The Corpse by the Creek

Volunteer water sampling. Development deals. A dead businessman in the woods.

While volunteering with a local stream restoration group, Molly and her husband, Scott, expect to end the day with nothing more to show for it than muddy hiking shoes and water samples. Instead, they stumble upon a dead body left in the woods behind the Buckeye Trail. The victim turns out to be Upton North—an unpopular developer with business ties to half the town and enemies to match.

As Molly starts asking questions, she uncovers a web of grudges involving tenants, activists, and business owners. She'll have to follow clues from forest trails to forgotten basements—and confront just how far greed and intimidation pushed the wrong person too far.

With a busy garden center to manage, and a beloved black and white cat occasionally underfoot, Molly digs into another Succulent Sleuth case where the roots of the crime run deep.