Smuggler's Cove

by Fern Michaels · 2025

First published 2025 · 288 pages · Twin Lights #1 · English

5 quotes ★ 4.12 (6,025) Mystery

Quotes from the Book

Irene stiffened. She hoped they were not the usual carpetbaggers or opportunists coming into town, buying up property at a low price, then flipping it for a huge profit.

I hear some roasted oysters calling my name.” Once they settled into a booth at Carne Mare, they ordered octopus carpaccio, tuna tartare, and roasted oysters, along with a crisp, cold bottle of sauvignon blanc.

Take it or leave it. But if you leave it, you should leave those clothes at home, too.

Once, when Jackson questioned why Gwen allowed Lincoln to spend so much time with "the girls," Gwen took her cue from him. She walked away, but not without a glancing blow of, "It builds character, Jackson. Something you may want to consider developing.

They say the word jinx is a jinx, but not him! He's my lucky cat. My uncle gave him to me." "We have lucky cats, too." Niko unzipped her bag and carefully unwrapped a white cat with one paw in the air. "His name is Maneki Neko." "Niko, Neko! Niko, Neko!" Madison responded in a singsong. "My name means 'kindness.' His means 'luck,'" Niko explained. Gwen leaned against the doorjamb with her arms folded. "I think that is a wonderful combination. Kindness and luck." "We have two lucky cats!" Madison exclaimed.

Did you know?

It is the first book in Fern Michaels's Twin Lights series.
The story is set at a marina on the Navesink River along the New Jersey shore.
The plot blends a murder mystery with pirate legends and a treasure map.
Fern Michaels is the pen name of author Mary Ruth Kuczkir.
The book was published by Kensington in August 2025.

About Fern Michaels

Fern Michaels is the pen name of Mary Ruth Kuczkir, a bestselling American author of romance, women's fiction, and mystery. She has written more than 150 books, with many millions of copies in print, and is known for popular series such as the Sisterhood novels.

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About the book

Smuggler's Cove is a cozy mystery and the first book in Fern Michaels's Twin Lights series. Siblings Madison and Lincoln Taylor unexpectedly inherit a marina at Smugglers Cove on New Jersey's Navesink River. Instead of the valuable asset they had hoped for, they find a dilapidated dock with a few gas pumps and clam boats. When a dead body surfaces beneath their dock, their plan to quietly sell the property gives way to a small-town investigation tangled up with quirky locals, pirate legends, and a mysterious treasure map.

As the siblings settle into Jersey Shore life, Madison trades her city wardrobe for cargo pants and flannel, and the two are forced to reconnect with each other and adapt to a world far removed from their former privilege. The novel weaves together themes of family, reinvention, and belonging with the lighter pleasures of a small-coastal-town mystery, blending local history and treasure-hunting intrigue with character-driven warmth.

Released in August 2025 by Kensington, the book launches a new series from Fern Michaels, one of the most prolific and commercially successful authors of women's fiction and mystery. It is positioned as an accessible, atmospheric summer read that combines a whodunit with the comfort and community of a close-knit shore town.

Key characters

Madison TaylorCity-based sibling and co-heir to the marina who must adapt to shore life
Lincoln TaylorMadison's brother and co-owner of the inherited marina