She never should've let Mama out of her sight.

The hot summer months used to be Avery Baldwin's favorite time of year. After graduating from college, she wanted to move away from her hometown and make a life of her own, but the desire to be with her family, to return to the old, familiar haunts that were so comforting, stuck with her. As soon as the month of June rolled around, Avery enjoyed hopping in her car and driving to Buenaventura Beach where she readily embraced the salty ocean air and relished the feel of the sun's rays as they kissed her hair.

But everything about this summer is different from all those that came before. As soon as Avery arrives in town, she learns that her mother, Loti, has been suffering from bouts of forgetfulness and even though others are pushing her to sell her restaurant, Mama Baldwin's Café, she's reluctant to give it up. Avery vows to help her mother, but when she bumps into Chance Zabrowski and his son Cubby at the grocery store, she quickly learns that Mama has been struggling more than she admitted.

When Avery, Chance, and Cubby all go to the café to check in on Mama, they find the doors wrapped in chains and padlocked shut. There's even a sign on the door, announcing the closure of the restaurant. Stunned, the trio decide to ask Mama what happened and why she so suddenly changed her mind, but they can't find her anywhere. Where did she go? What happened to Mama?

Find out by reading...Marshmallow Milkshakes and Missing Persons: Book One in the Buenaventura Beach Mystery Series.