Murder And The Wishing Well: A Willow Cove Cozy Mystery

by J. J. Joseph

A seaside wedding. A body in the wishing well. A Goldendoodle who won’t stop squeaking.

Ally Fisher thought running Willow Cove’s busiest wedding venue was unpredictable—until Theo, her rubber-duck–obsessed Goldendoodle, tore across the lawn and led her straight to the old stone well. Moments later, the perfect day collapses when a body surfaces from its depths.

Now Ally’s business is shut down, her reputation is on the line, and the entire town is buzzing with suspicion. Fingers point everywhere—at Paige, the furious bride with fresh scratches; at Grant, the too-perfect groom hiding more than cold feet; and at Kyle, the moody assistant whose secrets go deeper than his scowl.

But the danger doesn’t end there. A dark sedan begins shadowing Ally’s every move. Whispers swirl through Willow Cove. And even Deputy Nate Dalton—her maddening, maybe-something-more partner in crime—may not be able to protect her.

To save her business—and her life—Ally must untangle a knot of lies before the killer strikes again.

199 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 8, 2025

Reviews

[Chere Gruver · Rating 5 out of 5]

How did Ally’s fresh start end in murder?

Murders aren’t exactly everyday events in Willow Cove so when one happens during the wedding event Ally is hosting at her venue, Ally is certain her new business is going to tank. So she involves herself in the investigation, along with her newly adopted sidekick, Theo. I have to say, I enjoyed reading this a lot. It was a pleasant escape from reality as I was there with Ally as she investigated the murder. Theo was a blast too. The plot is interesting and kept me turning pages, the characters are all something else, love Ally’s mom, and the writing is excellent. I’m looking forward to reading more from J.J. Joseph.

I received an advanced reader’s copy and am voluntarily leaving this review.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Killed Kenna ? . . .

Wedding planner Ally Fisher is hoping for a new start for her business. Brenna and Matt are getting married, and everything is perfect. But when the guests toast the happy couple, suddenly the bride’s sister Kenna falls to the floor dead! It turns out she had an allergy to nuts. Ally is not willing to accept this as an accident. They find the drink was loaded with almond extract. Will Ally and her dog Theo start to investigate what really happened? Who had access to tamper with the drink? Who had a motive to want Kenna dead?

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ally has a wedding venue on her estate, it is a little run down in places, but she has worked to get the needed parts up and running. Theo, her goldendoodle, runs through the crowd to the old wishing well on the property that has definitely seen better days. Paige and Grant's is happening when the flower lady Lyra is found dead at the bottom of the well. Ally can't help but want to help the police, especially since the Deputy Nate is her boyfriend. She manages to get into all kinds of trouble but they manage to solve all the mysterys.
I received an arc and this is my review.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brand new business venture is getting off the ground ... a wedding venue. The bride seems to be a bride-zilla but the wedding goes off without a hitch. Then comes the reception which ends tragically with a member of the wedding party dying. It has to be murder as no one that young should just keel over. However who wanted the bride's sister dead? Or should it have been someone else? A fast paced story with plenty of twists and turns keeping the reader guessing.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rlly owned a Wedding venue and was getting ready for Bridezilla Breanna’s wedding. The wedding went off fine but a brides maid, the brides sister, was murdered at the reception. Ally decides to try to discover who the murderer is. This was a very enjoyable book, I highly recommend it.

I’m received an advance review copy, ARC, for free and I am leaving an honest opinion and voluntary review

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good

This is a new to me author. I will definitely be reading more. Enjoyable story, great characters and a dog that likes to get into mischief. I didn’t realize this was a series. I now need to go back and read the rest.

[Anne Pyles · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an enjoyable romp! Murder, secrets, twists, and a ridiculous dog. Looking forward to more!

[Rowan Creech · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another stunning murder mystery by a blossoming author. It features great characters and a twisty tale.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really and surprising ending! i suggest starting this series from the beginning. The relationship between the characters was confusing.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

While preparing to host a wedding at her venue, Ally Fisher notices that the florist, Lyra seems to be unsettled. Chalking it up to wedding day stress, Ally doesn’t think much about it until later when Lyra is found dead in the wishing well. Set on finding the truth, Ally begins to investigate and finds herself tangled up in a web of danger and deceit. Will she solve the mystery or become the next victim?

Joseph constructs a compelling mystery with twists and turns and a surprise ending. This book had me from page one. There is humor, intrigue, and a little bit of romance. I enjoyed the plot and the characters and think other cozy mystery lovers will too! I look forward to reading more about Ally, Nate and Theo.

*I received this book as a gift and all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Sharmani Jayaram · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting mystery story with great characters and enough suspense to keep you intrigued to the end. I enjoyed this read and recommend this book to other readers.