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Murder in Mystic Hills
Author: Chris Cannon
Series: Mysteries of Mystic Hills, #1
Publication date: March 27th 2023
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Paranormal
All she wants is a break from adulting… then she rediscovers a world that’s been wiped from her memory.
Preschool teacher Belinda Harbinger’s summer vacation is going off the rails. After receiving a letter stating she’s inherited a tearoom and home, she’s shocked it’s from a beloved aunt she can’t remember… who could speak to the dead. And finding out she has the same power, it’s up to her to solve her mysterious relative’s murder.
Moving to the mystical town, Belinda takes up with a talking cat Familiar and learns she’s the only one who can help her aunt cross over before she becomes a vengeful spirit. But while searching the house for her lost memories, she faces heated magical politics, fresh bodies popping up, and a hidden evil threatening to make her the next victim.
Not knowing who to trust, can she expose a killer and rescue everyone from deadly plays for power?
Murder in Mystic Hills is the spellbinding first book in the Mysteries of Mystic Hills cozy paranormal series. If you like feline sidekicks, quirky characters, and winding trails of clues, then you’ll love Chris Cannon’s humorous hunt for justice.
the complete series
an excerpt
I climbed out of the car into the early morning sunshine and had to dodge past several free-floating spirits before I entered the building. If no one else could see them I probably looked drunk. Didn’t matter. I did not want to walk through random ghosts. I opened the door of Tea & Spirits and gleaming hardwood floors greeted me. Round wooden tables were scattered about the room with mismatched chairs painted different colors of blue and green. There were a few gatherings of love seats and upholstered chairs in various shades of brown. The eclectic furniture gave the place a homy vibe. An oak bar ran the length of the back wall. It appeared to be stocked with tea and alcohol. Thank goodness.
A blond woman popped up from behind the bar. Wait…not popped…floated. “Hello, you must be Belinda.”
“Wings,” was the only thing that came out of my mouth. The woman had wings sprouting from her back like a life-sized tinker bell.
“My name is Jezelle, and I’m a fairy…or half fairy.”
My face heated as I crossed the room. “Nice to meet you. Sorry about the wings comment. This is new to me.”
“You should work on your poker face,” Jezelle said. “Because some people are offended when attention is drawn to their non-human traits.”
“I’ll do that.” Now what could I say? “Is it too early for a drink?”
She grinned. “It’s never too early for a drink, especially if you’re dealing with that one.” She nodded toward Reed who’d joined us at the bar while she poured two shots of whiskey.
Reed glared at both of us, which made me smile. “So his sunny disposition isn’t just for me?” I picked up my whiskey and took a sip.
“He’s grumpy on a good day.” Jezelle downed her shot. “But he’s dependable and he has a nice butt.”
I almost spewed my whiskey onto the bar.
Jezelle laughed.
Reed wandered toward a door in the back of the room, and I noticed she was not wrong.
“When you’re done bonding at my expense,” he called back over his shoulder, “maybe we can get to work.”
I sighed and downed the rest of my drink. I loved the way whiskey warmed you from the inside out. “Jezelle, it was nice to meet you.” A thought occurred to me. “How did you know what I wanted to drink?”
“It’s my gift.”
“No fair. Your gift is way better than mine.”
“You have the whole I see dead people thing going on?”
I nodded.
“There are worse gifts,” she said.
“So I’ve been told,” I should probably get back to Reed before he became even grumpier. “How much for the whiskey?”
“It’s on the house, but tips are always welcome.”
I reached into my pocket, pulled out a five-dollar bill, and added it to her tip jar.
“Your dress has pockets?”
I nodded.
“I love a dress with pockets.”
“Me too.” Total female bonding moment.
As I walked toward the door where Reed disappeared, I thought about what I’d learned. Reed might be annoyed at the world rather than me. I’d feel better if it wasn’t just me.
I found him seated behind an antique desk, flipping pages in a ledger.
I sat in the black leather chair facing him. “Was this Aunt Teresa’s office?”
“Yes.”
“Do you work here?”
“I’ve managed Tea & Spirits for a while. Teresa didn’t want to be bothered with inventory and paying bills. She spent time with the customers. I guess that will be your job now.”
“What do you mean?”
“You inherited the house and the business.” Reed stated like I might have forgotten those facts.
“I’m aware, but I already have a job. I’m not sure I have time for another one.”
“While you’re here in Mystic Hills, you could fill in for her.”
True. “What did she do?”
“People come here to drink and socialize. While they’re here, they contact their relatives to ask questions.”
I did not like where this was going. “She held seances?”
He snorted. “No. She summoned spirits of the dead.”
“I thought she helped ghosts cross over.”
“Ghosts and spirits are two different things.”
“They are?”
“Yes. There’s a major difference.”
I put my head in my hands. “Keep talking. I’m going to have a minor existential crisis while you explain.”
Chris Cannon is a speech therapist by day and the award-winning author of the Going Down In Flames series, the Boyfriend Chronicles, the Dating Dilemma series, the Demon Bound series, and Mysteries of Mystic Hills series by night.
She lives in Southern Illinois with her husband and several furry beasts. She believes coffee is the Elixir of Life. Most evenings after work, you can find her sipping coffee and writing fire-breathing urban fantasies, sweet snarky romantic comedies, or paranormal cozy mysteries. You can check out her website at www.chriscannonauthor.com.
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