When enthusiastic treasure hunter Jasper Finch rushes into The Coffee Compass on a busy Saturday morning, waving a crumpled document and declaring he’s finally found proof of something hidden in Compass Point’s historic lighthouse, owner Riley Ashford assumes he’s just another quirky tourist caught up in local legend. But before Riley can offer him a calming cup of coffee and hear what he’s discovered, Jasper collapses at a table, his triumphant smile frozen in place. By the time paramedics arrive, he’s dead, and the mysterious document he’d been clutching has vanished. With police quickly ruling the death a tragic heart attack, Riley knows something isn’t right—Jasper had been perfectly healthy that morning, and his final words about someone “finally paying for what they’ve done” suggest he’d uncovered far more than historical curiosities.
Determined to understand what Jasper really found and why it might have gotten him killed, Riley teams up with her sarcastic barista Kieran Wolfe and sharp-eyed tour guide Samantha Reed, who’d been showing Jasper around town all week. Armed with Jasper’s cryptic final words and a notebook full of shocking discoveries, and hindered by Riley’s mischievous brown tabby Espresso—who has an uncanny talent for knocking over evidence at crucial moments—the unlikely trio uncovers a conspiracy that goes far deeper than anyone imagined. As they dig into the town’s celebrated historical landmarks, tourism operations, and decades-old secrets, Riley and her friends realize that someone in Compass Point has built an empire on lies, and Jasper Finch was about to destroy it all. But asking the wrong questions makes Riley a target, and when her coffee shop burns to the ground and threatening messages escalate to attempts on her life, she knows the killer will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.
Full of warmth, humor, and the perfect blend of amateur sleuthing, The Last Drop is the thrilling conclusion to The Pawprints & Pour-Over Mysteries series. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and settle in for a mystery where small-town charm hides deadly deception, where a cat’s chaos might just save the day, and where the truth is worth fighting for—even when it costs everything. Justice is brewing, and Riley Ashford is determined to serve it one final time.
