Her walking tour was supposed to showcase history, not a murder.

Historic preservation. Small town politics. Friends under suspicion. Hidden blackmail. Tourism in peril. Growing attraction.

Six months into her role as Millcrest Falls’ Tourism Director, Ellie Summers has settled into small-town life and launched her first major initiative—historic walking tours highlighting the town’s colorful past. When venture capitalist Richard Jones joins her inaugural tour, Ellie hopes his interest signals potential investment in the struggling town’s future. Instead, it leads to murder.

Richard Jones is found stabbed with an antique mining tool at the restored miners’ cabin—the final stop on Ellie’s carefully planned route. All evidence points to Tyler McKenzie, Ellie’s childhood friend and the historic preservation expert who restored the cabin, after their public argument about commercializing the town’s heritage.

Convinced of Tyler’s innocence, Ellie launches her own investigation and discovers Jones was no ordinary investor: • He was blackmailing multiple town officials with damaging information • He had a secret connection to Mayor Bennett’s rebellious teenage daughter • His ex-wife arrives unexpectedly, claiming rights to his investments • Councilman Peters was receiving suspicious payments from Jones’s company

As Ellie delves deeper into Jones’s past, she finds connections to the town that predate his “first” visit. When her tourism office is ransacked and threatening notes appear, it’s clear the killer is watching her every move. With reluctant help from Sheriff Morgan and growing support from wilderness guide Finn Sullivan, Ellie must solve the case before the killer strikes again.

“The problem with digging into history,” Eileen May warns, “is you never know what—or who—you’ll unearth.”

As the list of suspects grows, Ellie realizes the murder weapon isn’t just any artifact—it’s a genuine historical treasure worth a fortune on the black market. The killer’s motive might lie not in Jones’s blackmail scheme, but in the town’s historical treasures that were supposed to attract tourists, not tragedy.

GUIDED TO MURDER is the first full-length novel in the Millcrest Falls Tourism Mystery series. While it follows the prequel, it can be read and enjoyed as a completely standalone mystery without any prior knowledge of the series.

Tropes you’ll love: amateur sleuth with professional skills, childhood friend in peril, small town politics, historical secrets, developing romance, and red herrings that will keep you guessing until the final revelation.

Each book in the Millcrest Falls Tourism Mystery series features a complete mystery while building character relationships across the series.