Basquing in Bakersfield

by Bessie Hubbard

A centuries-old artifact. A stolen legacy. A festival turned deadly.

When genealogist Susie Greene visits her cousin in Bakersfield, California, she expects to uncover long-buried family secrets—not a fresh murder. But when the lead organizer of the Basque cultural festival is found dead, Susie is drawn into a web of greed, deception, and history that someone is desperate to keep buried.

The murder is linked to a priceless Basque artifact, discovered in the estate of a long-deceased immigrant and now set to be auctioned for a fortune. But Susie learns the artifact was stolen generations ago, and the rightful heirs—the visiting Spanish family—may hold the key to the truth.

With the festival in chaos and danger closing in, Susie and her search-and-rescue Border Collie, Delfina, must untangle a mystery that spans continents and centuries—before the past claims another victim.

Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries, genealogy, and historical intrigue!

197 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 20, 2025

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Susie Greene cozy mystery is page-turning with exceptional world-building in Bakersfield, California, and characters that are a genealogist, search and rescue dog, captivating, and realistic. Their journey is enthralling with basking in Bakersfield, a murder mystery, genealogy, family history, Basque heritage, cultural artifact, corporate maleficence, power and greed, theft, drama, heartfelt emotions, a centuries-old artifact, a stolen legacy, genealogist Susie Greene visits her cousin in Bakersfield, California, she expects to uncover long-buried family secrets, not a fresh murder, but when the lead organizer of the Basque cultural festival is found dead, Susie is drawn into a web of greed, deception, and history that someone is desperate to keep blurred, grave danger, a race against time to solve the murder mystery before someone else ends up dead, such as herself, the murder is linked to a priceless Basque artifact, discovered in the estate of a long-deceased immigrant and now set to be auctioned for a fortune, Susie learns that artifact was stolen generations ago, and the rightful heirs--the visiting Spanish family, may hold the key to the truth, the festival is in chaos and danger closing his, so Susie and her search-and-rescue Border Collie, Delfina, must untangle a mystery that spans continents and centuries--before the past claims another victim, suspense that will leave readers on the edge of their seats, action, adventure, and more. I recommend reading this book by an extraordinary author who knows how to captivate her readers' hearts and attention with bashing in Bakersfield and a murder mystery that is sure to transport readers into a world that is wildly dangerous, mysterious, and unforgettable.

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

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susie Greene and her search and rescue dog, Delfina, travel to Bakerfield to meet up with her cousin, Cassie, to further investigate their relative, Russell Cottle’s disappearance. She happens to arrive while the Basque festival is going on. Since Susie had Basque ancestors from the same area in Spain as the guest speakers are from, Susie was excited to go and talk to them. She meets the Etxebarria family, and they are very friendly. She also meets Dr. Paul Larranaga, the festival organizer and a professor at the CSUB. They learn from him that he will be revealing information about an artifact that is of historical relevance during the festival. After a break-in of the festival office where Dr. Larranaga is found dead, they find out the artifact is a makila, a walking stick, the was taken during the Spanish Civil War. Susie and her Cassie end up helping Detective Morales investigate the artifact and why the Dr. was killed.
This was a very interesting mystery and I learned some interesting things about Basque culture and history. Susie also continues her investigation into her family’s genealogy in the book.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genealogist Susie Green and her Border Collie Delfina, travel to Bakersfield, CA to meet with her cousin Cassie and research a family member’s mysterious disappearance in the 1930’s. While attending a local Basque cultural celebration, the organizer is found dead and Susie, Cassie and Delfina are swept up into the investigation. Can they solve the mystery before there is a second victim?

When I began to read this book, the first chapter made several references to the previous book in the series. It kind of felt as if I were dropped into the middle of a story. However, by the end of chapter 2, I was hooked. The plot was intriguing and the characters well-developed. I enjoyed the author’s inclusion of the Basque culture, which added uniqueness to the story. I also liked that the main character worked with the police and knew to follow police procedures while investigating. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to others.

*I was given an ARC by the publisher and BookSprout. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Laure · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susie Greene and her border collie Delfina, a trained search and rescue dog, are visiting Susie’s cousin in Bakersfield, California, to hopefully, find answers about the mysterious disappearance of an ancestor. Instead, she is drawn into the investigation of the murder of the organizer of the annual Basque cultural festival. A priceless Basque artifact is going up for auction and someone is desperate to make sure it’s secrets remain buried in the past.
This is an engrossing mystery with plenty of twists and turns in the plot to keep a reader turning the pages. Fascinating and realistic characters with engaging dialogue, and a smart rescue dog make this a must-read mystery that I highly recommend to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC of this book.

[Genesia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in the series finds Susie in California, where she continues to uncover clues about what happened to Russell. While visiting her cousin, Cassie, they become involved in investigating a theft and a murder. Together, they assist Detective Morales with the case, which helps them unravel more of the mystery surrounding Russell's disappearance. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and love the characters. The world-building is excellent, and it's a real page-turner. It's entertaining and keeps you engaged from the very first page.

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

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susie and her border collie Delphina are off to Bakersfield to find out more about a relative disappearance in the 1930s dust bowl era. It corresponds to a festival honoring Basque culture. While learning more about the Basque culture as well as part of Susie's heritage, they stumble onto a murder and a dispute about an important Basque artifact. Susie's relative's disappearance as well as the current mystery have so many parallels that it can't be ignored. How tightly are these two mysteries tied together? Fantastic read!.

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

[Cherie Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When genealogist Susie and her dog Delfina travel to Bakersfield, California she didn’t expect to uncover a murder. They went to meet her cousin to see if they could find out what happened to a relative that went missing in the 1930’s. Upon investigation they discovered several parallels between the recent murder and the disappearance. This makes Susie wonder if the two incidents may be related. Susie must now work fast to uncover the truth before anyone else winds up dead. This is a great cozy mystery with intriguing characters and plot and you won’t want to put it down until the end!
Cherie

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

When genealogist Susie Greene visits her cousin in Bakersfield, California, she expects to uncover long-buried family secrets. Not a fresh murder but when the lead organizer of the Basque cultural festival is found dead, Susie is drawn into a web of greed, deception, and history that someone is desperate to keep buried.

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

[Tiffany Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susie and Delfina are back at it again. Meeting up with Cassie this time, someone we met in book 2, they have another mystery to solve. They solve their third mystery while continuing to follow Susie’s ancestry.

This book was a quick short read that kept me on my toes wondering how it would end.

I definitely recommend this series!

[Regina Lancaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basking in Bakersfield

Complex plot lines, intriguing characters, bad guys who think their riches and powerful connections make them invincible, and seemingly "insignificant people" who overcome the self-important evil doers with bringing truth to the forefront... you might want to read twice just to take it all in!!

[Clarkfamilybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genealogist Susie Green and her Border Collie Delfina, travel to Bakersfield, CA to meet with her cousin Cassie to research a family member’s mysterious disappearance in the 1930’s. But when the lead organizer of a local cultural festival is found dead Susie is dragged into the hunt for the killer. I recommend reading this book.

[Louisa aka the bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is another fantastic adventure and mystery. It’s one with lots of twists and turns and absolutely kept me guessing! If you like a good old mystery then this series is just fir you! I am hoping there will be lots more in this series!