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Come Shell or High Water
(2024)(The first book in the Haunted Shell Shop Mystery series)
A novel by Molly MacRae
When widowed folklorist Maureen Nash visits a legendary North Carolina barrier island shell shop, she discovers its resident ghost pirate and the mystery of a local’s untimely death . . .
As a professional storyteller, Maureen Nash can’t help but see the narrative cues woven through her life. Like the series of letters addressed to her late husband from a stranger—the proprietor of The Moon Shell, a shop on Ocracoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina. The store is famous with shell collectors, but it’s the cryptic letters from Allen Withrow, the shop’s owner, that convince Maureen to travel to the small coastal town in the middle of hurricane season. At the very least, she expects she’ll get a good story out of the experience, never anticipating it could end up a murder mystery . . .
In Maureen’s first hours on the storm-lashed island, she averts several life-threatening accidents, stumbles over the body of a controversial Ocracoke local, and meets the ghost of an eighteenth-century Welsh pirate, Emrys Lloyd. To the untrained eye, all these unusual occurrences would seem to be random misfortunes, but Maureen senses there may be something connecting these stories. With Emrys’s supernatural assistance, and the support of a few new friends, Maureen sets out unravel the truth, find a killer, and hopefully give this tale a satisfying ending . . . while also rewriting her own.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
As a professional storyteller, Maureen Nash can’t help but see the narrative cues woven through her life. Like the series of letters addressed to her late husband from a stranger—the proprietor of The Moon Shell, a shop on Ocracoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina. The store is famous with shell collectors, but it’s the cryptic letters from Allen Withrow, the shop’s owner, that convince Maureen to travel to the small coastal town in the middle of hurricane season. At the very least, she expects she’ll get a good story out of the experience, never anticipating it could end up a murder mystery . . .
In Maureen’s first hours on the storm-lashed island, she averts several life-threatening accidents, stumbles over the body of a controversial Ocracoke local, and meets the ghost of an eighteenth-century Welsh pirate, Emrys Lloyd. To the untrained eye, all these unusual occurrences would seem to be random misfortunes, but Maureen senses there may be something connecting these stories. With Emrys’s supernatural assistance, and the support of a few new friends, Maureen sets out unravel the truth, find a killer, and hopefully give this tale a satisfying ending . . . while also rewriting her own.
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Praise for this book
"Ahoy, matey! Come Shell or High Water, first in the new Haunted Shell Shop series by Molly MacRae, introduces Maureen Nash, an intriguing sleuth with a most delightful sidekick, the ghost of an accidental pirate. 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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
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Used availability for Molly MacRae's Come Shell or High Water