POMONA AFTON CAN SO SOLVE A MURDER

Bellamy Rose, the pseudonym of romance author Amanda Elliot, serves up a Schitt’s Creek–esque mystery.

Pomona Afton has it all: designer scarves, galas every night, and limitless credit-card charges. As an heir to the Afton hotel empire, Pom has never had to work a day in her life. Why would she, when everything is paid for by her grandmother, the current head of Afton Hotels? Living under grandma’s reign isn’t always sunshine and diamonds, though; the matriarch is disliked by many and feared by most. Pomona has been avoiding her grandmother lately, and then one night while she’s out partying, she misses nearly a dozen calls. When her grandmother turns up murdered the next day, Pomona is in for a rude awakening. Apparently, Grandma Afton anticipated that her not-so-friendly demeanor could cause a few hiccups, and added a clause to her will freezing all Afton assets for at least a year should she die suspiciously—and only unfreezing them if her murder is solved. Within a half hour, Pom and her family are kicked out of their hotel apartments with absolutely no real-world skills to help them. Luckily, Pom can hole up with Gabe, the son of her former nanny, until the worst is over, even if that means slumming it for a few days. As Gabe helps Pom with a painful reality adjustment, she learns that he needs the Afton money just as much she does: His mother is set to receive a large sum from the will. Together, he and Pom decide to tackle the case head on—after all, how hard can it be to solve a murder? Pom’s journey never takes itself too seriously, with plenty of hijinks as readers watch a fallen heiress learn to stand by herself. Pom and Gabe’s relationship is light and sweet, and Pom is a likably flawed heroine. Elliott’s romance fans will recognize her flair for writing about food, and will surely look forward to more sleuthing and spice from Bellamy Rose.

A breezy murder mystery meets rom-com from a skilled author.