Every Friday, Pearl's Diner serves mystery pie. Locals only.

Mara Cole is not a local. She's just passing through Millhaven to sell her grandmother's house and leave ? fast ? before this small town starts asking about her mother. She hasn't seen June Cole in twenty-two years. She isn't looking.

But then she bites into the mystery pie.

Tucked inside the crust: a note. Green ink. Her mother's handwriting. Two words: Leave now.

The waitress ? Pearl, 67, entirely too cheerful ? swears she's never met June Cole. But the notes keep coming, each one more frantic than the last. And the longer Mara stays, the more she realizes this isn't just about her mother. There's a twenty-year-old cold case, a deputy with terrible timing and an obvious crush, and an entire town of people who have been holding their breath, waiting for exactly this moment.

The truth is buried somewhere in Millhaven. And like the best pie, it has a way of rising.

A cozy mystery about small-town secrets, estranged mothers, and one very determined woman who will not leave until she gets answers ? and possibly the lemon pie recipe.

Perfect for readers who love:

• Stranger Returns to Hometown
• Secret Keeper with a Heart of Gold
• Found Family in Unexpected Places
• Estranged Parent Reunion
• Small Town Hides Big Secrets
• Reluctant Amateur Sleuth
• Slow-Burn Enemies-to-Allies
• The Town as a Character
• Food as Emotional Language
• The Comic Sidekick Who Is Actually the Wisest Person in the Room