The Cat and the Codex (Aunt Alice's Bookshop Mysteries)

The Cat and the Codex (Aunt Alice's Bookshop Mysteries)

In charming Pepper Lake, poetry and peril go hand in hand… Nell Murray thought inheriting Greybriars—her eccentric Aunt Alice’s sprawling, book-filled mansion—meant she’d left behind big-city chaos for tea, tranquility, and the occasional mystery novel. But when Nell and her curious cat Gatsby unearth a hidden puzzle box filled with what might be Emily Dickinson's original poems, Nell's peaceful days are replaced with intrigue. Word spreads fast in a small town, and Nell finds herself fending off literary treasure hunters, including an overly dramatic poet with a flair for trouble and a suspicious philanthropist with secrets of her own. But when the latter turns up dead—right in the middle of a fundraiser book sale—Nell knows this mystery is more than merely historical. With the help of her best friend Cricket, a barista at the Buttered Scone bakery and coffee shop, and the ever-enigmatic Gideon, who may know more of Aunt Alice's secrets than he's letting on, Nell sets out to uncover the truth. But the more she digs, the more she wonders: is there a killer among Pepper Lake’s most bookish residents? Curl up with a cup of tea and a cat in your lap—this cozy mystery is full of clever clues, small-town charm, and bookish delight.