A Toast Before Murder (Ruby Langford Mystery)

A poisoned toast. A buried lighthouse secret. And a bookshop that became the perfect crime scene.

Ruby Langford thought inheriting The Lantern Bookshop meant quiet evenings, lively mystery club debates, and keeping her pastry-obsessed Papillon, Biscuit, from committing scone theft.

Instead, her guest speaker collapses mid-toast during “Local Legends” night—face-first into the hardcovers—and Ruby’s fresh start turns deadly.

The coroner says poison. The town says scandal. And the grumpy sergeant on the case says Ruby should leave the sleuthing to professionals.

But Ruby can’t ignore the details: a replaced cork, a smudged glass, a botanical scent that doesn’t belong.

This wasn’t an accident. It was deliberate.

With Biscuit at her heels, Ruby uncovers a missing lighthouse diary and secrets someone would kill to protect.

Tessa Blythe’s grief feels rehearsed. Graham Pike’s feud with the victim makes him look dangerously convenient. And someone is determined to let the blame fall on The Lantern.

The killer didn’t choose her bookshop.

They chose her.

And if Ruby can’t bring the truth to light, The Lantern won’t be the only thing that goes dark.