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The Verification Deception: A Cozy Small Town Mystery
When Lila Hart hosts a community authentication workshop at Mockingbird Books, she expects to help local collectors protect themselves from fraud. Instead, she discovers that a sophisticated criminal network has been systematically targeting book collectors throughout coastal Maine, using fraudulent authentication certificates to facilitate theft and create fake rare book collections worth millions.
As Sheriff Cooper Reid investigates a series of escalating burglaries targeting collectors with recently authenticated bookplates, Lila teams up with librarian Emily Chen and maritime specialist Diana Blackwood to expose authentication expert Harrison Blake's elaborate fraud operation. But when Blake's network escalates to arson, kidnapping, and direct threats against witnesses, the investigation becomes a race to protect vulnerable collectors from criminals who view cultural artifacts as nothing more than profitable commodities.
With the help of authentication expert Dr. Patricia Hammond and the coordinated efforts of the collector community, Lila discovers that the strongest defense against systematic fraud isn't individual expertise—it's a community that refuses to let outsiders exploit their literary heritage.
When Blake's international criminal associates arrive in Mockingbird Bay to recover their investments, Lila and her neighbors must protect both their irreplaceable collections and each other from a network willing to use violence to complete their operation.
Perfect for fans of Ellery Adams, Jenn McKinlay, and Lucy Arlington, this fifteenth installment in the Bookmarked Bay Mystery series combines bibliophile intrigue, community cooperation, and the deadly consequences of treating authentication expertise as a tool for systematic criminal exploitation.
As Sheriff Cooper Reid investigates a series of escalating burglaries targeting collectors with recently authenticated bookplates, Lila teams up with librarian Emily Chen and maritime specialist Diana Blackwood to expose authentication expert Harrison Blake's elaborate fraud operation. But when Blake's network escalates to arson, kidnapping, and direct threats against witnesses, the investigation becomes a race to protect vulnerable collectors from criminals who view cultural artifacts as nothing more than profitable commodities.
With the help of authentication expert Dr. Patricia Hammond and the coordinated efforts of the collector community, Lila discovers that the strongest defense against systematic fraud isn't individual expertise—it's a community that refuses to let outsiders exploit their literary heritage.
When Blake's international criminal associates arrive in Mockingbird Bay to recover their investments, Lila and her neighbors must protect both their irreplaceable collections and each other from a network willing to use violence to complete their operation.
Perfect for fans of Ellery Adams, Jenn McKinlay, and Lucy Arlington, this fifteenth installment in the Bookmarked Bay Mystery series combines bibliophile intrigue, community cooperation, and the deadly consequences of treating authentication expertise as a tool for systematic criminal exploitation.
137 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 17, 2025
3 people want to read
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