A gathering of friends at a Juniper Grove cottage ends in tragedy when a woman plunges to her death from a bedroom window. Minutes later, bells at a nearby church begin to toll, waking the town’s residents. Rachel’s fears that the two events are linked are confirmed when Chief Gilroy declares the woman’s death a homicide and the pastor of the church says his computer-operated bell system was hacked.
The suspects are clear—every woman staying at the cottage—but the motive is a mystery. Who would want to kill a harmless substitute teacher and church worker? When the owner of the cottage begs Rachel to investigate, Rachel soon discovers that the victim was not what she seemed to be. With hard evidence in short supply, Rachel must dig into the victim’s and suspects’ personal lives to solve her most baffling case yet. Can she uncover the truth before the bells toll again?
This light, cozy mystery offers a clean read with a female amateur sleuth in a small-town setting. No foul language, sex, gore, or graphic scenes of any kind. It can be read as a standalone, but it will be enjoyed more as part of the series.