First impressions can be deadly.

When Maple Ridge hosts its very first Fall Literary Festival, bookstore owner Tess is thrilled to supply the novels, lattes, and literary flair. With visitors flooding in, authors signing books in the historic college library, and her black Labrador Cocoa happily mooching peanut butter twists, it promises to be the town’s most novel event yet.

But when bestselling Jane Austen fan-fiction author Miranda St. Claire drops dead in the middle of her keynote address, it’s clear someone has written her off for good.

As whispers ripple through Maple Ridge’s most respectable circles, Tess discovers that pride, rivalry, and long-held grudges run deeper than she imagined. The suspects are stacked higher than her new release table, and not everyone is who they first appeared to be.

With the principled but frustratingly protective Sheriff Maddox warning her to stay out of the investigation, and Cocoa determined to follow every scent, Tess must decide whether to trust first impressions—or challenge her own prejudices.

Because in a town where reputation is everything, solving the case may be the only way to save the festival, restore Maple Ridge’s good name, and secure her own happily-ever-after.

Perfect for fans of small-town cozy mysteries, Paws and Prejudice is the second charming installment of The Tails of Maple Ridge, where every clue is dog-eared and every twist is a tail-wagger.