Meet Sam Prescott — a relentlessly organized newcomer to Sunset Ridge with a rescue dog, a fresh start, and a knack for stumbling onto crime scenes she absolutely did not budget time for. A cozy mystery series set in a small Blue Ridge mountain town.
Sam Prescott has a system for everything. Moving to Sunset Ridge? Planned down to the minute. Rescuing a scruffy stray named Arlo? Absolutely on-brand. Solving murders in her new mountain-town neighborhood? Definitely not on the list — but somehow, that's exactly where her to-do list keeps leading her.
Sam has a system for everything. Color-coded calendars. Color-coded spice racks. Color-coded grief, when she had to use it. Moving to Sunset Ridge after a bad year was supposed to be the next neat little checkbox — a quiet mountain town, a remote job, a chance to breathe.
Then she rescued Arlo, a scruffy stray with the soul of a co-detective. Then her new neighbor turned up dead. And it turns out the same brain that builds spreadsheets at 6 a.m. is annoyingly good at noticing things small mountain towns would rather you didn't.
The town committee thinks she's overreacting. The sheriff thinks she should mind her own business. Arlo thinks dinner is overdue. And Sam, with her highlighter and her clipboard and her stubborn streak, has a new task at the top of every list: find out who did it.
Best read in order. Each book is a self-contained mystery; together they're Sam's first year in Sunset Ridge. New readers start with The Type-A Guide to Murder.
“Samantha and her sweet rescue Arlo are going to give Myrtle and her sidekick Miles some serious competition for the title of 'best cozy mystery sleuths.'”
“A refreshing take on cozy mystery — a page-turner that readers will appreciate.”
“A great addition to the series — if you enjoy cozy mysteries, you'll enjoy this book. Definitely a great read.”
“Samantha is the kind of heroine you root for from page one. Her plans never survive contact with reality — thank goodness.”
Same author, same affection for small-town mysteries, same trust that the reader is here for the puzzle and the people — not gore. If Myrtle and Miles are your idea of a perfect afternoon, Sam and Arlo are about to be too.
Sunset Ridge runs a little younger and a little snappier — a Type-A heroine mid-fresh-start, instead of an octogenarian who's seen it all. But the bones are the same: tight community, slow reveal, satisfying twist, no nightmares.
Try Sam & Arlo →
