Don't Mask, Don't Tell (Messy Bookshop Mysteries Book 4)

Mardi Gras Turns Deadly at Dryden Mansion

Garnet Stone is ready for a night off. Between her job at a used bookstore and her quiet search for answers about her biological mother, she’s desperate for a distraction. Dryden Mansion’s annual murder mystery party seems perfect—costumes, friends, her boyfriend, and Grandpa Stone playing one of the actors.

The fun ends when the staged mystery becomes real. A woman is found dead, and Garnet’s grandfather is quickly named the prime suspect. As Garnet races to uncover the truth and clear his name, long-buried family secrets surface. Aoife, the woman Garnet believed was her mother, arrives unexpectedly, forcing Garnet to confront painful questions she’s been avoiding.

With clues that don’t add up, suspects hiding more than they admit, and her own life unraveling under the pressure, Garnet must rely on her instincts to solve the crime. The truth about the murder—and her family—may change everything.

Dive into this cozy mystery filled with small-town secrets, family revelations, and a Mardi Gras celebration gone wrong.

Start reading today and uncover the truth alongside Garnet Stone.

Excerpt from the book

Who’s going to be the killer? People would get a hoot if it’s Sterling Stone.

But isn’t that too cliché? In mysteries, the murderer is always the least likely person. The one hidden in plain sight. My grandpa fits the stereotype. After all, he is the former police chief.

So, Stone can’t be the killer because he’s too obvious. Right?

I pondered these questions about tonight’s murder mystery party while toying with the dangling earrings.

Stone had picked up a new hobby after New Year’s: theater acting. Since he retired, Stone struggled with what to do with his free time. In my humble opinion, acting might be just what he needed. I pictured the strict Chief Stone as an actor. The thought of him pretending to be someone else, more specifically someone completely opposite of him, made me smile. Stone was going to be either really good or really bad. Tonight would be his first performance. Instead of being on stage, he would be at Dryden Mansion for its annual murder mystery party. My smile grew, knowing that in a few hours I’d be there to watch him.

I turned my head from side to side in the bathroom mirror, studying myself. The long-beaded earrings matched my golden flapper dress. So far, the large amount of hairspray was keeping my hot-ironed curls in place. I applied ruby-colored lipstick and rubbed my lips together.

Nodding, I mentally told myself, I look good. My outfit was perfect for tonight’s Mardi Gras theme.

I twirled, watching my black hair swirl over my shoulders, then winked. Tonight was going to be great. I pushed aside my thoughts of Stone and instead imagined myself next to my boyfriend, Leo Voss. While Stone acted, Leo and I would wander from room to room in an old mansion, untangling clues and talking to actors. I imagined everyone engaging with their friends, trying to figure out the mystery while sipping on punch and munching on finger foods. All in good fun.

This evening was also a much-needed escape.

Within a year, my life turned upside down several times. Teresa died, and her niece took over the used bookstore where I worked, Bind Me Again. My new boss Jane and I went from enemies to friends. We also remodeled and reopened the bookstore, solving a few murders along the way.

The last and biggest change was Regan. An out-of-the-blue email had brought Regan to Sevier Oak and later his moving in with me. We had a lot of heart-to-heart talks, resulting in discovering we were cousins and not half-siblings like we initially thought.

Upon learning our heritage, we decided to keep it from my relatives, which was harder than it sounded. I came from a law enforcement family, and keeping anything from them was like avoiding the flu in the cold season. Dad and Stone could sniff out when I was hiding something. So far, Regan and I had kept our family tree knowledge to ourselves. Just until we could learn more about my real mother. And right now we had next to nothing.