(Note: This letter contains spoilers for Pinewood Corner Kitchen (NCPU#13), published February 19, 2026.)

I like food. Like, a lot. Like, I read cookbooks and food writing every morning while I drink my coffee and, as of this writing, I’m two weeks into a postgraduate program in food and nutrition. It’s a passion that is only up there with writing, so it’s only natural to bring these two things together.

While Pinewood Corner Kitchen shares some territory with Roses Manor, Weston when it comes to an internet-based paranormal story, I wanted to give them both their separate space as well. Gabriella is the investigator for both and they’re both kind of twisty mysteries, which tend to be Gabriella’s stories while James’s focus on bigger picture Foundation issues. (Of course this isn’t always the case, but thirteen books in, it seems to be the pattern.) But it makes so much sense to me that some modern cases would take place over the internet, considering how much of our lives we spend on it. So I’m not too concerned that I’m retreading old territory already with these food bloggers (sorry, upscale food and cooking entrepreneurs) and their psychic revenge against all their rivals.

However, as much as I love discussing food, I should probably address the very sharp turn into the What the Fuck that the story took after the dust settled on the Chapman case. When they met up with Casey at his food truck on a hot June day, assuming it was all over, and then Casey spoke to an invisible someone standing behind them.

And welcome back, Robin Lombardo.

No, Robin isn’t going to be a recurring character. He’s decidedly dead and he won’t be coming back as a ghost to help solve ghostly mysteries or anything like that. He won’t be haunting headquarters in a decidedly less terrifying way than James thought he was way back in Book Two. While never say never and all that, this is Robin’s last appearance in the series. At least chronologically.

But I really wanted to focus on forgiveness in this entry. There’s a lot of ugliness, either in the case or surrounding it. The Chapmans are horrendous to Casey Romano, who just wants to be left alone. James is faced with having to work with McGovern again, after McGovern’s actions were essential to him getting trapped and mind-controlled by Adele months earlier. And it’s June, making it the second anniversary of Robin’s death and his attempt to murder Gabriella. 

During the first anniversary, the focus was on Gabriella forgiving herself for the role she played and being able to move on. Here, it’s on her mind, but it isn’t consuming her every thought. Her own trauma helps her to be understanding about James’s, but she’s been moving on. And now she’s faced with an opportunity to forgive someone who did something horrible to her, an opportunity she never expected to have.

I’ve liked the opportunities I’ve gotten to humanize Robin since Book One, whether in flashbacks or prequel stories. He was the villain. He was completely in the wrong to plan and attempt murder. That is obvious. But he was also a person and there was a process that led him down the path from awkward and well-meaning team captain to attempted murderer in a desperate attempt to get the resources he needs to protect the region he’s been told to protect. And now, in death, he’s sorry for what he’s done.

I wanted Robin’s appearance to be a shock to the reader too, so hopefully it was. It was planned since that scene in Sterling Hill Road, where they think that maybe the benevolent ghost of James’s grandmother warned Bradley that Polly Grace was coming after the family. Nope, instead it’s his overbearing, dead former boss stopping by for one last meeting. Then James sees Robin in the midst of his recovery from the control compound and begs for help, captain to captain, asking his own captain to please tell him what to do.  

And yes, this means that James and Bradley had the same dream months apart. Because Bradley is fucking psychic and it’s about time he accepted it.

But you all know me. I love messes. I love messy relationships, messy feelings, messy resolutions. What does it mean to forgive a dead man for what he did to you? Even beyond the ghosts, how does this impact Gabriella?

This entry really sets up Gabriella, Graham, and Bradley for what comes next in their stories. Obviously everyone will have development and important roles to play, but these three are on their paths based on what happened to them in Pinewood Corner Kitchen. Graham’s future seems clearer now, while Bradley’s is less so. And Gabriella’s “something big and scary, but ultimately good?” Yes, I know exactly what that is going to be. And while I’d like to share, I think we’ll just have to wait a few books until it arrives. What I will tell you is that yes, there’s been a couple hints, but it’s definitely something different from anything else that’s happened in the series so far. 

From here, we’re moving away from the internet for a little bit and heading into more ghost story territory. In Book 14, Cross Trail Middle School, James’s paranormal-loving preteen niece gets in over her head when she decides to summon a ghost at her summer drama program. I’m aiming for a May release date, but we’ll have to see how this semester goes before I make any official announcements. 

And in the meantime, come join us over on my Patreon! Free members get access to updates and some behind-the-scenes content, while paid members get a variety of rewards based on their tier. All paid tiers get weekly microfiction, along with a years-long backlog, if you’re looking for more North County Paranormal Unit between books.

Talk to you soon!

Amanda