Cozy mystery – Page 2 – Jackie Layton

Wait, what? What happened to November?

November 30, 2025 Jackie Layton

One day it’s Thanksgiving and fall decorations and then it’s time to celebrate Christmas.

I have so much to be thankful for. I have a wonderful family and I am thankful for them every day. I’m also thankful for all of you who read my books.

Speaking of books, Killer Secrets is now available as eBook and paperback.

Here are some of the links where you can find Killer Secrets.

Amazon eBook:

https://amzn.to/48pubbZ

Amazon paperback: https://amzn.to/3M75ycS

Barnes & Noble eBook: https://bit.ly/4pEqWEC

Barnes & Noble paperback: https://bit.ly/4iwp5PV

Kobo: https://binged.it/3K4DuGx

Killer Secrets is the third book in An Organized Crime Cozy Mystery series.

Speed dating sabotage?

Or straight-up murder?

Kate Sloan’s best friend, Bess Walker, decides to try speed dating and convinces Kate to go with her for moral support.

The night of the event is filled with many emotions. Excitement, hope, jealousy, fear, greed, and even anger. Emotions spiral out of control for one person.

Before the second round, the event’s host is murdered.

Kate will use her skills at organizing, list-making, and questioning to try and solve the murder. Can she unravel the mystery before the killer leaves town for the next weekend of singles events?

If you’re interested in some fun Christmas bookish activities, I’ll participate in a few this week.

Tuesday, December 2, I’ll participate in Murder, They Write’s Christmas Party on Facebook. It will be a lot of fun and there will be prizes.

I’ll be blogging at 1:00 ES and live at 6:00 ES. But join us whenever you can.

If you’re in the Pawleys Island area, I’ll participate in Shine Bright, Friday night, at the Presbyterian church. Please stop by and say hi.

Then on Saturday, at 3:30 ES, I’ll be hosting at the Cozy Mystery Party Holiday Party.

I hope you have a great week, and happy reading!

Jackie

Cozy mystery

A Slight Delay

November 11, 2025 Jackie Layton

Some of you may remember that today is the release day for Killer Secrets. Sadly, there has been a delay.

But that’s okay. I decided to share more about Kate Sloan and hopefully build excitement for the new book.

Kate Sloan is an empty nester who moved to her hometown of Fox Island to start an organizing business with her best friend, Bess Walker.

Clutter Free is the first book in An Organized Crime Cozy Mystery Series, and Kate will solve her first mystery.

In The Con, Kate will rely on her organizing skills to solve another murder.

Have you ever stayed at a resort? I’ve been blessed to visit a couple of resorts in my life. They are like little cities. There are many employees, guests, and events. Fox Island, Georgia is a popular vacation spot. So, it made sense to add a resort on the island. And if you’ve read The Con, you know one murder takes place at the resort.

Killer Secrets takes us back to Fox Island’s popular resort Seaside Hideaway.

If you haven’t read this series yet, here are a couple of links.

Clutter Free https://amzn.to/3PuLRuL

The Con https://amzn.to/4fYAhmR

The books are also available at Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other places.

Have you ever hired a professional organizer? Has it helped?

Or are you naturally organized? I’d love for you to share some organizing tips.

Until next time,

Happy reading!

Cozy mystery

Save the Date

October 18, 2025 Jackie Layton

I’m excited to share that my newest book, Killer Secrets, will release on November 11.

Here’s the back cover copy…

Speed dating sabotage?

Or straight-up murder?

Kate Sloan’s best friend Bess Walker decides to try speed dating and convinces Kate to go with her for moral support.

The night of the event is filled with many emotions. Excitement, hope, jealousy, fear, greed, and even anger. Emotions spiral out of control for one person.

Before the second round, the event’s host is murdered.

Kate will use her skills at organizing, list-making, and questioning to try and solve the murder. Can she unravel the mystery before the killer leaves town for the next weekend of singles events?

And now, drum roll please, the cover reveal.

Cozy mystery

Fall is the Season to Fall for a Good Book

September 16, 2025September 11, 2025 Jackie Layton

The days are cooler and shorter. What’s cozier than curling up with a good book?

If you haven’t read all my books yet, this is a good season to catch up.

In a few months, Killer Secrets, the third book in An Organized Crime Cozy Mystery Series will release. Stay tuned for a cover reveal and more information on the release.

Clutter Free is the first book in An Organized Crime Cozy Mystery Series.

Returning to Fox Island where she grew up, Kate Sloan begins her career as a professional organizer. When a woman accuses Kate’s police chief brother of having an affair, Kate’s priority shifts from organizing to proving her brother’s innocence. Kate visits the woman, hoping for a confession. The woman won’t admit she lied, and to make the situation worse, the accuser is found dead the next day by Kate and her business partner.

Kate has an eye for seeing what’s out of place, and she knows how to fix problems. Can she utilize her organizational skills to toss red herrings and focus on legitimate clues? Emma’s business is at risk as well as her brother’s career. The clock is ticking, and this could be the deadliest deadline of Kate’s life. She must discover the truth behind the victim’s vicious lies, but most of all, she needs to solve the murder before she becomes the next victim.

What are you looking forward to reading this fall?

holiday

Happy 4th of July

July 2, 2025July 2, 2025 Jackie Layton

I hope you have fun plans for the holiday, and I hope you find time to read a good book.

We’re celebrating my sister-in-law’s birthday this week by hiking, playing games, and laughing a lot.

Happy birthday, Carol!

In book news, I’d like to introduce you to Annie McEwen’s book, Dead, White, and Blue.

It’s the 4th of July in the Wisconsin Northwoods, and no one is more excited than Emmy Cooper. She’s happy to be back in her hometown, settling once again into small-town living and helping her family run Cooper’s Cove, their lake cottage resort. Emmy and her teen crush, police officer Dean Erickson, are enjoying getting reacquainted, while she and bestie Whitney are closer than ever.

Lake Covington and its quaint namesake town are bustling with visitors celebrating during the annual three-day Independence Day Freedom Fest. Everything is Yankee Doodle Dandy until a local man with a reputation for trouble starts fireworks of his own. And the explosions just keep on coming when Emmy stumbles over a dead body at the celebrations!

The dead man is Jordan James, and as Emmy soon finds out, there’s no shortage of people who might want him dead. From a jealous jerk to a conniving cousin and even a former friend from his past, suspects are more plentiful than ants at a July picnic! Despite promises to stay out of the investigation, Emmy finds herself smack in the middle of it. Can she and Whitney figure out the truth and find liberty and justice for all?

Another cozy mystery that you’re probably familiar with, Bleeding Heart Librarian, begins on the 4th of July.

Emma Justice is friends with the local librarian and brings her extra flowers once a week. On a hot July morning, when people are gathered outside the closed library past opening time, Emma calls the police. The librarian’s body is found in the building and beside the body is a pink and white bleeding heart plant.

Tess Carranza was a lovely person dedicated to children and patrons of the library in Lutz, Texas. Tess recently confided to Emma about her fear someone was using the library to gather information to commit crimes. Emma didn’t get the entire story from Tess before her death, but now she’s determined to stop the crime and catch Tess’s killer.

Stay cozy and enjoy a cozy mystery!

Cozy mystery

Getting Real

May 2, 2025 Jackie Layton

Without further delay, here’s the link to pre-order the eBook version of Bleeding Heart Librarian.

https://amzn.to/42FFU4J

The eBook will be available this Tuesday, May 6.

I hope you’re excited to return to Texas and follow Emma Justice on her next adventure.

Cozy mystery

A Day in the Life of Emma Justice

April 26, 2025 Jackie Layton

Who’s Emma Justice? She’s the main character in A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery Series. She’s the amateur sleuth in Weeding Out Lies, Clover Covered Corpse, and Bleeding Heart Librarian (Soon to be released.).

I’d love for you to visit Dru’s Book Musings and get to know Emma better by spending the day with her.

Here’s the link: https://drusbookmusing.com/emma-justice/

Thanks! See you there!

Cozy mystery

Bleeding Heart Librarian

April 8, 2025April 8, 2025 Jackie Layton

The third book in A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery Series will release on April 29, 2025. I’m so excited and I want to share a little about this story.

And, for the cover reveal. I am so thankful to Shawn Reilly Simmons and Level Best Books for this beautiful book cover! Thank you!

Stay tuned for more exciting details in the days ahead.

Cozy mystery

The Writing Process

February 20, 2025 Jackie Layton

I have a deadline coming up next week. It’s for the third book in An Organized Crime Cozy Mystery Series, Killer Secrets.

One thing I have struggled with in the past is timelines. So, I check and double-check to make sure the timing is right.

I have an editor at Level Best Books who goes through my story for developmental edits and redline edits. Still, when I turn it in, I want it to be as polished as possible.

Getting a book cover is one of the fun things. I’ve been blessed with great book covers, and it’s always exciting to see what the publisher has created.