Death by Candlelight

A touring speakeasy brings Edgar Allan Poe's macabre tales to the Secret Bookcase—but before the final act, one of the actors is dead, a knife in his chest.

At first, Annie Murray can't believe her luck. A wildly popular travelling speakeasy wants to stage its sold-out storytelling night at the Secret Bookcase—four of Edgar Allan Poe's most spine-tingling tales, each paired with a suitably macabre cocktail. For a mystery bookshop, it's the perfect match.

The team transforms the ballroom into Poe's own study: flickering candles, a quill and writing desk, and stuffed ravens that look unsettlingly like the real crows haunting the gardens outside. Tickets sell out in minutes, and the organizers are desperate to add a second night.

Then the curtain rises on a scene no one rehearsed: a lead actor slumped in his chair, a knife buried in his chest. Annie quickly realizes this was no accident. It's as if Poe's very words have come to life. Can she decode them before another tale ends in murder?

Perfect for readers who love:

- A cozy bookshop mystery with a theatrical twist
- A gothic, candlelit atmosphere
- Amateur sleuths on the case
- Small-town charm and a warm local community
- A locked-room-style puzzle

A gripping cozy crime novel for fans of Lauren Elliott, Merryn Allingham and M.C. Beaton, the latest Novel Detectives mystery is a twisty 'just one more chapter' read that will keep you guessing until the final page.