Welcome to The Gilded Spine-where secrets linger longer than the espresso.

Miles Avery thought he left investigative journalism behind when he took over Westbridge's quaintest queer bookstore. But when a scandalous author is found dead among the rare editions, clutching a page from a mysterious manuscript, Miles finds himself in the middle of a literary murder mystery with more twists than a noir paperback.

As pages from an anonymous diary begin leaking online-exposing decades of corruption in their sleepy New England town-Miles teams up with gruff (and distractingly handsome) Detective Cal Bennett and his chaos-prone assistant Nora to uncover the truth. But the deeper they dig, the more dangerous the story becomes.

Because the killer isn't finished yet.

And in Westbridge, the line between fiction and fatality is written in ink... and blood.

A sharp, witty, and deliciously queer cozy mystery perfect for fans of clever banter, found family, and bookshops with bodies.