Time Travel Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Budget Tales Book Blog where readers take a look back at what they were reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…)

Last year, towards the end of October 2024, I had just finished Silence Says the Most (Olivia Penn Mysteries, Book Two) by Kathleen Bailey. I have continued to read this delightful series, and I’m especially excited to read book five, Without a Shadow of Doubt, which publishes November 4, 2025. 

About the Book: 

A dead body is found floating in a lake. A child’s drawing places her at the crime scene. The shocking connection lands her in deep water.

For fans of Clue, Nancy Drew, and small-town cozy mysteries!

Advice columnist Olivia Penn’s cozy hometown of Apple Station, Virginia, is buzzing with preparations for the annual fall festival and Halloween parade. Pumpkins, witches, and ghosts line the streets, the leaves are turning, and the crisp autumn air makes for perfect sweater weather. With a new romance blooming, the season feels more charming than spooky—until a lakeside picnic with a friend puts her in the wrong place at the wrong time.

When a body is discovered amid an algae bloom under mysterious circumstances, long-standing tensions between a local organic farm and a country club resurface, revealing multiple motives for murder. As suspects point fingers, the only reliable witness is a young boy with autism who doesn’t speak.

As Olivia investigates why the child has linked her to the crime scene, she uncovers a crucial clue hiding in plain sight. But when an unexpected encounter leads to a startling revelation, she must improvise a risky plan to stop the killer. With time running out, justice hinges on quick thinking and a leap of faith.

Can Olivia unmask the killer before the evidence vanishes? Or will she become the next victim and be silenced forever?

Silence Says the Most is the gripping second installment in the award-winning Olivia Penn Mystery Series. This fast-paced, heartwarming cozy mystery features charming characters, small-town intrigue, and a heroine you’ll love to root for. Perfect for fans of amateur sleuths, strong female leads, and feel-good mysteries.

Dive into the enchanting world of Apple Station, where a clever sleuth is always on the case. Your next unputdownable cozy mystery awaits! Read today!

My Review:

I’m such a fan of the Olivia Penn Mysteries by Kathleen Bailey. Set around Halloween, book two, Silence Says the Most, was such a fun read to pick up during the actual week of Halloween.

Olivia is enjoying all the fall festivities in her cozy hometown of Apple Station, Virginia, that is until a lakeside picnic with a friend places Olivia in the wrong place at the wrong time–a dead body is found amid an algae bloom and the other reliable witness is a child who doesn’t speak.

Once again, Kathleen has penned a page-turning mystery brimming with cozy details and murder suspects! I enjoy all the details of the town, especially all the seasonal details. I did not guess the suspect ahead of time, although I enjoyed piecing the clues together with Olivia. Her journalist brain makes her one talented sleuth.

Looking forward to continuing to read more in this series!