THE DEAD-END MURDER: A BECCA FLYNN MYSTERY-BOOK 3

by Karen Leigh Charles

Becca thinks her days of chasing criminals are over. The residents of Bayley’s Landing, however, have other ideas.
All Becca wants is to trade her private investigator license for a paintbrush and a quiet life as a full-time artist. But peace is hard to find when two elderly sisters show up at her door with a frantic they’ve run over the mayor. The twist? He was already lying in a pothole when they hit him.
The situation turns from absurd to alarming when a parade of local women comes forward, each certain they are the ones who did the mayor in. But when the autopsy reveals the cause of death wasn't an unavoidable accident, but cold-blooded murder, Becca is dragged right back into the picture.
Teaming up with a senior wannabe sleuth with a talent for disarming suspects, Becca digs into the mayor’s less-than-clean political past. But when her elderly sidekick goes missing, the case gets personal. With the help of an unexpected lead from a Civil War ghost, Becca must find the killer before her friend becomes history.

212 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 5, 2026

About the author

Author writes under the pseudonym Karen Neary Smithson as well

Reviews

[Margie Miklas]

WOW! I was hooked right from the start!

Beginning with a murder and more than one plausible suspect, this fast paced mystery kept me turning the page. I was halfway through the book before I could put it down, and then finished it the next day! The author’s talent at character development and creating multiple additional suspects as the plot moved ahead kept me guessing until the very end! Having read the previous books in this series, I found it easy connecting with familiar characters while staying engaged with new ones. Great read! Highly recommend!

[Chuck Smithson]

You can tell Karen Leigh Charles loves to read. For she writes exactly to what the reader wishes in a cozy mystery. Light-hearted, suspenseful, smooth flowing, great characters, keeps you guessing until the end, and oh so much fun. I love this series. You will too. And I say this for the third time, "Can't wait for the next Becca Flynn mystery!" Each story is unique with compelling and captivating writing that you will greatly enjoy. Thank you, Karen Leigh Charles for bring joy, again, to this reader.

[Karen Smithson]

I hope you enjoy reading THE DEAD-END MURDER as much as I enjoyed writing the book with its murder, twists and turns, and cats!