In the age of social media, some views are filtered. Others are fatal.

Influencer culture. Authenticity versus image. Blackmail schemes. Hidden identities. Social media secrets. Established romance tested.

Millcrest Falls has finally hit the tourism big leagues. After successfully establishing walking tours and reinventing the town’s Harvest Festival, Tourism Director Ellie Summers is thrilled when famous travel influencer Vance Reynolds arrives to feature the town’s new luxury glamping resort on his wildly popular blog. With three million followers, his coverage could cement the town’s transformation from struggling backwater to destination hotspot.

Vance Reynolds cultivates an image of authentic adventure and genuine connection to the places he visits. But when he posts a cryptic message hinting he’s discovered “the dark truth” behind Millcrest Falls’ charming façade, then turns up dead at Eagle’s Overlook the next morning, Ellie’s carefully built tourism success threatens to implode. The evidence suggests an accidental fall while staging the perfect sunrise photo—but Ellie knows staged scenes all too well.

As she investigates, Ellie uncovers disturbing connections: • Vance Reynolds was actually Derek Simmons, who grew up in Millcrest Falls before leaving under mysterious circumstances • He was blackmailing resort developer Michelle Hunter about questionable financing and false environmental claims • Local artisan Gabriela Morales’ “authentic” crafts are actually mass-produced overseas • Sheriff Morgan has a sealed juvenile record connected to Vance/Derek’s past • Vance’s photographer assistant Justin Lee was documenting the gap between curated images and reality

When threatening notes appear in Ellie’s office and someone breaks into her home, it’s clear the killer wants the town’s carefully crafted image to remain unblemished by scandal. With each discovery, Ellie must confront difficult questions about whether her tourism success has come at the cost of the town’s authentic character.

“Behind every perfect Instagram moment,” Finn reminds her, “is a messy reality somebody cropped out of the frame.”

As Ellie closes in on the truth with help from Finn and a reluctant Sheriff Morgan, she must decide what version of Millcrest Falls she’s fighting to protect—the authentic community with all its flaws, or the picture-perfect destination that’s brought prosperity but may have cost more than money.

VIEW TO A KILL is the third book in the Millcrest Falls Tourism Mystery series. While character relationships develop across the series, this book is designed to be enjoyed as a completely standalone mystery without requiring you to have read the previous books.

Tropes you’ll love: social media influence, hidden identity revealed, ethical dilemmas, seemingly accidental death, professional skills used for investigation, and a relationship tested by questions of authenticity.

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