A charming cast and a plot kissed by the paranormal.
Cassie Mitchell is settling in at The Bluffs, her family’s Victorian estate in the picturesque Cape Cod town of Whale Rock. Despite a family curse of terrible endings for sons, she is adjusting to the joys and exhaustion of new motherhood. Her healthy son is proof that deaths long blamed on the curse were really a treatable genetic condition, and that is great news for Cassie and her retired FBI agent husband, Daniel. And though her sister Zoe still feels uneasy at The Bluffs, she is back in Whale Rock after many years away. Add to that the spirits of her great-grandparents, whose drifting scents seem to guide or warn her with meanings that aren’t always easy to decipher, and Cassie never feels alone. But her routine is thrown off balance when Daniel hires a beautiful, young au pair without her knowledge, a choice that leaves her unsure of whether she can trust the young woman. Around the same time, her artist tenant TJ ends up dead. TJ was not who she seemed, and her death sends the summer spiraling into a crisis Cassie can’t avoid. A private investigator new in town, a suspicious political candidate, and the victim’s missing laptop all draw Cassie into an investigation she promised to steer clear of. Amid the fallout, Cassie’s friend Laura arrives with a tattered box of letters that reveal a long-hidden romance, along with other buried chapters of the Mitchell family’s past. The letters hold secrets that Cassie is determined to bring to light.
With a charming cast and a plot kissed by the paranormal, Legacy of the Bluffs seamlessly combines a murder and a decades-old family secret into an extremely compelling story. Loretta Marion develops engaging characters readers quickly grow attached to, and the family dynamics between Cassie and Zoe feel genuine, full of old wounds and real affection. Despite the murder at its center, the novel keeps a warm, comforting tone throughout, letting Whale Rock’s cozy charm shine even as the mystery deepens. Whether it’s gallery owner Lu Ketchner scouting for her next protégé or the gossip network working overtime at Hilliard House, the quirky small-town residents are the lifeblood of this novel. Even the family dog, Ghost, adds a playful lightness to the story that audiences will adore. Cassie can sense her great-grandparents nearby through the scents they leave behind, a paranormal touch that has her guessing right alongside eager audiences. With a plot full of unexpected turns that keeps readers hooked, Legacy of the Bluffs has everything cozy mystery fans look for.
