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Swinging Sixties Mysteries #5
Crying in the Chapel: A Swinging Sixties Mystery
It's August 1965, and Dot Morgan is finally getting married to the dashing reporter Ben Dalton. Her wedding day, August 14th, promises to be perfect—if only it didn't follow Friday the 13th. What could go wrong? Planning a wedding with the members of the Camden Chapel, Dot thinks she’s overwhelmed, but then it gets worse when a body is found on the church lawn. Dot decides to focus on her wedding to Ben, but when police reveal the victim didn't jump from the belfry—he was pushed—she can no longer look away. Her suspects aren't hardened criminals; they're the same church members who bring casseroles and ask about her family. With her wedding day fast approaching, Dot must unmask a killer hiding in plain sight, or the secrets of Camden Chapel will remain buried in the summer heat.
- GenresCozy Mystery
214 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 10, 2026
About the author
Teresa Trent
43 books432 followersTeresa Trent is a writer and the voice of the Books to the Ceiling podcast. Her book series include The Swinging Sixties, The Pecan Bayou and Piney Woods Mysteries.
You can also visit her blog Books to the Ceiling or follow her podcast Books to the Ceiling on Facebook.
You can also visit her blog Books to the Ceiling or follow her podcast Books to the Ceiling on Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 10, 2026
This series set in the sixties has been so much fun for this reader. Trent does such a good job of setting the story deeply in the era. I remember so well the songs, the clothing, the stretching phone cords, the television shows, and of course, the Tupperware. I even remember the hot and humid kitchen during canning! I was so glad when my parents finally bought a chest freezer.
Trent has included much about the classic attitudes toward women during that time. So many thought the wife was to stay home and support her husband. That a woman could continue in her own career after marriage was quite a controversial idea. There is a good interaction between characters about that very issue.
But there has to be a murder or two. It was entertaining to see how Dot worked the case, much to the dismay of her future mother-in-law. I recommend this nostalgic murder mystery, informative for younger readers, a stroll down memory lane for older ones.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.
Trent has included much about the classic attitudes toward women during that time. So many thought the wife was to stay home and support her husband. That a woman could continue in her own career after marriage was quite a controversial idea. There is a good interaction between characters about that very issue.
But there has to be a murder or two. It was entertaining to see how Dot worked the case, much to the dismay of her future mother-in-law. I recommend this nostalgic murder mystery, informative for younger readers, a stroll down memory lane for older ones.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.
April 26, 2026
This is a rarity these days: an engaging short novel without wasted space. It is a mystery where an ordinary person (meaning not a professional sleuth) keeps solving mysteries. Dot Morgan, a secretary, keeps finding herself around people that kick the bucket mysteriously. A bit farfetched? Perhaps but it is fun. This is part of a series with catchy titles that takes place during the 1960s in Texas. This is what sets this set of novels apart from many others. The setting of Texas and the 1960s is well established and rather fun. In this particular entry, Dot is trying desperately to get married but people around her keep dying. She is trying to solve these murders so she can walk down the aisle with her beau, even as she is getting cold feet because she is wondering whether she is expected to be a dutiful housewife staying home and keeping the hearth fires burning. Thus, in actuality, while this is a nice light read for those times where you, the reader, has had her fill of heavy 500 page tomes with depression and family strife, the author still manages to raise social issues. She just does not take it so seriously that it weighs down the novel.
This series is great as a palate cleanser, where you want something short and sweet but still not banal. This one is better than one of the earlier in the series I read; the dialogue was realistic and clever and I could not help but root for the protagonist. Also, the cover was fun.
Synopsis:
It’s August 1965, and Dot Morgan is finally getting married to the dashing reporter Ben Dalton. Her wedding day, August 14th, promises to be perfect—if only it didn’t follow Friday the 13th. What could go wrong? Planning a wedding with the members of the Camden Chapel, Dot thinks she’s overwhelmed, but then it gets worse when a body is found on the church lawn. Dot decides to focus on her wedding to Ben, but when police reveal the victim didn’t jump from the belfry he was pushed—she can no longer look away. Her suspects aren’t hardened criminals; they’re the same church members who bring casseroles and ask about her family. With her wedding day fast approaching, Dot must unmask a killer hiding in plain sight, or the secrets of Camden Chapel will remain buried in the summer heat.
Author Biography:
Teresa Trent is the author of four different mystery series. The Swinging Sixties Series which features Dot in a small town in Texas starting in 1962. The Henry Park Series, which features Gabby, an artist in Colorado who is also psychic and The Piney Woods Series featuring Nora, a woman who came to a small town in Texas to find out she is related to many of the people there. Her first series, The Pecan Bayou Series, she started writing way back in 2011. That series has nine books and features Betsy, a woman who writes helpful hints and solves mysteries. Teresa is the voice of the Books to the Ceiling Podcast where she narrates scenes from new mysteries coming on to the market. Books to the Ceiling is featured wherever you listen to podcasts. Teresa lives in Texas with her husband and son.
Thanks to Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours and Level Best Historia for a copy of this book. All of the opinions herein are my own.
This series is great as a palate cleanser, where you want something short and sweet but still not banal. This one is better than one of the earlier in the series I read; the dialogue was realistic and clever and I could not help but root for the protagonist. Also, the cover was fun.
Synopsis:
It’s August 1965, and Dot Morgan is finally getting married to the dashing reporter Ben Dalton. Her wedding day, August 14th, promises to be perfect—if only it didn’t follow Friday the 13th. What could go wrong? Planning a wedding with the members of the Camden Chapel, Dot thinks she’s overwhelmed, but then it gets worse when a body is found on the church lawn. Dot decides to focus on her wedding to Ben, but when police reveal the victim didn’t jump from the belfry he was pushed—she can no longer look away. Her suspects aren’t hardened criminals; they’re the same church members who bring casseroles and ask about her family. With her wedding day fast approaching, Dot must unmask a killer hiding in plain sight, or the secrets of Camden Chapel will remain buried in the summer heat.
Author Biography:
Teresa Trent is the author of four different mystery series. The Swinging Sixties Series which features Dot in a small town in Texas starting in 1962. The Henry Park Series, which features Gabby, an artist in Colorado who is also psychic and The Piney Woods Series featuring Nora, a woman who came to a small town in Texas to find out she is related to many of the people there. Her first series, The Pecan Bayou Series, she started writing way back in 2011. That series has nine books and features Betsy, a woman who writes helpful hints and solves mysteries. Teresa is the voice of the Books to the Ceiling Podcast where she narrates scenes from new mysteries coming on to the market. Books to the Ceiling is featured wherever you listen to podcasts. Teresa lives in Texas with her husband and son.
Thanks to Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours and Level Best Historia for a copy of this book. All of the opinions herein are my own.
April 28, 2026
What fun! Sure, cover-judging me was drawn to the groovy, bright cover. (Change the color of the hair, and that could be an illustration of my mom back in the day.) But Texas author Teresa Trent’s writing is what kept me flipping pages. CRYING IN THE CHAPEL is an easy flowing, entertaining, and enjoyable reading escape back into mid-sixties America. Specifically, readers are transported to 1965 in the small town of Camden, Texas, and shenanigans ensue.
Even jumping into the series late (this is the fifth book in A Swinging Sixties Mystery series), readers will have no trouble keeping up. Trent gives us enough information to understand that main character Dot is a murder magnet and has already worked through a significant body count, sometimes with the aid of her reporter fiancé, Ben.
The real pleasure in reading CRYING IN THE CHAPEL is all the sixties pop culture references. Though the book is set a couple of years prior to my arrival on the planet, many of the trends stayed around long after: an abundance of linoleum, doilies, and white curtains; the Samsonite cosmetic case (um, I may have a fifty-year-old, goldenrod-colored one in my closet and may have used it as recently as a year ago); the hairstyles and fashions. Fabulous, one and all, and the author’s descriptions nailed the vibe right down to the humid, sticky Texas heat that back then wasn’t as easy to escape.
Though set over sixty years ago, in CRYING IN THE CHAPEL, there are many issues from back then that persist today—but also all things old are new again, for better or worse (I’m looking at you, trad wife trend). Trent makes valid points and social commentary for sure, but it’s done with a light touch that makes the reader think but doesn’t ruffle any feathers. Plus with two suspicious deaths, a wedding on the horizon, and a baby about to burst on the scene, there are plenty of other plot points to dwell upon as each inches the story forward to a heckuva conclusion.
My quibbles with CRYING IN THE CHAPEL are few and minor. I found it odd that a couple like Dot and Ben, who have next-level inquiring minds and have been together two years (with families who are also in the same small town) don’t know more about each other. Also, with Emily Post as the go-to for wedding etiquette, not to mention the abundance of church ladies around, there was a pretty big faux pas committed relating to Dot’s wedding showers. These are easy enough to forgive, and happily, the book had just a few typos that caught my eye, but none of this slowed me down much. Perhaps if I’d read the prior installments, some clarity would be added (you betcha, I’m going back to the series starter THE TWIST AND SHOUT MURDER). Or perhaps this is an intentional device so that future installments (there simply MUST be with five more years left in the sixties) have more relationship fodder to explore.
With short chapters and a steady pace, CRYING IN THE CHAPEL is engaging reading with its comfortable cozy mystery and historical elements that make a reader want to stay within its pages. Kudos to Teresa Trent for coming up with a unique murder motive I did not see coming. I’m happy to have a new go-to series for when I need reading relief and can’t wait to dive into this series from the beginning; I anticipate a four-book binge-read on an upcoming road trip.
This full review and more special features on Hall Ways Blog.
Even jumping into the series late (this is the fifth book in A Swinging Sixties Mystery series), readers will have no trouble keeping up. Trent gives us enough information to understand that main character Dot is a murder magnet and has already worked through a significant body count, sometimes with the aid of her reporter fiancé, Ben.
“I’d been walloped by June Cleaver with an anvil.”
The real pleasure in reading CRYING IN THE CHAPEL is all the sixties pop culture references. Though the book is set a couple of years prior to my arrival on the planet, many of the trends stayed around long after: an abundance of linoleum, doilies, and white curtains; the Samsonite cosmetic case (um, I may have a fifty-year-old, goldenrod-colored one in my closet and may have used it as recently as a year ago); the hairstyles and fashions. Fabulous, one and all, and the author’s descriptions nailed the vibe right down to the humid, sticky Texas heat that back then wasn’t as easy to escape.
“Maybe I could sleep through the day and handle the world tomorrow. It would surely be a nicer, kinder, more tolerant place by tomorrow. Doubtful.”
Though set over sixty years ago, in CRYING IN THE CHAPEL, there are many issues from back then that persist today—but also all things old are new again, for better or worse (I’m looking at you, trad wife trend). Trent makes valid points and social commentary for sure, but it’s done with a light touch that makes the reader think but doesn’t ruffle any feathers. Plus with two suspicious deaths, a wedding on the horizon, and a baby about to burst on the scene, there are plenty of other plot points to dwell upon as each inches the story forward to a heckuva conclusion.
My quibbles with CRYING IN THE CHAPEL are few and minor. I found it odd that a couple like Dot and Ben, who have next-level inquiring minds and have been together two years (with families who are also in the same small town) don’t know more about each other. Also, with Emily Post as the go-to for wedding etiquette, not to mention the abundance of church ladies around, there was a pretty big faux pas committed relating to Dot’s wedding showers. These are easy enough to forgive, and happily, the book had just a few typos that caught my eye, but none of this slowed me down much. Perhaps if I’d read the prior installments, some clarity would be added (you betcha, I’m going back to the series starter THE TWIST AND SHOUT MURDER). Or perhaps this is an intentional device so that future installments (there simply MUST be with five more years left in the sixties) have more relationship fodder to explore.
With short chapters and a steady pace, CRYING IN THE CHAPEL is engaging reading with its comfortable cozy mystery and historical elements that make a reader want to stay within its pages. Kudos to Teresa Trent for coming up with a unique murder motive I did not see coming. I’m happy to have a new go-to series for when I need reading relief and can’t wait to dive into this series from the beginning; I anticipate a four-book binge-read on an upcoming road trip.
This full review and more special features on Hall Ways Blog.
May 1, 2026
Dot stumbles over a body or two on her journey to the altar!
Crying in the Chapel is the fifth book in author Teresa Trent’s charming, cozy Swinging Sixties Mystery series, featuring career girl Dot Morgan as she and her fiancé, Ben Dalton, head to the altar to make their lives one. However, the happy occasion is almost sidelined when Dot discovers the body of the church’s caretaker after a suspicious fall from the chapel’s belltower.
I love this series, and it seems to get better with each successive addition! Dot is an independent young woman, building her life and career at a pivotal point in our society’s history: the turbulent and transformative 1960s. Traditional women’s roles are being challenged right and left, and Dot is facing personal struggles of her own when she realizes Ben’s parents are very traditional in their views of what their son’s married life should look like. Up to this point, Ben has always projected more modern sensibilities; however, in the company of his parents, he initially doesn’t rush to support Dot when she expresses her views on their future life together. It really concerns her that he may harbor similar sentiments in secret. I liked how Dot’s support system, especially her cousin Ellie, immediately encouraged her to discuss her fears with Ben rather than continue to worry or just hope for the best down the line.An outstanding feature of the series is the 1960s Texas setting, and the author nails the unique “look and feel” of the time and place with cultural references and vivid descriptions. From the mention of Dean Martin’s 1960 hit, “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head,” to the plethora of linoleum and other typical 60s home décor and design elements, I was sent on a delightful trip down Memory Lane any number of times.
The plot moves quickly as Dot’s friend and confidante, Officer Mary Oliva, a permanent member of the Camden Police Department’s investigative team, is assigned to the case. They’ve successfully collaborated in the past, and this time should be no different. However, someone at Camden Chapel has a very permanent method of dealing with people who stick their noses in other people’s business. The story is full of small-town drama, secrets, twists, and turns.I recommend CRYING IN THE CHAPEL to readers of historical cozy mysteries.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.
April 24, 2026
Read my review on NovelsAlive.com by clicking the link below. It is also posted in full.
https://novelsalive.com/2026/04/24/4-...
Crying in the Chapel is the fifth book in The Swinging Sixties Mystery series by Teresa Trent. I was drawn to this book by the colorful cover art, which is very appropriate to that decade.
I felt like I was reliving my youth with all the references to the fashions, actors, and roles they played, music, and television shows I grew up with. Dot is an amateur sleuth with a good track record of solving cases, but in the lead-up to her wedding, she keeps getting distracted. When two murders happen to church members right before her wedding, and her cousin goes missing on Dot’s wedding day, what’s she going to do?
The author weaves in quite a few unexpected twists and turns, with confessions, a new baby, and a wedding to get through. This cozy mystery has closure with the solving of whodunnit, and Dot is the one to thank.
Crying in the Chapel is filled with reminisces of the sixties and a few murders and potentially other crimes. Join Dot as she breaks the mold of being just a homemaker after she’s married.
https://novelsalive.com/2026/04/24/4-...
Crying in the Chapel is the fifth book in The Swinging Sixties Mystery series by Teresa Trent. I was drawn to this book by the colorful cover art, which is very appropriate to that decade.
I felt like I was reliving my youth with all the references to the fashions, actors, and roles they played, music, and television shows I grew up with. Dot is an amateur sleuth with a good track record of solving cases, but in the lead-up to her wedding, she keeps getting distracted. When two murders happen to church members right before her wedding, and her cousin goes missing on Dot’s wedding day, what’s she going to do?
The author weaves in quite a few unexpected twists and turns, with confessions, a new baby, and a wedding to get through. This cozy mystery has closure with the solving of whodunnit, and Dot is the one to thank.
Crying in the Chapel is filled with reminisces of the sixties and a few murders and potentially other crimes. Join Dot as she breaks the mold of being just a homemaker after she’s married.
May 2, 2026
Crying in the Chapel By Teresa Trent. This book is about Dot, who was a secretary at the local funeral home, and her soon-to-be husband Ben Dalton a handsome reporter. They had plans to get married at the local chapel with the help of the chapel members in planning their wedding. One of the ladies named Vernice had the idea to bring some fancy candlesticks out that were being stored at the church, so she and Dot went to meet each other there to pick them up. While unlocking the door, they spot the church caretaker, whose name was Earl Gunther, awkwardly sprawled on the lawn with one of his legs tucked strangely under him. While preparing for the wedding, they come across some differences they have in how they would live their lives. Being of help in solving cases prior to this, Dot really was interested in seeing through what had happened to the church's caretaker, being that she was about to marry into a family that was old-fashioned and thought the women should be at home cooking & cleaning. Would she be able to pursue her passion of maybe helping to catch Earls killer? Read the book to find out what happens with Dot. I enjoyed this book very much :) Received this as an ARC reader and am leaving my unbiased review.
May 24, 2026
Dot Morgan is preparing for her wedding to Ben Dalton, and everything should be perfect except her big day is overshadowed by a shocking discovery. A body is found on the church lawn, and what first looks like a tragic accident quickly turns into something else.
I liked how the book captured the atmosphere of the sixties. The details about everyday life, the social expectations, and even the little cultural touches made the setting feel vivid and authentic. It wasn’t just background it shaped the way the characters acted and the challenges Dot faced.
Dot was juggling the excitement and stress of her upcoming wedding while also trying to make sense of a murder that involves people she knows from her own church community. I liked how the suspects weren’t strangers but familiar faces. That made the mystery feel more personal and unsettling.
The mix of wedding preparations and murder investigation gave the story a unique balance of light and dark moments.
I liked how the book captured the atmosphere of the sixties. The details about everyday life, the social expectations, and even the little cultural touches made the setting feel vivid and authentic. It wasn’t just background it shaped the way the characters acted and the challenges Dot faced.
Dot was juggling the excitement and stress of her upcoming wedding while also trying to make sense of a murder that involves people she knows from her own church community. I liked how the suspects weren’t strangers but familiar faces. That made the mystery feel more personal and unsettling.
The mix of wedding preparations and murder investigation gave the story a unique balance of light and dark moments.
April 29, 2026
Crying in the Chapel by Teresa Trent is a charming cozy mystery that mixes small-town warmth with a suspenseful whodunit. The pacing works well, balancing lighter moments with suspense as the mystery unfolds. A fun and easy read for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries with a touch of romance. It’s not overly dark, but it still delivers enough twists to keep readers interested until the end.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews