Scraps of Paper

Scraps of Paper by Kathryn Meyer Griffith 2006 Cozy Mystery

Abigail Sutton learns her missing husband of two years was mugged and killed. The news brings her closure, and she begins a new life in the small town of Spookie. She buys a house that belonged to a recluse, Edna Summers, and learns that Edna’s sister, Emily and her two children suddenly disappeared thirty years ago.

Griffith provides us with all the elements of a cozy: the small town, plenty of quirky or eccentric people, and a mystery nobody wants solved. But when Abigail finds pieces of paper with notes written by the children who lived in her home, she can’t let it go. She shares her finds with former detective Frank Lester, whose first case in town involved Emily. He was sure something bad happened to her but moved to Chicago soon after and only returned to Spookie a year ago.

The cozy mystery moves from one person to the next, revealing details and possible suspects. The story weaves interviews between small town barbecues, holiday celebrations, diner meals, and lots of ice cream. Emily has dreams of the children, and they give her clues to more messages and lead her to their graves. When Abigail tells her story to reporter Samantha, someone threatens her.

As Abigail closes in on who the killer may have been, her life is threatened. She faces the killer in a personal showdown, and the case is resolved.

This story hits all the right notes in writing a cozy mystery, and readers may guess who the killer is, but will have to wait until the end to know the motive.

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