#NewRelease: “Railroad Ties: the Marmion Grove Murders” by MS Spencer

Thank you so much, Amber, for allowing me to regale your readers with my new mystery, Railroad Ties: the Marmion Grove Murders.

When Sophie Childress discovers a letter written in 1920 by the witness to a murder, she enlists Noah Pennyman—owner of the house where it took place—to investigate. Who was the victim? What did the killer do with the body—not to mention a carpetbag full of money? Together they expose a complex web of family ties and lies that has persisted through four generations in the historic village of Marmion Grove. When two more corpses are unearthed, Noah and Sophie are faced with too many victims and not enough murderers.

Railroad Ties: the Marmion Grove Murders
Mystery, cozy
The Wild Rose Press, June 11, 2025
390 pp; 89,900 words
Ebook: $5.99; Print $22.99
Theme(s): Small Town, Mystery, Humorous/Comedy, Cozy Mystery
Keywords: 1920s; amateur sleuth; cozy; small town; Victorian houses; Queen Anne houses; railroads; train robbery; railroad stations; family secrets.

Railroad Ties: the Marmion Grove Murders, is the first of my novels set in my home town and in the house I grew up in. Filled with hundred-year-old trees, there are no sidewalks and no through streets. Fifty-four houses, including mine, are on the National Register of Historic Places. My house belongs to the hero, Noah Pennyman. Sophie Childress volunteers at a used book sale. She meets Noah when she comes to Marmion Grove to pick up his recently-deceased mother’s books. They’re quickly caught up in a mystery but when a storm hits, they forget about everything but each other.

Excerpt: The Storm

The kitchen suddenly darkened. “What’s going on?”

He looked out the back door. “It looks like a storm is in the offing.” At that moment, thunder crashed overhead. Sophie jumped. Noah flipped a switch. “Damn. Power’s out.” He pushed open the swinging door to the dining room. “I’m sure Mother left candles in the pantry.”

He came back a minute later. “Even better. I found an LED lantern.”

The rain slashed against the windows. Sophie shivered. Noah kneaded her arm. “You don’t like thunderstorms?”

“No, I love them. I’m just thinking of the mystery. Didn’t Agnes say something in the letter about a storm that night?”

“I believe so, but, as I recall, she said it had passed. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have ventured out to shoo raccoons away. Also, the man with the body was outside. Not in the house.” He scrutinized her face. “Come on, let’s go up to my room.”

She held back. “Aren’t we safer here?”

“My laptop’s up there. We can watch the weather channel.” As they climbed the narrow staircase to the third floor, the downpour stopped abruptly. A weak sun shone through the skylight. “There, see? It’s all fine now.”

Sophie found herself in a large room, split into two sections by a bathroom. The first alcove held a couch and a desk. Noah’s things were strewn about. He opened a computer and began typing. She moseyed past the bathroom to the sleeping area, and looked out the dormer window. Across the driveway stood a row of cherry trees in full bloom. On the ground beneath them a carpet of pink blossoms was strewn, ripped from the branches by the wind. The carriage house lay on her right, and Waverley Avenue on her left. She imagined herself in 1920. A Ford Model T might rumble past. Children trotted down the hill toward the P.O. clutching their pennies in soon-to-be sticky hands. Perhaps a horse would canter by. She sighed. “This is such a lovely house, Noah. I’ll bet it has a lot of history.”

He dropped the laptop’s cover. Coming up behind her, he put his hands on her shoulders. “It does. I know I said I was planning to sell it once I cleaned it out, but now I’m not so certain.”

She turned. “You want to live here? How wonderful!”

They stood inches apart. Noah whispered, “You’d like that?”

“I…uh…”

Before she could figure out what to say that would be both positive and not imply anything more than she meant, he took her in his arms and kissed her. When they broke apart, he said huskily, “I’ve been wanting to do that again for days.”

Her heart thumped. Just then thunder boomed, and the rain returned, falling down in sheets. Noah gazed into her eyes. She glanced down at the bed. Slowly his hands went to her blouse.

Buy links:

Books2Read: https://books2read.com/railroadties/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Railroad-Ties-Marmion-Grove-Murders-ebook/dp/B0F38Q5HZR

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/railroad-ties-m-s-spencer/1147152800?ean=2940184496733

Apple/IBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/railroad-ties-the-marmion-grove-murders/id6744065960

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230846616-railroad-ties

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/railroad-ties-the-marmion-grove-murders-by-m-s-spencer

About the Author

Librarian, anthropologist, research assistant, Congressional aide, speechwriter, nonprofit director—M. S. Spencer has lived or traveled in five of the seven continents and holds degrees in Anthropology, Middle East Studies, and Library Science. In June 2025 she will have published eighteen mystery or romantic suspense novels. She has two children, an exuberant granddaughter, and currently divides her time between the Gulf Coast of Florida and a tiny village in Maine.