Secrets in the Pines

Maggie Wright #2

by Tessa Aura

Curiosity draws Maggie back to the wooded retreat when random items and a camper goes missing. But a dead body means she’s staying in this camp cozy mystery.

Maggie returns to sister camp, River Rock, to help locate Wesley. But when his lifeless body is found, her gut tells her there's more linking these wooded retreats than pine trees.

Detective Harper warns her away, but unresolved history pulls them into a fragile alliance to find the truth.

As whispers of the murder burn through the camp like wildfire, Leah, with her violent past, suddenly reappears and Dana's sinister facade becomes more suspect. Adding another layer, flashbacks of a violent fire deep in Maggie’s memories, coats the situation with a complexity she have yet to understand.

When Biscuit, her faithful mutt sidekick, unearths a bloodstained cloth that leads them closer to the truth, warnings and threats await her in the woods.

This summer at River Rock is no campfire tale—it's a lethal puzzle that needs solving before Maggie become the next missing piece.

170 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2025

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

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

Maggie and Biscuit are back and doing what they do best: solving crimes. They are called to the River Rock campsite to investigate a missing person case. After speaking with some campers, Maggie discovers that someone has been entering their RVs and stealing items.

Biscuit finds the missing Wesley in a shed behind the RVs. What happened to Wesley? Why was he in the shed? With all the campers at River Rock, there are plenty of suspects. Maggie’s search uncovers a few suspicious characters and individuals hiding things.

I love the title, Secrets in the Pines, as it perfectly fits the story. The mystery and suspense kept me eager to read on as I tried to figure out what or who was involved in Wesley’s disappearance. Each time a clue was revealed, I was shocked and raced to the end, searching for anything that could explain what happened to Wesley.

And what’s going on with Maggie and the flashbacks she's been having? What do the flashbacks have to do with Harper? Is Harper connected to Maggie’s past? If so, how? There are so many questions that I need answers to right now.

I highly recommend Secrets in the Pines to all mystery fans! Grab a copy of Secrets in the Pines today!

[LaurenB · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the second in the Maggie Wright series. I would recommend reading the first book before this one as some of the characters do carry over.

This book was a quick read. I finished in under two hours. I like that Maggie’s dog assists her in her investigations.

I wanted to like this book. I think the series has potential, but there is some crucial background information that was never addressed. The setting of multiple adult summer camps was never really described and explained. The characters and their relationships with one another aren’t well developed. I found myself having to go back to figure out who was who and what their position was in the story. Why do Harper and seemingly everyone else accept Maggie butting into these investigations?
Maggie has her best friend in her life, so why is she completely in the dark about her past and her potential connection to Harper?

Overall, I think there is potential here and I hope the next book in the series (it ends on a cliffhanger, so I’m assuming there will be one) will address some of these confusing/missing plot holes.

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

[Willow Poteet · Rating 5 out of 5]

When camper Wesley Pine goes missing, Maggie Wright and her faithful canine companion, Biscuit, return to one of the sister camps of Camp Willow Creek, Camp River Rock, to investigate. Locan detective, Harper William, isn't happy with Maggie's involvement but he knows she can't be stopped so he decides to assist her. And protect her.
When Maggie discovers that two of the former employees of Camp Willow Creek are now on staff at Camp River Rock.
Dana Timmons and Lisa Moore, who is using a different name, have many secrets and when Wesley Pine is found dead in the storage shed, the case heats up
I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy and I am happy to leave this voluntary review.
This book has so many layers to peel back, I just couldn't put it down! It addresses some of the mystery of Maggie's former life and expands on the relationship between Maggie and Harper. And Maggie's increasing flashbacks bring even more depth to the story.
I really enjoyed this second book in the series and I highly recommend it, as well as the first book “Fatal Check-in “.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Book 2 of A Maggie Wright Cozy Mystery series. Though this book can be read as a stand alone, I usually think there is enough back story to make it easier to follow when you know how some relationships (work or personal) might have started. That being said, we go to Camp River Rock, where a camper is missing. In addition, it appears that things are going missing right out of folks' RVS.
Maggie with her constant and faithful companion, Biscuit, start to look into the missing camper and the stolen items. Detective Harper Williams comes to try to figure out what has happened. As is typical, he would rather Maggie not be involved, but also knows that whatever he says won't stop her.
There is a lot going on, many twists and turns and layers, will keep you on your toes as you keep up and try to solve the mystery along with Maggie and Harper.
I highly recommend this book and encourage you to also read book 1 in the series.

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

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great addition to the Maggie Wright Cozy Mystery series that you can't put down once you start. Maggie and her clue finding, faithful, Biscuit are called to the River Rock campsite, sister campsite to Camp Willow Creek to investigate a missing person case and items that seem to be stolen right out of camper's RVs. It seems Wesley Pine has gone missing and Biscuit finds his body in the shed. What is he doing in the shed and who wants him dead? Although Detective Harper wants Maggie to stay out of it, he finally lets her into the investigation since he knows she won't quit anyway. Will Maggie be able to solve this one? There seem to be many suspects and Harper seems to be keeping a secret he knows about Maggie. This is a fast paced, page turning book you can't put down once you begin. I highly recommend this book as well as the first book in the series and I can't wait for more! I received an ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Marietta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in Maggie Wright's Mystery series. Maggie is trying to remember her past but she is still having trouble remembering everything. As usual Harper is there to help Maggie even though she can not remember him from her past. They are at another camp called Camp River Rock and it is run by Dana the lady who ran Camp Willow Creek. As per usual there has been another missing person who no one has seen or heard from so Maggie just has to looking into it. She finds Wesley body in an old shed. Know Maggie wants to find out who murdered Wesley. As usual there are so many suspects for her to look at. She is still having flashbacks of her memories that she can not fully understand but she keeps trying. If you enjoy great murder mysteries then this is a good series to read. I have started the next book in the series so will let you know how it is going.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie gets into more danger than twelve people. Solving the murder of a camper isn't the only thing going on. What does Harper know and how does he know it? You can feel Maggie's confusion and frustration as she tries to figure out how everything is connected and why everything is triggering flashbacks. The murder is solved but there is a deeper mystery that is even more important to Maggie. I like that Ms. Aura is able to make me feel what Maggie is feeling. I swear my head started to hurt just reading about Maggie's headache. Through it all she has Biscuit to keep her safe and grounded, just like real people's pets do for them. I can't wait for the next book to learn more about Maggie's past.

[Jane litherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie and biscuit are back at the retreat . Is she mad? Retreat while you can , here’s ya man Detective Harper says much the same thing , you gotta rest . And he tries to rest her attempt to get close to see the mystery, though it does no good especially when they come up with a fed body too. Now it’s no longer an odd occurrence when random stuff and a camper goes missing turns deadly. There’s of course a medley of things to pick up but Biscuit is the dog who finds the bloodstained cloth buried in the undergrowth and now they’re nearer to the truth ,this sleuth and her friend on who she can depend . River Rock strikes again with a puzzling refrain. Instead of helping find Wesley there’s been a murder again. Great writing and storytelling too

[Cherie Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 2 in the Maggie Wright cozy mystery series. Maggie gets drawn back to the sister camp River Rock when campers items get stolen and a camper goes missing. Maggie knows she’s not leaving until she finds answers, then the missing camper turns up murdered. Are the two murders related and how does Dana the camp manager fit into it. There are so many suspects to choose from. Will Maggie be able to figure it out and stay safe or will she become a target. If you have already read “Fatal Check in” then you won’t want to miss this book! I do suggest reading them in order so you have a better understanding of the characters and plot!! You won’t be disappointed!!
Cherie

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secrets in the Pines: A Maggie Wright Cozy Mystery, my fourth enjoyable 167-page read from author Tessa Aura that I finished in less than 3-hours. There are so many cozy mysteries out there, but they're popular and I read my share of them. “I received a complementary 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 7 other books by her, high on my TBR list are Murder and Memories: A Maggie Wright Cozy Mystery and Pandemonium at the Pet Store: A Molly Montgomery Cozy Mystery. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Maggie and her beagle Biscuit have left Camp Willow Creek to return home, she is drawn to turn around to visit Camp River Rock, the sister camp. The events that happened at Willow Creek didn’t bring closure for her. Going to Camp River Rock just added to her feelings of unease especially with the death of a camper and a series of thefts. Joining forces with Detective Harper, can they sort through the many suspects to find the killer? Great mystery with more than enough twists and turns to keep you reading! I would suggest reading Fatal Check-In first to make for a more enjoyable experience with this one.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie is now at Camp River Rock where there is also a mystery brewing. One of the campers is missing and so are a lot of the other campers’ personal items. While walking around with her dog, Biscuit, they come upon a shed and inside they find the missing camper, Wes. A new investigation begins as Maggie helps Harper look for clues at the camp. Maggie is also having very confusing flashbacks and wonders what is going on with that.
This book has a continuing mystery that still hasn't been solved.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie and Detective Harper are trying to solve the murder of an individual at River Rock. There are several suspects, a lot of secrets, shady characters, twists and turns, and flashbacks Maggie keeps getting and doesn’t understand. She finds herself in danger more than once and receives plenty of warnings from others at the camp. But she won’t give up until the crime is solved.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Lizz Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This continuation of the Maggie Wright Cozy Mystery series has many twists and turns. The main mystery is the missing camper whose body is found, but the mystery of Maggie's past is also a big part of the story. How much does Harper know about it? Although this book can be read as a standalone, a slight cliffhanger leaves the reader curious about what the next book will reveal.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the characters and enjoyed the story. It kept me turning the pages to see how things worked out. However, I think the description needs to be clearer that this is a continuing series and things are not cleanly resolved. I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie is at the sister campground from the previous story and things here are no better than the other one. Dana is the manager and there's a murder of a young camper. Maggie and Harper are looking into the murder and keep finding more questions than answers and then Maggie starts having flashbacks from her own history. Can't wait for the next installment of these cozies.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

After finishing the story, I have so many questions. Maggie and Harper are investigating a murder. Maggie’s past keeps flashes in her memory. Not enough information to know what is going on. Two camp ground are run by Dana. Her brother is the handyman. Lots of campers are mentioned and developed a tiny bit. Suspects galore. Cliffhanger ending.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery surrounds Maggie Wright. She arrives at the campground to help solve a disappearance. The mystery deepens from there. Maggie's past seems to be a mystery. She begins having flashbacks that hint at her past. How much does Harper know about her that he is not telling her?

[Carla Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder, mystery, and mayhem. Harper and Maggie make up a great team as they search for answers for a murder with no known reason for it. Also, a feeling of betrayal by Harper as he has unknowing to Maggie been looking into her past.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very captivating cozy mystery. So many mysteries that are overlapping and that keep drawing you in. Great characters that keep you intrigued.

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

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memories

It seems I come into a series.but on the second book.Maggie. and.her dog.Biscuit are involved in a mystery. The plot.deals with a murder victim and Maggie's spurs of memory.