A Compass in the Crypt

Some places don't want to be found. Some people don't want to be saved.Maren Cole has finally embraced her heritage as Thistle Harbor's mapmaker. The shop is open, her abilities are growing, and her relationship with bookshop owner Silas Thorne is blossoming into something she never expected to want. Life in the quirky coastal town has become something she never imagined—home.Then Nell Ashford walks through her door with an impossible request.Nell's grandmother vanished into the family crypt three weeks ago and never came out. The door was locked from the inside. There's no other exit. But when the family finally broke through, the crypt was empty—just stone walls, ancient coffins, and a compass spinning wildly on the floor. The police called it a missing persons case. Nell knows better. Her grandmother left behind a journal filled with maps to places that shouldn't exist and references to something called "the Passage."Maren's maps reveal what others can't see: a door within the crypt that opens to somewhere else entirely.Following the trail means stepping into the unknown. The crypt's secret passage leads to the In-Between—a realm that exists in the margins of every map, where lost things gather and forgotten places still exist. Nell's grandmother went looking for something hidden there. Something valuable enough to risk everything. Something someone else wants badly enough to kill for.With Silas at her side and Meridian leading the way, Maren must navigate a world where direction is memory and location is desire. She'll encounter those who've wandered too far to return, secrets buried by the founding families, and a threat that could unravel the very fabric of Thistle Harbor's protection.The compass always points toward truth. But in the In-Between, truth has teeth.Maren thought solving her grandmother's murder was the hardest thing she'd ever do. She was wrong. Because in the In-Between, every step forward might be a step she can never take back. And the person hunting Nell's grandmother won't hesitate to add Maren to their collection of the lost.Some maps lead home. Some lead somewhere you can never leave.A Compass in the Crypt is the second book in The Mapmaker's Magic series—perfect for fans of cozy paranormal mysteries featuring found family, slow-burn romance, and adventures into the impossible spaces between worlds.