Antagonizing Antiques

Antique clocks, new loved ones, and ancient secrets . . .

On Valentine's Day, Winifred Page-Lopez escapes the gossip and town drama to retreat into the mystery room of the Cozy Corgi Bookshop and Bakery, with a crackling fire, a favorite romance, and her corgi, Watson—one-part love, one-part curmudgeon—snuggled beside her.

But how can Fred ignore past hurts and betrayals when the players from her old life are setting up shop in Estes Park, turning Elkhorn Avenue into a chessboard? Plenty of dirty chais and Katie's scrumptious pop tarts, along with Leo's love and Watson's snores, bring some comfort.

The pink-and-red heart decorations are barely down in the Cozy Corgi, when a local socialite's murder pulls Fred from her hibernation. The clock is running, and a trail of clues and misdirection reveal secrets new and old. To solve this murder, Fred must outwit an enemy and uncover a new betrayal. What she learns along the way could shake her world, or steady it.

Secrets don't age, and the past—with all its joys, sorrows, guilt, and grudges—can be crushing in its truths . . . or freeing.

(This culinary cozy mystery includes a recipe for romantic strawberry pop tarts.)