#Spotlight & #Extract Digging Up Daisy (A Mainely Murder Mystery) by Sherry Lynn
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#Spotlight & #Extract Digging Up Daisy (A Mainely Murder Mystery) by Sherry Lynn
Digging Up Daisy (A Mainely Murder Mystery)
by Sherry Lynn
About Digging Up Daisy
Digging Up Daisy (A Mainely Murder Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Maine
Berkley (April 4, 2023)
Paperback : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593546652
ISBN-13 : 978-0593546659
Digital ASIN : B0B8GQNCBY
In a fresh new Maine-set cozy from author Sherry Lynn, Kinsley Clark must root out a killer before the killer roots out her.
At twenty-nine, Kinsley Clark is living the dream life she always envisioned for herself. She’s the proud owner of SeaScapes, a thriving landscaping company in wealthy Harborside, set on the rugged coast of southern Maine. Kinsley’s veins are filled with salty air, a myriad of colors, and the fragrance of fresh blooms. But one afternoon, while working at her aunt Tilly’s bed-and-breakfast, the Salty Breeze Inn, Kinsley digs up more than she bargained for—a high-heeled shoe. The once sparkly shoe, now caked in mud, is linked to a case the police had appropriately dubbed the “Cinderella Murder.”
Kinsley panics. Does this mean that her aunt and the inn are somehow connected to this murder? Will it scare away potential guests? Will it subject the inn to a rush of bad press? With Aunt Tilly’s reputation, and possibly her safety, on the line, Kinsley digs deeper into the crime to find out what the shoe was doing on her aunt’s property and who murdered Cinderella, whose real name is Daisy. As she investigates, more suspects rise to the surface, and eventually, Kinsley has to weed out a killer.
EXCERPT
Chapter 1
Kinsley Clark inhaled deeply. The salty sea air, along with a whiff of the nearby beach roses, sent a smile to her lips. The combined scent was intoxicating. She remembered planting the vivid fuchsia and white shrubs with her aunt Tilly soon after she’d moved into the caretaker’s cottage behind her aunt’s seaside estate. The Salty Breeze Inn, a mammoth cedar-shingled structure, weathered from the sea, stood proudly above the cliff walk. Trimmed in crisp white, the inn provided the perfect muted backdrop for a bounty of colorful floral hues. Kinsley turned to glance over her shoulder and eyed the scrub brush. The roses had grown wild along the coastline, their tendrils filling every crevice the untamed branches could reach. The silky blossoms fluttered in the cool wind yet pointed up to the light, as if sunbathing in the early-June sun.
At twenty-nine, Kinsley didn’t realize how that season of planting would define her. Now, owner of SeaScapes, a thriving landscape design company in Harborside, Maine, she almost had to pinch herself. If not for the training her aunt Tilly had given her while she was growing up, Kinsley’s entire career might have remained only a wish. Countless designers, landscapers, and artists only dreamed of working for the wealthy coastal homeowners of prominent Harborside. Because she was raised behind the Salty Breeze Inn, perched high above the well-worn cliff walk, the neighbors trusted her. They’d all witnessed the magic she’d created with the lush yet rugged southern Maine landscape, and the neighbors, wild with envy, wanted to replicate the picture-postcard splendor.
Sometimes good things do come out of the ashes, Kinsley thought as she turned her attention to face the sea. She returned the other half of an uneaten ham sandwich to the small wicker basket that held the rest of her lunch. She loved taking lunch breaks outside at her favorite spot-a hidden crevice, deep within the rugged rocks, that provided shelter from the crashing waves.
This was her office. And not for a moment did she take it for granted.
The sound of the waves had soothed her like a lullaby ever since she’d turned thirteen and moved permanently to Maine after her parents’ passing. The lullaby had turned into a sweet song, as the sting of loss had been replaced by her aunt Tilly’s unending, unconditional love.
Kinsley had certainly grieved her parents, but she didn’t miss the constant household moves from her youth because of their ever-changing deployments. Her brother, Kyle, however, never tired of the changes. He’d enlisted in the Air Force, following in their parents’ footprints, just as soon as he’d turned eighteen. Currently, Kyle lived on a base in Germany, and they didn’t connect as often as she’d like. She hadn’t seen him in eight months yet prayed for him daily.
The numerous Air Force bases had never really felt like home to Kinsley. She, like a perennial flower, always longed for a steady place in which to put down permanent roots. Aunt Tilly’s inn, perched high above the Atlantic, had given her that grounding. Years later, no longer a gangly teenager with a mouth full of braces, she still loved living in Harborside.
After Kinsley graduated from high school, her aunt had moved out of the caretaker’s quarters that they’d shared and converted a room at the back of the inn for herself, leaving the cottage solely to her niece. Kinsley transformed the space into her own private oasis, where she resided and occasionally met with clients for SeaScapes. Although the caretaker’s cottage came equipped with a fully functioning kitchen, Aunt Tilly still spoiled her with homemade dishes from the inn after an exhausting day of gardening work. Despite Kinsley’s age, she didn’t decline the hospitality her aunt so freely gave, or protest the occasional luscious meals packaged and secretly tucked within the confines of her refrigerator, waiting to be reheated at a moment’s notice. Her aunt tended to show her love through food, and Kinsley willingly obliged.
Kinsley brushed the loose hair that had escaped her long blonde braid away from her face with her forearm. Her hair would be bleached platinum by summer’s end due to the many hours working outdoors. She then wiped her hands along her faded jeans to remove any remaining crumbs or mustard remnants from her sandwich. She hated to leave the comfort and the roaring sound of the ocean, but she had a lot more work to do. Kinsley had promised her aunt Tilly that despite her ever-growing list of clients, she’d replace the hydrangea bush that had perished last winter, clean up the yard, and place full, blooming containers throughout the property. The colorful containers were needed, as the summer perennials were not yet in full swing, and she needed to beautify the place before the big event that her aunt was participating in for the third year in a row-the Walk Inns.
The Walk Inns was an annual parade of homes, where several local bed-and-breakfast establishments signed up for an open-house showcase tour. Attendees obtained a map showing the participating homes and walked the route, going through the inns at their leisure. Since most of the inns that had taken part were now official SeaScapes clients, the event gave Kinsley a chance to showcase her work, too. Last year, she’d been featured in Coastal Living, standing alongside one of the stately Harborside homes. Kinsley hoped this year good things would come for Aunt Tilly, too-like a chance for the Salty Breeze Inn to be featured in the prominent magazine. But she’d better not get ahead of herself-though one couldn’t blame her for daring to dream. She had always believed her aunt deserved so much more than she could possibly ever repay. Tilly’s giving spirit was the heartbeat to not only her, but their community as well, as she volunteered for anything and everything, despite her own long hours of work.
Kinsley flipped the wicker lid closed on her lunch basket and then rose to a standing position. She stretched her arms high above her head and inhaled one last cleansing breath before grudgingly retrieving the basket and tuning her back to the sea. After dodging a few tidepools scattered with sea urchins, and navigating across several seaweed-covered boulders, she finally made her way safely atop the cliff walk.
About Sherry Lynn
Sherry Lynn spent countless summers on the coast of Maine, knowing she’d one day return to write about the magical location from her youth. Curious by nature, sleuthing became the perfect fit for her, and she has written multiple cozy mystery series under several pseudonyms. Currently, Sherry lives in the Midwest with her husband, but she dreams about one day retiring oceanside with a good book in her hand.
Author Links
PenguinRandomHouse https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/708881/digging-up-daisy-by-sherry-lynn/
Website https://www.sherrylynnbooks.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sherrylynnbooks
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23043674.Sherry_Lynn
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sherrylynnmysteries/
Purchase Links –
Amazon – B&N – Kobo –
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