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As the owner of Miracle Books, Nora Pennington figures all the wet weather this spring is at least good for business. The local inns are packed with stranded travelers, and among them Nora finds both new customers and a new friend, the sixty-something Sheldon, who starts helping out at the store.

Since a little rain never hurt anyone, Nora rides her bike over to the flea market one sodden day and buys a bowl from Danny, a Cherokee potter. It’ll make a great present for Nora’s EMT boyfriend, but the next day, a little rain turns into a lot of rain, and the Miracle River overflows it banks. Amid the wreckage of a collapsed footbridge, a body lies within the churning water.

Nora and the sheriff both doubt the ruling of accidental drowning, and Nora decides it’s time for the Secret, Book, and Scone Society to spring into action. When another body turns up, it becomes clearer that Danny’s death can’t be blamed on a natural disaster. A crucial clue may lie within the stone walls of the Inn of Mist and Roses: a diary, over a century old and spattered with candle wax, that leads Nora and her friends through a maze of intrigue—and onto the trail of a murderer . . .

My third experience with the SBSS, I enjoyed this book while traveling with my aunt. It was fun to return to Miracle Springs and read about those fun characters.

This book didn’t quite hit like the first two, though. The intimate scene was a little too vivid for my special-need-aunt (we had to fast forward the audiobook), which I hadn’t expected. Throwing in a whole section on banned books felt out of place (not that it’s a bad topic–just oddly timed). Overall, it spends a little more time in the characters’ heads than I prefer; I would have rather read another plot point or watched more develop between love interests.

Regardless, I still enjoyed the book and plan to read the next book in the series to see how everyone moves on.

Rated PG-13 for that one vivid scene.

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For more of the SBSS, check out:

The Secret, Book & Scone Society (Book 1)
The Whispered Word (Book 2)