The Daydreamer Detective Finds Her Calling

Mei doesn't have time to help with a murder investigation… or does she?

Tragedy strikes Chikata again!

When Noriko Kubo, a local small business coach, is found dead in her back garden, Mei feels the pull of a good mystery and the desire to solve another case, especially at the behest of her best friend. With several suspects that need to be questioned or followed, she has all the skills to help out and the imagination to piece together the clues.

But time is not on her side and neither is good luck. Her baby is crying for hours every night, her husband's restaurant is so popular he's never around, and her new house is in jeopardy of never being built. Mei doesn't have the energy to help with a murder investigation… or does she?

Soon, everyone is depending on her for everything, and Mei feels lost and unsure of her own future. She loves her family and her tea shop, but she's never really found her calling unless she's helping to solve a murder case. That's not a legitimate career for her, though, is it? Can Mei juggle her busy life, secure her place in society, and still help find Noriko's killer?

With her head in the clouds and a taste for solving crime, you don't want to miss Mei in The Daydreamer Detective Finds Her Calling, the intensely delicious seventh course to the Miso Cozy series.

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: Miso Cozy Mysteries, Book 7

Rating: PG-13

Published: March 29, 2019

Excerpt

"What happened this time?" I asked, trying to fold my arms over my chest and failing because Mari was strapped there. I stuffed my hands into my fleece pockets instead.

"Mrs. Suga." Imai, the foreman, acknowledged me with a bow. "Some scaffolding collapsed and knocked Daiki Wada off a ladder. He fell right on his shoulder and fractured it."

"Did you check the scaffolding before working?" I looked at the house to determine where the accident occurred.

Imai sighed. "We did check it, but we must have missed this one spot where the ground was uneven."

"Hmmm. Well, it sounds like an accident…?" The lift in my voice was unintended. I wanted this to just be an accident, but it was looking less and less likely.

Imai shifted his eyes down. A bad sign. "Well, whether it's an accident or not, my team has walked off the job, and they won't be returning until we get some answers about the land."

I huffed, and Mari blinked her eyes at me. "The land," I grumbled under my breath.

"Whether it's stigmatized or not. Now, I've worked on plenty of job sites in my career where contractors have been injured. It happens. But Wada insists that you're to blame. I'm so sorry." He bowed, covering up his unease about speaking so plainly. "So he's riled up the other men on the site and spoiled the lot of them."

While Imai was bent over in deference, I glanced at Goro. He sighed and stowed away his notebook.

"If I figure out what's going on with the land or whatever," — I waved my hand in a circle, not caring how informal I sounded — "will you hire a new crew and return to finish the job? I really want my house. I have fought… so hard…"

And then the tears came. Ugh. I hated how they made me look. Like some weak, sniveling woman who couldn't control herself.

But both men were not embarrassed, thankfully. Goro did the decent thing and set his hand on my shoulder to steady me.

"We'll figure it out," Goro said, reassuring me. "And I'm sure Mr. Imai will find the right crew to be here and build your house. Isn't that right, Mr. Imai?"