Summary

Murder Among the Cornstalks offers an interactive murder mystery set in a small community.

5-STAR REVIEW: MURDER AMONG THE CORNSTALKS by Jody Chaffin

The Description

A Table Rock Lake Word Search Mystery: Book 2
Publication Date: September 12, 2026

A field full of witnesses. Not one of them saw a thing. 48 word searches to the truth.

On Halloween night, a hundred people from three counties walked the haunted corn maze out on the Flat Creek bottoms. At first light, somebody found Shane Merrick in the uncut corn — the equipment operator who turned up in March looking for work, got hired off a handshake, and was leaving the day the maze closed. The sheriff’s office worked the case on people who had already gone home. Retired biology teacher Eleanor “Nell” Ashworth spent that whole evening at the ticket table. She is new here, and she is the only one still asking the questions the county is content to leave alone.

But this time, the detective is you.

Each chapter hands you a scene and a word search. Solve the puzzle, and the leftover letters reveal a hidden clue — a suspect cleared, a motive exposed, a small hard fact nobody thought to write down. Track them across forty-eight puzzles and you will be ready to name the killer, the motive, the means, and the place before Nell does.

Six suspects. One night nobody can account for. A verdict only you can reach.

A complete solve-along mystery — no apps, no downloads, nothing to charge. Just you, a pencil, and 48 word searches that build to a single solution. Perfect for cozy-mystery lovers and puzzlers alike.

A crisp-weather read for autumn and Halloween — and it stands entirely on its own, whether or not you have been to Persimmon Bluff before.

Sharpen your pencil. The corn is still standing.

The Review

The Flat Creek Haunted Maze draws a crowd for thrills and chills, but it is supposed to be a fun experience.

When a body is discovered, Nell Ashworth and other residents in Persimmon Bluff narrow the suspects to six. Murder Among the Cornstalks marks the second installment in the Table Rock Lake Word Search Mystery series by Jody Chaffin.

Through the use of a case tracker, amateur sleuths will read a brief chapter and then complete a word search. The remaining letters will form a clue. Once all 48 clues have been identified, readers will be able to determine the killer, the motive, the place, and the method.

This immersive experience is perfect for readers unable to devote blocks of time to a book without interruption. The word searches enhance the message from the attached chapters.

Murder Among the Cornstalks offers an interactive murder mystery set in a small community.

Buy Links

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About The Author

Jody Chaffin writes cozy mysteries for readers who like to do more than turn the page, pairing small-town whodunits with word-search puzzles you solve right alongside the characters. When he isn’t hiding a secret in a grid, he’s building software or out playing sports. He lives in Missouri.

His debut series, The Larkspur Hollow Garden Club Mysteries, follows a tight-knit Vermont garden club through small-town secrets with every solution hidden in the puzzle pages for readers to find.

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REVIEW AUTHOR

Amy Wilson
Amy Wilson
My name is Amy W., and I am a book addict. I will never forget the day I came home from junior high school to find my mom waiting for me with one of the Harlequin novels from my stash. As she was gearing up for the "you shouldn't be reading this" lecture, I told her the characters get married in the end. I'm just glad she didn't find the Bertrice Small book hidden in my closet. I have diverse reading tastes, evident by the wide array of genres on my Kindle. As I made the transition to an e-reader, I found myself worrying that something could happen to it. As a result, I am now the proud owner of four Kindles -- all different kinds, but plenty of back-ups! "Fifty Shades of Grey" gets high marks on my favorites list -- not for character development or dialogue (definitely not!), but because it blazed new ground for those of us who believe provocative fiction is more than just an explicit cover. Sylvia Day, Lexie Blake, and Kristin Hannah are some of my favorite authors. Speaking of diverse tastes, I also enjoy Dean Koontz, Iris Johansen, and J.A. Konrath. I’m always ready to discover new-to-me authors, especially when I toss in a palate cleanser that is much different than what I would normally read. Give me something with a well-defined storyline, add some suspense (or spice), and I am a happy reader. Give me a happily ever after, and I am downright giddy.

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Murder Among the Cornstalks offers an interactive murder mystery set in a small community.5-STAR REVIEW: MURDER AMONG THE CORNSTALKS by Jody Chaffin