I love that cozy mysteries continue to have puny titles as I think it just adds to the story. I also loved that we get a coastal North Carolina setting as well as ghost pirate as a sidekick.

This is the second book in the series. The characters are better developed, love the beach setting and looking forward to more in this series.

What a fun read!! I thoroughly enjoyed Maureen's adventure on sleuthing.
I loved this book too because of the setting of this story. It's one of my favorite places to read about.
I simply couldn't put this wonderful book down. I kept turning the pages into the early morning hours. So good.
Shells are a wonderful thing to collect! Especially the conch shell. My dream shell.
But will never find unless I buy it. Smh
Lots of wonderful characters with a great plot! That's why I kept turning the pages.
5 stars for a job well done! I highly recommend. I'm looking forward to the next one.
My thanks for a copy of this book..I was NOT required to write a positive review.
All opinions expressed are mine.

I received an advanced reader's edition from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinions.

There are just certain times of the year where I want to read nothing but cozy mysteries- and it's a perfect match when it's that time of the year and a favorite author! I've been a Molly MacRae fan since I discovered the haunted yarn shop series- this one is just as good- This one has a Pirate ghost helping solve crime! Count me in everytime.

This one picks up a month or so after the first book, and the murder in this one had more intricacies that made it a fun read for a cozy mystery. It also set up further mysteries even outside of someone being murdered. There are some highly coveted shells in the attic, what are they/ where did they come from and how many other people know about them? The former owner of the shell shop since to have been a shady character, and it seems anyone who was an associate of his follows the same.

I'm looking forward to the next one- and have already shared this series with patrons at the library!

fig recipes, Ocracoke, island-life, widowed, small-business, small-town, relocating, grief, grieving, ghosts, inheritance, outer-banks, middle-aged, investigations, malacologist, local-law-enforcement, local-gossip, local-legends, amateur-sleuth, shell-collector, cat, wordplay, patois, banter, situational-humor*****
Maureen is a very recently widowed former librarian and malacologist from Tennessee who now is the operator of a historic shop on Ocracoke with a history of old ghosts, desirable mollusk shells, gossip central, and customers who refer to themselves as 'murder tourists'. The story is punny, full of giggles, colorful, and a fantastic alternative to the 'real world'. The body was found in a marshy area by the crows who notified the ghost who forged a note to the sheriff and the investigation was incredibly convoluted. Loved it!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from Kensington Books | Kensington Cozies via NetGalley. Pub Date Jun 24 2025
#TherellBeShelltoPay by @mollymacraewriter #HauntedShellShopMysteriesBk2 @kensingtonbooks
#NetGalley #cozymystery @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial @barnesandnoble ***** Review #booksamillion #bookshop_org #bookshop_org_uk #kobo #Waterstones #molluskshells #outerbanks #malacologist #figrecipes #wordplay

#TherellBeShelltoPay #NetGalley is the second book in this unique series, which really I really like.
Maureen is still adjusting to life on Ocracoke Island as well as learning the ropes of the local gift shop she's inherited.
Selling shells and living with a ghost were not the things she expected to be doing after the death of her husband.
There's definitely secrets revolving around the shop and the previous owner, and Maureen finds herself wrapped up in another murder investigation that really kept me guessing.
I'm enjoying this new series and the cast of colorful personalities the author has created.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.