|
Volume 8 • Issue 3
Thursday, September 24, 2026
🍂 FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK
Happy Thursday, everyone!
We’ve made it to the final edition of The Sunset Chronicles for the week, and apparently I’ve decided the appropriate way to celebrate is by completely destroying whatever progress you've made on your TBR.
Because today we don't have one special feature.
We have two.
And they're both free.
Then I have more mysteries making headlines from fellow authors, followed by our regular collection of free books in the Community Book Exchange.
So, essentially, if you came into today's edition hoping I might help you exercise a little restraint when it comes to acquiring books...
You have come to the wrong newspaper.
Perry would like it noted that he has no involvement in this irresponsible behavior. I would like it noted that he's currently sleeping on top of a book I was trying to read, so his credibility is questionable.
Grab your coffee, make some room on the Kindle, and let's open the final edition of the week.
🐾 PERRY'S PAW PRINTS
"How many books did you give them today?"
I don't know.
"Concerning."
You're judging me for excessive books?
"I prefer moderation."
You demanded six Coastal Catch Bites yesterday.
"That was different."
How?
"Those were fish."
Ah. Of course.
"Books require shelf space. Fish require stomach space."
Thank you for that important distinction, Perry.
"This is why I'm on staff."
🔦 TODAY'S MYSTERY SPOTLIGHT
PRICELESS RECIPE VANISHES—PASTRY CHEF LANDS ON THE SUSPECT LIST
A Recipe for Trouble
An Ivy Cordell Cozy Mystery
by Ruby Gale
FREE COZY CAPER MYSTERY
In a five-star kitchen, some recipes are apparently worth stealing for.
When head chef Marco's priceless recipe book disappears overnight, pastry chef Ivy Cordell suddenly finds herself on a very uncomfortable shortlist of suspects.
And she's not alone.
There's a jumpy prep cook, a sous-chef who's a little too calm about the whole situation, and a stranger asking precisely the kinds of questions nobody wants answered.
Everyone seems to be hiding something.
Then Ivy receives news that changes everything: her aunt has passed away, leaving her a bakery back home in Millhaven. It's the opportunity for a fresh start Ivy didn't even realize she wanted.
There's just one problem.
She can't leave until she clears her name and discovers who really stole Marco's recipe book.
With her loyal Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Duncan, by her side, Ivy starts digging and uncovers a rival chef with a grudge, a coworker guarding a dangerous secret, and a kitchen where far more than dinner has been cooking.
Can Ivy catch the culprit before it all boils over?
☕ TODAY’S SECOND MYSTERY SPOTLIGHT
ONE LAST LATTE. ONE DEAD LANDLORD. ONE BARISTA WITH TERRIBLE TIMING.
Deadly Latte
A Grounds for Murder Cozy Mystery
by Terence Burgess
FREE COZY MYSTERY
Annie Barnes is five days away from freedom.
After three years of pulling espresso shots in Somerset, she has only one week left at The Old Brew before moving on to a brand-new café—and a life that finally feels like her own.
Then she serves a morning latte to Cal Pritchard, Somerset's most despised landlord.
Minutes later, he's found dead in the back alley.
So much for a clean break.
Cal wasn't exactly beloved around town. A protective nephew, an angry assistant manager, a slippery delivery driver, and more than a few regular customers have reasons to dislike him.
But Annie has a problem.
She served the coffee.
And the gossip spreading through town has suddenly put her at the top of the suspect list.
With her corgi Tofu sniffing out secrets Annie might rather not know, she has one week to untangle a mess of small-town grudges before her fresh start turns into something considerably less appealing.
Deadly Latte is the prequel to the Grounds for Murder Mysteries, complete with sharp wit, plenty of suspects, and one extremely opinionated corgi who seems determined to find the body first.
📰 MORE MYSTERIES MAKING HEADLINES
BECAUSE APPARENTLY TWO WEREN’T ENOUGH
I could stop here.
I could tell you that I've already given you two free cozy mysteries today and send everyone peacefully into the weekend.
But that's not how The Sunset Chronicles operates.
I've also got more mysteries from fellow authors waiting on today's news desk. So if your TBR still has even the slightest bit of breathing room, have a look through today's additional case files and see what catches your attention.
At this point, we're no longer building a TBR.
We're building a library.
📚 COMMUNITY BOOK EXCHANGE
OH YES. THERE ARE MORE FREE BOOKS.
You thought I was finished, didn't you?
Not even close.
The Community Book Exchange is open, and today's promo has even more free books waiting for you.
This is the point where I would normally tell you to browse responsibly, but considering everything that has already happened in this edition, that seems a little hypocritical.
So go investigate.
Try somebody new. Grab a mystery that catches your eye. Discover another amateur sleuth. Accidentally start a six-book series.
We'll deal with the consequences next week.
🌊 AROUND SUNSET COVE
There are worse problems to have than too many books waiting to be read.
At least that's what I'm telling myself as we head into another weekend here in Sunset Cove. September is settling in beautifully, the evenings are getting cooler, and we're entering prime curl-up-somewhere-comfortable-and-ignore-everything-else weather.
The only difficult part is deciding which book gets to go first.
Of course, that's why I tend to have one book I'm reading, another I'm “just looking at,” something on the Kindle I accidentally started, and at least one more waiting because somebody told me, You have to read this.
Please tell me I'm not the only one who does this.
Actually, don't.
I prefer believing we're all equally guilty.
🗞️ NEWS FROM ELLY'S DESK
While I'm busy helping destroy everyone's weekend reading plans, things are moving along behind the scenes with Slim Chance with a Killer too.
Rosalind and Perry's newest case is getting closer, and ARC signups are coming soon. If you've been waiting for your opportunity to read the mystery before release day, keep watching for that special invitation.
Everybody wanted the miracle. Somebody wanted her dead.
I can't wait to open this case file with you.
🗞️ THE WEEKEND EDITION IS CLOSED…
And that officially closes Volume 8 of The Sunset Chronicles.
Today we handed out two free featured mysteries, added more cases from fellow authors, opened an entire promo filled with even more free books, and generally behaved as though TBR management is a fictional concept.
I'd apologize.
But I'm really not sorry.
We'll be back next Tuesday with Volume 9 • Issue 1, another mystery on the front page, and whatever else manages to happen around Sunset Cove between now and then.
Until then, have a wonderful weekend, everyone. Find somewhere comfortable, pick whichever book is yelling the loudest from your TBR, and enjoy disappearing into somebody else's mystery for a while.
And remember:
The books were free. Technically, you saved money.
That's our story.
We're sticking to it.
Happy Reading!
| 
