Mystery novels are known for their blend of suspense, intrigue, and problem-solving. These stories often present a puzzle or crime, inviting readers to unravel clues alongside the protagonist. The thrill of discovering hidden secrets, combined with plot twists and red herrings, keeps them engaged and eager to turn the page. These novels appeal to our curiosity, encouraging us to solve the mystery before the characters do. The genre also offers a sense of justice, as solutions bring order to chaos. Whether set in cozy towns or dark urban landscapes, mystery books provide a satisfying escape into the unknown.

Today I’d like to shine the spotlight on a novel that, according to a Goodreads review, “blends Da Vinci Code and Murder She Wrote” and is a quick and fun read – “The Secrets of Still Waters Chasm” by Patricia Crisafulli.

Patricia Crisafulli is an award-winning New York Times best-selling author. Her debut novel, “The Secrets of Ohnita Harbor,” the first in the Ohnita Harbor Mystery Series, was published in September 2022 by Woodhall Press. She received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from Northwestern University, where she received the Distinguished Thesis Award in Creative Writing. She is the author of New York Times best-seller “House of Dimon: How J.P. Morgan’s Jamie Dimon Rose to the Top of the Financial World,” and the coauthor of “Rwanda, Inc: How a Devastated Nation Became an Economic Model for the Developing World,” an Editor’s Choice book on Amazon. In her latest book, “The Secrets of Still Waters Chasm,” a hike through the pristine wild of Still Waters Chasm becomes a path of mystery and deadly danger for Gabriela Domenici and her boyfriend, Daniel Red Deer. It is book 2 in the Ohnita Harbor Mystery Series. (Barnes & Noble/Advanced Brand Communications, 2024)

“The Secrets of Still Waters Chasm”– On a beautiful September afternoon, Gabriela and Daniel take a side trail to an inexplicable construction site in the middle of the woods where every tree has been cut down and a huge truck bearing strange looking equipment is parked in the middle. As they continue their hike to the lake, they find a man convulsing with his last breaths, not far from the lifeless body of a woman. After going for help, they return to the scene—only to find the two people and their canoe and gear are gone. It seems impossible that two bodies could revive and leave on their own, but there is no other explanation.

When she conducts a library outreach program in the rural Town of Livery, near Still Waters Chasm, Gabriela discovers a community that is both curious and suspicious. There, she meets Lucinda Nanz, an herbalist whose encyclopedic knowledge of plants for help and harm is both fascinating and troubling, and Wendy Haughton, a young woman who desperately wants to sell an old drawing of unknown origin so she can escape her abusive husband. Despite the state police’s warnings to stay out of the investigation, and Daniel’s urging to not get involved, Gabriela cannot stay away from Livery and Still Waters Chasm—which puts her on a collision course with yet another murder and people who will stop at nothing to prevent her from getting too close to the truth that could destroy chasm.