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I’m happy to welcome Grace Caldwell to Salty Inspirations with her cozy mystery One of Our Darcies Is Dead. Today, Grace is sharing a character guest post that introduces readers to Dr. Chloe Sinclair and her unexpected adventures in Hawthorne Cove.
Meet Dr. Chloe Sinclair: A Reluctant Sleuth in One of Our Darcies Is Dead
Miss Marple. Jessica Fletcher. Nancy Drew. These women were the real deal. They may not have been real detectives, but they were real sleuths, and they were really, really good at solving murders. But me? Dr. Chloe Sinclair? I’m a literature professor. A jilted bride doing her best not to turn into a real-life Miss Havisham. A butler for a very demanding cat named Mr. Darcy. I am not an investigator. I am not a detective. I am not the girl you go to when bodies start dropping. At least, I wasn’t until I let my best friend Daphne convince me to come visit her in Hawthorne Cove.
Hawthorne Cove is a quirky, beautiful place— think, like, a seaside Stars Hollow but with way more books and, unbeknownst to me when I arrived, murders. It’s located in coastal New England, and, in an effort to try and pull in more tourists during the off-season, recently decided to rebrand itself as a literary town. They hired my best friend, Daphne, to be the town’s event planner, which is how I wound up here in an attempt to support her as she launched their inaugural Jane Austen Festival. I might also have been running away from my life a bit, but we’ll focus on the supporting my best friend part.
Things started out reasonably enough. I made friends with a basset hound at the local bakery, where every dish comes with a side of literary puns. I especially recommend the Much Ado About Muffins, though the Sherlock Scones are also to die for. I helped my best friend decorate a ballroom that would have given the production designer on Bridgerton a run for their money. I put on an absurdly fancy Regency-style dress. I soaked in the storybook town. I had such a good time that, for a moment, I nearly forgot about having been left at the altar six months ago in front of all of my family, friends, and co-workers. But then, I found one of the Mr. Darcies Daphne had hired dead on the back deck of the Algonquin Inn and now, suddenly, I find myself running around like I’m starring in some sort of spin-off of Murder, She Wrote.
It is ridiculous. It is absurd. It is also sort of fun.
Just don’t tell Daphne. If she knows I’m enjoying myself, she’ll try to get me to move here. And who knows what sort of shenanigans the two of us could get up to in a place like this— or how many other literary-themed murder investigations we might get pulled into.
One of Our Darcies is Dead: A Hawthorne Cove Mystery by Grace Caldwell
About One of Our Darcies is Dead
One of Our Darcies is Dead: A Hawthorne Cove Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Hawthorne Cove, a seaside town in New England
Publisher : Paper Lantern Press
Publication date : September 1, 2026
Print length : 193 pages
Paperback
ISBN-13 : 979-8951927019
ASIN : B0HG6CNYH1
Digital
ISBN-13 : 979-8951927002
ASIN : B0HFYYY4F4
The residents of Hawthorne Cove are determined to prove their seaside town deserves a place on every literary lover’s travel list. With a brand-new Jane Austen Festival, charming boutiques, and enough Regency flair to satisfy even the most devoted Austen fan, they’re ready for their grand debut. But when opening night ends with a dead Mr. Darcy, literature professor Chloe Sinclair, in town to escape a life that hasn’t gone to plan, learns that the most captivating stories aren’t always the ones written in books.
About Grace Caldwell
Grace Caldwell writes cozy mysteries for people who’d bring a book to a murder. An award-winning screenwriter and a professor of creative writing and literature, she’s published across more genres than she can reasonably list at a dinner party, but cozy mysteries are where she feels most at home. She lives in Central Florida with two fluffy feline assistants, Elsa and Anna, who supervise every page and approve of none of her deadlines.
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Tour Participants
September 17 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
September 17 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW
September 18 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
September 18 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT
September 19 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
September 20 – FUONLYKNEW – RECIPE
September 21 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
September 21 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
September 22 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
September 23 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
September 23 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 24 – Sarcastically Yours, Jen – SPOTLIGHT
September 25 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
September 26 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
September 27 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT
September 28 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
September 29 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER GUEST POST
September 30 – Romance Novel Giveaways – AUTHOR GUEST POST
September 30 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book -REVIEW
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Thanks so much to Grace Caldwell for stopping by Salty Inspirations and sharing this introduction to One of Our Darcies Is Dead. If literary-themed mysteries, quirky towns, and a very demanding cat sound like your kind of reading, you can add this one to your TBR and follow along with the rest of Grace’s tour.
While you’re here, take a look around Salty Inspirations for more cozy mysteries, creative living, author guests, and a little Salty charm.
As always, thanks for stopping by for some Salty Inspirations! —Michelle❤️
