Keyes Videoshop Mysteries
Cozy mysteries set in a small-town video store, 1986–1987
The Keyes Videoshop Mysteries are a cozy mystery series by Delilah Cooke, set in the small town of Lake Edwina in 1986 and 1987, where twenty-year-old video store clerk Sam Keyes solves murders with Sherlock Holmes–style deduction, small-town gossip, and a movie lover's habit of casting every suspect as a film character. They're for readers who love '80s nostalgia, found family, and cozies with a surprisingly sharp edge.
What are the Keyes Videoshop Mysteries?
Welcome to Lake Edwina, a small town on the edge of “The City,” where the downtown is fading, the mall is booming, and the best place to hear what’s really going on is the counter at Keyes Video.
Sam Keyes rents out movies, takes community college classes, and keeps a sharp eye on her neighbors. When someone in Lake Edwina turns up dead and the town is quick to settle on an easy answer, Sam has a habit of asking the next question. Each book pairs a twisty murder mystery with Sam’s own coming-of-age, a family that actually likes each other, and a crew of misfit friends who show up when it counts.
Who is Sam Keyes?
Samantha “Sam” Keyes is twenty years old, a community college student with a serious interest in criminology, and a part-time clerk at her Uncle Al’s video store. She quotes Sherlock Holmes, alters thrift-store clothes in her basement, and makes mixtapes that start with Prince and end somewhere weirder. Her secret weapon as a sleuth is the “video store mindset”: she pictures every suspect as a role in a movie (noir villain, rom-com lead, slasher-film final girl) to keep a clear head.
Where and when are the books set?
The series takes place in 1986 and 1987 in Lake Edwina, a town of about fifteen thousand people. Keyes Video sits in the slightly run-down Edwina Plaza, next door to the Curl Up & Dye hair salon. Expect strip-mall plazas, Friday-night rentals, “Be Kind, Rewind” stickers, BBS message boards, and a soundtrack of New Wave, Top 40, and goth club nights.
What order should I read the Keyes Videoshop Mysteries in?
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Book 1, set in September 1986
Be Kind, Rewind, and DIE!
The tapes are missing. The movie buff is dead. And in Lake Edwina, some secrets are worth killing for.
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Book 2, set in December 1986 – January 1987
Pride, Prejudice, and VHS
A missing girl. A town with its story ready. And a killer who never raised his voice.
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Book 3, set in June 1987
The Big Sleep(over)
An old woman is dead. Her will is a lie. And the wrong man is in jail.
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Book 4, set in late summer 1987
Control-Alt-DELETE
A cozy mystery about hacking, floppy disks, and dial tones.
Coming late October 2026 About the book
Who's in Sam's crew?
- Uncle Al Keyes
- Owner of Keyes Video and a true movie fan (not a cinema snob). A retired Army sergeant, steady under pressure, and the uncle everyone wishes they had.
- Benji Wallace
- Sam's best friend. A red-pompadoured Radio Shack clerk and computer whiz who runs a BBS out of the Keyes family basement.
- Jessie Harper
- Sam's loyal, sunny cheerleader friend, quietly finding the courage to be herself despite a very strict mother.
- Theresa Delgado & Big Mike Lowe
- The goth couple of Lake Edwina. She's an elegant county clerk; he's a six-foot-six gentle giant who works for parks and rec.
- Ash Keyes
- Sam's popular younger sister. Affectionate rivalry, fierce loyalty.
- Detective Reggie Barnes
- Local detective and family friend. Warmly skeptical of Sam's sleuthing, and fair to a fault.
- VHS Vic
- Mail carrier by day, obsessive VHS collector by night, and a walking archive of town history and movie trivia.
- Nora
- A very well-trained wire fox terrier who joins the crew in Book 3 and immediately runs the place.
Do I need to read the Keyes Videoshop Mysteries in order?
No. Each book has its own mystery, solved by the end, so any of them can stand alone. But Sam's friendships, family, and life in Lake Edwina grow from book to book, so reading in order is the best experience. Start with Be Kind, Rewind, and DIE!
Are the books in Kindle Unlimited?
Yes. The ebooks are exclusive to Amazon and free to read with Kindle Unlimited.
How cozy are they?
Warm, funny, and full of found family, with a small-town amateur sleuth, a beloved shop, and a dog. The mysteries also take on real 1980s issues like moral panics, small-town hypocrisy, and the secrets families keep, so they have more bite than your average cozy.