A Hopeless Ness

Sightings of a mythical creature in Loch Mallaig’s namesake lake spiral into an all-too-real murder investigation.

Rumors that the Loch Mallaig Monster has been spotted in the local lake are making waves in Loch Mallaig, Michigan, where Molly Ferris and her best friends, Carol MacCallan and Laura Donovan, operate a popular Scottish bakehouse. Monster mania reaches a fever pitch in the midst of a library presentation about water cryptids—and the unreal situation becomes anything but fantasy when local college student Jamison Abernathy dies at the end of the lecture and the police declare it murder.

Jamison’s grieving girlfriend asks Molly and her friends for help exonerating his best friend for the crime, pulling the Bakehouse Three into a tangled mess of questionable business ethics, intense family drama, and dubious scholarly pursuits. Determined to uncover Jamison’s killer, Molly tracks the truth to dangerous lengths. But when it comes time to sink or swim, will Molly keep her head above water or will she drown in deadly deceit?

This clever whodunit from Annie’s Scottish Bakehouse Mysteries series is a must-read for fans of cozy mysteries, baking, Scottish culture, light romance, and female friendships.