The Ink-Stained Ledger: Secrets of City Hall

A 73-year-old bookseller just found a murder written in ink. Ivy Bloom runs The Steeped Page, a quiet independent bookstore in Independence, Kansas. She prefers vintage novels, strong coffee, the clack of her antique Remington, and the scent of old paper. She does not prefer dead bodies in the City Hall archives. When Detective Thomas Miller calls her for help, she finds the young town treasurer slumped over a 1924 reconciliation volume-dead without a single sign of struggle. The only clue? A vibrant, midnight-blue ink sitting atop century-old vellum. It gleams with a synthetic polymer that delivers a lethal transdermal toxin. The ink is new. The corruption it conceals is not. As Ivy conducts a forensic autopsy of the document, she uncovers a deadly palimpsest: modern infrastructure funds are being funneled into dead Thorne-era accounts. The town's founding families aren't just hiding historical corruption-they're actively rewriting it in blood. Trapped in a web of toxic chemistry, Ivy must use every tool in her bibliographic arsenal. Because in Independence, the truth is the most dangerous draft of all; and the conspirators are ready to strike the final edit. Why readers are hooked on the Ivy Bloom Mysteries: - A Fierce, Mature Sleuth: Ivy brings seventy-three years of sharp wit, a unique "olfactory library," and relentless editorial logic to a dangerous investigation.- Rich Bibliographic Forensics: Perfect for fans of historical document puzzles, vintage typewriters, and intricate cold cases woven into modern crimes.- Gritty Small-Town Atmosphere: Blends the cozy charm of an independent bookstore with the psychological depth of Louise Penny's Three Pines.- Dark, Intelligent Tension: Experience the edge of small-town noir without the graphic violence, foul language, or explicit content. A century of secrets. One editor who refuses to let the truth be redacted. Read The Ink-Stained Ledger (Book 2 of the Ivy Bloom Mystery series) and discover what happens when a bookseller refuses to let the truth be deleted.