The Lane women are bibliomancers, but Cassie sees her divination not as a gift, but as a curse—one from which she desperately wants to escape. It turns out, though, that running from her fate isn’t as easy as she thought it would be. When a woman goes missing, and a neighbor is found dead, Cassie turns to the books she’s always avoided to help her find the truth.

“...a deftly crafted and impressively original novel by an author with a genuine flair for originality...certain to be an unusual, immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections…” ~Midwest Book Review\* Cradled in the waters between North Carolina’s Outer Banks and the mainland is the island of Devil’s Cove, the town where Pippin Lane Hawthorne was born. After the death of her mother—and twenty years after being abandoned by her father—Pippin and her twin brother, Grey, are back. Inheriting their parents’ old beach house on Rum Runner’s Lane is like a strong wind at their back, pushing them to safe ground. They are home at last. But what was supposed to be a chance at a new life turns sinister when her father’s old fishing boat reveals a dark secret. As the truth about what really happened to Leo Hawthorne unspools, Pippin realizes that an ancient curse her parents fought to break has found her. Now Pippin must embrace her fate as a bibliomancer and learn how to ‘read’ the books she’s always shied away from. Only then will she be able to discover the truth about what really happened to her parents and continue their efforts to break the curse that has haunted the Lane family for two thousand years. “A magical blend of books, mystery, and smart sleuthing, Melissa Bourbon’s Murder in Devil’s Cove offers mystery readers everything they crave and stands out in the crowded cozy genre. This captivating new series will leave readers spellbound.”-NYT and USA bestselling author, Ellery Adams

Generation after generation of Lane women die in childbirth, while the sea claims the men. Pippin Lane Hawthorne’s grand opening of Sea Captain’s Inn is tainted when a scholar studying the Lost Colony of Roanoke is brutally murdered. Like the black crow that hangs around the old house, could the untimely death be a harbinger of dark things to come? When her twin brother, Grey, begins bucking the curse by risking his life in the waters of the Outer Banks, Pippin lives in terror that he’ll be the next Lane male to be swallowed by the sea. Now she must use her gift of bibliomancy to save her brother, solve the murder, and end a two thousand year old pact.

"Filled with quirky characters and atmospheric descriptions of the quaint town of Devil’s Cove, Bourbon hits all the right notes for a cozy: amateur sleuthing, several possible suspects, bookstores, and a touch of romance." ~Elena Taylor, Author To stop the curse that has plagued her family for centuries, Pippin Lane Hawthorne has enlisted the help of authors Tolkien, Homer, and Dickens. How? Through bibliomancy, a practice by which passages in books speak to her in cryptic code that only she can decipher. When she finds a message from her mother in an old copy of The Secret Garden, she hopes this book might hold the answers she so desperately seeks. The book leads Pippin to a vital clue, but before she can figure out what it means, she stumbles upon a dead body. Though the authorities deem the death is from natural causes, the books found scattered around the body tell Pippin a different story—the victim was murdered. And the death is connected to her family and the curse. Now, to solve a murder in the present, Pippin must dig deeper into her family’s troubled past, even if it means staring danger in the face. "This series had me at ‘book magic’ and wrapped me up in its unique plot from start to finish!" ~Carrie Schmidt, ReadingIsMySuperPower.org

Hailed as “impressively original” by Midwest Book Review, the Book Magic Mysteries celebrate the magic in books. In this enchanting new story, Pippin Lane Hawthorne hopes her gift of bibliomancy will be enough to finally stop the curse that has plagued her family for two thousand years. But for every question Pippin answers about the past, a new one arises… Armed with new information about her family’s connection to Dagda and Morrighan, from the Tuatha dé Danann, bibliomancer Pippin Lane Hawthorne is more determined than ever to stop the 2000 year old Irish curse on her family. When reporter Moira Quinn starts asking questions—and then ends up dead—Pippin discovers a personal connection that makes the quest for the truth even more personal. With the help of her West Coast cousins, bookshop owner Jamie McAdams, and her twin brother, Grey, Pippin is determined to get to the truth once and for all. But the rumblings of the curse are close to home and the clock is ticking for more than one of the Lanes. Will Pippin be able to save her family or will she be too late?