Not every crime begins with murder.
Autumn has arrived in Maple Hollow, Vermont, and the town's annual Harvest Moon Festival is in full swing.
Main Street is glowing with pumpkins and lanterns, Maple & Bean is expanding, and the historical museum has unveiled a special exhibition of colonial silver tied to some of Maple Hollow's oldest families.
Then the entire collection disappears.
No broken glass.
No forced entry.
No alarm.
And not a single piece of silver left behind.
Sheriff Luke Parker puts Deputy Ben Carter in charge of the museum side of the investigation, giving Ben his biggest opportunity yet to prove he can do more than follow orders. As Ben reconstructs the impossible theft, Harper starts asking a different question:
Why would anyone steal an entire collection that would be nearly impossible to sell?
The answer may lie with one particular object-the Founders' Cup.
When museum director Evelyn Ward is later found murdered after claiming she had discovered how the theft was carried out, the case takes a darker turn.
Now Harper, Luke, and Ben must unravel a trail of hidden conservation records, disputed land, old family claims, and a secret someone has spent generations protecting.
Because the silver was never really the prize.
It was camouflage.
And the truth hidden behind the heist could change what Maple Hollow believes about its own history.
Filled with Vermont autumn charm, festival atmosphere, historical secrets, small-town friendships, Harper and Luke's settled married life, and a major step forward for Deputy Ben Carter, The Harvest Moon Heist is another warm, twisty installment in the Harper Sullivan Mysteries.
Welcome back to Maple Hollow-where the cider is hot, the leaves are turning, and some treasures are worth far more than silver.