Parade of Peril: A Jenna McGregor Mystery

by Willow Thorne

When Maple Grove’s beloved Halloween Festival takes a deadly turn, café owner Jenna McGregor finds herself once again serving up lattes—and unwanted mysteries.

What starts as frosting-fueled chaos at the annual Cake Walk quickly spirals into something darker when a hometown troublemaker turns up dead in a scarecrow costume. Before long, a shocking second body appears—this time right on Jenna’s own parade float. With gossip brewing faster than espresso and half the town tangled in secrets, Jenna, her glitter-loving best friend Lisa, and their unflappable neighbor Mildred must untangle a web of rivalries, revenge, and small-town drama.

Armed with caffeine, intuition, and an alarming knack for stumbling over corpses, Jenna races to unmask a killer lurking among Maple Grove’s pumpkins and parade floats—before the next victim’s name is written in caramel drizzle.

Cozy, clever, and full of heart, Parade of Peril blends humor, hometown charm, and a touch of Halloween mischief in a mystery that proves even the sweetest small town can hide a bitter truth.

Genres: Cozy Mystery

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2025

Reviews

[Nancy (The Avid Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first page to the last, I was captivated by the thrilling world of Parade of Peril, the fourth installment in the Jenna McGregor Cozy Mystery series. The title perfectly captures the story's essence, and I could vividly imagine the festivities, hearing the laughter of the children as if I were part of the parade.

However, the cozy atmosphere was shattered when Jenna discovered the town bully had been murdered, and a woman was found dead on Jenna's own float.

As Jenna and her friend Lisa delve into the investigation, they uncover a web of suspects, each with a potential motive for the killings. The plot thickens as the two amateur sleuths try to unravel the connection between the two victims and bring the culprit to justice.

Jenna's lovable golden retriever, Biscuit, is always up to mischief, much to the delight of Jenna's parents, especially her dad, who enjoys playing with him. The family even likes to bring Biscuit home to their farm so he can roam and explore.

The captivating mystery novel, Parade of Peril, had me hooked with its twists and turns as I raced to uncover who would commit such a heinous act. I highly recommend giving this thrilling story a read.

[Mandy Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Perfect Blend of Cozy Charm and Thrilling Suspense!
​From the moment I turned the first page, I was captivated by the charming world of Parade of Peril, the fourth installment in the Jenna McGregor Cozy Mystery series. The initial setting—a vibrant town preparing for Halloween festivities—is instantly immersive.
​However, the fun comes to a chilling halt for cafe owner Jenna McGregor. The town's cozy atmosphere is violently shattered by a double mystery: the murder of the town bully, and the shocking discovery of a second body on Jenna's own parade float. The plot immediately thickens as amateur sleuths Jenna and her friend Lisa (who sees visions!) investigate the web of suspects.
​This dynamic duo, often joined by their neighbor Mildred, must follow the complex trail of clues to unravel the sinister connection between the victims. Adding wonderful levity to the story is Jenna's lovable golden retriever, Biscuit, whose constant mischief and family antics provide perfect comic relief.
​Filled with gripping suspense, twists, and turns, this book is an excellent story and series that kept me guessing until the final page. Parade of Peril is a must-read, highly recommended cozy mystery!

[Willow Poteet · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the first day of the Maple Grove Halloween Festival and Jenna McGregor’s café, Brewed Awakenings, is buzzing with caffeine and conversation.
It seems that the Festival coordinator has changed the beloved ring toss game into a Cake Walk. The game turns to chaos and a food fight.
After things calm down, Jenna and her BFF, Lisa, head to Jenna's family farm to help decorate the Brewed Awakenings parade float.
As they leave for home after dinner, Lisa notices a strange scarecrow in the neighbor’s field and they stop the car to investigate.
They quickly wish they hadn't, when the scarecrow turns out to be a former town bully.
And, before she knows it, she uncovers another body- on her own float!
Willow Thorne does it again! This is book number four in the series and it's a great addition!
The characters are quirky (I especially like Lisa) and the story flows well throughout.
Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down.
I highly recommend this entire series!
I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy and I am happy to leave this voluntary review.

[Marietta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book that I have read by Willow Thorne, and it won’t be the last as she seems to be able to keep you interested in her story line so that you can not put it down until you are finished reading it. I love how she can make everything that happens so much fun to read about and everyone so interesting. Jenna McGregor with her best friend Lisa seem to be in the middle everything that can go wrong. Lisa seems to love glitter and gets it everywhere and she just seem to be in the wrong place when ever there is a problem. The Chief of police is a friend from high school, and her mother is trying to get Jenna to date him all the time. On the first day of festival Jenna & Lisa find a body when they find out who it is they just must solve the crime. But the Chief of Police Joe is worried that they may get hurt so he tells them to stay out of police business. While they try to stay out of it, they just can’t trouble just seem to fall them. But if you enjoy cozy mysteries, you will enjoy this one.

[Nancy Gerards · Rating 4 out of 5]

The initial setting—a vibrant town preparing for Halloween festivities—is instantly immersive.

It's the first day of the Maple Grove Halloween Festival and Jenna McGregor’s café, Brewed Awakenings, is buzzing with caffeine and conversation.
It seems that the Festival coordinator has changed the beloved ring toss game into a Cake Walk. The game turns to chaos and a food fight


​However, the fun comes to a chilling halt for cafe owner Jenna McGregor. The town's cozy atmosphere is violently shattered by a double mystery: the murder of the town bully, and the shocking discovery of a second body on Jenna's own parade float. The plot immediately thickens as amateur sleuths Jenna and her friend Lisa (who sees visions!) investigate the web of suspects.


A Perfect Blend of Cozy Charm and Thrilling Suspense!

[Mrs K.Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parade of Peril is a great as Tory about Jenna a Cafe Owner and her clever dog Biscuit and her friend Lisa who sees visions and is accident prone works at the Cafe. The town was beginning to prepare the Halloween Festivities and Lisa and Jenna find a body in a field dressed as a Scarecrow. Chief of Police Joe Carter investigates with Officer Ben Markle. Jenna , Lisa and Mildred a Neighbour begin their unofficial investigation. But they find another body in the parade are the two mysteries linked?
Jenna, Lisa and Mildred follow the trail of clues. Which clues will solve the mystery and find the truth?
Excellent story and series that I enjoyed reading and highly recommend that you read.

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

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenna Macgregor owner of the Brewed Awakening is knee deep in figuring out how the bully Travis Knight ended up in a field as a scarecrow and the mean girl Candy Madison ended up as a witch in the Halloween Parade. She has help with Mildred, and Lisa, less with Lisa as she is a walking menace, and helping poor Joe the local sheriff. Things really get twisted up and the ending might surprise you.
I received an arc and this is my review.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will keep you glued to the pages from start to finish. You just have to enjoy the main characters and their chaos. A wonderful small town where everyone knows everyone and remembers everything. So much fun to read while you are waiting for the next disaster.

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

[Jodi Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenna, Lisa and Mildred are back again, it is Halloween time and when they find a body in the field dressed as a scarecrow things start happening. These are laugh out loud funny books with great mysteries and so much fun finding the killer.

[Lillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun addition to this series. The mystery kept me guessing and furthered the subplot of the series nicely.

[Jessica Forbes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one where you'll NEVER guess the culprit, and I loved it. It was bittersweet in the end, but I think it fit perfectly. Also, I still hope to be Mildred when I grow up.

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