Under the Stairs (Cordelia Corbett Mysteries Book 7)

A Cordelia Corbett Mystery

When Barry Blake is found dead in the attic of the Little Point Book Shop in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, Cordelia Corbett is drawn into an investigation that quickly becomes more complicated than it first appears. Barry’s life was filled with tangled loyalties, uneasy friendships, romantic tension, and family conflict—leaving Cordelia and her team with plenty of possible motives, but little clear evidence.

As the case unfolds, Barry’s fiancée, coworkers, childhood friends, and others connected to the bookshop come under suspicion. With half-truths surfacing at every turn and time running short, Cordelia must look beyond appearances to uncover who was really pulling the strings.

Under the Stairs is the seventh book in the Cordelia Corbett Mysteries series by J.T. Kunkel, a cozy mystery set against the familiar charm of a small New Jersey beach town and the unsettling secrets hidden beneath it.

Start reading Under the Stairs today.

Excerpt from the book

May 2023

I lifted up my feet as Susan vacuumed the floor of the newly opened, Beachcombers Bookshop. I laughed. “Oh, sorry, am I in your way?”

She rolled her eyes just slightly. “Why would you think that, Cordelia? You’ve been here every morning since I opened my shop, reading. I’m starting to think you live here. Not that I mind. You seem to be attracting customers like flies.” She chuckled. “Well, not like flies exactly. But, you know what I mean.”

I laughed under my breath. “Well, you said I could come by any time. I just can’t seem to read at home. And when I saw a new bookstore on the Boardwalk, I just couldn’t resist hanging out here.” Susan, the owner of the local bookshop, was my newest friend in Point Pleasant Beach, although I got the idea I might be starting to get on her last nerve.

She grinned. “Don’t get me wrong, Cordelia, I love you like a sister, just as I loved your grandmother like a mother.”

I smiled, thinking back. “Wasn’t it my Gram who encouraged you to open a bookshop?”

She nodded. “Yes, and then when one opened up down the street, I nearly gave up on the idea, but something told me to just go ahead with it, and, so far, I’m so glad.”

I agreed. “I am too. It gives me someplace to hang out and someone to reminisce with.” I could see she was a little distracted. “Now, what do you have to get ready for? I’m sure you’re not sweeping for your own health.”

She ticked off a list in her head. “I’ve got a reading group this evening. Well, I think Claire’s going to run it, but I’ve got some book orders arriving. Then tomorrow, we’ve got an author dropping by to do a presentation and a book signing.”

I stood up. “Okay, I can take a hint, but if I fall behind on my reading, you will have to take the blame. I swear once I get to my couch at home, I’m asleep in ten minutes or less. And I really want to find out what happens in the Dean Koontz Odd Thomas book. It’s a little kooky, but I like it. I think it’s how I’d write if I ever took it up.”

She suggested, “Well, you can always sit in one of our chairs outside. Then you’ll have the best of all possible worlds. You’ll still be here at the bookshop, but you won’t be interrupted by my constant cleaning. Plus, you’ll practically be sitting on the beach.”

I smiled. “You mean, I won’t be in your way. I get it. I can’t live here. You’ve been very gracious. I have to eventually act like a normal customer and join your book clubs, come to events, stuff like that. I don’t know—now that I found out my Gram used to know you, it makes me feel closer to her just to hang out with you. I’m sure you understand. I’ve been missing her lately. I’m not sure why. I mean, I’m living in what used to be her house. I guess it’s silly.”