Author: Ellery Adams
Expected Publication: October 28, 2025, by Kensington Cozies
Format: Kindle 304pgs
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Secret, Book, & Scone Society #8
Blurb: As the residents of Miracle Springs, North Carolina, select their costumes, plan parties, and get excited for a night of tricks or treats, Nora joins in on the festivities by hosting medium memoirist Lara Luz at the bookstore. Charismatic and compelling, Lara mesmerizes the audience with her life story. Struck by a bolt of lightning as a child, she was pronounced dead only to be resurrected with the ability to connect with those on the other side.
Lara performs a reading for a select group of bookstore patrons when the encroaching storm knocks out the power. In the sudden darkness, howling cold winds intensify, and Lara clutches her heart, collapsing dead without warning. But Nora doesn’t believe she died of natural causes. Not one member of the psychic’s reading group—which includes the town’s widower pharmacist, an urgent care nurse, a mystery author, and even truculent Deputy Hollowell—were admirers of Lara.
Nora confirms this when she stumbles upon Lara’s journal in the aftermath of her death. For within its leathery bound pages are the medium and her clients’ deepest and darkest secrets, written in code. Now, Nora and the Secret, Book, and Scone Society must sift through the suspects and their motives to uncover which one of them is a killer before he or she is tempted to strike again
My Opinion: After a string of underwhelming reads, I reached for something comforting, familiar, and bookish that felt like fall. This novel delivered exactly that. Yes, it’s a little bookgirlie to say I needed a cozy mystery with coffee and pastries, but sometimes you need to lean into the season and let a well-worn series wrap around you like a favorite sweater.
I’ve been with this series from the beginning. The plot structure hasn’t changed much, and the characters feel like old friends who never surprise you, which is part of the charm. Nora remains the heart of Miracle Springs, and while Sheriff McCade might wear the badge, we all know who’s solving the case. The mystery itself gets a bit twisty, and there were moments I felt that I, too, had a concussion, but the plotting stays true to the amateur sleuth formula. You know what you signed up for, and you’re not mad about it.
There’s a quiet sweetness to these books. Friendship, found family, a touch of romance, and the kind of small-town rituals that make you want to linger. Each chapter opens with a quote, and some chapters even drop book titles like breadcrumbs for fellow readers to follow. It’s the literary equivalent of chatting with a bookseller who knows their genres and isn’t afraid to recommend across the aisle.
That said, the pacing lagged a bit. Covering three months felt excessive for a mystery that didn’t demand it. Was it meant to mirror seasonal change? To stretch out the investigation? Or give a pregnant mother time. I’m not sure, but I did find myself wishing for a tighter edit.
Still, this novel was a gentle reset; a palate cleanser between heavier reads. It reminded me why I keep showing up for this series: not for the plot twists, but for the comfort, the community, and the quiet joy of a story that knows exactly what it is.
Lara performs a reading for a select group of bookstore patrons when the encroaching storm knocks out the power. In the sudden darkness, howling cold winds intensify, and Lara clutches her heart, collapsing dead without warning. But Nora doesn’t believe she died of natural causes. Not one member of the psychic’s reading group—which includes the town’s widower pharmacist, an urgent care nurse, a mystery author, and even truculent Deputy Hollowell—were admirers of Lara.
Nora confirms this when she stumbles upon Lara’s journal in the aftermath of her death. For within its leathery bound pages are the medium and her clients’ deepest and darkest secrets, written in code. Now, Nora and the Secret, Book, and Scone Society must sift through the suspects and their motives to uncover which one of them is a killer before he or she is tempted to strike again
My Opinion: After a string of underwhelming reads, I reached for something comforting, familiar, and bookish that felt like fall. This novel delivered exactly that. Yes, it’s a little bookgirlie to say I needed a cozy mystery with coffee and pastries, but sometimes you need to lean into the season and let a well-worn series wrap around you like a favorite sweater.
I’ve been with this series from the beginning. The plot structure hasn’t changed much, and the characters feel like old friends who never surprise you, which is part of the charm. Nora remains the heart of Miracle Springs, and while Sheriff McCade might wear the badge, we all know who’s solving the case. The mystery itself gets a bit twisty, and there were moments I felt that I, too, had a concussion, but the plotting stays true to the amateur sleuth formula. You know what you signed up for, and you’re not mad about it.
There’s a quiet sweetness to these books. Friendship, found family, a touch of romance, and the kind of small-town rituals that make you want to linger. Each chapter opens with a quote, and some chapters even drop book titles like breadcrumbs for fellow readers to follow. It’s the literary equivalent of chatting with a bookseller who knows their genres and isn’t afraid to recommend across the aisle.
That said, the pacing lagged a bit. Covering three months felt excessive for a mystery that didn’t demand it. Was it meant to mirror seasonal change? To stretch out the investigation? Or give a pregnant mother time. I’m not sure, but I did find myself wishing for a tighter edit.
Still, this novel was a gentle reset; a palate cleanser between heavier reads. It reminded me why I keep showing up for this series: not for the plot twists, but for the comfort, the community, and the quiet joy of a story that knows exactly what it is.
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