Voted Most Likely to Murder: A Novel by Lacey Moone

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Voted Most Likely to Murder: A Novel
Cozy Mystery
Setting – Nova Scotia, Canada
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 12, 2026
Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
Hardcover

A high school reunion comes to an abrupt end when the dead body of the class jock shocks the school’s gymnasium in this cozy mystery debut, perfect for fans of Ellery Adams and Eva Gates.

Belinda Bishop is unemployed and single. At thirty-two, her journalism career feels stuck, and let’s not even speak about her love life, which isn’t helping her look forward to her upcoming high school reunion. Stuck working at her parents’ seaside cottage and RV park in Nova Scotia for the time being, she needs time to regroup and come up with a killer story to get her career and her life back on track.

When she literally stumbles across the dead body of the philandering class jock at the reunion, the party quickly comes to a stop. At first, it seems like the perfect opportunity for Belinda to channel her inner Christianne Amanpour, until her childhood-best-friend-turned-nemesis, Jolene Dexter, is declared the prime suspect. Despite their falling out, Belinda is convinced the former pageant queen is innocent.

Dying For More: Five Mystery Shows They Need To Bring Back

I think it’s fair to say that we all have unfinished business.

In my novel, Voted Most Likely to Murder, my amateur sleuth Belinda Bishop has been avoiding it (and her hometown of Little Blue Harbour, Nova Scotia) for most of her adult life. It’s only when her life in Ottawa implodes, forcing her to return and deal with the estranged relationships (and one defaced town welcome sign) she skipped out on as a teenager.

Cozy mysteries are all about closure, the “Big Reveal” where we learn the who and, most importantly, the why. But it’s also about more than that. We want to know that our favorite characters are going to be okay, that they’ll go on to solve more cases, save more people, and continue to fight for justice for others.

Here are five mystery shows I’m still holding out hope for them to return!

Mrs. Sidhu Investigates (2023)

Recently widowed caterer Mrs. Sidhu (Meera Syal) juggles her business with encouraging her son Tez (Gurjeet Singh) to find his passion, all while solving crimes in Berkshire.

This delightful cozy mystery only has one season (so far—no official cancellation yet, so my fingers are still crossed!) on Acorn TV, but I was hooked from the first episode. Syal imbues so much compassion and empathy in the main character with just the right amount of sass and spunk, it’s impossible not to root for Mrs. Sidhu and her quest to help her and her son to heal after losing the family patriarch. Between all the yummy food (the least Acorn TV could do is release a cookbook!) and more humorous storylines, their shared grief hands quietly between, hovering at the edge on every conversation. The first season ends with Mrs Sidhu and Tez finally starting to reconnect, and frankly I need more mother and son catering/murder shenanigans.

2. Queens of Mystery (2019)

Matilda Stone, a young detective, is assigned to the constabulary in her fictional hometown village of Wildemarsh, England, where she is reunited with her three crime-writing aunts Cat, Beth, and Jane.

Another show that hasn’t been officially cancelled, and therefore taunts me every time I open my Acorn TV app on my television. I loved everything about it: the overdramatic storylines, the engaging banter between the aunts (former rock singer now mystery graphic novelist Cat being my favorite), the meta humor. And then, just like that, poof, gone! What is the truth behind the disappearance of Matilda’s mother? Who is the Raven? Will Matilda and Daniel ever get out of their own ways and admit their true feelings? I need to know!

3. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (2016)

Inspired by the Douglas Adams novel of the same name, Dirk Gently (Samuel Barnett) proclaims himself to be a “holistic detective,” investigating obscure cases based on the inter-connectivity of all things, along with his reluctant assistant (Elijah Wood) and a security officer (Jade Eshete).

I realize this one is probably a lost cause, but wow, was I obsessed with this show. It was a mishmash of everything you could think of: sci-fi, romance, an incredible cast (with a lot of my Canadian favorites!), action, comedy, mystery, and juggled multiple storylines while managing to tie it all together in a way that felt authentic and true to the characters viewers grew to love..

4. Agatha Raisin (2016)

Based on M. C. Beaton’s book series of the same name, former PR agent Agatha Raisin (Ashley Jensen) fulfills her dream of living in the Cotswolds village of Carsley, only to find herself caught up in a string of unusual murder investigations.

Oh, Aggie, how I miss you. Such is my love for the quick-witted banter and outrageous shenanigans this former PR queen gets up to (and inevitably drags all of her friends into) that it’s one of the few mystery shows I rewatch on a regular basis, despite already knowing whodunnit. I love fish-out-water stories, and I love how Agatha doesn’t shrink for anyone. She’s completely out of her depth when she first moves to Carsley and doesn’t let it faze her one bit. It doesn’t matter how many times she gets knocked down, Agatha Raisin always gets right back up on her designer heels.

5. Cannes Confidential (2023)

In Cannes, lieutenants Camille Delmasse (Lucie Lucas) and Léa Robert (Shy’m) are aided in their investigations by an enigmatic British gentleman burglar (Jamie Bamber) with a mysterious past.

I was surprised by how invested I was in this show. I’d already seen Bamber play the playboy in Beyond Paradise, and I couldn’t stand his character. But apparently I only dislike him when he’s trying to break up one of my favorite mystery couples. In another city, far far away from Humphrey and Martha, he was a delight as a roguish con man with a softer side. This was one of those shows where you just know it would get better in the second season. The chemistry between leads was definitely there, and while some of the storylines were a little hamfisted, it has good bones. All it needs is another season to pull itself together.

About Lacey Moone

Lacey Moone was born and raised on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. As a former military spouse, she has lived from one end of the country to the other, even as far north as the Northwest Territories. She currently resides in Alberta. She loves to write mysteries starring tenacious women who are as clever as they are sarcastic, with a focus on strong female friendships.

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