In Port Ellis, there’s no off-season for murder.
Journalist Cat Conway is looking forward to an easy assignment covering a major wellness and self-actualization summit at the Pinerock Resort, featuring Bliss Bondar and Bree Guthrie, creators of the Welcome, Goddess empire and widows with attitude. Cat’s mother, Marian Conway, bestselling author and defiantly mediocre parent, is on the agenda—and so is murder.
When one of the influencers turns up dead, suspicion falls on the high-profile guests. Could the killer be a jealous business partner? Or the Instagram-famous poet? The empowerment guru whose wife hates him? Or Cat’s mother, who has a reputation to protect and a shocking secret to hide?
Cat’s pulled into investigating another celebrity death, but this time while facing the possible demise of her livelihood: The Quill & Packet is struggling financially, and may be headed toward its final edition. A convoy of protesters, angry at Cat’s reporting, has besieged the Quill’s newsroom. Can Cat rescue her mother and her newspaper, or will the killer stalking Port Ellis beat her to the deadline?
In Port Ellis, there’s no off-season for murder.
Journalist Cat Conway is looking forward to an easy assignment covering a major wellness and self-actualization summit at the Pinerock Resort, featuring Bliss Bondar and Bree Guthrie, creators of the Welcome, Goddess empire and widows with attitude. Cat’s mother, Marian Conway, bestselling author and defiantly mediocre parent, is on the agenda—and so is murder.
When one of the influencers turns up dead, suspicion falls on the high-profile guests. Could the killer be a jealous business partner? Or the Instagram-famous poet? The empowerment guru whose wife hates him? Or Cat’s mother, who has a reputation to protect and a shocking secret to hide?
Cat’s pulled into investigating another celebrity death, but this time while facing the possible demise of her livelihood: The Quill & Packet is struggling financially, and may be headed toward its final edition. A convoy of protesters, angry at Cat’s reporting, has besieged the Quill’s newsroom. Can Cat rescue her mother and her newspaper, or will the killer stalking Port Ellis beat her to the deadline?
| Published By | House of Anansi Press Inc — May 1, 2025 |
| Specifications | 352 pages | 5 in x 7.5 in |
| Keywords | Detective; Ian Hamilton; Thursday Murder Club; Richard Osman; Ava Lee; Nita Prose; The Maid; Nita Prose The Maid; Muskoka; Cottage Country; Wellness Retreat; Only Murders in the Building; CanLit; CanCon; Women's Fiction; Scamanda; My Favorite Murder; Sleuth; Strong Female Protagonist; Veronica Mars; Vacation Read; Mystery Series; The Cat Who; Women's Sleuths; Crime; Contemporary; |
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Supporting Resources
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Excerpt |
| Written By |
KATE HILTON is a bestselling Canadian writer. She is the co-author of the Quill & Packet mystery series; the most recent title, Widows and Orphans, was published in 2025. Her fiction includes the forthcoming City of the Muse (2026), as well as The Hole in the Middle, Just Like Family, and Better Luck Next Time. When not writing, Kate maintains an active psychotherapy practice, with a particular focus on personal reinvention and life transitions. She lives with her family in Toronto. |
| Written By |
ELIZABETH RENZETTI is a bestselling Canadian author and journalist. She has worked for the Globe and Mail as a reporter, editor, and columnist. In 2020, she won the Landsberg Award for her reporting on gender equality. She is the author of the essay collection Shrewed: A Wry and Closely Observed Look at the Lives of Women and Girls and the novel Based on a True Story. Her book What She Said: Conversations about Equality will be published in 2024. She lives in Toronto with her family. |
| Written By |
|
KATE HILTON is a bestselling Canadian writer. She is the co-author of the Quill & Packet mystery series; the most recent title, Widows and Orphans, was published in 2025. Her fiction includes the forthcoming City of the Muse (2026), as well as The Hole in the Middle, Just Like Family, and Better Luck Next Time. When not writing, Kate maintains an active psychotherapy practice, with a particular focus on personal reinvention and life transitions. She lives with her family in Toronto. |
| Written By |
|
ELIZABETH RENZETTI is a bestselling Canadian author and journalist. She has worked for the Globe and Mail as a reporter, editor, and columnist. In 2020, she won the Landsberg Award for her reporting on gender equality. She is the author of the essay collection Shrewed: A Wry and Closely Observed Look at the Lives of Women and Girls and the novel Based on a True Story. Her book What She Said: Conversations about Equality will be published in 2024. She lives in Toronto with her family. |
“(A) Timely, page-turning, enjoyable cozy.” — Booklist
” —"A smart whodunnit." —Chatelaine
” —"Hilton and Renzetti deliver zingy one-liners as they skewer pseudoscience, social influencers, self-help culture and local politics, built on a plot that would make any judgy mother proud." —Zoomer Magazine
” —“Great fun and perfect for that first weekend at the cottage.” – The Globe and Mail
” —“A deliciously witty and twisty mystery, perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Louise Penny. I loved it!” —Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of Lucky
”“A tongue-in-cheek satire of both ‘wellness’ and the newspaper industry, all wrapped up in a murderous cozy.” —Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the The Maid and The Maid's Secret
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