The Agate Reach Mysteries
Cozy crime fiction. Real-world scams. Oregon coast.
THE BOOKS
The Sweetheart Swindle
Romance scam. Margot knows the playbook — she married one.
Now available in paperback, $12.99
The Foundation Crack
Contractor fraud. Margot follows the money, and the nail spacing.
Paperback coming soonWHAT READERS ARE SAYING
on The Sweetheart Swindle
★ MUST READ — REEDSY DISCOVERY
“Destined to become a favorite for cozy-mystery lovers… perfectly thrilling without over-intense action or out-of-character heroics.”
— Megan Weiss, Reedsy Discovery
Read the full review →
“Written with poetry and empathy… The author has a knack for realistically sparse dialog and selecting just the right descriptive details.”
— Lac, Amazon
“Immediately invested in the characters and the setting, which feels like a character all on its own.”
— Mars, Amazon
“The heavy focus on the Oregon Coast setting made it feel so cozy and immersive, almost like a mini-vacation.”
— JB, Amazon
“All the charm of a cozy mystery while tackling the very real issue of romance scams with empathy and insight.”
— Shannon, Amazon
ABOUT AGATE REACH
Agate Reach is a place you’d drive through without stopping, unless the fog forced you to pull over, and by the time it lifted, you’d already ordered coffee, learned three people’s life stories, and agreed to help with the Friends of the Library book sale.
It’s a small Oregon coast town where people still wave from their cars, the crab bisque is worth the drive, and the post office clerk knows what’s in your package before you do.
It’s also a town where scammers see easy marks. They’re wrong about that.
Margot Slade is 54, recently widowed, and starting from scratch, because her late husband Tom turned out to be running a fraud of his own. Now she’s rebuilding her life in a coastal town where nobody knows her name, with a cat named after a financial joke she didn’t get until it was too late, and a talent for spotting liars that she really wishes she’d developed sooner.
RECURRING CHARACTERS
Margot Slade
Our protagonist. Sharp, self-deprecating, 54, not looking for trouble. Trouble finds her anyway. A widow rebuilding her life after her husband’s fraud destroyed everything she thought was solid.
Margin
Female tuxedo cat. Named by Tom as a financial joke Margot didn’t appreciate until she understood the punchline. Fearless, nosy, and genuinely convinced she’s helping with the investigation. She has never once been helpful. She has never once stopped trying.
June Olstad
Margot’s closest friend and the person most likely to show up with cardamom coffee cake and unsolicited opinions. Loyal, warm, and impossible to argue with.
Deputy James Keller
Lincoln County deputy. Thoughtful, competent, and quietly drawn to the woman who keeps handing him solved cases. Their dynamic is mutual respect turning into something neither of them is ready to name.
Fern Castellano
Runs the Agate Reach post office and knows the contents of every package and the subtext of every greeting card. An information broker who works for free.
Dag Nordahl
Owns the town’s only bookstore, where the shelves are organized by “dominant emotional preoccupation.” Former history teacher. Sees people clearly and says so when it matters.
READING ORDER
Each book stands alone but rewards reading in order. The scams are different. The town evolves. Margot gets sharper. Margin gets into everything.