Dead Quiet in Briar Hollow

The Quiet Discretion Mysteries - Book One

By: Petra Shaw

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Dead Quiet in Briar Hollow is the kind of mystery that doesn’t announce itself with sirens. It arrives quietly—like a bell over an antique shop door… and an object that remembers too much.

Clara Whitlock runs Second Chances Antiques in the small town of Briar Hollow, where everyone knows everyone… and everyone has something they’d rather keep buried. Clara has a secret of her own: when she touches certain objects, she can feel the last emotional echo left behind—love, grief, rage… and sometimes something far worse.

So when Vesta Rowe places a battered wooden box on Clara’s counter—containing a silver pocket watch that hits Clara with pure, choking panic—Clara knows one thing with terrible certainty:

This isn’t just an heirloom. It’s a warning.

By the next morning, Vesta’s brother Travis is found dead at the quarry… and the town is already calling it an accident.

Clara isn’t convinced.
Neither is Nimbus—her sharp-tongued black cat who talks (only to her, thank goodness). And when Sheriff Halden starts asking questions Clara can’t safely answer, Clara is forced to do what Briar Hollow hates most:

Look too closely.

In Dead Quiet in Briar Hollow, you’ll get:

• A cozy small-town mystery with a paranormal edge (subtle, not over-the-top)

• An antique shop full of secrets—and objects that refuse to stay quiet

• A reluctant sleuth whose “gift” is more burden than superpower

• A talking cat companion with opinions, attitude, and very sharp instincts

• A sheriff who suspects more than he says

• A full mystery solved—with the promise of more trouble to come

Briar Hollow likes its tragedies tidy. Quiet. Easy to explain.

But Clara has felt the truth in her hands… and once you’ve heard an echo like that, you don’t get to pretend you didn’t.

If you love paranormal cozy mysteries with atmosphere, secrets, and a sleuth who solves crimes the quiet way—start here.

👉 Scroll up and grab Dead Quiet in Briar Hollow today—because the next object is already on its way.

This series is best read in order.