📖 Book Spotlight: Killer in the Margins by Eliza Floretta
Genre: Cozy Mystery • Clean Fiction • Contemporary Mystery

☕ Book Details & Rating
Format: E-book (available September 2025)
Series: Book 1
Year Published: 2025
Page Count: 193
Rating: ☕☕☕½ (3.5 Coffees)

Thank you to Eliza Floretta, author, for gifting this to me as an ARC.

☕ Coffee Pairing
Perfect Sip: Pumpkin Spice Latte
Why it Works: It’s the first drink Jessica orders with Michael, and it perfectly captures the autumn atmosphere of the story. Warm, spiced, and a little sweet, it matches the cozy-but-twisty vibe of Killer in the Margins—comforting on the surface, but with plenty of surprises underneath.

About the Book

Jessica Larsen has never quite measured up to her ambitious family. With a mom who’s a powerhouse entrepreneur and a sister saving lives as a doctor, Jessica is just… an author who can’t seem to hold onto a “normal” job. After getting fired (again) and dumped (again), she retreats to a small town to care for her eccentric grandfather—hardly the fresh start she imagined.

But life with Grandpa is anything but dull. Not only does she uncover his secret (to her) past as a detective, she also stumbles into a murder investigation that hits dangerously close to home. Armed with her grandfather’s old case files, a superpower (figuratively, of course) she didn’t know she had, and a town full of quirky suspects, Jessica is determined to crack the case.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. As someone with ADHD, I felt that Floretta absolutely nailed what it’s like. The story opens with Jessica trying her best to stay calm and manage her anxiety, only to spiral into a full-blown panic attack. Within the first chapter, we meet her charming boss and boyfriend (spoiler: they’re both terrible). In a burst of impulsivity, Jessica quits her job, gets dumped, and—because ADHD logic is real—rescues a cat despite being broke, unemployed, and facing eviction. Honestly? That tracks. When a job offer from her grandfather comes through, it feels like a sliver of hope. So Jessica and her new cat pack up and head to a small town for a fresh start.

Floretta does a wonderful job bringing the town to life and introducing its people. Jessica soon discovers that her grandfather used to be a private detective, and the one case he never solved still haunts him. Seeing potential in Jessica’s knack for reading people—her “superpower”—he asks for her help. She initially refuses, convinced she’s not cut out for it, but when tragedy strikes, she finds herself determined to see the mystery through.

I loved the cozy fall vibes woven throughout the story, as well as the way Jessica’s relationship with Michael develops. The plot had the twists and surprises I expect from a good cozy mystery. That said, I did feel parts of the book were a bit rushed. At just 193 pages, there wasn’t enough room for some of the side characters to be fleshed out. Jessica’s friendship with Grace, for example, seemed to develop too quickly, and a few scenes with suspects ended abruptly. On the other hand, the police station scene—which initially felt rushed—made sense when viewed through an ADHD lens.

Some readers might feel the romance developed too quickly, but I don’t agree. Some relationships just work that way—mine did! Once my husband and I started dating, we were married 3.5 months later, and 11 years and two kids later, we’re still going strong. So for me, Jessica and Michael’s relationship felt authentic.

Floretta also captured small-town life perfectly: how everyone knows everyone, businesses close early, and gossip spreads faster than wildfire. Paired with the cozy autumn setting, it made for an engaging and relatable backdrop. While I wished for a bit more character development, this was still a charming, twisty cozy mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed.

My Final Thoughts

Killer in the Margins is a charming, fast-paced cozy mystery with heart, humor, and just enough twists to keep the pages turning. While I wished for a little more depth in some of the side characters, Jessica’s messy, relatable journey—and her growing bond with her grandfather—made this such an enjoyable read. Eliza Floretta captures both the warmth of small-town life and the chaos of figuring yourself out, all wrapped up in cozy fall vibes. At 3.5 coffees, this was a delightful series debut, and I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series.