A Venus Bixby Mystery: Book 3
Publication Date: June 2, 2026
With green streaks in her hair and “Rock the Shamrock” polish on her nails, Venus Bixby is ready to trade dance recitals for airplane tickets.
After selling her dance studio, she has a brand-new plan: travel the world and recover stolen art. But life deals Venus an unexpected card. When she pulls back a curtain in the studio and finds the new owner dead on the couch, her next adventure becomes a very public nightmare.
With Chatham Crossing’s whisper mill in overdrive, Venus is now a prime suspect (because of course she is). In the process of clearing her name, she discovers her late husband secretly bought an emerald ring—and now it’s missing.
As burglaries ripple through this charming town, Venus wonders if the studio owner’s death and the missing emerald are part of the same glittering crime spree.
Between gossiping neighbors, buried secrets, and one very inconvenient corpse, Venus will need sharp instincts—and maybe a touch of Irish luck—to solve the case before her passport dreams are grounded for good.
A Jewel of a Crime is book three in the Venus Bixby Mystery series. Expect cozy clues, small-town charm, amateur sleuthing, cats, and a mystery that keeps sparkling with surprises.
Includes cookie recipes and an oldies playlist!
Venux Bixby sells her dance studio to travel the world. Instead, she unexpectedly finds the new owner dead, embarking on a different type of adventure in A Jewel of a Crime, the third book in Author Valarie Taylor’s Venus Bixby Mystery series.
While I don’t think reading the first two books in the series is necessary, I found myself at a disadvantage because the book mentions events from previous books. I was able to follow the plot. However, to truly make this a standalone, more backstory would need to be provided.
Venus Bixy is a great character, and I enjoyed her as a protagonist. I liked that Venus has a close relationship with her twin, and that Venus was a successful business owner who owned multiple businesses.
While I enjoyed the book, the writing and story felt a bit disjointed. Some scenes didn’t make sense to me, as if not enough information was provided. The author touched upon being a widow and moving on from losing your spouse. I thought she handled that aspect very sensitively.
A Jewel of a Crime is a cute small-town mystery with a fascinating leading lady.
Valerie Taylor considers herself an “average Jane.” She might remind you of a reclusive neighbor who’s secretly writing her next novel. Unlike many of the writers she admires, she doesn’t hold a degree in literature. Instead, she credits her love of storytelling to a steady diet of classic comedy and suspense.
She’s the award-winning author of the romantic comedy trilogy What’s Not Said, What’s Not True, and What’s Not Lost, as well as of the first two books in the Venus Bixby cozy mystery series, A Whale of a Murder and Switched at Death. Her affinity for humor and whodunits was shaped early on by watching Carol Burnett, Jack Benny, Red Skelton, and The Twilight Zone.
When she’s not writing, Valerie enjoys oldies music, a passion sparked by hours growing up spent listening and dancing to Elvis Presley and The Beatles—and by proudly belonging to the Bobby Darin fan club.
Valerie lives close to her family in Connecticut.
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