Murder Moves In

By: Ellie Alexander

A fresh start in a picturesque seaside town turns deadly when a journalist and her husband uncover that their charming neighbors—and the entire community—are hiding secrets worth killing for.

Agatha Christie meets The Americans.

The charming seaside town of Santa Maris, with its eucalyptus trees, clusters of California wildflowers, and the calming swells of the Pacific Ocean, seems like the perfect place for a new start for Finn and Harper James. They are immediately charmed by the quaint downtown, sweeping views of aquamarine waters, and miles of untouched Redwood trails. What’s even better is that the entire neighborhood welcomes them with open arms.

Maybe this move is exactly what they both needed. Harper’s career as an investigative reporter for the LA Times blew up in her face when she made a grave error trusting the wrong source, and Finn’s next assignment is…well, complicated. His mission is twofold: help his wife settle into her new career path and find his missing asset—stat! Oh, and don’t blow his cover.

As they move in and begin to make Santa Maris feel like home, Finn and Harper realize that there are watchful eyes everywhere in the neighborhood, and maybe things aren’t quite as cozy as they seem. Ruth Palmer, a retired judge who lives across the street, insists she has a story that is sure to pull Harper out of her funk and make national headlines. Ruth is convinced that Keelie and Dan Vanderholm, the previous tenants of their new house, were murdered. The authorities just can’t find the bodies.

Harper’s investigation into the death of the Vanderholms and Finn’s search for his missing asset begin to intersect in ways they could never imagine and lead them both to discover serious secrets lurking in their sweet new town. Between suspicious activities at the research lab on campus, where Harper’s been hired to teach journalism, a recently released convict with a vendetta for revenge, and shady activity at the house next door, everyone has something to hide.

This move was supposed to bring them closer, not drive them apart. But when another murder occurs, they realize that if they can’t solve this case together and get their stories straight, murder might be about to move in on them.