by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Despite having closed her Mac’s Bikes shop for the three weeks following Christmas, Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida has never been busier. Not only does she still have to plan for her New Year’s Eve wedding, Mac and her fiancé Tim Brunelle are renovating the bathroom in his one-hundred-year-old cottage. They find more than additional bath space when they tear down a wall, though, as hidden behind is a handcuffed skeleton wearing a wedding dress. Tracking down the history of the Westham, Massachusetts, cottage leads Mac back to the Swift family, a founding family and many of whose descendants still live in town. Luggage tags near the body seem to identify the body as Della Louise Ruhlen, a woman who went missing in the 1940s and thus makes this a decidedly very cold case. In the midst of her own wedding plans and feeling an affinity towards the woman in the bridal dress, Mac is unable to resist investigating and hopefully finding answers for this tragedy of love gone wrong.

Aided by her Cozy Capers book club, Mac tracks down remaining Swift family members and their Winslow relations. Her love of books takes her to the Book Nook, where Barlow Swift happens to not only be the store’s owner, he may hold clues to the events of the former family home. So, in addition to recommending cozy book titles for the proprietor to purchase for his store, Mac is able to track down a number of diaries whose authors may have had a hand in the Body Left Behind the Wall. Not all of the Westham Swifts are happy with Mac’s delving into family secrets, and when there is a modern-day attack, she knows that she may be coming too close to revealing unsavory scandals long hidden.

The Cape Cod setting and its diverse population is depicted so delightfully and vividly that readers will immediately feel immersed into the town’s chilly Massachusetts’ winter. The investigations into the past and present are well balanced, but it is truly the star-crossed mystery of the 1940s that draws readers in and proves to be so compelling. While Mac may be that rare bride more concerned about investigating a murder than planning for her immediate wedding, her friends and family will have her back for both. Details about Mac’s Cape Verdean heritage, their Kriolu Portuguese-based creole language, and the Cachupa national dish are fascinating, with recipes of the latter included at the end. Fans of the series will enjoy appearances by Mac’s minister father, African gray parrot Belle, and of course, the rest of the Cozy Capers members. The interrupted wedding of the past makes Mac’s and Tim’s ceremony all the more important, and readers will be rewarded with a heart-warming resolution without Della’s tragic past. Weddings, cold cases, and family drama all combine into the coziest of cozy winter mysteries.

To enter to win a copy of Murder in a Cape Cottage, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “cape,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen November 19, 2022. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.