There'll Be Shell to Pay - (A Haunted Shell Shop Mystery) by Molly MacRae

Book Synopsis

When she's not selling seashells by the North Carolina seashore from her shell shop, Maureen Nash is a crime-solving sleuth with a ghost pirate for a supernatural sidekick in this beguiling cozy mystery by the bestselling author of the Highland Bookshop Series.

Maureen is still getting used to life on Ocracoke Island, learning how to play the "shell game" of her business--and ghost whispering with the spirit of Emrys Lloyd, the 18th-century Welsh pirate who haunts her shop, The Moon Shell. The spectral buccaneer has unburied a treasure hidden in the shop's attic that turns out to be antique shell art stolen from Maureen's late husband's family years ago.

Victor "Shelly" Sullivan and his wife Lenrose visit the shop and specifically inquire about these rare items. Not only is it suspicious that this shell collector should arrive around the time Maureen found the art, but Emrys insists that Sullivan's wife is an imposter because Lenrose is dead. A woman's corpse the police have been unable to identify was discovered by the Fig Ladies, a group who formed an online fig appreciation society. They're meeting on Ocracoke for the first time in person and count Lenrose among their number, so the woman can't possibly be dead.

But Lenrose's behavior doesn't quite match the person the Fig Ladies interacted with online. Now, Maureen and Emrys--with assistance from the Fig Ladies--must prove the real Lenrose is dead and unmask her mysterious pretender before a desperate murderer strikes again . . .

Review Quotes

Praise for The Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries

"History and shell lore combine in this beguiling tale." --Kirkus Reviews on There'll Be Shell to Pay

"A strong sense of place, a sympathetic heroine, and an opinionated ghost will appeal to fans of Carolyn Haines' Sarah Booth Delaney cozies." --Booklist on Come Shell or High Water

"The first book in Molly MacRae's latest cozy mystery series is populated with charming, eccentric characters. The elderly Weaver siblings are a hoot, and I loved Maureen's relationship with her adult children. The amnesia narrative is written in a manner as disorienting as the experience itself, but everything comes together satisfactorily in the end. Honestly, it's so refreshing to read of older characters tackling tough and often dangerous problems. The inclusion of a friendly ghost also adds a delightful touch of the paranormal." --Criminal Element on Come Shell or High Water

"Molly Macrae's delightful pirate ghost story and cozy mystery mashup is not to be missed. Cozy readers will be enthralled with this trip to North Carolina's Outer Banks." --Amanda Flower, USA Today bestselling author of Blueberry Blunder

"Molly MacRae delights in her new Haunted Shell Shop series debut. Come Shell or High Water is a fun and twisty tale set on a North Carolina island. Nobody does ghosts like MacRae, with gentle eighteenth-century pirate Emrys keeping widowed shell expert Maureen Nash company as she untangles the salty facts of more than one murder along with mysteries from the past." --Maddie Day, author of Deep Fried Death

"Molly MacRae's Carolina coastal island in Come Shell or High Water is a treasure chest of atmosphere and island history with a unique cast of characters, including a pun-cracking 18th century pirate-ghost and two quirky octogenarian siblings, who may be the best sidekicks since Fred and Ethel Mertz. Her malacologist protagonist (when I said unique characters, I meant it) is sympathetic and interesting, making this layered Haunted Shell Shop mystery one you'll be happily digging into." --Korina Moss, author of Fondue or Die

"Ahoy, matey! Explore North Carolina's Outer Banks without leaving home, go shelling without getting your feet wet, and savor a fun mystery filled with history and word play, as newly-widowed Maureen gets to know a fascinating place and its proudly quirky residents, all while discovering more about herself and her family." --Leslie Budewitz, three-time Agatha Award-winning author of the Spice Shop Mysteries

"With its likable protagonist and irresistible island setting, Come Shell or High Water will charm readers with an imaginative mashup of cozy mystery and ghost story." --Lucy Burdette, USA Today best selling author of A Clue in the Crumbs

About the Author

Molly MacRae is the award-winning author of the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, the Highland Bookshop Mysteries, and the new Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries. Born and raised in Illinois, MacRae spent twenty years in the foothills of Tennessee's Blue Ridge Mountains, where she was the director of the history museum for Jonesborough, the state's oldest town. During that time, MacRae and her family started taking vacations to North Carolina's Outer Banks, where she fell in love with Ocracoke Island, the setting for her Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries. MacRae, a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America, has won the Sherwood Anderson Award for short fiction, and several of her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. She currently lives in Champaign, IL with her family. For more information on Molly and her books, please visit MollyMacRae.com.