The Case of the Ember Mill Haunting
The Ember Mill promised Blackvale a glamorous reopening. What it delivered was a body.
When singer Ruby Riot dies on stage, the owner calls it an accident. Cressida Vale calls it murder. And Miles Stone — reluctant, reasonable, definitely not getting involved again — finds himself holding a contract he doesn't remember signing.
Beneath the club's gleaming floors: hidden tunnels, a 1920s speakeasy, and an obsession that has shifted from the dead to the living.
Cozy gothic mystery. Banter-sharp detective duo. Southern atmosphere you can taste.
Vale & Stone: Consulting Detectives, Book 2.
CASE SUMMARY
The Ember Mill has always had secrets. Now it has a body.
When ambitious nightclub owner Theo Wren reopens Blackvale's most infamous building — a converted mill with a blood-soaked speakeasy history — he promises the town one unforgettable opening night. He delivers. Just not in the way anyone expected.
Rising singer Ruby Riot is dead, electrocuted on stage in front of a room full of witnesses. The owner says it's a tragic accident. The evidence says maybe. And Cressida Vale has already decided it's murder — she just needs her reluctant best friend Miles Stone to agree.
Miles has good reasons to stay out of it. His father is the sheriff. A family friend is the prime suspect. And the last time they got tangled up in a Blackvale mystery, things got complicated in ways Miles is still untangling. But Cressida has already drafted the contract. And Miles, for all his protests, already knows she's right.
Beneath the Ember Mill's glossy new floors lie hidden tunnels, 1920s gambling ledgers, and a darkness that has nothing to do with ghosts — and everything to do with obsession, envy, and the ache of a dream deferred.
Perfect for readers who love atmospheric small-town mysteries with smart protagonists, layered community dynamics, and the particular satisfaction of justice served warm.
The Case of the Ember Mill Haunting is Book 2 in the Vale & Stone: Consulting Detectives cozy gothic mystery series — each book stands alone, but the characters grow richer with every case.
Fans of Louise Penny, Simone St. James, and Richard Osman will feel right at home.
Cressida Vale
Observant to a fault and unimpressed by social niceties, Cressida notices what others overlook—and remembers what they wish she wouldn’t.
Miles Stone
Methodical, quietly incisive, and dangerously patient, Miles understands that people reveal the truth when they believe they are still in control.
Meet the Slueths
FROM THE INVESTIGATOR’S JOURNAL
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