Of Heroes & A Hail Mary

Coming soon, the fourth book in the Creative Endeavors Series!

Naomi Falkowitz has always been the steady center of Creative Endeavors. At fifty, she’s built a life she’s proud of, one rooted in independence, creativity, and the vibrant community surrounding her beloved art supply store in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Her shop isn’t just a business; it’s a gathering place, a refuge, and the heartbeat of a neighborhood she cares deeply about.

But lately, that heartbeat has been faltering. Rising petty crime, growing tensions, and the visible struggles of unhoused neighbors have begun to cast a shadow over the area. Foot traffic is down, longtime customers are uneasy, and Naomi can feel the slow, creeping fear that everything she’s worked for might slip away. Determined not to give up, she throws herself into finding ways to revive the store and restore a sense of hope to the community.

Then the unthinkable happens. When Naomi discovers a dead woman inside Creative Endeavors, her world is turned upside down. The victim, an unhoused woman from a nearby shelter, was someone many in the neighborhood had overlooked, dismissed, or quietly judged. But Naomi and her friends had always tried to lead with compassion, keeping their doors and their hearts open.

Now, that compassion puts Naomi directly in the spotlight. With the body found in her store, suspicion falls heavily on her shoulders. As whispers spread and business dwindles further, Naomi finds herself fighting on two fronts: to clear her name and to keep Creative Endeavors from closing its doors for good.

Refusing to let the victim become just another forgotten statistic, Naomi joins forces with her tight-knit circle: Cat Morley, Kari Duncan, Alexis Murphy, and Bianca Velasquez. Together, they dig beneath the surface of their changing neighborhood, uncovering tensions, secrets, and overlooked connections that point to a far more complicated truth. What begins as a search for justice becomes something deeper: a reckoning with the fractures in their community and the question of what it truly means to care for the people around them.

In a neighborhood at a crossroads, Naomi must summon every ounce of courage and resilience she has. Because solving this murder might not only bring justice to a woman who deserved better, it might also be the only way to save the place Naomi has always called home.

 

Learn more about the loving artistic women of the Creative Endeavors Murder Mystery Series

Subjects: amateur sleuth, cozy mystery, thriller mystery, woman sleuth, detective story, murder mystery, arts and crafts cozy, Saint Paul, Minnesota, mom detective, female friendship, artist detectives, menopause humor