In The Little Lost Library by Ellery Adams, Miracle Books owner Nora Pennington is drawn into a chilling mystery when a book delivery to reclusive Lucille Wynter’s eerie mansion leads to the discovery of Lucille’s death. Her crumbling home is filled with books—and hidden secrets. As Nora digs through the collection, she uncovers a dark past and a fortune worth killing for. With the help of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society, Nora must unravel the truth before the killer strikes again. Bake these Cinnamon-Glazed Spiced Scones for a sweet treat to enjoy while unraveling the thrilling mystery.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup unsalted butter, very cold
- 1 cup raisins
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup low-fat sour cream
- ⅓ cup molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk, divided
- ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
- Preheat oven to 400°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and cloves. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. (The colder the butter, the better.) Stir in raisins.
- In a medium bowl, stir together eggs, sour cream, molasses, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until a shaggy dough begins to form. Working gently, bring mixture together with hands until a dough forms. (If mixture seems dry and dough won’t come together, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does.)
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead gently until smooth by patting dough and folding it in half 3 to 4 times. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to a ¾-inch thickness. Shape dough into an 8-inch circle. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 8 wedges. Place scones, evenly spaced, on prepared baking sheet.
- Brush tops of scones with ¼ cup milk.
- Bake until scones are golden brown, approximately 15 minutes. Transfer scones to a wire rack and let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together confectioner’s sugar, remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon milk until glaze reaches desired consistency. Drizzle glaze over scones. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Big clues come in small packages as Miracle Books owner Nora Pennington and the Secret, Book, and Scone Society attempt to solve a series of murders connected to a bibliophile’s missing books in the latest cozy mystery from New York Times best–selling author Ellery Adams.
When an elderly Miracle Springs resident Lucille Wynter arranges for Nora to deliver an order of books to her creepy, crumbling Southern Gothic mansion on the outskirts of town, Nora doesn’t expect to be invited in. An agoraphobe, Lucille doesn’t leave Wynter House. But when Lucille doesn’t come to the door to collect her books, Nora begins to worry.
Forcing her way into Lucille’s dilapidated home, Nora is shocked to find rooms bursting with books and a lifeless Lucille at the foot of her stairs. After reading a note left behind by Lucille, Nora wonders if her death was an accident. Did she fall or was she pushed by someone seeking a valuable item hidden within Wynter House? Lucille’s children are clearly confident the house contains something of value, because they hire Nora to sift through the piles of books.
Nora’s obsession with Lucille’s collection becomes cause for concern among her friends in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society—she’s even neglecting her bookshop! But Nora does find something valuable deep inside Wynter House—a revelation about Lucille’s terrible past…and a secret worth a small fortune. But there’s someone who’d do anything to keep the truth buried amid the moldering tomes, and it’s up to Nora and her friends to track down a murderer before Wynter House’s lost library claims another victim.
Ellery Adams is the New York Times and USA Today best–selling author of two cookbooks and more than 40 mystery novels, including the Book Retreat Mysteries; The Secret, Book, & Scone Society series; the Books by the Bay Mysteries; and the Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries. A native of New York, she grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound. She now lives with her husband and two children in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, so she considers herself “baked in the North and buttered in the South.” For more information, reading guides, and bibliotherapy lists, please visit ElleryAdamsMysteries.com, or follow Ellery Adams on Facebook and Instagram.
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