8 Maids a-Meddling: A Shady Grove Novella

by Ada Bell

Can 8 meddling maids solve a murder?

Aly is looking forward to a quiet Christmas back home with her parents. She’ll attend the annual Holly Jolly Jamboree, watch her mother perform a skit, and reconnect with the festival’s director, her mom’s best friend Lottie. The jubilee quickly goes from jolly to melancholy when Aly and Mom arrive at the fairground to find Lottie dead.

Everyone loved Lottie, so how could this have happened? The police barely investigate before concluding that the death was a suicide, but Aly and her mom are certain the scene was staged. The entire cast of the skit takes it upon themselves to find out the truth and bring the killer to justice. With the festival about to begin, they’ve got less than twenty-four hours to solve the murder before the killer disappears into the crowd forever.

This standalone Shady Grove novella was originally published under the same title as the eighth book in The Twelve Days of Christmas Cozy Mysteries series.

127 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 23, 2024

About the author

Ada Bell knew you'd be reading this. Okay, well, she knew someone would be. (Hi, Mom!) That's pretty much the extent of her psychic powers. A life-long mystery buff, Ada has devoured everything from Murder, She Wrote to Nancy Drew to Psych!, so she was pretty much destined to end up here. Ada loves Scooby Doo, superhero movies, STEM heroines, and cake. Mmm, cake.

Reviews

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I just picked a random novella audio for my drive home, and this was actually quite fun! This managed to be a cosy murder mystery with a supernatural element, well paced for the length, and intriguing characters that left me tempted to seek out the full series!