An Emma Lord Mystery

Mary Daheim

When editor-publisher Emma Lord finds herself away from her usual beat, a sensational murder in a picturesque Oregon seashore village pulls her into a case that refuses to stay simple. The victim, Audrey Imhoff, seems to have been targeted in a moment of vulnerability, and the shock deepens when her husband vanishes a week later—leaving their three adolescent children oddly untroubled by his disappearance. As Emma digs for answers, she uncovers a web of secrets, shifting loyalties, and unsettling motives beneath the town’s charming surface. Blending sharp small-town observation with high-stakes suspense, this novel explores the themes of family dysfunction, the stories people tell to survive, and how quickly danger can turn a vacation into a fight for the truth.

Mary Daheim

As winter settles over the Cascade foothills, Emma Lord—editor and publisher of the Alpine Advocate—tries to hold onto the season’s cheer while family tensions threaten to spoil everything. With her son and brother arriving just as old resentments and new complications surface, Emma finds herself pulled into another small-town mystery where gossip travels faster than the snow. When a troubling situation involving an ill-tempered relative and an ailing elder friend draws the household into the orbit of suspicion, Emma must rely on her sharp instincts and community connections to separate fact from rumor. Blending cozy charm with a brisk, conversational mystery style, this installment explores the bonds—and fractures—of family, the comfort and danger of tradition, and the quiet determination required to uncover the truth in a town that thinks it already knows everything.

Mary Daheim

In the quiet mountain community of Alpine, Washington, a mysterious young woman named Ren Rawlings arrives with a shocking claim: her parents have been murdered. As Emma Lord delves into Ren's unsettling story, she uncovers a tangled web of gossip, feuding families, and long-buried secrets. This latest installment in the beloved series promises a captivating blend of small-town intrigue and suspense, where hidden truths and simmering resentments threaten to shatter the peace.