Ex-hotel accountant Sylvia Bennett skids into the wrong inn on the worst night. Over thyme‑scented stew, Grandma Jo's laughter draws stranded guests together. The lobby becomes a makeshift family. And by morning, the innkeeper Harris is dead.
Lucky, the victim’s limping spaniel, decides she's his person—whether she's ready or not.
When someone hides an oil-stained wrench in Sylvia's locker, the tight‑knit town is ready to believe the worst about the outsider.
Sylvia starts to notice what doesn’t fit—the silences that linger too long, the grief that doesn’t quite ring true, and the flinches no one explains.
Under Lucky’s steady gaze, Sylvia wonders if she can trust the intuition she’s spent years doubting.
The detective is filing charges. Lucky—the only witness—can’t speak.
Guided only by oil stains and silences, Sylvia must trust what she sees before she loses her freedom, her future, and the spaniel who chose her first.
Inside The Evergreen Hearth Inn Cozy Mysteries
This is a short-read prequel novella (~15,000 words) where Sylvia and Lucky's story begins. Perfect as a complete standalone or as the prequel to the full series.
A word before you step in: this is a quieter cozy. No procedural investigation, no thriller pacing, no high-stakes chases. The mystery unfolds through human connection and hard-won intuition, slowly, warmly, completely. If that's your kind of story, the hearth is lit and the door is open.
What readers love:
- A small town that feels like your second home
- Lucky, always safe, always scene-stealing (we promise!)
- A thread of slow-burn romance woven through the series, clean and door-closed, earning every step
- Mysteries that solve more than just the crime (includes book club discussion guide)
- A gentle, immersive pace, easy to sink into, hard to forget
- Wholesome comfort reading with unexpected depth, no explicit content.
Perfect for fans of: Louise Penny's depth meets Gilmore Girls' heart—cozy mysteries where the coffee's always hot, the community feels like home, and the characters stay with you long after the last page.
Some series you read. This one, you live in.
