Crime and Parchment: A Rare Books Cozy Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Fictional town of Rose Mallow, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay
Level Best Books (November 21, 2023)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 226 pages

Synopsis

Rare books librarian Juniper Blume knows this much… an ancient Celtic manuscript shouldn’t be in a Maryland cemetery. But that’s exactly what her brother-in-law claims.

Last year, Juniper saw the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells in Ireland. She learned how their bejeweled covers were stolen centuries ago, never to be seen again. So how could they have ended up in Rose Mallow, a small Chesapeake Bay town? Being Jewish, the Book of Kells might not be her sacred text, but as a rare books librarian, the ancient book is still sacred to her, making it important to Juniper to find out the truth.

Rose Mallow is the same place where Juniper used to summer with her sister Azalea and their grandmother Zinnia, known as Nana Z. Ever since Nana Z passed away, Juniper’s avoided returning, but her curiosity is greater than her grief, so she heads down in her vintage convertible with her rescue dog Clover.

Juniper discovers that her sister Azalea has transformed their grandmother’s Queen Anne style mansion into the Wildflower Inn, backing up to the Chesapeake Bay. Although Juniper isn’t much of a cook, Azalea has kept their grandmother’s legacy alive, filling the house with the smells of East European Jewish treats, like sweet kugels and tzimmes cake. Will coming back here feel like returning home or fill Juniper with a deeper sorrow? Can she apologize to her sister for not being there when she was needed most?

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Excerpt

My 1965, robin’s egg blue convertible backfired as I parked in front of the Wildflower Inn. The noise set off Clover barking in the backseat. Not exactly the quiet homecoming I’d hoped for. I jumped out of my Karmann-Ghia – or “KG” as I’d nicknamed her – to check under the hood, hoping I wouldn’t need to get the roadster serviced yet again. No idea where that money would come from.

A screaming, ranting madwoman poured out of a neighboring house. Maybe in her late seventies, she brandished a large umbrella. I dropped the hood to find the umbrella pointing at me. Clover – all twenty pounds of him – jumped out and started growling.

“Easy, boy,” I said.

“You shoot something off, Missy? Here to cause trouble? Because I’m on the board of the Friends of the Rose Mallow Police.” the woman said. She wore a perfectly fitted Mamie Eisenhower pink skirt suit with enormous pearls – straight out of the 1950s. Her white bouffant billowed around her head. She reminded me of a researcher I’d helped earlier that day at the Library of Congress. That woman had been a murder mystery author looking for books about early detectives. This woman looked like she wanted to murder someone – namely me.

Guest Post

Inspiration Unveiled: The Real Towns Crime and Parchment

In my new cozy mystery Crime and Parchment, everything takes place in the fictional town of Rose Mallow, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay. I thought it’d be fun to share two of the real towns that inspired the creation of Rose Mallow: North Beach and Chesapeake Beach. While the towns are connected by a boardwalk along the west coast of the Chesapeake Bay, each has its own flavor and style.

North Beach features a great boardwalk, charming homes, quaint stores, and even a cute town park. Although it’s only about an hour south of Washington, DC, it feels like worlds away being on the water. I particularly love the small beach for kids to play and explore in the Bay itself.

Just down the boardwalk is the sister town of Chesapeake Beach. Once upon a time, this was a resort town for people escaping the heat and humidity of Washington, DC in the summer. The Chesapeake Beach Railway brought visitors to enjoy the water, grand hotels, amusement parks, and other summer escapes.

Several majestic houses back directly to the boardwalk that connects the two towns. These beautiful historic homes provided me with the inspiration for the Wildflower Inn in Crime and Parchment. Many of the houses are older ones, including several dating back over a hundred years. Some are Queen Anne style like the Wildflower Inn, while others are smaller summer cottage types. I’d be happy to stay in either, but which would you prefer?

I hope you can tell why these two towns are some of my favorite places, not just in Maryland but anywhere. Both are full of history and character, along with that gorgeous waterfront. What are some of your favorite places to visit? Are any near you?

About the Author

Daphne Silver is the author of the Rare Books Cozy Mystery series. She’s worked more than twenty years in museums and has the great fortune of being married to a librarian. When she’s not writing, she’s drawing and painting. She lives in Maryland with her family. Although she’s not much of a baker, she won’t ever turn down a sweet lokshen kugel.

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