IN THE EVENT OF MURDER

A library fundraiser turns deadly.

The planners of a grand Gala Week to raise money for the library in Silvercrest, Colorado, consider themselves fortunate to have former resident Whitney Wilton and other cast members from the popular TV show Chasers on hand. Tabitha Baxter, leader of the gala committee, rules with an iron hand and has plenty of enemies to show for it. Emma Starrs, who’s given up her job on the academic tenure track to return home and run the family bookstore, Starlit Bookshop, has arranged a mystery panel, and Tabitha’s obliged to work with her though she doesn’t like giving up any control. Things go sideways when Whitney’s niece and assistant, Lyra, passes out in a pile of cupcakes—and, later, her dead body is found in a freezer. Emma’s friend Jake Hollister, a detective who’s also a member of her writing group, is put in charge of the case. Emma’s success in solving a previous murder encourages her to do a little sleuthing, and since Lyra’s death has upended the gala plans, she agrees to help out despite Tabitha’s resistance. Disaster strikes again when the band backs out, someone cancels the reservation for the pre-party, and the Baxter Ballroom at Silvercrest College, the venue for the grand ball and silent auction, burns to the ground. In a superhero performance, Emma finds workarounds while reviewing motives for murder among both Hollywood stars and figures from Whitney’s past. She benefits from the clues provided by a series of near-deaths.

A mystery filled with secrets, animosity, and enough romance to lighten the mood.