the first rule of Starling Cove: trust your gut, your magic… and your found family.

What you’ll find inside

• A paranormal cozy mystery at the seaside—witchy sleuth, snarky banter, and a twisty whodunit

• Ghostly guidance (thanks, Grandma), slow-burn romance (hello, Sheriff Shore), and buckets of island charm

• Clean read: closed-door romance, mild language, minimal gore

• Series arc + stand-alone case: the murder mystery wraps, while bigger secrets of Starling Cove continue

Perfect for readers who love

Amanda M. Lee, Angie Fox, Adele Abbott, H.Y. Hanna, and other witchy cozy mysteries with humor, heart, and a splash of magic.

Keywords that fit this book

cozy mystery, witch cozy, paranormal cozy mystery series, small-town mystery, seaside island, lighthouse mystery, amateur sleuth, slow burn romance, witty heroine, ghost grandmother, humorous mystery, found family, clean mystery

Start the Starling Cove Mysteries with Book 1: The Lighthouse Hex.
Pour a mug of hot cocoa, curl up by the lighthouse glow, and let the island cast its spell.