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Murder at The Salty Scone: The Frankie Marlowe Mysteries
When the past refuses to stay buried, some secrets are worth killing for.
Journalist Frankie Marlowe thought she'd left Harbor Haven—and her complicated history—far behind. But when her beloved Aunt Ginny calls with devastating news about the death of local coffee shop owner Meredith Caldwell and her best friend, Frankie finds herself speeding back to the tiny New England town she grew up in.
What she doesn't expect is to literally crash into Dean Whitaker, her former high school sweetheart and the one person she's spent fifteen years carefully not thinking about. Now Harbor Haven's maritime museum curator, Dean insists Meredith's sudden heart attack wasn't natural—and he has the historical evidence to prove it.
Together with Aunt Ginny and Frankie's loyal golden retriever Marmalade, they uncover a conspiracy rooted in Harbor Haven's founding families and their blood-soaked maritime fortunes. When 150-year-old documents reveal that some of the town's most respected names built their wealth on smuggling and murder, Frankie realizes that certain people will do anything—including kill—to keep their family secrets buried.
Armed with sharp instincts, small-town connections, and one very brave dog, Frankie discovers that coming home might be exactly what she needed. But first, she has to survive long enough to brew her first cup of coffee as Harbor Haven's newest resident detective.
Because in a town where everyone knows your business, murder is the one secret that won't stay hidden...
Journalist Frankie Marlowe thought she'd left Harbor Haven—and her complicated history—far behind. But when her beloved Aunt Ginny calls with devastating news about the death of local coffee shop owner Meredith Caldwell and her best friend, Frankie finds herself speeding back to the tiny New England town she grew up in.
What she doesn't expect is to literally crash into Dean Whitaker, her former high school sweetheart and the one person she's spent fifteen years carefully not thinking about. Now Harbor Haven's maritime museum curator, Dean insists Meredith's sudden heart attack wasn't natural—and he has the historical evidence to prove it.
Together with Aunt Ginny and Frankie's loyal golden retriever Marmalade, they uncover a conspiracy rooted in Harbor Haven's founding families and their blood-soaked maritime fortunes. When 150-year-old documents reveal that some of the town's most respected names built their wealth on smuggling and murder, Frankie realizes that certain people will do anything—including kill—to keep their family secrets buried.
Armed with sharp instincts, small-town connections, and one very brave dog, Frankie discovers that coming home might be exactly what she needed. But first, she has to survive long enough to brew her first cup of coffee as Harbor Haven's newest resident detective.
Because in a town where everyone knows your business, murder is the one secret that won't stay hidden...
- GenresCozy MysteryMystery
44 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 15, 2025
That was just what I expected it to be. I want a longer story with Dean & Frankie!
November 4, 2025
A fun first book in a promising series
Frankie gets a message from her aunt Ginny asking her to come back to Harbor Haven. When she arrives she finds her aunt believes that her close friend has been murdered instead of the natural causes that many people believe. As she starts to look into this the situation rapidly escalates. A fun read. Looking forward to reading the next book.
Frankie gets a message from her aunt Ginny asking her to come back to Harbor Haven. When she arrives she finds her aunt believes that her close friend has been murdered instead of the natural causes that many people believe. As she starts to look into this the situation rapidly escalates. A fun read. Looking forward to reading the next book.
November 1, 2025
I feel like I missed so much drama and romance between Dean and Frankie! I hope they are in the next book too. This was fun, cute and entertaining! Finding how why or how Meredith was killed in the cute little town was so intriguing to me. Marmalade is DEFINITELY my favorite character and he’s the perfect detective.
I can’t wait to read the next book to see if I learn more.
I can’t wait to read the next book to see if I learn more.
February 24, 2026
This book was short but full of character. I really enjoyed this book and the Cathlyn Sweets made it very interesting. Check out this book and see what was happening in this little town. Happy reading.
October 26, 2025
A quick easy cozy mystery story. I enjoyed meeting the characters and the small coastal community. I look forward to the characters developing more in future books.
November 16, 2025
This would be perfect if we had more time with the town and characters. Hope to see more!
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January 17, 2026Cute read. For some reason the tense bothered me at the beginning but then I got into the story.
February 12, 2026
A quick and fun mystery.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews