Decaf Deceptions: A Theatre Based Cozy Mystery

by Sarah Macey

Ghosts from the past don’t always stay buried.

When a Southsea ghost tour takes an unsettling turn, café owner Sarah Meadows expects seaside theatrics ... not fresh questions about a glamorous magician’s assistant who vanished years ago.

At the time, it was ruled a tragic accident. Now whispers are resurfacing. Old rivalries are stirring. And the town’s close-knit theatrical circle is keen to keep certain secrets firmly behind the curtain.

Between the comforting rhythm of life at Sarah’s Secrets, fresh coffee, and Missy the Labrador loyally stationed beneath the counter, Sarah tries to stay out of it. Until the mystery edges closer to home.

With niece Robyn drawn into the intrigue and tensions rising around the ghost tour, Sarah must separate smoke and mirrors from something far more dangerous, before history has the chance to repeat itself.

Because in Southsea, not every disappearance is an illusion.

239 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 31, 2026

About the author

Sarah Macey writes cosy crime mysteries set along the English seaside, where coffee, community, and curiosity often lead to trouble.

Based in Portsmouth, she draws inspiration from coastal life, classic British detective fiction, and her love of cafés and storytelling. Her Sarah’s Secrets Mysteries series follows café owner Sarah Meadows as she solves crimes in a close-knit community where secrets rarely stay hidden for long.

Sarah dreams of one day running a real coffee shop where she can write between customers...but until then, she’s created the perfect one on the page.

Download her free prequel story Brewtiful Beginnings here:

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/1i1r99tivm