Envelope

A memorial meant to honor the past becomes a murder case in this small-town cozy mystery.

Río Alto is preparing to remember founding balloonist Gus Vigil. Teo Lucero is rehearsing the memorial flight when she notices fresh tracks on an overgrown lane behind the fiesta archive. By the time she lands, the volunteer historian preparing the tribute has been found dead inside.

A fall from a rolling ladder offers the town an explanation it can bear. But Celia Ward was precise about her records—and Teo cannot make the scene fit the woman she knew.

As missing documents and the hidden approach to the archive draw her deeper into the case, Teo finds the fiestas cherished history harder to question than any flight plan. Old loyalties close doors. Her uncle Ramón has memories he struggles to share. And the closer she gets to the record Celia was assembling, the more her own place in the sky comes under threat.

With Wes Holcomb and her chase crew beside her, can Teo give a silenced historian a voice before someone makes sure the valley never hears it?

Envelope is Book 9 of The Rio Grande Balloon Mysteries, bringing the series long-running historical puzzle closer to its reckoning. Includes a feature on pilot logbooks and certificates, plus Tío Ramóns natillas recipe.

For readers who love:

• Archive mysteries, missing records, and questions about a towns founding story

• A determined heroine confronting powerful community loyalties

• A dog, a devoted crew, and a romance strengthened by difficult choices

• Interconnected cases that build toward a larger revelation