A Shot of Scandal

A Cafe Crimes Cozy Mystery Series, Book 1

By: Simone Stier

Narrated by: Jessica Goldapple

Small town. Big crime. And one feisty, caffeine-fueled amateur sleuth caught in the middle. It all starts here in A Shot of Scandal—the first brew in the Cafe Crimes Cozy Mystery series.

Parker Hayes—a former true-crime podcaster turned aspiring cafe owner—thought swapping the hustle of big-city life for the charm of Magnolia Grove would be a piece of cake… or at least a slice of pie. But when a high-society gala at the historic Beauregard Mansion ends with a murder and the theft of the priceless Magnolia Rose necklace, Parker's peaceful plans quickly go up in steam.

Between renovating her new cafe and navigating small-town secrets, Parker finds herself in the middle of a mystery steeped in scandal, lies, and lattes. Can she sift through Magnolia Grove's dirty laundry, catch a killer, and still get her cafe up and running?

Pour yourself a cup of intrigue with A Shot of Scandal —where the coffee is hot, the clues are curious, and the suspect list is longer than the dessert menu.

©2025 Simone Stier (P)2025 Podium Audio

A great little cozy mystery!

Makes you feel like you’re in the town of Magnolia Grove with them! Looking forward to the next in the series!

Southern Mystery

Cute new series. Glad to find something familiar, yet also new. The performance was very nice, just needed a bit more difference between characters, since they tried to differentiate.

Solving crime on the fly

Relatively quick read, enjoyable and memorable characters, a good first "sip" into the story. originally, felt the story started slow but it picked up steam. Lots of moving pieces, some twists, though I felt the matriarch of the well to-do family was a bit one note.

Great new series

I saw this one mentioned on a Facebook author page and thought I'd try it. So glad I did. Stier has created a world full of unique, often quirky, characters, and Goldapple's narration is excellent. I love the small town setting, some laugh out loud moments, & how the residents seem like real people with strengths & flaws. Whodunit took me completely by surprise. Apparently this is the only one in the series as yet to be recorded, so I anxiously await the next ones. Well done!

Amazing Cozy Mystery

Looking for a new cozy mystery series? This is an amazing start to an exciting new cozy series! Love the characters and the world they live in. Can’t wait to hear book two!