Dying to Live Here (Estate Sales Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Florida
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fawkes Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 10, 2026

Synopsis

When tech burnout Emma Stewart follows her best friend’s advice to view a quaint beachside home in Harbor Shores, Florida, she expects palm trees, sea breezes, and maybe a fresh start. What she doesn’t expect is to stumble into a murder scene—and become a prime suspect.

With the HOA president lying in a pool of blood and her bestie splattered with the evidence, Emma suddenly finds herself knee-deep in neighborhood secrets, rivalries, and a suspiciously missing knife. Armed with nothing but her dry wit, a talent for digital sleuthing, and an adorable bulldog named Hopper, Emma must navigate a world of nosy neighbors, passive-aggressive happy hours, and one dangerously charming lawyer.

In Harbor Shores, the homes are charming—but the secrets are deadly.

Amazon

Guest Post

February is when travel plans tend to fall apart. Flights are delayed, beaches feel far away, and winter lingers a little longer than anyone would like. That’s when I plan my favorite kind of getaway: a book vacation. You don’t need sunscreen or a boarding pass to escape to a sunny setting. Midwinter, in fact, is the perfect time for a beach read.

One of my favorite authors, Charlaine Harris, has been quoted as saying, “Books are the cheapest vacation you can buy,” and I agree one hundred percent. Books offer an instant, immersive escape from the everyday. Through fictional worlds, you can travel through time and place, experience lives you’d never choose in reality, or even step into danger safely. Immersive fiction doesn’t just take you somewhere new. It lets you see the world through someone else’s eyes. Best of all, you’re always in control. You can leave whenever you want or return again and again. Re-reading an old favorite is my go-to comfort activity.

Over the years, my reading life has taken me to places I still hope to visit someday. Gifted authors transform settings into destinations, making them feel as real as any place on a map. Louise Penny’s books, for example, have inspired an entire travel wish list, complete with foods I plan to eat when I get there. Her winter scenes in Quebec are vivid enough that I can almost feel the cold, though I might prefer to experience them from the warmth of my reading chair. I’ve also read all of Elin Hilderbrand’s novels, and now Nantucket’s restaurants, shops, and beaches live firmly on my someday list as well.

Cozy mysteries make these fictional getaways even smoother. With their familiar rhythms, manageable stakes, and satisfying endings, cozies offer the kind of escape that feels comforting rather than stressful. A fictional small town with corner coffee shops and bookstores can be just as restorative as an actual trip. Sometimes even more so.

When I write mysteries set in Florida, I picture the kind of place I’d want to escape to myself, with sunlight filtering through palm fronds, early mornings when the beach is quiet, and long walks where the most pressing decision is which way to turn. The town I imagine is the sort of place where you can watch the sunrise over the ocean, scan the sand for shark teeth at low tide, and assume, at least for a while, that everything is exactly as it seems.

Of course, small towns have their own rhythms. Neighbors know one another’s habits, friendships form quickly, and secrets don’t stay buried for long. Emma and Laura are the kind of friends you’d linger with over a drink, trading gossip and observations, and just when you think you understand the community, it reveals something unexpected.

So, while winter lingers and travel plans remain uncertain, a book vacation is always within reach. No flights to book and no bags to pack, just a story that carries you somewhere else for a while. When February feels long and the weather keeps you close to home, the best getaway may already be waiting on your nightstand.

Excerpt

In the dim light, the vacant house had an ominous aura, and its dark windows gaped like empty eyes. My heart began to race. I stopped walking.

“I’m having second thoughts about this, Laura.”

She ignored me, leading the way past the overgrown lawn through a tunnel of hedges flanking the front door. The jungle-worthy shrubbery blocked any moonlight and hindered Laura’s initial efforts to insert the key. The keychain jangled as she fumbled with the key. I swiveled my head, checking for nosy neighbors. Swiping upward on the screen of the phone clutched tightly in my hand, I activated the flashlight.

“Turn that off,” she hissed. “Someone will call the police.”

I wiped my sweaty palm on my pants and turned off the light. “Come on, Laura,” I wheedled. “Let’s forget about this.”

A click and a squeak of the door hinges answered me. Laura crossed the threshold and fumbled for a moment, searching for a light switch. Suddenly, she tumbled forward into the darkness and squealed.

Quickly, I reactivated the light and aimed it at the foyer. Laura lay sprawled atop a dark lump on the floor. I quickly realized it wasn’t a lump. It was a body—the body of a woman. Long strands of red hair splayed out in the puddle of blood beneath her.

Suddenly spotlighted, Laura scrambled to her feet, squealing, “Ohmygod—ohmygod—ohmygod.” A large splotch of blood stained the front of her shirt. She peered down and started to breathe so rapidly I thought she might hyperventilate.

My head spun. A coppery smell wafted out through the doorway. I focused on my phone, trying not to faint. “I’ll call 911.”

“Wait.” Laura grabbed my arm. “Think about what this looks like.”

My finger stopped before sending the call. “Are you suggesting we turn around, lock the door, and pretend we never saw anything?”

“I don’t know. Just let me think.” She ran both hands through her blond hair, transferring a streak of red to one of her curls.

“Who is that? Do you know?”

“Yes, I know her.”

At that moment, headlights illuminated the driveway.

About the Author

Shelley Marsh writes laugh-out-loud mysteries set along Florida’s sun-splashed coast. Her forthcoming debut, Dying to Live Here (Feb 10 2026), launches the Estate Sale Mysteries series, pairing clever puzzles with a hint of romance. When she isn’t prowling estate sales for story fodder, Shelley combs beaches and bookstores, searching for treasure.

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