The Dragon Lied

In real-life Franklin, North Carolina, Tuesday MahJong means friendship, laughter... and the occasional murder.
Three and a half years after Casey O'Hara's tragic death, her widower Frankie discovers a photograph that changes everything. The equipment that supposedly failed wasn't broken at all - not until someone made sure it would be. And someone in town has worked very hard to keep that truth buried.
When Frankie turns to the Tuesday Mahjong group, the women rally the way they always do: with sharp eyes, steady hearts, and the kind of teamwork only true friends can manage. Donnie brings her investigator's instincts. Maya reads the riverbank like a living map. Mabs follows the paper trail. Dodo's wild theories suddenly feel a little too possible and the cats agree. And Bea Tran - artist, survivor, and quiet observer - recognizes the shape of a lie that has been growing for years.
As the group pieces together clues, they uncover a dangerous secret running beneath their peaceful mountain town. The river is still carrying evidence. Someone is still profiting. And someone is willing to kill again to keep the past from surfacing.
Warm, witty, and rich with small‑town charm, The Dragons Lied blends the cozy camaraderie of a weekly Mahjong game with a gripping mystery at the heart of a community that refuses to look away. Perfect for fans of Barbara Barrett's Mah Jongg Mysteries - where friendship solves what danger tries to hide.
Welcome back to Franklin. If you've traveled with this group through the first two books, you already know that the Tuesday Mahjong players don't go looking for trouble - but they never turn away when someone needs help. Their friendship is the heart of this series, and in this third story, that bond is tested in ways none of them expect.
Frankie O'Hara has carried quiet grief for years. When new evidence suggests his wife's death wasn't an accident, the Mahjong group steps in the way true friends do: with compassion, determination, and the steady belief that no one should face hard truths alone.
Thank you for returning to Franklin. Thank you for loving these characters. And thank you for believing, as they do, that community is built one act of kindness - and one Mahjong hand - at a time.

"A warm, character‑driven mystery series with heart, humor, and Mahjong at its center."

"Fans of Barbara Barrett's Mah Jongg Mysteries will feel right at home with this clever, compassionate group of sleuths."

"Small‑town charm, tight‑knit friendships, and puzzles that keep you turning pages - Franklin is a place you'll want to visit again and again."