Scrapbook of Secrets

Mollie Cox Bryan

Oct 2011 · A Cumberland Creek Mystery Book 1 · Kensington Books

About this ebook

A small-town Virginia housewife and her scrapbooking circle investigate a suspicious death in this cozy mystery series debut.

Having traded in her career as a successful investigative journalist for the life of a stay-at-home mom in picturesque Cumberland Creek, Virginia, Annie can’t help but feel that something’s missing. But she finds solace in a local “crop circle” of scrapbookers united by chore-shy husbands, demanding children, and occasional fantasies of their former single lives. And when the quiet idyll of their small town is shattered by a young mother’s suicide, they band together to find out what went wrong . . .

Annie resurrects her reporting skills and discovers that Maggie Rae was a closet scrapbooker who left behind more than a few secrets—and perhaps a few enemies. As they sift through Maggie Rae’s mysteriously discarded scrapbooks, Annie and her “crop” sisters begin to suspect that her suicide may have been murder. It seems that something sinister is lurking beneath the town’s beguilingly calm façade—like a killer with unfinished business . . .

“A scrapbook of zany small town life with characters you'll want to visit again and again in each new novel.” —Emilie Richards, author of Sunset Bridge 

“Imagine the housewives of Wisteria Lane sipping tea, scrapbooking, and solving murders, and you have this gem of a debut.” —Lois Winston, author of Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun 

“Intriguing characters, eerie happenings . . . Kept me guessing ‘til the end.” —Clare O’Donohue

Includes tips and a glossary of terms for the modern scrapbooker!

Ratings and reviews

Beatrice Matthews should have one very real pain in her neck, but she does not feel a thing. In fact, if it weren't for her daughter, Vera, she would have never known about the knife cutting into her flesh. Meanwhile, the demise of another Cumberland Creek resident, Maggie Rae Dasher, is all over the news; Beatrice even heard about it at the market. Speaking of the market, maybe that's where Beatrice was stabbed? Anyway, according to Betty Hawthorn, they'd found Maggie Rae dead in the night. Annie is a relative newcomer to Cumberland Creek. A former investigative journalist turned stay at home mom for two rambunctious boys, she has finally been planted in the town long enough to garner invitations from the longtime locals. Moreover, today, she's looking forward to a crop party. The town's favorite pastime is scrapbooking, something she'd love to do, but Annie never has the time. She hasn't even kept up with the kids' baby books. Determined to get in the know with the croppers, she's been readying her pictures for weeks for this event, but Sheila, who is the town's scrapbook supplier, cancels the crop. And if that weren't depressing enough, the news about Maggie Rae's suicide hits too close to home. Maggie Rae Dasher was a stay at home mom too. However, she seemed always to be alone with the young ones, and knowing how hard that could be, Annie hoped to get to know her better. Not now, sadly. Nevertheless, too many things failed to add up for Annie and the rest of the croppers. A suicidal young mom leaving young children behind, and her husband has time to throw away Maggie Rae's scrapbooks in the trash, just hours after she dies. Then add in the fact that this dead woman, who would've been a seriously depressed person, was trying to make plans for her daughter's future ballet lessons. Nope, something was just not right. Not to mention, who in Cumberland Creek stabbed Beatrice in the neck? And why? My Take: SCRAPBOOK OF SECRETS by Mollie Cox Bryan is a slow, cozy mystery with quirky characters that will grow on you, and her characters are just funny too. For instance, Beatrice Matthews is not the usually stereotypical senior-aged woman, that's for sure, and her stabbing will catch your attention. Between her neck problem and the suicide that probably wasn't, this read will keep you turning pages. Molly Cox Bryan's début mystery novel will leave you wanting a sequel and then some. I recommend SCRAPBOOK OF SECRETS! In addition, you'll read a special preview of the forthcoming "SCRAPBOOK OF SHADOWS"! ***Though the publisher provides the free book, I offer the opinion.***

This book is many things, some quite lovely, but it is NOT a "cozy" mystery.

Enjoyed reading. A fun & fast read.

About the author

Mollie Cox Bryan writes cozy mysteries with edge and romances with slow, sweet burn. The first book in her Cora Crafts Mystery series, Death Among the Doilies, was a "Fresh Fiction Not to Miss” selection and was a finalist for the Daphne du Maurier Award. The second book, No Charm Intended, was named a “Summer 2017 Top 10 Beach Read” by Woman's World. She also wrote the Agatha-award nominated Cumberland Creek Mysteries. She makes her home at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, where she works as a researcher and fact checker and writes in the early morning hours. Visit her and sign up for her newsletter at molliecoxbryan.com.