Dark Corners in Skoghall

October 2025: Murder in Skoghall, book 1, is the Minnesota Author Project Adult Fiction Award Winner Presented by the Minnesota Library Association & Minnesota Library Foundation. Voted on by librarians across the state.In Dark Corners in Skoghall, the second book of Alida Winternheimer’s Skoghall Mystery Series, Jessica Vernon once again finds herself unwillingly at the center of death’s dark web.Jess left the big city behind for the quiet of a tiny arts community on the upper Mississippi River. But Skoghall, with its picturesque inn, friendly locals, and thriving arts scene, is anything but quaint. Beneath the small-town charm lurks something sinister. When a body turns up in a seemingly abandoned shop, Jess realizes the dead aren’t about to let her settle into the life she dreamed of.Does she dare tell the Sheriff’s Investigator what she knows-and how she knows it? Will he think she’s delusional...or worse, involved in the crime?As Jess is reluctantly drawn into another murder investigation, disturbing encounters with the living and the dead threaten her relationships, her sanity, and her very survival. When it becomes clear the killer knows she’s connected to the case, and even where she lives, Jess must take desperate measures to protect herself and her dog, Shakti. Unless she can put a ghost to rest and a killer behind bars, Jess may become Skoghall’s next restless spirit.Winternheimer crafts a mesmerizing blend of psychological thriller, paranormal mystery, and gothic suspense, creating an atmosphere where the artsy veneer of small-town life is shadowed by murder, secrets, and supernatural forces. Readers who enjoy Wendy Webb, Simone St. James, or Jennifer McMahon will find themselves enthralled by Skoghall’s haunted corners.Midwest Book Review praises Winternheimer’s work for its 'wonderful dance between small-town atmosphere and the dark trouble simmering underneath the façade of propriety,' highlighting her deft characterization and slow-building tension that makes the series hard to predict-or put down.Booksellers, libraries and readers looking for:Female amateur sleuths with psychic giftsParanormal thrillers with gothic undertonesSmall town settings with dark secretsCrime novels featuring complex relationships, danger, and supernatural elements...will find Dark Corners in Skoghall an evocative addition to their mystery and thriller collections.As the dangerous games of a psychopath unfold, Winternheimer keeps readers turning the pages until the chilling conclusion. Dark Corners in Skoghall is both a gripping thriller and a haunting ghost story-perfect for fans of midwestern gothic tales where murder and the paranormal entwine.