A Murder in Eight Cocktails

A Mystery Novel by Kelly Mullen

Subgenres:

Cozy Mystery,
California,
Later-in-Life

Published March 26, 2026

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This book is for you if you're into...

Sleuthing duos with awkward exes and current spouses teaming up
Glamorous cocktail bar settings with secrets behind every drink

From Little Stack

I loved this fun, twisty, meticulously written murder mystery, and I’ll now read anything else this author writes in a heartbeat!

Retired interior-designer-turned-influencer, Willa, is invited to the opening of a chic new cocktail bar. With her marriage in a rut, she hopes this night will rekindle something with her husband. Instead, she bumps into her ex-husband, and the owner of the bar ends up dead on the rocks below. Not quite the evening she had envisaged. The death is ruled a suicide, but things don’t add up…

Tightly plotted, wonderfully witty and a true delight. Perfect for lovers of a complex whodunnit.

As Featured in Cozy Mystery Books to Read on a Rainy Day by Emily Portman

Publisher Description

Mix one old flame with a splash of suspicion for the perfect... murder.

In the seaside haven of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Willa Keane’s marriage is in a rut. As a retired interior-designer-turned-influencer, she’s sure life begins at fifty-five, whereas her husband, Marty, is more interested in watching his beloved birds.

So when Willa is invited to the opening of the chicest new cocktail bar in town, she hopes the evening will rekindle their flame. But arriving at the party, Willa is shaken to discover it’s being hosted by her charming ex-husband, Paul.

The night is thrown into even deeper chaos when the bar’s enigmatic owner is found dead on the rocks below. A suicide message suggests there’s no foul play, but Willa’s heightened senses aren’t so sure. Now she must solve the mystery together with her husband… and her ex-husband.

Can they find the killer before another victim is served their last cocktail?

More Kelly Mullen

Full Bibliography