Welcome to the Palouse region of Idaho, and specifically, my hometown of New Oslo.
My name is Tessa Treslow. I was born and raised here but left New Oslo, Idaho, over twenty years ago to join the US Army to serve my country and travel the world. I had no intentions of coming back to my tiny hometown after retiring, but here I am – and I’m happy as a pig in… well, happy as a pig can be.
I live outside of town in a farmhouse with my aunt, Edna Harridan. She and I run a business, BOSS (Band of Sisters Services – Call the Shecanics!) fixing and restoring car engines out of our custom pole barn-slash-garage. Our farmhouse has been in our family for over one hundred years and has a few secrets of its own.
Our little (and I mean little) town of New Oslo is about twenty minutes east of our farmhouse, nestled down in a wooded valley. It was established as a train stop and lumber town ages ago and it has grown and ebbed over the years. Nowadays, the town itself is about three blocks long. We’ve got a couple little businesses, and what you can’t find here, you can find in nearby Moscow or Pullman, Washington. Both of those are college towns and have a lot to offer.
New Oslo has a gas station-turned-café called The High Octane Café. It’s run by my friends, the Bimbeaus, who are amazing cooks. I recently discovered that Lindsey Bimbeau is also an accomplished pastry chef when she made the most stunning wedding cake for…well, some folks getting married. (Long story, and this isn’t about my relationship history!) And they are willing to serve up new things, so when I asked for my favorite drink, a London Fog, an Earl Grey tea latte, they were happy to give it a try. Now it’s a town favorite.
We also have the Good Hair Salon, run by a classmate of mine, Becky Baker. She is always after me to get a manicure, but I work with engines and pretty nails wouldn’t last a minute. Next door to her is A Piece of Quiet, a small yoga studio. I was surprised to see it when I returned home, but they are doing pretty well. The yogis, Flora Forde and Priscilla Proudfoot, have a lot to do with that.
Roughly across from there is an old bank building, now being renovated into a library. Our library used to be The Book Nook, which was basically a giant “Little Free Library,” run by the county’s mobile library gal. Now The Book Nook and an empty space next to it are being renovated into something. No one seems to know what it will be, and anyone who knows is not telling. I just hope it fits our small town and is run by local folks.
One of my favorite places in town is the New Oslo Historical Society and Museum. Not because I’m a rabid history fan, but because the two little elderly ladies who work there, and the two Old Coots who sit on the bench outside. The Prunn sisters (previously the Apfel sisters, if you can believe that!) and old Hank and Hollis are true characters. They are a joy to be around, not to mention can help you find your family history in minutes. If you have ancestors from the area, they are the ones to see. The Prunns also run the adjacent antiques shop.
The second intersection is a place we call the Saints and Sinners corner, since the police station, a law office, and a church are on three of the corners. The fourth corner is where my family’s business had been. The Harridan Old General store, or the HOG to the locals, burnt down a few years back. Aunt Edna’s auto shop had been right next door, and that’s where we both learned about engines. I miss that place!
My childhood best friend – and basic training “battle buddy” – is Petunia Frederickson, more commonly known as Freddie, or Deputy Frederickson. She mans the police station with Sergeant Bob White. (Also known as Quail Boy, since a Bobwhite is a type of quail…get it? I thought I was really clever when I made that up. I’ll add I was in 5th grade and thought I was hilarious.)
There’s a small municipal park next to the police station with a Veterans Memorial. It doesn’t just have veterans who have passed, despite the name. I’m on the board, as is Freddie and my father, and we’re all still alive and kicking. That list of names alone should have been an indication to me that this is where I belong.
I regret now that New Oslo wasn’t the first place I thought of to settle in when I retired. I felt like I had the whole world to choose from. But who needs to search the whole world when your heart already has a home?
Welcome to New Oslo, Idaho, population 852. Enjoy your stay.
HOME SWEET HOMICIDE by Rosalie Spielman
From author Rosalie Spielman comes matrimony turned murderous!
Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Tessa Treslow never thought that she’d be attending the wedding of her first love, Joe Eriksson, but that’s exactly where she finds herself. Even worse, his fiancée has asked her to be the Maid of Honor!
But in the days leading up to the wedding, it becomes clear why Jessie St. John asked Tessa to stand with her, and it’s not just her military-style organization. Between a meddling “best
frenemy” who’s doing her best to sabotage the wedding and an ex-husband falling—or being tossed—to his death, Tessa’s investigative skills are once again put to the test.
The suspicious death of one of Jessie’s ex-husbands in one thing. But when ex-husband number 2 is also found dead, theories are tossed around like a bride’s bouquet. In order to help the wedding stay on track, Tessa needs to calm the bride, combat the frenemy, and make sure the flowers arrive, all while keeping sane.
Despite a state detective being brought in to solve the case, Tessa is forced to fight to keep the ones she loves and her home sweet home safe from the most diabolical killer she has faced yet.
Mystery Amateur Sleuth | Mystery Cozy [Gemma Halliday Publishing, On Sale: August 5, 2025, e-Book , / eISBN: 9798224153541]
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About Rosalie Spielman
Rosalie Spielman is a mother, veteran, and retired military spouse. She was thrilled to discover that she could make other people laugh with her writing and finds joy in giving people a humorous escape from the real world. She writes cozy mysteries for the multi-author Aloha Lagoon mystery series and her own Hometown Mystery series, both with Gemma Halliday Publishing.
She currently lives in Maryland with her husband in a rapidly emptying nest. For more information on her books or to subscribe to her newsletter, go to her website, follow her Facebook page (Rosalie Spielman author), or join her Facebook group. Rosalie strives to provide you a cozy escape…one page at a time.
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