I'm pleased to share a page from the diary of Bobbi Brooks. You can find Bobbi on the pages of the Camera Club Mystery series. MASKED INTENTIONS is the second book in the series and was released
Dear Diary,
It’s been a couple of days, and I’m sorry I haven’t written. I just couldn’t. It’s impossible to wrap my mind around everything that’s happened.
As I write this, I’m sitting on my porch swing wrapped in my down comforter watching the sun rise over the mountains. It’s so beautiful and peaceful that I can almost imagine that everything is okay. That everything is normal.
But it’s not.
So yeah, I’m questioning my life choices—again. Maybe that’s not fair. It’s not like I ever really stopped questioning them. Maybe I shouldn’t have moved here. Who would have thought that tiny little Stonebridge, Vermont would be more dangerous than Boston?
I suppose I should start at the beginning.
Two nights ago, the Harvest Festival kicked off with the masquerade party on the village green. It started off so well! I mean, seriously, nothing can rival October in Vermont. Cool, crisp fall air and the mountains ablaze with autumn foliage. Even after the sun went down, the red, orange, and yellow paper lanterns in the event tent mimicked the autumn leaves so perfectly. I was so proud of Alicia and the festival committee for all they did. And oh, you wouldn’t have believed the costumes! I was dressed as Annie Leibovitz, hoping some of her brilliance might rub off on me!
The band was playing, everyone was dancing, and all of us in the camera club were busy snapping photos. And then…
The scream.
There’s no other way to put it. Alicia and I were standing in line for a hot apple cider when we heard it. We’d just been joking about how Emma and Connor were wearing coordinating costumes—as if they totally aren’t dating. But what do I know? I’m only her mom, and she’s made it clear that I’m to Stay. Out. Of. It. (picture me zipping my lips)
Anyway… Alicia and I sprinted out of the event tent, and… I’ll never be able to erase the image of Emma cradling poor Iris. We thought the young woman must have tripped and fallen into the fountain. If only.
When Emma came home for the festival this weekend, I’m sure she was expecting a break from her nursing duties. Instead, as soon as we helped her move Iris to dry ground, she got right to work performing CPR. I have to admit, I was so proud to see her in action. I only wish the outcome had been different.
Oh, and I should probably also mention something—only because I’m still a little shaken by it. But it’s really not important. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself. Anyway… You must remember me mentioning a man last June. You know, the one I saw at The Crow—tall, piercing green eyes—the one who nearly made me fall off my barstool. Well, he moved to Stonebridge. Not that I care or anything. Not at all.
So yeah, I met him last night—in person. Let’s just say it was majorly awkward. That is, I was majorly awkward. And seriously, I’m completely bewildered. I don’t know what to do. It’s clear he and Nate have already become good friends. Huge yikes. The last thing I need in my life is a ridiculously handsome Irish guy who makes my heart race and turns me into a bumbling idiot.
But I’m way off topic.
Back to Iris. If you haven’t already guessed from my ramblings, she’s dead—murdered. It’s completely unthinkable. Now, with the dreaded Detective Cram poking that beaky nose of his around Harmony and her housemates, Harmony has asked me to help. I wanted to tell her, “no way.” I really, really did. Of all people, Harmony should know better. Besides, it’s not like I’m a detective or anything. But you know me. Like it or not, I can’t let her down.
There’s a murderer in Stonebridge, and everyone in the club is on board to help me investigate. The Stonebridge Keep It Snappy Shutter Club is on another case! Stay tuned.
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Review
The Second Camera Club Mystery
It's autumn in Vermont, the leaves are at their peak, the tourists are arriving en masse, and the Keep it Snappy Shutter Club, led by Bobbie Brooks, is ready to capture everything on film. Stonebridge’s annual harvest festival is off to a fun start with a masquerade party on the village green. But the good times quickly end when Iris is found unresponsive after apparently falling into the fountain. And then Mackenzie is rushed to the hospital! While Mackenzie is certain she made an error while foraging and ate poisonous mushrooms by mistake, Iris' fall was no accident, she was murdered. Now Bobbie and her camera club will search through their film for clues. Will Bobbie find a murderer or will the killer put an end to her first?
MASKED INTENTIONS is a study in relationships and choosing how the past shapes the present and future. Evolving relationships are at the heart of the story, indeed the mystery itself.
I'm happy to be back in Stonebridge, Vermont, especially in autumn. There's a lot going on in the second Camera Club Mystery with an ambiguous murder, (who was the actual target?) a myriad of suspects, and a few subplots. I appreciate how every aspect was deftly handled with no one thing overshadowing another. I still like Bobbie, though I wish she's just face up to her reactions to a certain Irishman. I'm pleased to see that Emma has matured since the first book in the series.
MASKED INTENTIONS is a complex mystery that looks at relationships, desire, and murder with autumnal flair. Grab a cozy blanket and have your camera at the ready as you settle in for this delightful sophomore outing!
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Masked Intentions: A Camera Club Mystery by Kara Lacey
About Masked Intentions
Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series
Setting - Vermont
Publisher: Level Best Books
Publication Date: January 27, 2026
Print Length: 270 pages Paperback
It’s autumn in Vermont, and the mountains are ablaze with color, just in time for Stonebridge’s annual harvest festival. The village is swarming with leaf-peeping tourists, and the celebration is off to a jubilant start as residents gather for their favorite kick-off event: a masquerade party on the village green. But the crisp fall air turns chilling when a party guest is found lifeless and another is whisked away in an ambulance, on the verge of death.
Photographer Bobbie Brooks vows to leave the investigation to the professionals until a tearful plea from a friend causes her to shift her focus from merriment to murder. The Stonebridge Keep it Snappy Shutter Club is on another case as Bobbie plunges into the world of herbal poisons and masked motives. The truth is concealed in the details captured through her lens. But as everything comes into focus, Bobbie finds herself in danger once again. Can she unmask the killer before the killer zooms in on her?
About Kara Lacey
Kara Lacey is the author of the Camera Club Mysteries. Along with her husband, she lives in a tiny village nestled in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont—the inspiration for her novels. Kara is a photography enthusiast who also enjoys hiking, skiing, and getting cozy with a good book. When she’s not at her laptop creating havoc for her characters, you can find her rambling through the forest with her husband and spirited Labrador retriever, camera in hand.
Kara is a member of Sisters in Crime, Sisters in Crime-New England.
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