A Guide to Helping a Friend

Finn and Briar Cozy Mystery #3

by Courtney McFarlin

A celebrity chef. A hometown restaurant. A murder that could ruin everything.

Tessa Windsor’s best friend Meggie Dolan is about to get the spotlight of a lifetime when a famous TV chef visits her restaurant, the Robin’s Roost. But when the culinary star ends up dead, and the crime scene is Meggie’s kitchen, all eyes turn to her.

With the help of her magical gifts and her quick witted animal companions, Finn and Briar, Tessa must uncover the truth before her friend’s big break becomes a total breakdown.

Murder’s on the menu, and Tessa’s not about to let Meggie take the fall.

179 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 11, 2026

About the author

Courtney McFarlin currently lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her fiance and their two cats.

Reviews

[Lady Galaxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, I loved the interaction among the characters—especially the cat and dog—but the mystery itself was not well crafted. First of all, they had absolutely no reason to arrest Meggie for murder before the cause of death had even been established. The tests necessary to do that would have taken weeks if not months to come back. Even if they did believe it was an allergic reaction, how was she supposed to have known about that obscure allergy. Most importantly, she had absolutely zero motive. Her silly comment that if she revealed her ingredients to the famous TV chef she'd have to kill her couldn't possibly have been a real threat. She'd have to have known in advance that the chef would ask and would have had to contaminate the food first. The food was left unguarded after Meggie made it. The room was full of people who could have slipped something into the pot. They had absolutely no grounds for arrest and a good defense lawyer would have known that.

Then at the end, we find out that the money they paid to secure her bail would not be returned. That is just plain wrong. The bondsman keeps part of it, usually around 10% as a fee, but the rest is returned. It only takes a quick Google search to confirm that. The only way it wouldn't have been returned would have been if Meggie had fled the jurisdiction, which she did not.

I can suspend my disbelief enough to believe that cats and dogs can talk and help solve crimes; ti believe that the book she needed just happened to fall off the shelf; to believe her fingers tingled when she found the right page; that her magic forced the guilty party to confess. I cannot believe Meggie would have been arrested before it was even determined to be a murder and without any investigation at all.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a terrific book! A puzzling mystery with great characters. I recommend the series.

Amazon synopsis:
A celebrity chef. A hometown restaurant. A murder that could ruin everything.

Tessa Windsor’s best friend Meggie Dolan is about to get the spotlight of a lifetime when a famous TV chef visits her restaurant, the Robin’s Roost. But when the culinary star ends up dead, and the crime scene is Meggie’s kitchen, all eyes turn to her.

With the help of her magical gifts and her quick witted animal companions, Finn and Briar, Tessa must uncover the truth before her friend’s big break becomes a total breakdown.

Murder’s on the menu, and Tessa’s not about to let Meggie take the fall.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and fast read. Basic similarities to the other series with cats. Finn (dog) is a different twist as well as Tessa's fledgling ability to do magic. The romance side is ramping up for both Tessa and her brother - that is cute and doesn't overwhelm the story. Plenty of creative license in the ease and speed of the investigation but it allowed some action to take place. A comfortable series to just enjoy without angst. Looking forward to future books.

[Penny Perse · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Guide to Helping a friend.

What a story and too bad the one gal had to die. But im still waiting for him to propose. They will be a wonderful couple I can’t wait for the next story.