Photographer Nadia Calloway came to Gig Harbor for a quieter life, not a mystery.

Nine months after leaving Portland, she is still half outsider in the picturesque harbor town, spending her mornings with a camera, a strong cup of coffee, and the uneasy sense that some places prefer not to explain themselves. Gig Harbor is beautiful, close-knit, and steeped in history. It is also a town where old families keep old habits, where everyone seems to know more than they say, and where even a simple nod on the waterfront can feel like part of a longer story.

Then Henrik Lund, a respected local elder, is found dead in his kitchen.

It looks like a tragic accident. But the more Nadia pays attention, the less the details add up. A photograph from the local museum. A child seen where no child should be. A creekside path that seems to lead deeper into the town's past than anyone wants to admit. As Nadia follows the threads through waterfront gossip, family loyalties, and the guarded history of Gig Harbor itself, she begins to suspect that Henrik was protecting something far larger than anyone realizes.

Something the town has been keeping for a very long time.

Set in the real waterfront community of Gig Harbor, Washington, The Boy at Donkey Creek is a gentle, atmospheric mystery about belonging, memory, and the secrets a place will keep for those it loves. Perfect for readers who enjoy small-town mysteries rich in setting, layered community dynamics, and an uncanny edge just beneath the surface.

The Boy at Donkey Creek is part of the Good Neighbors Mysteries: cozy mysteries in real towns, where nothing is quite as ordinary as it seems.