Sorting Trouble
Tash Carmichael never planned to become obsessed with jigsaw puzzles.
But when an incomplete Scottish Highlands puzzle turns up at Second Chances Op Shop, the volunteer sleuth takes it home and starts sorting pieces.
Then one of the missing pieces turns up beside the body of local troublemaker Dean Patterson.
With a town full of suspects, a growing collection of whispered rumours, and Senior Constable Brad Jenkins warning her to stay out of it, Tash can't resist following the clues. But in a place like Nuntin Creek, asking questions can earn you just as many enemies as the victim.
Can Tash put the pieces together before the killer gets away with murder?
Includes 8 bonus puzzles inspired by the story. They're completely optional and not required to solve the mystery, but they're a fun way to investigate alongside Tash. A printable puzzle pack is also available for readers who prefer pencil and paper.
Sorting Trouble is the first book in the Second Chances Op Shop Mystery series—an Australian cosy mystery filled with small-town secrets, amateur sleuthing, and plenty of second chances.
Tropes You'll Love
- Australian cosy mystery
- Small-town mystery
- Amateur sleuth
- Middle-aged female protagonist
- Neurodivergent / ADHD protagonist
- Jigsaw puzzle mystery
- Op shop setting
- Whodunit
- Small-town secrets
- Interactive bonus puzzles
Behind the Story
The Story Behind Sorting Trouble
People often ask why I started writing cosy mysteries. The official answer is that I love clever whodunits, quirky small towns, and amateur sleuths. The slightly more honest answer is that I once had an incredibly dramatic neighbour, and it occurred to me that fictional murder is a wonderfully inexpensive form of therapy. Before anyone starts looking too closely, no real neighbours were harmed—or even recognisably recreated—in the making of this book. But I can neither confirm nor deny that they inspired me to start plotting fictional crimes.
Sorting Trouble also became part of my own journey of discovering that I'm AuDHD. The more I learned about myself, the more I realised I wanted to write a main character whose brain worked a little differently too. Tash's tendency to hyperfocus on a mystery, collect hobbies with great enthusiasm (and occasionally abandon them with equal enthusiasm), notice tiny details everyone else misses, and ask just one more question felt wonderfully familiar. Writing her has been equal parts storytelling, self-discovery, and accidentally calling myself out.
This first book was my chance to build the wonderfully nosy world of Nuntin Creek—a town where everyone knows everyone, gossip travels faster than the internet, and the local op shop somehow ends up at the centre of an alarming number of investigations. I hope you'll enjoy piecing the clues together alongside Tash, tackling the optional puzzles if that's your thing, and returning for more adventures in the series. As for the fictional neighbour? Let's just say there are plenty more books planned, and absolutely no one in Nuntin Creek should get too comfortable...
Read a Sample
Buy the Book
Buy BookAbout the Author
Macie Ryan is the not-so-secret pen name for an Aussie author who plots fictional homicides to creatively kill off the people who annoy her.
Title: Sorting Trouble
Author: Macie Ryan
Release Date: June 2026
Series: Second Chances Op Shop Mystery (Book 1)
Genre: Australian Cosy Mystery / Amateur Sleuth Mystery / Small-Town Mystery / Hobby Mystery / Interactive Mystery
Themes: Amateur sleuthing, Small-town secrets, Community and belonging, Second chances, ADHD, Neurodivergence, Friendship, Local gossip, Jigsaw puzzles, Finding clues in unexpected places, Justice
Setting: Nuntin Creek, Victoria, Australia
Target Age: Adult
Format: Paperback & eBook
Availability: Available in Paperback and eBook via Amazon.
Summary for Search: Sorting Trouble is an Australian cosy mystery set in the fictional small town of Nuntin Creek. When volunteer op shop worker Tash Carmichael discovers that a missing jigsaw puzzle piece has turned up beside the body of a local troublemaker, she can't resist investigating. Featuring a middle-aged ADHD protagonist, quirky small-town characters, an op shop setting, optional bonus puzzles for readers to solve, and a classic whodunit mystery, Sorting Trouble is the first book in the Second Chances Op Shop Mystery series.