What do you think?
Appointment Kept
Some people collect stamps. Tessa Travers apparently collects murder clues.
When Fog Harbor's most reviled dentist is found dead, librarian Tessa and her doodle Waffles stumble into a mystery that has the whole harbor town buzzing. Dr. Brady York had more enemies than friends, more secrets than patients, and apparently more reasons to die than anyone realized.
Between the gossiping locals at the coffee shop, suspicious behavior at the dental office, and Waffles' uncanny ability to find trouble, Tessa uncovers a web of deception involving fake pills, real blackmail, and a killer who's been hiding behind a friendly small-town smile.
Perfect for readers who love quirky characters, small-town secrets, and mysteries with heart.
When Fog Harbor's most reviled dentist is found dead, librarian Tessa and her doodle Waffles stumble into a mystery that has the whole harbor town buzzing. Dr. Brady York had more enemies than friends, more secrets than patients, and apparently more reasons to die than anyone realized.
Between the gossiping locals at the coffee shop, suspicious behavior at the dental office, and Waffles' uncanny ability to find trouble, Tessa uncovers a web of deception involving fake pills, real blackmail, and a killer who's been hiding behind a friendly small-town smile.
Perfect for readers who love quirky characters, small-town secrets, and mysteries with heart.
- GenresCozy Mystery
292 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 31, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 31, 2026
The Ultimate Reading Slump Cure! 📚✨
Reading this book was exactly what I needed to break out of my reading slump. It was my first time reading Dani Wood, and I am honestly amazed.
Why I loved it:
The Setting: A classic small town full of hidden secrets. It’s the perfect atmosphere for a cozy mystery.
The Star of the Show: A very intelligent dog that helps find evidence whenever it's needed! This was such a highlight for me.
The Protagonist: I really liked Tessa; she’s a character you truly want to root for.
I devoured this book in just one sitting, and I’m so glad I did. If you love cozy mysteries and are looking for a refreshing, engaging read that you won’t be able to put down, this is definitely for you.
5 stars without a second thought! 🌟
Reading this book was exactly what I needed to break out of my reading slump. It was my first time reading Dani Wood, and I am honestly amazed.
Why I loved it:
The Setting: A classic small town full of hidden secrets. It’s the perfect atmosphere for a cozy mystery.
The Star of the Show: A very intelligent dog that helps find evidence whenever it's needed! This was such a highlight for me.
The Protagonist: I really liked Tessa; she’s a character you truly want to root for.
I devoured this book in just one sitting, and I’m so glad I did. If you love cozy mysteries and are looking for a refreshing, engaging read that you won’t be able to put down, this is definitely for you.
5 stars without a second thought! 🌟
Review of advance copy received from Author
A fun and interesting book to read from a new to me author.
Tessa is the town librarian, but also seems to be a part time sleuth.
When the town dentist is murdered she starts asking questions, and that riles some folks up.
I enjoyed the story and the characters. I would definitely read more from this author.
Tessa is the town librarian, but also seems to be a part time sleuth.
When the town dentist is murdered she starts asking questions, and that riles some folks up.
I enjoyed the story and the characters. I would definitely read more from this author.
March 31, 2026
Tessa and Waffles make quite the team. It's not Tessa's fault that mysteries fall right into her lap or happen out her window. Everyone in town had a problem with the dead man which made finding out who dunnit that much harder.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
[ENG-US first] [PT-BR depois]
All right, let's get into it, shall we?
My first, main and strongest issue with this book is that I can't fathom how an author who writes so well and so cleanly can have such little regards for continuity. There is a point where a character asks Tessa, the sleuth, "You think someone framed [character]?". Ten pages later, that same characters, in surprise, asks Tessa, the sleuth, "You think someone framed [character]?". And it's not posed as repetition or purposeful at all. It just genuinely seems like the author wrote that first passage, came back to write more of the book the following day, and forgot all about what she'd written the night before.
Other issues bothered me, such as the little personality and depth each character had. The difference between a regular mystery and a cozy mystery in its ability to charm you with the characters and the tight-knit community around them. This book, unfortunately, does none of that, even if it does, technically, have a community setting. I felt no affection for anyone, because I could barely tell their personalities apart. There was just no depth. I kept thinking, "why should I care? Why should I care? Again, why should I care?"
I flagged several points throughout the book where conversations were repeated or facts were shared in doubles. Not to mention there are lots of scenes that serve no purpose. When you're writing a cozy book, you have to keep this in mind still: every scene has a purpose, it just differs from the purpose of a scene from a book that's not cozy. The 'cozy' title doesn't mean you write scenes that do nothing for the plot and nothing for the environment either. While a regular mystery might beg for every scene to move the plot forward, a cozy mystery should count on every single scene to establish environment, connection, or purpose. Putting in scenes that happen just for the sake of happening not only gets in the way of the plot, but it decreases enjoyment.
What I CAN say for it, again, is that the prose in this is really good. Like, this book is genuinely well-written. I think that's why I'm kind of baffled. It's not amateur work, the skill in this. And yet everything about it felt otherwise. It's, funny enough, the opposite problem of MANY fic writers, who had so much time on their hands they built entire empires from their work, even though their writing was nothing special.
I do wish the author the best of luck with her writing. I don't have any plans to read more from her, but I hope she can improve on the aspects where her writing skill's not enough to cover the damage.
Tá, bora lá.
Meu primeiro, principal e mais sério problema com esse livro é que não consigo entender como uma autora que escreve tão bem e com tanta clareza pode ter tão pouco apreço pela continuidade. Tem um momento em que um personagem pergunta a Tessa, a detetive, "Você acha que alguém incriminou [personagem]?". Dez páginas depois, esse mesmo personagem, surpreso, pergunta a Tessa, a detetive, "Você acha que alguém incriminou [personagem]?". E não é apresentado como repetição intencional ou proposital. Parece genuinamente que a autora escreveu aquela primeira passagem, voltou para escrever mais do livro no dia seguinte, e esqueceu completamente o que havia escrito na noite anterior.
Outros problemas me incomodaram, como a pouca personalidade e profundidade de cada personagem. A diferença entre um mistério comum e um cozy mystery está justamente na capacidade de encantar o leitor com os personagens e a comunidade unida ao redor deles. Este livro, infelizmente, não faz nada disso, mesmo que tecnicamente possua um ambiente comunitário. Eu não senti afeto por ninguém, porque mal conseguia distinguir as personalidades de cada um. Simplesmente não tinha profundidade. Eu ficava pensando: "por que eu deveria me importar? Por que eu deveria me importar? De novo, por que eu deveria me importar?"
Marquei vários pontos ao longo do livro onde conversas se repetiam ou informações eram compartilhadas em "duplas". Sem contar que várias cenas existem sem nenhum propósito. Quando você escreve um livro cozy, ainda precisa ter isso em mente: toda cena tem um propósito, ele apenas difere do propósito de uma cena em um livro que não é cozy. O rótulo "cozy" não significa que você pode escrever cenas que não fazem nada pelo enredo e nada pelo ambiente. Enquanto um mistério comum pode exigir que cada cena faça o enredo avançar, um cozy mystery deve contar com cada cena para estabelecer ambiente, conexão ou propósito. Inserir cenas que existem apenas por existir não só atrapalha o enredo, como diminui o prazer da leitura.
O que EU POSSO dizer a favor, de novo, é que a prosa é realmente boa. Tipo, esse livro é genuinamente bem escrito. Acho que é por isso que estou um pouco perplexa. Não é um trabalho amador, a habilidade nele. E ainda assim todo o resto nele pareceu o contrário. É, curiosamente, o problema oposto ao de MUITOS escritores de fic, que tinham tanto tempo disponível que construíram impérios inteiros a partir do seu trabalho, mesmo que a escrita em si não tivesse nada de especial.
Desejo à autora toda a sorte do mundo com a sua escrita. Não tenho planos de ler mais obras dela, mas espero que ela consiga melhorar nos aspectos em que sua habilidade de escrita não é suficiente para cobrir os "danos".
[ENG-US first] [PT-BR depois]
All right, let's get into it, shall we?
My first, main and strongest issue with this book is that I can't fathom how an author who writes so well and so cleanly can have such little regards for continuity. There is a point where a character asks Tessa, the sleuth, "You think someone framed [character]?". Ten pages later, that same characters, in surprise, asks Tessa, the sleuth, "You think someone framed [character]?". And it's not posed as repetition or purposeful at all. It just genuinely seems like the author wrote that first passage, came back to write more of the book the following day, and forgot all about what she'd written the night before.
Other issues bothered me, such as the little personality and depth each character had. The difference between a regular mystery and a cozy mystery in its ability to charm you with the characters and the tight-knit community around them. This book, unfortunately, does none of that, even if it does, technically, have a community setting. I felt no affection for anyone, because I could barely tell their personalities apart. There was just no depth. I kept thinking, "why should I care? Why should I care? Again, why should I care?"
I flagged several points throughout the book where conversations were repeated or facts were shared in doubles. Not to mention there are lots of scenes that serve no purpose. When you're writing a cozy book, you have to keep this in mind still: every scene has a purpose, it just differs from the purpose of a scene from a book that's not cozy. The 'cozy' title doesn't mean you write scenes that do nothing for the plot and nothing for the environment either. While a regular mystery might beg for every scene to move the plot forward, a cozy mystery should count on every single scene to establish environment, connection, or purpose. Putting in scenes that happen just for the sake of happening not only gets in the way of the plot, but it decreases enjoyment.
What I CAN say for it, again, is that the prose in this is really good. Like, this book is genuinely well-written. I think that's why I'm kind of baffled. It's not amateur work, the skill in this. And yet everything about it felt otherwise. It's, funny enough, the opposite problem of MANY fic writers, who had so much time on their hands they built entire empires from their work, even though their writing was nothing special.
I do wish the author the best of luck with her writing. I don't have any plans to read more from her, but I hope she can improve on the aspects where her writing skill's not enough to cover the damage.
Tá, bora lá.
Meu primeiro, principal e mais sério problema com esse livro é que não consigo entender como uma autora que escreve tão bem e com tanta clareza pode ter tão pouco apreço pela continuidade. Tem um momento em que um personagem pergunta a Tessa, a detetive, "Você acha que alguém incriminou [personagem]?". Dez páginas depois, esse mesmo personagem, surpreso, pergunta a Tessa, a detetive, "Você acha que alguém incriminou [personagem]?". E não é apresentado como repetição intencional ou proposital. Parece genuinamente que a autora escreveu aquela primeira passagem, voltou para escrever mais do livro no dia seguinte, e esqueceu completamente o que havia escrito na noite anterior.
Outros problemas me incomodaram, como a pouca personalidade e profundidade de cada personagem. A diferença entre um mistério comum e um cozy mystery está justamente na capacidade de encantar o leitor com os personagens e a comunidade unida ao redor deles. Este livro, infelizmente, não faz nada disso, mesmo que tecnicamente possua um ambiente comunitário. Eu não senti afeto por ninguém, porque mal conseguia distinguir as personalidades de cada um. Simplesmente não tinha profundidade. Eu ficava pensando: "por que eu deveria me importar? Por que eu deveria me importar? De novo, por que eu deveria me importar?"
Marquei vários pontos ao longo do livro onde conversas se repetiam ou informações eram compartilhadas em "duplas". Sem contar que várias cenas existem sem nenhum propósito. Quando você escreve um livro cozy, ainda precisa ter isso em mente: toda cena tem um propósito, ele apenas difere do propósito de uma cena em um livro que não é cozy. O rótulo "cozy" não significa que você pode escrever cenas que não fazem nada pelo enredo e nada pelo ambiente. Enquanto um mistério comum pode exigir que cada cena faça o enredo avançar, um cozy mystery deve contar com cada cena para estabelecer ambiente, conexão ou propósito. Inserir cenas que existem apenas por existir não só atrapalha o enredo, como diminui o prazer da leitura.
O que EU POSSO dizer a favor, de novo, é que a prosa é realmente boa. Tipo, esse livro é genuinamente bem escrito. Acho que é por isso que estou um pouco perplexa. Não é um trabalho amador, a habilidade nele. E ainda assim todo o resto nele pareceu o contrário. É, curiosamente, o problema oposto ao de MUITOS escritores de fic, que tinham tanto tempo disponível que construíram impérios inteiros a partir do seu trabalho, mesmo que a escrita em si não tivesse nada de especial.
Desejo à autora toda a sorte do mundo com a sua escrita. Não tenho planos de ler mais obras dela, mas espero que ela consiga melhorar nos aspectos em que sua habilidade de escrita não é suficiente para cobrir os "danos".
June 6, 2026
I’d already met Tessa and the key characters in Fog Harbor in the free prequel that was offered by BookFunnel for signing up for the author’s newsletter. I’m glad I read the prequel because I felt like I knew more about the characters. I sure hope that prequel gets released on Amazon someday because I think everyone would enjoy it a lot.
This book was up my alley because it was a murder mystery like I’m used to and it definitely didn’t disappoint. Waffles, Tessa’s dog was at his clue-sniffing A-game and this time Officer Lila didn’t seem quite as annoyed with Tessa’s insistence on helping. Things could’ve gone sideways if the perp had been someone different. I hadn’t guessed who the killer was and enjoyed the peaceful reveal.
I also liked that the new vet partner Ryan and Tessa seemed interested in each other. We did find out in this book that Tessa’s a youngish widow, so I imagine anything between them might go a little slower, but as long as it progresses. They did seem cute together lol.
This book was up my alley because it was a murder mystery like I’m used to and it definitely didn’t disappoint. Waffles, Tessa’s dog was at his clue-sniffing A-game and this time Officer Lila didn’t seem quite as annoyed with Tessa’s insistence on helping. Things could’ve gone sideways if the perp had been someone different. I hadn’t guessed who the killer was and enjoyed the peaceful reveal.
I also liked that the new vet partner Ryan and Tessa seemed interested in each other. We did find out in this book that Tessa’s a youngish widow, so I imagine anything between them might go a little slower, but as long as it progresses. They did seem cute together lol.
April 2, 2026
Tessa Travers came to Fog Harbor to shelve books, not solve crimes. But with a criminal justice degree, a nose for research, and a doodle named Waffles who finds trouble like it's buried treasure, she's not exactly built for minding her own business.
When the town dentist is found dead, Tessa has more reason than most to want answers. Dr. Brady York had been circling her beloved historic library building like a vulture, and his secrets didn't die with him.
The deeper Tessa digs, the clearer it becomes: someone in Fog Harbor will do anything to keep those secrets buried.
Great cosy mystery, plenty of clues to keep one guessing to the end.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
When the town dentist is found dead, Tessa has more reason than most to want answers. Dr. Brady York had been circling her beloved historic library building like a vulture, and his secrets didn't die with him.
The deeper Tessa digs, the clearer it becomes: someone in Fog Harbor will do anything to keep those secrets buried.
Great cosy mystery, plenty of clues to keep one guessing to the end.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 2, 2026
This is Book 1 of the A Fog Harbor Mystery series. And a wonderful start it is! Look forward to more from this world.
'Perfect for readers who love quirky characters, small-town secrets, and mysteries with heart.'
The characters were very complex and likeable and quirky and mysterious. Plot was intriguing and exciting and well paced. World building was excellent and solidly drawn. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.
Grab a copy, kick back and enjoy!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
'Perfect for readers who love quirky characters, small-town secrets, and mysteries with heart.'
The characters were very complex and likeable and quirky and mysterious. Plot was intriguing and exciting and well paced. World building was excellent and solidly drawn. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.
Grab a copy, kick back and enjoy!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 16, 2026
Mysterious Mystery
I really can't remember when I read a mystery that I hadn't figured out early in the book. This one kept me guessing. Tessa, the town librarian, and her precious poodle mix are trying to help the police solve the murder of the hateful town dentist. This guy had a lot of enemies!
A fun read that kept me guessing.
I really can't remember when I read a mystery that I hadn't figured out early in the book. This one kept me guessing. Tessa, the town librarian, and her precious poodle mix are trying to help the police solve the murder of the hateful town dentist. This guy had a lot of enemies!
A fun read that kept me guessing.
Review of advance copy
A dentist is killed by an unknown person. Was he blackmailing the person who killed him? Was it an accidental death?.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 18, 2026
Tessa and Waffles are my absolute favorite! I don't read many cozies but I really enjoyed this and I can't wait for what comes next!
Fog Harbour is an interesting little community that Im excited to explore.
Fog Harbour is an interesting little community that Im excited to explore.
August 8, 2026
slow reading
Good story line, slow moving story that took me way too long to finish. There were a lot of repeat statements, I guess to get the correct amount of words in.
Good story line, slow moving story that took me way too long to finish. There were a lot of repeat statements, I guess to get the correct amount of words in.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews