Without a Shadow of Doubt: An Olivia Penn Mystery

by Kathleen Bailey

414 pages, Hardcover

Published November 4, 2025

About the author

Kathleen Bailey is the award-winning author of The Olivia Penn Mystery Series. She writes mysteries with heart and humor that keep to the traditional and cozy sides of crime. For over twenty years, she worked as a pediatric physical therapist with children who have special needs, drawing on degrees in English, psychology, and physical therapy. She now writes in Virginia with her feline assistant, who insists on supervising every draft. When she’s not writing, Kathleen can usually be found covered in cat hair, surrounded by far too many sticky notes, and plotting new twists to keep readers guessing. She is a member of Sisters in Crime. Visit her online at https://www.kathleenbaileyauthor.com.

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Reviews

[Cozy Champagne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a Shadow of Doubt is the fifth book in the Olivia Penn Mystery Series by Kathleen Bailey. The amateur sleuth is Olivia Penn, an advice columnist in Apple Station, Virginia.

Without a Shadow of Doubt is a fantastic cozy mystery with a smart, relatable sleuth and a cozy small town setting. I devoured the book in one sitting!

Olivia Penn is my favorite type of sleuth. She is intelligent, kind, and principled. These characteristics make her easy to root for and remind me of some of my favorite classic sleuths, like Nancy Drew and Jessica Fletcher.

I enjoyed Olivia's relationship with her dad and her boyfriend. I also liked the way she went about solving the mystery.

The mystery is complex and well-plotted. There are seven suspects, and they all have something to hide. The many twists and turns kept me guessing, and I felt pleasantly surprised by the ending.

The story takes place amidst a Scottish themed festival complete with traditional Highland Games. This was a fun and unique addition to the story.

If you enjoy small town suspense, principled heroines, and well-written prose, this is a can't miss series!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I got it as an ARC without reading any of the series, but it worked well as a stand alone. However, I liked the characters and writing so much that I am going back to read the rest of the series. The characters were lovable and relatable. I really liked that I didn’t have the mystery figured out until the end. I also loved that you got a good resolution and found out what happened after the mystery was solved.