Some candles are made for romance.
This one burns beside a dead man.
Mara Linden trades her crisis-copywriting career for a quiet life running a candle studio in her Wisconsin hometown. No clients. No drama. Just wax, wicks, and her aunt's steady company.
Until Tessa Marsh walks in days before Christmas.
Pregnant and desperate to save her marriage, Tessa begs Mara for a custom reconciliation candle. She even jokes about wanting something "strong enough to make him disappear." Mara laughs it off and makes a gentle, hopeful blend instead.
On Christmas Eve, Tessa's husband collapses at a neighborhood party -- poisoned.
And burning beside him is Mara's candle.
Overnight, the town turns on Tessa. That joke becomes a motive. The candle becomes evidence. Detective Jonah Reyes warns Mara to stay out of the investigation. She doesn't. Years of shaping narratives taught her how framed stories smell, and this one stinks.
As Mara follows the trail through Evergreen Hollow's holiday rituals, she uncovers:
? A business drowning in quiet debt
? Money quietly funneled into the powerful Founders' Fund
? A break-in at her studio no one bothered with
? A donor list tied to a girl who vanished on Sleepy Hollow Lane
Someone in Evergreen Hollow is rewriting the truth -- and they're willing to kill to protect it.
The Christmas Candle Murder begins the Hollow Hearth Mysteries, a cozy whodunit series with a sharp amateur sleuth, fair-play clues, a close town at Christmas, and a slow-burn spark between Mara and the detective who wishes she'd stop helping.
Light a candle. Pour something warm.
Evergreen Hollow looks peaceful -- until you watch the shadows.

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• Crime, Thriller & MysteryMysteryWomen Sleuths

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• Print Length: 476 Pages
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