Elaine Wolff

Mountain thrillers and Midwestern mayhem

elainemwolff

1.3K posts

1.5K followers

2.7K following

If Nancy Drew were 47 … this is the mystery she’d be solving. 🕵️‍♀️ UP TO HER NECK out January ‘27. Preorder 👇🫰

http://elainewolff.com

Welcome back, River Heights Sleuths! If you haven’t been comparing notes yet, now’s the time.

Could the victim found on Wendy’s hot springs property be related to a man (wrongfully?) convicted of offing his bunk mate in 1888?

What did you catch in this week’s episode?

What does the owner of the local dive bar know about William?

And most importantly, what would Nancy do?

Follow, comment, tag your friends - next week: a big clue drop & your first chance to win a #WWND? ballcap!

#mystery #thrillerbooks #nancydrew #bookclubfiction

Fall in the mountains. Hanging w the neighbors, waiting on the (handy)man.

#cabinlifestyle #fallvibes #mountainlife

Episode 2 of the Secret of the Lost Mine is in the can! But it’s not too late to join in the fun: follow @elainemwolff and jump into the comments with your theories and questions. Next week: we drop in at the town dive bar, and Lucknow’s blogger raises a specter. See you September 16!

#mystery #bookclubfiction #nancydrew #thrillerbooks #uptoherneck

Sound up! In Episode 2 of The Secret of the Lost Mine, Wendy discovers her neighbor William is hiding something about the victim found on her new property. What will she do with this information? What would Nancy do? DROP your theory in the comments, tag a friend, and we’ll send you our developing suspects file, and an early clue for next week’s episode.

#mystery #nancydrew #thriller #instagramstory #WWND?

What would Nancy Drew do if a body turns up on the hot springs property she just bought? Come along to the Western mining town of Lucknow and help us solve the Secret of the Lost Mine.
Wednesdays @elainemwolff @the.empress.age

#nancydrew #mystery #thriller #bookclubfiction #WWND?

A 130-year-old marriage certificate. An unknown victim. And a receipt for two breakfasts at the local cafe …
Join us for Ep. 2 of the Secret of the Lost Mine Wednesday, Sept. 9. Follow @elainemwolff @the.empress.age

Old Cottonwood regulars have at least one slightly crazy story about the hot springs. It’s a new era now, so time to get them on the record before they’re lost to time. Here’s one of mine, at the link in bio, or just head to the latest post on my Substack: elainewolff dot com.

#nowthisiscolorado #hotsprings #rockymountainhigh #cabinlife #mountainlife

Sound on! Welcome to the River Heights Sleuth Society. A new case just landed on our desk and we need your help. Follow, share, drop your early theories in the comments, and we’ll send you our suspect list before next week’s episode.

Wendy McFarquhar risked everything on a new life in the Rocky Mountains. She plans to restore the decrepit Alpenglow hot springs in time for ski season, but one woman’s dream is another’s nightmare. Someone in her new hometown is determined to keep the past buried at all costs.

An original Up to Her Neck prequel from @elainemwolff and @the.empress.age

#WWND? #RiverHeightsSleuthSociety #nancydrew #mysterybooks #bookstagram

#WWND now? Join us September 2 for a Nancy Drew inspired prequel to Up to Her Neck. Follow, share, and help us solve The Mystery of the Lost Mine.

#mystery #thriller #bookclubfiction #detectives

It’s almost time! Join us September 2 for The Secret of the Lost Mine, a Nancy Drew inspired prequel to Up to Her Neck. Follow the story, spot the red herrings, put together the clues, and help our hero Wendy solve the case. There will be prizes! We’ve been looking for you …

#mystery #detectivestories #thrillerbooks #bookclubfiction #WWND?

Join us in Lucknow, Colorado, an idyllic town in the Rocky Mountains where secrets never stay buried … because a nosy newcomer is digging them up. And she needs your help to solve a dangerous new case.

An Up to Her Neck prequel. Join us beginning Wednesday September 2 for a chance to win a signed ARC, our fabulous #wwnd cap, cut scenes, and more. Follow me and @the.empress.age See you next Wednesday!

#mystery #thriller #bookclubfiction #detective

in between cheering, #ghoststories
#leadville100 #mountainlife #cabinlife

What would Nancy Drew drive now? In the woods? For carpool? Vintage or new? Is Carson Drew still picking up the tab?
Don’t discount Option B: I went on a Colorado roadtrip in a friend’s vintage Mercedes and we made it up a Jeep road in northern New Mexico (where we were greeted by “Bubonic Plague - don’t touch the animals” signs - #WWND? We were exhausted and it was dark so we camped, and avoided the mammals.)

I know I said we’d talk about onscreen Nancy this week, but I drove down a rabbit hole. Did you know Nancy’s roadster became a convertible in the mid-40s, and her enviable ride doesn’t even appear in several of the original books? I’ll drop a link with more info below.

In the meantime, what would Nancy drive to solve a #mystery in the mountains? None of the above? Tell me all about it in the comments.

#thriller #authorofinstagram #nancydrew

Had the best time w @stinecolorado talking about the #ghosttowns of Clear Creek Canyon. Many thanks to @buenavistaheritage for inviting us to share our stories and photos. If you missed it, you can check it out on my latest post at elainewolff dot com. #mystery #colorado #authorofinstagram #nowthisiscolorado
All images courtesy Clear Creek Canyon Historical Society @winfield.colorado

Coming August 19, 14 weeks of fun and mystery for #nancydrew fans. And starting September 2, help us solve the prequel to Up to Her Neck! #WWND now? Follow me and @the.empress.age to find out!

#mystery #authorofinstagram #thrillerbooks

Having friends for lunch at the cabin. Found prickly currants growing close by!

#touristtown #weddingweekend #mystery #authorofinstagram #thriller

#WWND? I bet you have an idea! Join me September 2 for a Nancy Drew inspired online mystery - and find out how to get your hands on one of these amazing caps (or head to the link you know where and snap one up now).

#mystery #thriller #authorofinstagram #nancydrew

There’s a lot of loose talk about #overlanding and those car commercials make it look like so much fun. But individuals are restricted to legal roads in the national forest, and outfitters must get a (hard to obtain) permit. (Rules may vary in the BLM.) Take our word for it: You can get all the dopamine and adrenaline you can stomach on what we call “roads” here in Colorado. #staythetrail #protectwildlife #stopandsmelltheflowers #mountainlife

Coming August 19, a #mystery prequel to Up to Her Neck, inspired by that great American #sleuth Nancy Drew - and her always on-point kit. Join us here on Instagram and help us figure out #WWND?

That Netflix doc about the trouble Nancy Drew would get into at 47 …

Perfect soak, sauna & cold plunge @cottonwood.hotsprings last night 🌖

#mountainlife #cabinlife #authorofinstagram #hotsprings #nowthisiscolorado

On my Stack this week, part two of detectives, grubby journos, and PIs who influenced my amateur sleuth. Just click the link in the bio or navigate to elainewolff dot com.

#authorofinstagram #mystery #bookstagram #readersofinsta #bookclubfiction

Posting some #fourteener etiquette this week. Link in biooooo 👆

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BOOKS

AMAZON

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BARNES & NOBLE

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#WWND? EMPRESS CAP

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Books

IN THE MEDIA

"

“… a fun, smart, utterly irresistible caper with that rare ‘just one more chapter’ energy …”

ALISA KENNEDY JONES, PUBLISHER

"

2025 Claymore Awards

Judges' Top Pick

First 50 pages of

an unpublished manuscript

KILLER NASHVILLE

"

In Episode 21, Elaine and Cindy talk about identity, the pressure to remain relevant, finding new interests, and what can happen when we give ourselves permission to follow our curiosity.

Beyond the Glass Slipper

In The Press

ABOUT ELAINE WOLFF

Elaine is the former editor of the San Antonio Current and the founding editor of Out In SA magazine. She co-hosted the Radical Mothers’ Voice on KO.OP Austin in the late Nineties. In 2018, she impulse-purchased an old mining claim in the Rocky Mountains.

She’s mom to four wonderful adult children, and splits her time between Buena Vista CO and Scottsdale AZ with her husband Michael and the Cairn Terrierists Louis and Oliver.

Bio