Spotlight: Scooping Up Scandal by Emmie Lyn

Little Dog Diner Book 7 

Genre: Cozy Mystery 

Turning thirty can be murder!

When a body is discovered next to the Little Dog Diner on her milestone birthday, Dani Mackenzie finds herself scooping up a scandal instead of cutting cake.

The prime suspect is the new owner of the Blueberry Bay Grapevine, but the victim’s stepbrother and ex-girlfriend also have means, motive, and opportunity.

With this trio of suspects, it will take a good nose to uncover whodunnit. At least Dani has her best friend—her Jack Russell, Pip—at her side to help sniff out the killer! But in the meantime, her kick-off to her thirties is turning into more of an upside-down cake than a celebration as she uncovers money, a business scandal, and thwarted love at the core of this crime.

It will take the victim’s black Labrador and finding a winning lottery ticket to solve this mystery, but Dani never throws in the towel. Will she and Pip once again use their experience at solving mysteries to bring justice to Misty Harbor, Maine, or will they be caught in the crosshairs of the killer?

Excerpt

My day off wasn’t supposed to start with a phone call startling me half to death. But it did.

I fumbled on the nightstand to silence my ringing phone even before my sleep-deprived brain surfaced through the fog. 

“Hello?” I mumbled. The time blinked 5:30 on my watch. Really? Who was making calls at that hour? If I’d been fully awake, I would have checked the caller ID. But you know how it is. I reacted before thinking when caught by surprise. Or when aroused from a deep sleep. Oh, well. Too late to hang up and go back to dreamland. Because an unintelligible whisper came through the phone. Creepy.

Awake now and heart pounding from the unknown, I scooched up against the headboard until I was sitting up straight. Was this a crank call before the sun was barely above Maine’s Blueberry Bay? So much for sleeping in on the one day my Little Dog Diner was closed.

Pip, my Jack Russell terrier, looked at me with her head cocked as if asking what was going on? I had no more of a clue than she did.

I heard my name coming through the phone. “Dani? Dani Mackenzie?” The caller seemed confused as if she wasn’t sure she had the right number.

At first, I didn’t recognize the voice. 

“Uh-huh?” I said, wishing I’d let it go to voicemail.

With my husband Luke out of town for a few days, I knew this wasn’t his deep, rumbling tone, so I was ready to hang up when I realized he wasn’t calling with some kind of emergency. 

But then I heard, “It’s Cam. Camilla Carter?” Finally, a name to go with the mystery caller. “The Blueberry Bay Grapevine? I hope I didn’t wake you,” she said low.

Why the whisper, I wondered. Was she afraid she’d wake the rest of the neighborhood? 

Just then, Pip pushed her head under my arm and knocked the phone loose. When I grabbed it, I hit the speaker button, absently scratching under her ear. Of course, Pip leaned in for more love from me, at the same time Cam’s breathing startled me, amplified now and suddenly sounding like a buzzsaw. 

“I’m awake,” I said, hearing the annoyance in my voice.

“I’m really sorry, Dani.” Cam paused. “I didn’t know who else to call.”

Fair enough, I thought, but her apology did little to soothe my irritation. 

“What’s wrong, Cam?” I asked, hoping it was something simple like she’d locked herself out of her office and hoped I had a spare key. I did unless she’d changed the locks. Cam had just bought the weekly Grapevine newspaper from my grandmother, Rose Mackenzie. She’d moved into an apartment over the paper in a building next door to my diner and hadn’t made many friends yet. So, this early morning phone call made sense. 

But when she hadn’t broken the silence on her end of the phone, I sat up a bit straighter, curious. “Cam? Are you okay?”

She whispered, “It looks like someone’s trying to break into your diner.”

That got my attention. “Call the police, Cam. I’m on my way.” 

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About the Author 

Emmie Lyn grew up in a small town in New England, much like the towns where her female characters live—scenic, quaint and filled with colorful characters. She loves to create mysteries with twists and unexpected turns that draw readers in and capture their imagination.

Emmie lives in rural Massachusetts with her husband, a rescue terrier, and a black cat with a bad attitude. She shares twelve acres with a wide variety of wildlife including deer, bunnies, turkeys, and many songbirds. When she’s not busy thinking of ways to kill off a character (for a book, of course!) she enjoys a cup of tea and chocolate in her flower garden, hiking, or spending time near the ocean.

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Spotlight: Homecoming Queen by Chad Boudreaux

Genre: Suspense Thriller

Homecoming Queen is a thriller chronicling the plight of Anika Raven, who faces the challenge of a lifetime after returning to Miranda, Texas, to rescue her little sister. 

Time is of the essence as the hurricane of the century, predicted to obliterate everything in its path, barrels toward Anika’s hometown. But the deadly storm is not her biggest problem. Not long ago, she was the high school’s beloved homecoming queen, but now she finds herself on the run from the law and running out of time after family troubles force her to pursue vigilante justice. With the storm approaching and tensions in town increasing, factions brace for battle with Anika and her sister trying to survive. 

Homecoming Queen was written for adults of all ages with a love for fast-paced thrillers. With a unique plot line, memorable characters, and page-turning storytelling, the book packs intriguing substance into a quick read. 

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Chad Boudreaux was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas and now lives in Hampton Roads, Virginia, with his wife and four children.

Before becoming Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer of the nation’s largest military shipbuilder, Chad Boudreaux served as Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he advised Secretary Michael Chertoff on almost all significant matters facing the newly established department.  Before working for Homeland Security, Boudreaux served in several high-ranking positions at the U.S. Justice Department, where he was hired the night before the September 11, 2001 attacks. During his time at the Justice Department, Boudreaux focused most of his time on matters relating to terrorism and homeland security.  Boudreaux graduated from Baylor University in Texas in 1995 and from the University of Memphis School of Law in 1998, where he was Managing Editor of the law review. 

Boudreaux leverages his unique, high-level experience in global security matters and his extensive legal expertise to craft breathtaking, insider stories of mystery and intrigue that are ripped from today’s headlines and sure to shock his readers.

Spotlight: Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

The highly anticipated sequel to the instant #1 New York Times bestseller Assistant to the Villain!

NOTICE TO STAFF: There has been a disturbing increase in cheeriness, sprightly behavior, and overall optimism of late. Please resume your former dark, ominous terrors at  your earliest convenience. ―Mgmt

Evie Sage has never been happier to be the assistant to The Villain. Who would have thought  that working for an outrageously handsome (shhh, bad for his brand) evil overlord would be so  rewarding? Still, the business of being bad is demanding, the forces of good are annoyingly  persistent, and said forbidding boss is somewhat…er, out-of-evil-office. 

But Rennedawn is in grave trouble, and all signs―Kingsley’s included―point to catastrophe.  Something peculiar is happening with the kingdom’s magic, and it’s made The Villain’s manor  vulnerable to their enemies...including their nemesis, the king. 

Now it’s time for Evie to face her greatest challenge: protecting The Villain’s lair, all of his  nefarious works, and maybe (provided no one finds out) the entire kingdom. No pressure, Evie. 

It’s time to step out of her comfort zone and learn new skills. Like treason. Dagger work.  Conspiring with the enemy. It’s all so…so…delightfully fun. But what happens when the  assistant to The Villain is ready to become his apprentice?

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Hannah Nicole Maehrer―or as TikTok Knows her, @hannahnicolemae―is a fantasy romance author and BookToker with a propensity for villains. She grew up in Eastern Pennsylvania, watching Disney movies in her favorite rocking chair, where she spent hours imagining her own stories, creating entire worlds among the green walls of her living room. She kept her big dreams close as she went on to graduate with a bachelor’s in psychology from Pennsylvania State University. Until one day her aspirations carried her to a small app on her phone that made those big dreams a reality. After developing the viral Assistant to the Villain TikTok series into a book, Hannah watched that world she always dreamed of take form.

Connect with Hannah: 

Instagram: @hannahnicolemae 

TikTok: @hannahnicolemae 

Cover Reveal: The Dreams We Share by Belinda Benna

Release Date: September 5

WILL BE AVAILABLE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED!

Two dreams. One summer. A life-changing love story.

The world is full of wonders. That's what my father taught me. And that's something Josh has absolutely no clue about.

Granted, he's strong, stronger than I'll ever be. Because he fights for his dream while I've long given up on mine. As a star pianist, he's even nominated for the International Music Award this year. But at the same time, he's so afraid of his five-year-old daughter that he hired me as a nanny.

Josh is peculiar. And honestly, he should mean nothing to me. But when he plays the piano, I still wish he would do it just for me.

This man touches my heart. But I can't allow that.

Because within me lie memories that must never be awakened. And slowly, I realize that he could be the one to do exactly that.

It's impossible not to be moved by this uplifting romance novel about the pursuit of happiness and finding your place in life. Perfect for fans of Abby Jimenez, Paige Toon, and Beth Moran.

Buy on Amazon

Meet Belinda Benna:

Belinda Benna is an award-winning author whose moving romance novels are filled with emotion, allowing you to lose yourself between the lines and find yourself at the same time.

Experience stories that will make you cry, laugh, and fall in love-each with a message that will stay with you for a long time.

In her newsletter, Belinda provides exclusive insights into unpublished manuscripts and her life as an author.

Keep up with Belinda and subscribe to her newsletter: https://www.belindabenna.com/newsletter

To learn more about Belinda Benna & her books, visit here!

Connect with Belinda Benna:

Instagram: @belinda_benna_author

Facebook: @Belinda Benna - Author

TikTok: @belinda_benna_author

Spotlight: Hollow Bones by Erica Wright

An eerie Appalachian town. A fatal fire. Three women whose fates intertwine . . .

Essa Montgomery and her brother Clyde were brought up in New Hope, a serpent-handling church in Vintera, West Virginia, until the shocking deaths of both their parents closed the church down. Now twenty, reclusive Essa lives alone in her childhood home in the shadow of New Hope, which to her horror has been taken over by a new charismatic, unsettling pastor who continues the dangerous practice. So when the church burns down, she’s glad – until she learns that two people died in the blaze, and her brother’s the prime suspect . . .

Life has made Juliet Usher, who scratches a living as a psychic medium, both assertive and ruthless. With a baby on the way, it’s the worst possible time for her partner Clyde to be arrested. She’ll do anything to survive and keep him out of prison – no matter what it takes!

Merrit Callahan has always been ambitious. A striving news reporter, she’s willing to go the extra mile and break the rules to get the big scoop. And in small-town Vintera, she thinks she might have found the story that will be the making of her career.

Fans of Angie Kim’s Miracle Creek and Eli Cranor’s Ozark Dogs will love this gripping and creepy mystery novel inspired by Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure using a contemporary setting filled with shocking twists and turns!

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Hardcover | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Erica Wright is the author of eight books, including her new mystery Hollow Bones (Severn House, 2024) and the essay collection Snake (Bloomsbury, 2020). Her novel Famous in Cedarville (Polis Books, 2019) received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was called “a clever little whodunnit” in The New York Times Book Review. Her latest poetry collection is All the Bayou Stories End with Drowned (Black Lawrence Press, 2017). She is a former editorial board member of Alice James Books and currently teaches at Bellevue University. She lives in Knoxville, Tennessee where she is trying to befriend the local crows.

Website: www.ericawright.org

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ericawrightwrites

X: www.twitter.com/eawright

Spotlight: The House on Cold Creek Lane by Liz Alterman

An unflinching examination of motherhood and the dark side of domesticity set against a suburban backdrop that's anything but blissful. This twisty tale invites readers to a slow motion unravelling that culminates in a devastating finale.

Who was I? What had I become?
Breathe, I commanded. You're doing this for your family.

When Laurel and Rob West move into their new home in New Jersey, it seems too good to be true. But Laurel can't shake off her old feelings of anxiety. The neighbour who pays far too much attention to the Wests' two young children . . . Rob watching her every miss step . . . and there's something people aren't telling her about this house . . .

I promised myself I wouldn't go to that neighborhood again. Not that street. Not so soon. But I couldn't help it. They made it too easy.

Corey Sutton is trying to outrun her past. Recently divorced and reeling from a devastating loss, she moves into her widowed mother's retirement condo in Florida. Everyone says she just needs some time to recover and rebuild . . . but is Corey beyond saving? She wants answers. And there's very little she won't do to get them.

Though Laurel and Corey have never met, the women have something in common, and if they're not careful, it may just destroy them both . .

Excerpt

April

Laurel 

Rob’s words spilled into my ear, so urgent I could almost feel the giddy rush of his breath through the phone.

‘They accepted the offer. We got the house!’

‘You’re joking!’ I sat up. Mid-morning sun warmed my face. I’d been resting on the couch, pillows behind my back and beneath my knees – the same way I’d spent the past two weeks. Like a nocturnal ballerina, the baby pirouetted inside me most nights, leaving me exhausted for much of the day. But the excitement in my husband’s voice – this news – jolted me awake. ‘We got it?’

My mother-in-law, Susan, looked at me, eyebrows arched. I gave her a thumbs-up. She mimed clapping and wiped her forehead in mock relief. It would’ve been impossible for her not to eavesdrop in our tiny apartment as she and three-year-old Jasper worked on a floor puzzle a few feet from me. Their heads bent toward one another as the scene – a rabbit farmer in overalls surrounded by chicks – clicked into place.

Rob had spotted the white Cape Cod-style house on Cold Creek Lane less than twenty-four hours earlier during his routine scrolling. He sent me the link and arranged an early-morning showing with the listing agent.

After a quick tour, he’d FaceTimed me from the empty bedroom that would be Jasper’s.

‘It’s perfect, Laur!’ His voice echoed off the ivory walls. ‘Let’s make an offer. What do you say?’

I’d said fine, go for it. I never thought we’d hear within hours. I expected to wait days and then lose out to a couple with more money. And, honestly, I was fine with that. The closer it got to my due date, the less appealing moving seemed.

Rob and I began house-hunting in the fall after the first-trimester morning sickness subsided enough that I could ride in the car without turning nauseous. We’d ventured to sweet suburban towns west of the city and found four homes we’d loved, only to get outbid every time. It was so discouraging, we’d stopped looking to avoid ruining the holidays. When we started again in February, inventory had been low with only a handful in our price range, we’d had to expand our search.

‘If everything goes smoothly, we could be in by June,’ Rob said.

After getting our hopes up only to be disappointed so many times, this seemed too easy, too good to be true.

I heard the tick-tock of the blinker and pictured him in the car on his way to work. I was quiet a beat too long. My husband, well attuned to my shifting moods, asked, ‘Laur? Laur, are you there?’

‘I’m here.’

‘I thought you’d be more excited. What’s wrong? You and my mom getting along?’

Susan had been staying with us on and off for the past ten days, making sure I followed my doctor’s bed rest orders – not easy with a toddler. She kept Jasper entertained, bundling him up every afternoon and whisking him off to the park, spoiling him with cocoa and mini cupcakes before making dinner each night. She returned to my father-in-law, Dennis, on the weekends and boomeranged back to us on Monday mornings. Some people would say I hit the mother-in-law jackpot, but with another person in it, our apartment took on the cramped feel of a crowded elevator.

‘No, no. I mean, yes, I’m fine. We’re all fine.’ I nodded, as if Rob could see me through the phone. ‘I am excited. It’s just, well . . .’ I pulled at a loose thread in the blanket covering my legs and burrowed my feet between sofa cushions. I turned my head away from Susan.

I could already hear how childish I’d sound before the words passed my lips. ‘It’s our first house. I wish I’d been there with you.’ I tried to keep my tone warm, not whiny. ‘I’d like to walk through the rooms at least once before we buy it. You know, actually see the place we’re going to be paying off for the next thirty years.’

‘I know, but—’

‘Can we go this weekend?’ I interrupted. ‘I won’t get out of the car. We can drive by. I want to check out the street, the neighborhood. Is there a playground nearby?’

‘You know what the doctor said: full bed rest until thirty-seven weeks. The next time you leave the apartment, it’s to have the baby.’

I groaned, knowing he was right.

‘C’mon, Laurel. We’re almost there.’

Easy for him to say. It had been fifteen days and already I was stir crazy. How would I manage another three weeks? I blocked the thought before my anxiety spiked and my blood pressure soared.

‘Trust me, you’ll love this place,’ Rob continued. ‘I promise.’

‘What about the mortgage?’ I’d quit my job as a part-time pastry chef a few months earlier when I started cramping and spotting and my doctor told me to stay off my feet as much as possible. We’d mainly used my bite-sized salary to justify dinners out, concerts, and the small luxuries we couldn’t give up: Netflix, Spotify, our gym membership. Still, I wondered how we could afford this property.

‘We’re pre-approved!’ Rob scoffed, all confidence. ‘Unless you bought a Porsche and didn’t tell me, we’re good. I didn’t even have to dip into Jasper’s imaginary college fund. And the best part? I decided to drop the offer twenty grand and they still accepted it!’

When was the last time I’d heard my husband that happy? Why couldn’t I let him have it? Doubts and questions looped through my mind, vultures circling, as I fiddled with the fringes on the throw blanket.

‘They didn’t insist on the asking price? In this market? That’s crazy.’ I shifted. I hadn’t felt the baby move since our call began. Or maybe she had and I hadn’t noticed with all the excitement. I took a sip of orange juice from the glass Susan had placed on our scuffed-up coffee table and waited to feel the baby’s fluttery movements.

‘Nope. No other offers.’ Rob blew out a long exhale as if to say, ‘Lucky us!’

No other offers. Was something wrong with the house and my husband wasn’t telling me? Why did my mind always go to the darkest place? I knew why, of course. My mother had been murdered days before Christmas when I was twelve years old.

How much of my present unease was my past refusing to let me believe good things could happen? And how much was that ugly side of human nature that made us desire something more once someone else wanted it too? It reminded me of the way Jasper was only interested in the swings at the playground after all of them were occupied. Maybe we never outgrew it.

‘Does it have a bad smell?’ I hinted at my concerns. ‘Mold? Be honest!’ Pregnancy made me keenly aware of the slightest foul scent. I’d potty trained Jasper early so we could stop using that diaper pail that didn’t trap odors, despite the promising reviews.

Silence. Did we have a bad connection or was he hesitating?

‘Rob?’ The baby jabbed at my ribcage. I patted my stomach, relieved.

‘It’s perfect,’ Rob insisted. ‘Even nicer in person. Lots of windows. The floors were just refinished. The street’s wide, trees on both sides.’ He paused. ‘There’s a creek behind the house. We should probably put up a fence.’

‘You saw it for the first time an hour ago! We don’t even own it yet and already you’re making improvements!’ I teased.

‘Didn’t I tell you it would all work out?’ Rob laughed as a horn blared in the background. ‘I’m heading into the tunnel, I might lose you. We’ll celebrate tonight when I get . . .’

It was nice to hear him sound like himself again. Since the pregnancy had turned high-risk, he’d been on edge, anxious. While those were my default settings, my husband typically sailed through his days carefree. He’d led a charmed life, so different from mine. I’d been anticipating tragedy since the night two police officers had stood in my childhood kitchen towering over my father.

Rob expected every moment to shine. Why shouldn’t his good fortune continue, he reasoned. And, like a self-fulfilling prophecy, for a while, it did.

Sometimes now I wonder if Rob hadn’t found the house on Cold Creek Lane – if we’d never bought it – would his luck have held out forever?

And if it had, would it have been enough to protect us all?

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About the Author

Liz Alterman is the author of the memoir Sad Sacked, the young adult thriller He’ll Be Waiting, a finalist for the Dante Rossetti Young Adult Fiction award, and the domestic suspense novels The Perfect Neighborhood and The House on Cold Creek Lane. Her work has been published by The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and numerous other outlets. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, three sons, and two cats, and spends most days microwaving the same cup of coffee and looking up synonyms. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading and attempting to visit with as many book clubs as time will allow. For more, visit lizalterman.com.