FOR WHOM THE BOOK TOLLS

A desperate North Carolina woman leaps out of the big-city frying pan into a small-town fire.

After she’s acquitted of murder in Charlotte, Jenna Quinn hopes that life might be rosier in quiet Hokes Folly, where her widowed uncle, Paul Baxter, who owns an antique bookstore, has invited her to stay. Arriving at his apartment late at night, she quietly goes to bed. In the morning, she arises to find Paul dead at the bottom of the stairs to the bookstore and herself suspected of his murder. Although sexy Detective Keith Logan gives her the benefit of the doubt, his partner obviously thinks her guilty, especially once he learns that she’s inherited Paul’s considerable estate. Jenna’s money troubles may be over, but the post-mortem discovery of an overdose of sleeping medication in Paul’s system forces her to turn sleuth or go back to jail. Paul’s friend and her new neighbor Rita Wallace is a tower of strength who not only believes her innocent, but is willing to help straighten up the messy store. Paul had several enemies and a big secret: a Hokes Folly family diary he bought at a sale that may hold the key to a treasure. More trouble arrives in the form of an obnoxious man claiming to be Paul’s son and rightful heir. All Jenna has to do is prove him wrong, find the diary, fix up the store, and unearth a killer. Piece of cake.

An appealing debut peopled with believable characters and a well-ordered mystery.