Murder by Measuring Tape

Welcome to Seashell Key, where the coffee is strong, the gossip is stronger, and someone’s measuring more than lumber...

Ben and Holly Marshall run the Fix-It-All Hardware store in the quirky seaside town of Seashell Key, Florida—a place where porch swings creak with secrets and cinnamon muffins come with a side of scandal. But when longtime seasonal resident Lenora Maddox is found dead in her favorite rocking chair—with a mysterious measuring tape at her feet—the porch becomes a crime scene, and the town’s charm starts to fray.

As Holly teams up with her eccentric neighbors—like a retired tech professor with a dignified cat and a salty coffee-slinging ex-doctor—the trail leads to a hidden ledger, a boat that shouldn’t be in the marina, and long-buried land deals someone would kill to keep buried.

With her husband’s MacGyver instincts and her own small-town smarts, Holly must untangle the truth before the killer strikes again. And as it turns out, the porch might be the most dangerous place in Seashell Key.

Murder by Measuring Tape is the first book in the Seashell Key Mysteries, a cozy series full of southern charm, seaside suspense, and front-porch sleuthing. Perfect for fans of Bree Baker, Ellie Alexander, and anyone who loves a little mystery with their muffins.

This is one of the early mysteries of Seashell Key — a charming start to the series before the sleuthing team found their stride and the secrets ran deeper.