Small town.Big secrets.One woman who won’t look away.
Cozy crime fiction set on the Oregon coast — where every con artist underestimates the locals, and one widow is done being underestimated.
Welcome to Agate Reach, a fictional coastal town on the Oregon shore where the fog rolls in thick, the neighbors know your business, and the scams come dressed in charm.
Margot Slade didn’t plan to become her town’s unofficial fraud investigator. She planned to start over, keep her head down, and focus on not burning dinner. But when she discovered that her late husband’s death left behind more than memories, it left behind a trail of financial wreckage and victims she’d never known about, Margot decided that sitting still wasn’t an option.
Each book in the series follows a different scam targeting Agate Reach and the people Margot has come to protect. Romance fraud. Contractor cons. Investment schemes targeting retirees. The crimes are real. The justice is fictional. The cat is helping whether you asked or not.
The Sweetheart Swindle
Available now on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
A romance scam. A widow who recognizes the pattern. A paper trail that leads somewhere dangerous.
“Written with poetry and empathy.”
Amazon reviewer
The Foundation Crack
Coming soon
A storm-chasing contractor. Shoddy repairs. And a homeowner who asked too many questions.
About Ivy Baric
Ivy Baric writes cozy mysteries because she believes scammers should face consequences, even if those consequences have to be fictional.
She knows firsthand what fraud does to families. It doesn’t just take money. It takes trust, stability, and the feeling that the world makes sense. The Agate Reach Mysteries grew out of that experience and a stubborn belief that stories can do what the legal system often can’t: give people a sense of resolution.
When she’s not writing, Ivy lives in Oregon with her husband, two cats, two dogs, and a healthy suspicion of anyone who seems too good to be true.