A dead man in a locked room. A machine that should not be moving. And a secret hidden inside a wooden star.
London, January 1893. When Clara Hale arrives at 221B Baker Street with frost on her cloak and fear in her eyes, she brings Sherlock Holmes a puzzle unlike any he has encountered. Her uncle—a reclusive collector of rare scientific instruments—has been found dead beside a magnificent sixteenth-century astrarium, a mechanical model of the heavens. The room was locked from within. The machine was running. And one of its tiny planets was turning the wrong way.
A richly atmospheric locked-room mystery in the tradition of Arthur Conan Doyle—where every clue is earned, every deduction follows, and the game is very much afoot.
Paisley MacDonald writes cozy mysteries threaded with slow-burn romance, small-town secrets, and just enough danger to keep the kettle whistling. Drawn to wind-swept villages, lakeside cafés, and tight-knit communities where everyone knows your name—and your business—she loves exploring the tender spaces between grief and hope, loyalty and betrayal, suspicion and love. Her stories blend clever clues, atmospheric settings, and emotionally grounded heroines who solve crimes while navigating matters of the heart. When she isn’t plotting fictional mischief, Paisley can be found walking coastal paths, collecting vintage teacups, and eavesdropping (purely for research) in charming neighborhood cafés.View all by Paisley MacDonald
