Death Waits at Dead Rock

The Haunted Ranch Mysteries #6

by Sara Bourgeois

A wine tasting. A viral treasure hunt. A body at the base of Dead Rock.

Claire Caldwell thought she’d seen every kind of weird the desert could throw at her. Ghosts in her kitchen, omens from a spirit fox, and the occasional town scandal that required a very large cup of coffee. What she did not expect was a swarm of influencers descending on Perdido Springs for a luxury “Desert Vines Weekend,” complete with ring lights, sponsored smiles, and a limited edition bottle of Red Rock Reserve.

The big gimmick is supposed to be harmless fun. Collect the special labels, piece together the artwork, and you get a treasure map to a legendary stash hidden near Dead Rock. Content gold. Tourist bait. Everyone wants in.

Then the weekend’s headliner turns up dead at sunrise, the sheriff calls it a tragic accident, and the one bottle that completes the map disappears.

Claire would love to let law enforcement handle it, but Buster is... Buster. Rosa’s ghost has opinions, Rusty is tracking something no living person can smell, and the closer Claire gets to the truth, the clearer it becomes that the “treasure” isn’t just old wine and a cute story. Someone in town has been protecting what Dead Rock is hiding for a long time, and they’ll do anything to keep it buried.

Now Claire has to sift through secrets, suspects, and a trail of clues disguised as a party favor, before the killer strikes again… and the next toast becomes a death sentence.

205 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 2, 2026

About the author

Sara Bourgeois is a Midwesterner through and through. She spends her time writing, reading, herding cats, and standing in her driveway during tornado warnings. (You can't see them from the basement.)

Reviews

[Carolyn Bragg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sentinel Rock Is Now Dead Rock

A Vineyard Weekend for influencers starts out tense, then settles into waiting and watching. The desert waited, the guests watched, drank wine, and posted content. And finally, someone went a step too far.

The treasure hunt was meant as a promotion gimmick, but the event planner was careless about her research of the area. A deadly combination where secrets can be worth more than anything else.

Claire (ranch owner, being courted as an influencer) and Rusty (the "fox") have many puzzles to sort through to find the killer this time.

This story was more laid-back; not urgent like many of the others, and not as dark as some. Surrounded by the bright green vines and the old established vineyard buildings, a semi-resort had been built to make it into a destination. Guest cabins, a tasting room, patio dining, meeting rooms, luxury that should be relaxing, but felt a little off.

I enjoyed meeting some of the characters, and the time spent with the land. It wasn't slow, but it was more reflective. Plenty of intrigue and tension. More emotion.

5 of 5 Stars A great read!

[Rosemary Gillanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely Series to read.

This is the 6th book in the Series and it is just getting better and better. This Series is different in that is set in Arizona, where life is slower, there are ghosts around. Claire owns an Animal Sanctuary Ranch with a few quirky animals.
My favourite is Pepper a donkey who thinks he’s a dog. He’ll even give you his paw to shake!

[Marseydoats · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an awesome series! The wrong person died in this, otherwise this was a great story. I LOVED the part about the cows and the donkey!

[SusanR · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Lovely Series

This series has turned into one of my favorite series. Love the characters, the animals, and the stories. I am looking forward to the next book.

[Janet Epperson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic series.