Murder at Maple Lake

Molly Montgomery #1

by Tessa Aura

**A dead body. A chihuahua on the case. A small-town B&B hiding deadly secrets. **

Inheriting a rundown bed and breakfast to rebuild with a guest missing was bad enough—now Maple Lake has another murder.

Molly’s sweet Aunt Mabel loved this place. Her guests were family. It was cookies and chamomile tea—until Lila, a guest, went missing decades ago. The disappearance nearly sank the Haven.

Harold Finch’s murder now rattles peaceful Maple Lake, exposing shady deals, old secrets, and a deadly tie to the past.

Molly and Mitz, her faithful chihuahua, are on the case. With Hank, the handsome handyman's help, they discover old notes, ledgers, and stories of hushed deals. Looming strangers “Leave the past in the past!”

Without answers, Aunt Mabel's legacy is doomed, and Lila's fate forever a mystery.

Molly needs the truth before this old B&B gets its final check-out—hers.

**A lighthearted cozy mystery with an amateur sleuth, a loyal chihuahua, and small-town intrigue. Book 1. **

Genres: Cozy Mystery

53 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 22, 2024

About the author

Hello! I'm Tessa Aura, author of cozy mystery series that whisk you away to charming settings with lovable characters, clever puzzles, and plenty of laughs.

With 21 published books across multiple series, I've built a reputation for combining humor with mystery, always featuring loyal dog sidekicks and guaranteed happy endings. My Simply Scrumptious Italian Culinary Mysteries take you to the sun-soaked towns of Italy where amateur sleuth chefs solve murders between preparing pasta and pouring wine.

I grew up loving puzzles and animals—which is why every book features a four-legged detective helping crack the case. From beagles and chihuahuas to labs and pitbull/mix, these pups steal scenes (and hearts!).

Travel is my passion, and it shows in my settings. Whether it's Italy's Cinque Terre or cozy American small towns, I love taking readers on adventures alongside my female detectives.

If you love clean, lighthearted mysteries with humor, heart, and happy endings, you're in the right place. Start with Book 1 of any series and prepare to binge!

Follow me on Amazon to never miss a new release: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/...

Happy sleuthing!

Reviews

[Linda Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery! Cute chihuahua sleuthing helper!

[Laurie J. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This short book needed context so that it would make sense. I couldn’t suspend my disbelief to appreciate the intrigue.

Every MC action seems to be orchestrated by an unseen force the MC is unaware of — because there is no internal dialog except for noticing feelings for the handyman. With each action, she uncovers a piece of information and makes extraordinarily vague conclusions, which drive her inexplicably to explain a girl’s disappearance for her (dead) aunt — and the town. As simple as she stumbles on information and as easy as people give up revealing details of their lives, it’s odd this disappearance and recent suspicious death haven’t been solved by the police. But there are only mention of police is a call when a suspicious character is seen around the grounds, but not after a break-in to the B&B — nor mentioned in her aunt’s notes. And despite the last chapter being a trial scene.

Further confusing things in this short story is the timeframe — the disappearance occurred in 1972 after which her aunt experienced continued financial difficulties and later died leaving the B&B to her niece (MC). We learn the B&B hadn’t had anyone there for a few weeks but the place is extremely dusty and very run down. Huh? The MC wants to fix it up to be like when she was there as a kid and it was full of people. So when does the story take place? How old is the MC?

[Susan Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing, without depth. Too many cliches. I think this book might have been better written in the third person.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a DNF for me. The story reads like an outline with nothing to flesh the characters or the story out.

I did this. I thought that. I talked to this person. It all means this.

I literally feel that’s how the book read. No details, feelings, background. Just what happened with no internal dialogue to give it depth.

I just couldn’t go on.

[Teresa Tavener · Rating 1 out of 5]

You never got to know any of the characters well at all. No clues were mentioned to give you a hint.

[Bethany Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder at Maple Lake by Tessa Aura Book Review

Molly has had a hard past and is ready for a quieter life, what awaits her is far from it. A ledger holding a secret mystery from the past: A disappearance. 

Having inherited Aunt Mabel's Maplewood Haven with the “paint curling like old wallpaper. The place looked postcard perfect from a distance and heartbreakingly tired up close” Molly hopes to rebuild it. 

“Her favourite armchair waited by the window” This is heartbreaking to read. Losing someone is so hard, rebuilding your life even harder. 

Shout out to Mitz the Chihuahua who is great at uncovering clues. 

Why did everyone want to forget what happened? 

“The town had cracks you couldn't see until you stepped on them” What could be going on as a second murder occurs years later? Could the two be linked? How? 

“Maple Lake shimmered in the distance, serene and unreadable.” What happened out on the lake? 

Someone is watching Molly.  An envelope carrying a warning. This is getting intense. 

Something deeper is going on here. 

A Journal. 

Romance could add to the story, but is it right to trust and fall for a suspect? 

A break in. This is infuriating to read. When you think a character's behaviour must mean that they are the watcher, but are they? This book brings out so many emotions whilst keeping you guessing. 

“The house was neat, prim, and guarded - much like it's owner.” Tessa writes great descriptions that not only describe a place but also a person, giving us a sense of their character. 

Secrets uncovered. 

The ending? you'll be surprised at who dunnit and who was protecting Molly. A surprise that will blow your mind. “The end - for now.” What other mysteries lay ahead for Molly? I'm intrigued. 

[Jane litherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful writing , so inviting by Tessa Aura. With a decrepit ,and dilapidated old guest house to get up to scratch and risen from the dead so to speak . Molly has inherited her Aunt Mabel’s guesthouse,she remembers happier times when she used to visit. Molly not being happy where she is decides to up and move with her chihuahua names Mitz. What she faced left her agog but determined to fix it up with some hard slog. Jack offered to help her but she turned him down.The place is encased in mystery ,thanks to the disappearance of a woman by the name of Lila. There’s also that nasty man name of Finch , he was murdered too ,what’s more he’s linked£ to Lila’s disappearance decades ago. Curiouser and curiouser. A mystery indeed . So Molly n Mitz investigate while trying to build the inn back up . Perhaps when they’ve solved this case , they’ll have back up and the Inn will be restored . Well she’s got a lot on her plate but it’s stopping her being board.. Where to start though….She has a mammoth task ahead ,some will fill her with dread , but she has to solve this puzzle and put this ancient unsettled spirit out of the B&B and replace with happiness and good fortunes ahead. Determined and stout ,she will see it out , so devout . Great storytelling,superbly written , cosy too. The characters are awesome and speak volumes ready for more stories to come . Bravo! Encore!

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly Montgomery inherits an old broken down B&B from her Aunt Mabel. She's determined to bring the B&B back to its old glory and make it successful once again. Sadly, many years ago one of the guests disappeared. It cast the B&B under a suspicious cloud which destroyed her aunt financially. Molly is prepared to look into this mystery and solve it once and for all. Then, the B&B will be on the road to success.

When a local devious businessman is found dead, Molly realizes it is connected to the disappearance from years ago. She's sure if she finds the killer, it will uncover the truth about the disappearance. With the help of her chihuahua, Mitz, they begin their investigation.

This is a charming intro in the little town of Maple Lake and its citizens. I enjoyed it right from the start. The plot is intriguing and there's a quirky cast involved. I'm looking forward to getting to know these characters better.

This is a very short book but there was quite a bit of story to it. There's a touch of romance mixed into the mystery, but it's mainly a mystery not a romance book. Just the way I like my mysteries. It kept me captivated to the end. I'll be reading more of this series and the author.



I received this book as a freebie from the author's newsletter. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Cornel Diaconu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty easy to read, fast paced, and also light in content.
Though, slightly confusing, as well. Molly jumps to conclusions quite easy, as if someone is secretly guiding her; also, on one hand she's afraid of confronting the perpetrator that ransacked her aunt's office room, looking for something (not named, though; not even as a vague hint), on the other hand, she goes there with a light, trying to see who was there. Eh...

I even found a slight logical derail, in the opening phrase at Chapter 5:
"The sun had set over Maple Lake, casting a soft twilight glow over the bed and breakfast" ... err, what ? Sun just set up, and it's specific light at sunset glows over the ... breakfast ? (why ? was it there, left untouched all day ? )

Also, the rhythm of renovating the building appears to be way to quick, despite not mentioning almost nothing about it.
Ah, and the final is pretty strange - while at the trial for killing that Harold Finch character, the disappeared woman, Lila, thought to be surely dead herself, simply enters the court room. And that's it. Nothing else is revealed. OK I admit this is supposedly being revealed in the next installment. Only that, from next pieces of this series descriptions, it appears not to be so.

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly hated being in the city so when she inherits a B&B that she used to visit in the summers from her Aunt Mable, she was happy to move with her dog, Mitz. The B&B was abandoned when she saw it and a bit rundown. Wanting to fix it up and spruce it up by herself, she turns down the help of the hardware store owner/handyman, Jake. The inn is shrouded in a mystery that happened many years ago with the disappearance of Lila and now the murder of a very nasty man, Harold Finch who was somehow connected to her aunt. Being curious and wanting to solve the mysteries that seem to be a cause of the inn's abandonment. This is a fast read with some glitches making the transitions between actions left to the reader's imagination or suspension of belief. And Jake, very quickly seems to have taken to Molly and she to him. Very fast. I would like to see where the author goes with this series. I received an ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Willow Poteet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aunt Mabel's Maplewood Haven needs lots of work. But, Molly Montgomery quickly finds that there's more to the Inn that meets the eye.
Right away, she meets her neighbor who is a rude woman who immediately tells Molly to keep her beloved Chihuahua, Mitz, out of her yard
Next comes Jake, the local handyman, who Molly is drawn to right away.
Then, while she is exploring her late Aunt Mabel's room, she happens upon an old guest ledger filled with notes in the margins.
But one cryptic note catches Molly's attention and, when townsperson Harold Finch is murdered, the mystery begins.
This book is an introduction of Molly Montgomery and her faithful canine companion, Mitz, to the town of Maple Lake.
I wish it had been longer, but it kept me interested. I highly recommend that you read the entire series!
I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy and I am happy to leave this voluntary review.

[Nancy (The Avid Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly inherited a run-down B&B from her Aunt Mable. Molly and her dog Mitz decide to fix it up themselves. During her clean-up, Molly finds out that one of the past guests checked in but didn’t check out. The missing guest's sister has been searching for her all these years past.

Molly decides that she is going to find out what happened to Lila. Molly later learns that one of the residents of Maple Lake Harold Finch was murdered. Molly decides to look into Harold’s murder and Lila’s disappearance. Could the two be connected?

Murder at Maple Lake is a short read with plenty of mystery and suspense to keep you hooked from the first page until the last. I would like to read more about Molly, Mitz, and the town of Maple Lake in future books.

Grab a copy of Murder at Maple Lake today!

[JulieAnn Crane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Molly inheriting her Aunt’s bed and breakfast had a lot of potential for a fun cozy mystery. The opening pages are interesting with her entering the home with her dog Mitz.

After the main character begins to explore the home, the plot seems to force forward. She finds a guest ledger hinting at a disappearance almost immediately, and her level of interest doesn’t make a lot of sense given all the other things on her plate at the moment. She has no earned reason to care yet. And for me, having just met Molly, it made it difficult to stay engaged.

Throughout the rest, characters show up and Molly talks to a number of townspeople, there was little escalation or follow through on warnings and conversations.

While the setup was interesting, the execution felt forced.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Marietta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This an excellent intro to Maple Lake Community. Molly Montgomery has just moved to Maple Lake to take over her aunt's B & B once she does some repairs and fixing up the place since her aunt had died. She meets a few people like Jake and Mrs Jenkins her neighbor. But she is so interested in the murder that just took place in Maple Lake that she is trying to figure out who the killer is . She is also trying to figure out what happen to Lila who had been staying at her aunt's B&B when she went missing and her aunt could not figure it out but know that the dead man Harold Finch had something to do with it. There are lots of twist and turns in this book for anyone to try and figure out what happened. Good luck.

[Pam Bales · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high hopes for the novella, prequel, short story, orwhatebver it is, but was very disappointed. There is no depth to the character. There is a murder in the present, an unsolved disappearance in the past (couldn't figure out how long ago), and many other one-dimensional characters at well. There's also a cute Chihuahua named Mitzi, but she's a bit like window-dressing - no depth to her either. Of course, it's only 47 or 51 pages long (depending on where you check for page numbers) so there's not a lot of room for character development, setting, or plot for that matter.

I wanted to like the character since the author has two more in this series and several other books in publication.

I'm hoping for better things, if I read another.

I heard from the author after she asked for comments and I made the above. She did tell me that this was her first attempt at writing, and that she is sure I will enjoy her new books.
I am looking forward to reading at least one more.
I'm glad she responded to my comments.

[Alice Hazelbaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really reads as a prequel. Molly inherits her Aunt Mable’s B&B, Maplewood Haven. It’s not in great shape and Molly sets about to clean and fix it up. She discovers some old journals and notes from her aunt describing the disappearance of a female named Lila. She starts reading everything she can find about the disappearance and notes the search was closed without locating her. When a local wealthy businessman, Harold Finch, is discovered dead, the whole situation is brought up again. Molly sets out to figure out what happened to Lila and what the connection between Lila and Finch is, with the help of Jake. A short story which begs for a sequel!

[Tari · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a nice little mystery and could serve as a prequel. Some of it seemed really disjointed and I felt a touch confused at the end because everything seemed very generalized. Police or the courts didn’t appear to be doing anything about the person who’d killed a guy even if the killing might’ve been an accident. I thought a lot of the dialogue was stilted and didn’t sound natural, like contractions could’ve been used in some places and when they weren’t— it didn’t sound like how someone would really speak. I’m willing to give the next book a try though since I’m sure it’ll be longer and have more room for details.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small towns provide the backdrop for a colorful cast of characters, and rampant gossip. When Molly returns to Maple Lake and her aunt’s bed and breakfast, she also stumbles over a mystery that has haunted the town for decades. A young woman’s mysterious disappearance. A murdered local with a reputation for shady dealings. Break ins. Strange warnings. This was a short cozy mystery, but maybe a little too short. Things came together quickly and I would have liked a bit more background to the town drama.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder at Maple Lake: A Molly Montgomery Cozy Mystery, my second enjoyable 47-page read from author Tessa Aura that I finished in under an hour. There are so many cozy mysteries out there, but they're popular and I read my share of them. “I received a Kindle copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I'll read more from this author, owning 5 other books by her, high on my TBR list is Pandemonium at the Pet Store: A Molly Montgomery Cozy Mystery. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018

[Margery · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a first book in a series Molly has inherited her aunts B&B. First impression has shocked her. The condition is sad, peeling paint dust inside. She spends hours cleaning and comes across her aunts ledger. She discovers a mystery of a young woman who had vanished years ago and the case was never solved. Someone really wants that journal and between break ins, threats she falls across many hidden secrets in town. Being the outsider, she ruffles feathers with each secret uncovered. Will she find out what happened to the young woman?

[Anne Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly has inherited an old B&B from her Aunt Mabel, so she goes to Maple Lake with her dog Mirz. When she arrives she hears that a man with dubious “fame” has been murdered & it somehow seems to be linked to a person who disappeared many years ago from the B&B. So, Molly & Mitz decide they must solve the two puzzles, what happened all those years ago & who committed the murder! A very enjoyable read.

[Joyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like this prequel assumes you are already familiar and invested in the lives of the characters vs. being able to read it as an introduction to them.

As a result, it lacked context and too abrupt of an ending and reveal, leaving readers without enough clues to solve on our own. It is a shame as I feel like it had a good storyline and the start of an interesting buildup.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like this was an easy read, I read it in one afternoon. It was a solid cozy mystery, set in a small town with a murder that hints back to a missing guest years ago. Of course, several people in the town have secrets that they do not want coming out. It was a good, solid book with a decent mystery and good characters. Of course, having two Chihuahuas on the case helped too!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jessica Forbes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This works as a good introduction into the series. It tells you a little about who all of the main characters are going to be, and gives you an interesting mystery about the town itself. Part of me wishes that it were a little longer, but I know I'd get just that with reading the whole series, so no complaints!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[G.Terenzio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molly has moved into the inherited, dilapidated house of her late aunt. It needs lots of repairs and has a bad reputation because a guest has disappeared without a trace many years ago.

Molly is determined to restore the house and the good standing by finding out, what has happened to Lila so many years ago.

[April Flach · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has potential to be quite good, instead of was lacking depth and context. It was also very confusing. How old are all these people? Are the MC and missing girl related? Why is everyone just answering her questions without being suspicious? It all just seemed so unrealistic.

I received a free copy from Bookfunnel, and this is my honest opinion.

[Doreen Farrar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice story, apparently aimed at high school or young adult readers. It would have benefited from more detail, but it looks like the author was trying for a short and easily-read book, which this definitely is. This writer definitely has potential, building a very nice plotline, and I'm looking forward to reading their future books.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not quite what I though it would be. Interesting though. This is the first of this author's books I have read. It was a interesting story, but I did not have any idea about Moll's history with the town. So some of the significance's are not there for me.

[Barb Foerst · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short story at the most. But it actually read more like the draft of a novel. It’s an ok mystery but could be so much more.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute, quick read. I’m excited for the next book in the series.