Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas - An Interview, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Vicky Delany back to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Vicky writes the Year-Round Christmas Mystery series. HAVE YOURSELF A DEADLY LITTLE CHRISTMAS is the sixth book in the series and will be released this week!

Kathy: In HAVE YOURSELF A DEADLY LITTLE CHRISTMAS the local amateur dramatic society is preparing a special musical production of A Christmas Carol. I love this short story and enjoy its many adaptations. Indeed, one of my favorite versions is a musical one-The Muppet Christmas Carol. What's your favorite version?

VD: My favorite is absolutely The Muppet Christmas Carol. We watch it regularly in my family and I’m happy to say that last Christmas I watched it with my grandchildren. So much fun. We have lines we regularly quote to each other. “Heat wave!” “You are such an idiot” in that exasperated voice.

Kathy: Have you ever been involved with a community theatre or dramatic society?

VD: Never.

Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for this story?

VD: Nothing more than wanting to centre the story around a theatrical production which I thought would give a lot of range for conflict. I chose the musical version of A Christmas Carol specifically to give Merry’s mother, Aline, a big part in the book. She’s a retired Metropolitan opera soloist and I love playing her over-the-top diva-ness against Merry’s dad’s small-town personality and showing how opposites really can attract. 

Kathy: Christmas is my favorite holiday and I enjoy shopping throughout the year. If there's a Christmas shop I'll be a customer, no matter if it's December, July, or March! Do you scout out Christmas shops no matter the season?

VD: I’m more of a Holiday season only celebrator. I do my shopping in late November/early December. The tree goes up some time after December 20. As for Christmas shops, I like browsing, but I don’t seek them out. 

Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Merry Wilkinson?

VD: At the moment, no. She’ll just keep running her shop and hanging out with her family and friends. And solve the occasional murder. Change is coming, however, to her friend Vicky Casey in the next book. So stay tuned!


Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?

VD: Happy to. The nineth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop book will be released in January, and it’s titled THE SIGN OF FOUR SPIRITS, so named because the inciting incident takes place at a seance. And then the eleventh Lighthouse Library book, by me as Eva Gates, will be out in June. It’s A STRANGER IN THE LIBRARY.

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Review

HAVE YOURSELF A DEADLY LITTLE CHRISTMAS by Vicki Delany

The Sixth Year-Round Christmas Mystery

Christmas is coming and Rudolph, NY is gearing up for its busiest season. The Year-Round Christmas town is counting on its production of a musical version of "A Christmas Carol" to make up for last year's debacle. With Merry’s mother, former opera star Aline Wilkinson, providing musical direction as well as performing, shows are quickly being sold out. But all is not Christmassy cheer with the amateur company. The new artistic director is throwing her money around, but making enemies with longstanding members, including the director and wardrobe mistress, and Tiny Tim is being played by a ten year old bully! The less Merry has to do with the amateur production the better, but when Mrs. Cratchit is murdered in her shop, she can’t help but get involved.

 

Christmas, theatre, and murder - three of my favorite things. I was filled with nostalgia when I discovered Rudolph's theatre group was putting on a production of a musical version of "A Christmas Carol" because decades ago I played Belle in a community theatre production. Having worked in theatre in my younger days I had to smile at the goings on of this group. With varying degrees of talent, inflated egos, and limited budget, community theatre makes the perfect ground for murder!

The fact that the victim may not have been the intended target leads to all manner of possibilities creating a thoroughly enjoyable mystery. I loved how Merry fully intended to leave the murder investigation to the professionals, but, well, things happen. While many of the characters are quite brusque, the relationships between Merry and Alan as well as Merry's parents are loving and wonderful to see.

A Christmas murder with theatrical flair, HAVE YOURSELF A DEADLY LITTLE CHRISTMAS is a holiday treat good year-round.

 

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 Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas (Year-Round Christmas Mystery) by Vicki Delany

About Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas

 

Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas (Year-Round Christmas Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 6th in Series
Setting - Rudolph New York
Crooked Lane Books (September 19, 2023)
Hardcover: ‎ 288 pages

It’s beginning to look a lot like murder in the sixth installment of this charming cozy mystery series, perfect for fans of Donna Andrews and Jacqueline Frost.

It’s the beginning of December in Rudolph, New York, America's Christmas Town, and business is brisk at Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, a gift and décor shop owned by Merry Wilkinson. The local amateur dramatic society is intensely preparing a special musical production of A Christmas Carol. But it’s not a happy set, as rivalries between cast and crew threaten the production. Tensions come to a head when a member of the group is found dead shortly after a shopping excursion to Mrs. Claus's Treasures. Was someone looking to cut out the competition? Everyone in the cast and crew is a potential suspect, including Aline, Merry’s mother, and Merry's shop assistant Jackie O'Reilly, who was desperate for a starring role. It could be curtains for Christmas—and for Merry—unless the killer can be ferreted out of the wings.

About Vicki Delany 

Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. Author of more than fifty books, she is currently writing the Tea by the Sea mysteries, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, the Year-Round Christmas mysteries, and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates). Vicki is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

Author Links: 

Website – www.vickidelany.com  

Facebook – www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor; 

 Twitter: @vickidelany and@evagatesauthor  

Instagram: vickidelany  

Bookbub: Vicki Delany Books – BookBub  

Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - Bookshop.org - PenguinRandomHouse 

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Miami Mice - A Review & Giveaway

 Review

MIAMI MICE by Christ Abernathy
The Third Detective Whiskers Cat Cozy Mystery 

Detective Whiskers is on the case when Jimmy catches a dead body instead of a fish off a Paradise Cove pier. An unidentified dead body. Illegal drugs washed up on shore. Could there be a murderer in Paradise Cove? Sheila and her friends soon insinuate themselves in the investigation much to the Chief of Police's chagrin and Detective Whisker's concern. A suspicious stranger, mice who have swum for their lives, and a bevy of margaritas will have you quickly turning the pages.

I really enjoy the Detective Whiskers Cat Cozy Mystery series. All of the books are funny, charming, and have a solid mystery at their core. MIAMI MICE has all these ingredients in spades. The overindulgence of alcohol by Sheila and her friends leads to hangovers, but also very funny scenes. Philip and Michael, the two mice who fell overboard are wonderful. I love how they try to protect each other and Roddy, showing bravery and providing several heartwarming moments.

There's a lot of mystery in the third Detective Whiskers Cat Cozy Mystery. Just who washed up on shore? Is a drug cartel about to invade Paradise Cove? Just who is the bad guy? I love how nothing is certain and appearances can be deceiving. 

A quick read, MIAMI MICE is laugh out loud funny at times, yet still has moments that tug at your heart strings.

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Be sure to check out my reviews of the previous books in this series!

PAW AND ORDER

CSI: CAT SLEUTH INVESTIGATION 

The fourth book in the series, PURRDER, SHE WROTE was just released, so look out for my upcoming review.

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Detective Whiskers Cat Cozy Mysteries by Chris Abernathy

About Miami Mice

Miami Mice: A Detective Whiskers Cat Cozy Mystery
Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series
Setting - Florida
Wright on the Mark, LLC. (July 18, 2023)
Paperback: ‎ 202 pages

A cat who thinks he's a detective. Some amateur female sleuths. A fisherman hooks a dead body in the water.

A pair of stowaway mice find themselves stranded at Sheila Mason's cottage when the boat they are on sinks. They may be forced to go into the Whiskers Protection Program once it is discovered that the boat was carrying a shipment of illegal drugs. Can Detective Whiskers keep his witnesses safe and stop a dangerous cartel from destroying life in Paradise Cove?

Sheila and her friends in the Paradise Cove Murder Society are also busy investigating a suspicious stranger who showed up in town at the same time. Is he responsible for the body discovered on the beach?

If you love humorous cozy mysteries where pets take the lead and eccentric friends come together to solve crimes with just the right amount of suspense then the Detective Whiskers Cozy Mystery Series is exactly what you’re looking for. Buy Miami Mice now and find out why the only thing better than a K-9 cop is a feline detective!

 

About Chris Abernathy

Chris Abernathy has narrated more than 200 audiobooks and now he is writing his own stories. He has been a storyteller his entire life — around campfires at a summer camp as a counselor, on the radio for more than 30 years, as an actor with background roles on major motion pictures and TV series, as a producer of short films for social media and more. Chris is married with two sons and lives on the Gulf Coast in Alabama. He is a dual national with citizenship in the US and UK and visits family in the Scottish Highlands as often as possible.

Author Links: 

Webpage - http://authorchrisabernathy.com  

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authorchrisabernathy/  

Amazon author profile - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Chris-Abernathy/author/B07YLJPKNQ Newsletter signup - https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/a7s6c0  

Purchase Link - Amazon 

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Currently Reading...

I just finished reading Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas by Vicki Delany. This book is the sixth in the Year-Round Christmas Mystery series and will be released next week.

Christmas is coming and Rudolph, NY is gearing up for it’s busiest season. The Year-Round Christmas town is counting on its production of a musical version of "A Christmas Carol" to make up for last year's debacle. With Merry’s mother, former opera star Aline Wilkinson, providing musical direction as well as performing, shows are quickly being sold out. But all is not Christmassy cheer with the amateur company. The new artistic director is throwing her money around, but making enemies with longstanding members, including the director and wardrobe mistress, and Tiny Tim is being played by a ten year old bully! The less Merry has to do with the amateur production the better, but when Mrs. Cratchit is murdered in her shop, she can’t help but get involved.

Something Borrowed, Something 90% Dark - A Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm happy to welcome Aunt Naomi to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Aunt Naomi on the pages of the Bean to Bar Mystery series by Amber Royer. Something Borrowed, Something 90% Dark is the sixth book in the series and is being released today!

5 Reasons my Niece Should Quit Being an Amateur Sleuth . . . and 1 Reason She Shouldn’t!

Hi! I’m Felicity Koerber’s Aunt Naomi. I’m a house flipper, currently flipping a boutique hotel on the beautiful island of Galveston, Texas. Felicity has taken a suite in the hotel, which is only appropriate since she is helping me finance the project, with money from the settlement after her husband’s death. Felicity had come a long way in moving forward in life, after moving home to Galveston and starting a chocolate business. She even has two love interests now for a second-chance romance – Arlo, who was her first boyfriend, back in high school. He’s now a cop. Oddly, they reconnected after one of Felicity’s employees was murdered at her shop’s Grand Opening, and he was assigned the case. The other one, Logan, was once her bodyguard – long story, but is now her business partner. My main problem with all of this is that they both keep getting Felicity caught up in murder investigations. I can see the appeal. I even had a try at being an amateur sleuth myself, back during that first case, but I realized quickly that it was not for me – and shouldn’t be for Felicity – for the following reasons.

5. It’s dangerous! Felicity has been threatened and nearly killed multiple times while trying to solve mysteries. And let’s not even talk about the time she and her friends got locked in a shipping container and left with the expectation that they’d run out of air. That had been a narrow escape! And recently, with the fire at her shop. Felicity has asthma – even though she’s undergone that experimental treatment to get rid of it. Bad air conditions still trigger her symptoms. But she seems willing to risk it to stop murderers.

4. It gives her a weird reputation. My niece moved back to Galveston to open a craft chocolate business. She wanted to travel the world to meet chocolate farmers, and to be known for producing excellent chocolate. And I know she wants to make friends in the community, here on the island, and to reconnect with people she knew before she and Kevin – her late husband – moved to Seattle. But now she’s “That Girl”. The one who always seems to wind up in the middle of murder investigations. I’ve heard people say they don’t want to get too close to her, for fear they’ll be next.

3. It takes a lot of time. Felicity has been trying to grow her business. And I’ll admit that by taking on extra employees, she has been able to keep up so far. Logan has even become her business partner, which was a big deal, because the chocolate shop was originally Felicity and Kevin’s dream for after he retired, which he didn’t live long enough to do. Letting go of part of that to share her business was a big benchmark in her rebuilding her life. But I would hate for her to lose sight of her dream entirely, chasing murderers to bring justice to people who don’t even stick around to thank her.

2. It has to be taking a mental toll. My niece is one of the sweetest people I know. I mean, she has flaws just like anyone. And yes, she may have not taken into account what other people are feeling at times, like with her breakup all those years ago with Arlo, or the misunderstandings she had with the bookstore owner last year. But she had a genuinely good heart and she’s always sorry for making missteps. And now she’s been seeing all these dead bodies. At least one of the murders, I know, she actually saw happen. As far as I know, she isn’t displaying symptoms of PTSD, and so far she seems able to process everything that has happened, but all of this has to be adding up mentally.

1. It makes ME worry. Every time Felicity comes home late, or when I hear an unfamiliar noise in the hotel. (Who am I kidding? This is a really old building. There are ALWAYS unfamiliar noises.) But every time something happens, I worry that someone is trying to silence Felicity for getting involved in their business. I’m getting close to finished with the hotel. But when it’s ready to flip, I don’t want to lose Felicity. I think she’s ready to get her own place, if she loses the privacy of having a suite. She isn’t going to want a spare room in whatever house I flip next. My husband works offshore, so I don’t know if I’m ready to lose her company. And if she isn’t living here – I’m going to worry about her that much more.

So, you see, I have laid out a reasonable case on why Felicity should quit sleuthing and focus on her chocolate business and her relationships. Only – I can’t see her doing that and being happy.

There’s only one reason I have for her continuing to be an amateur sleuth, but it’s a doozie.

1. She’s good at it. Felicity seems to empathize with people well, and they open up and talk to her in ways they wouldn’t talk to say Arlo in his official capacity. She is able to put together clues in a way I would probably miss. And it’s because she cares about people that she feels like she HAS to step in where needed. Take the events that have been unfolding over the last couple of days. Her friend Tiff – who is also my friend, since Tiff has been helping with the hotel flip and we’ve started hanging out together after – has been accused of murdering a childhood friend. That friend breezed into town, stole a few things, and wound up dead at an open house Tiff was hosting. Tiff’s main job is as a real estate agent. But you don’t see me trying to solve the murder. Yet, Felicity can’t help but try.

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 Something Borrowed, Something 90% Dark (A Bean to Bar Mystery) by Amber Royer

About Something Borrowed, Something 90% Dark

Something Borrowed, Something 90% Dark (A Bean to Bar Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 6th in Series
Setting - Texas
Golden Tip Press (September 12, 2023)

Print length: ‎ 301 pages Felicity Koerber’s bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand is hosting the friends and family coming into town for her best friend Autumn’s wedding. As matron of honor, Felicity has a ton of tasks to complete – including making chocolates for the gift bags. She doesn’t have time to solve another murder. But when one of the bridesmaids becomes a prime suspect in the death of a visiting real estate agent, Felicity has to put her detecting skills to use again to keep the wedding plans from getting derailed. She’s already nervous about the impeding deadline she’s given herself to finally choose between her two love interests – and figuring where life goes once she makes her choice. But add in a missing pigmy goat and a new coffee shop that wants to partner with her, and she’s frazzled. She begins to discover that not everything is as it seems among the wedding guests. Can she handle the wedding preparations, pull off turning her shop into a concert venue, and unmask the killer – before anyone else dies?

About Amber Royer

 

Amber Royer writes the CHOCOVERSE comic telenovela-style foodie-inspired space opera series, and the BEAN TO BAR MYSTERIES. She is also the author of STORY LIKE A JOURNALIST: A WORKBOOK FOR NOVELISTS, which boils down her writing knowledge into an actionable plan involving over 100 worksheets to build a comprehensive story plan for your novel. She blogs about creative writing techniques and all things chocolate at www.amberroyer.com. She also teaches creative writing and is an author coach. If you are very nice to her, she might make you cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes, of course.  

 

Author Links: 

Website: http://www.amberroyer.com  

Blog: http://amberroyer.com/blog/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberroyerauthor/  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Amber.Royer.Author/  

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoA_29HV2nPmRnox9LPVanw  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amber_royer  

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Amber-Royer/e/B00PFV4CGM  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8144619.Amber_Royer Book Trailer Video 1 Video 2  

Purchase Links - Amazon - 

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Toes in the Tulips - A Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Sophie to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Sophie on the pages of Toes in the Tulips by Katherine H. Brown. This book is the third in the Adventures of Gladys Mystery series and was released last week.

Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining our humble little blog tour this week. Can I get a round of applause for these amazing bloggers? (Imagines clapping.) And for my author for giving me a prime spot as secondary character with a too-cute bookstore in the book Toes in the Tulips? (More clapping.)

I’m Sophie, owner of Babbling Books the one and only bookstore in the quaint town of Seashell Bay. I must say, I was rather excited to make my official debut this time. In previous books, this author has only alluded to me but clearly it is my time to shine. I mean, I realized I’m not the actual main character. My friend Gladys stars in that role. However, I do play a very important part. After all, it was me who somewhat accidentally pointed the cops in her direction by blabbing about the poisonous plants she had been researching on the computers in my bookstore.

That sounds worse than it is. Truly, I was trying to help Gladys, not throw her under the bus when Madeline was found dead in the community garden tulips.

Anyway, that’s all in the past. Gladys forgave me and we sorted everything out. I even offered up my computers again when she needed to do some digging into the victim’s past. (Doesn’t that sound so official ‘victim’s past’ – I love this detective stuff but I prefer to solve cases in books at my store. At least for now.)

It has been a little nerve-wracking watching the way Gladys pushes for clues and tries to avoid getting arrested and so forth. Still, I like to think that me teaching her how to use the Mystery Book Nook forum online really helped her out. I even heard a rumor she is going to start using the forum to put together some tips of some kind on her own to help other amateur sleuths out there. I’ve got to say, if she does that then I’ll have to subscribe to the Mystery Book Nook forum myself so that I can read it. Gladys has a, um, colorful experience with mysteries. There was that time on the cruise ship…well, nevermind she doesn’t like talking about that one. I also heard she had a run-in with an old nemesis in Texas and ended up on the suspect list for murder there, too. Needless to say, she’s got to have some good advice at this point since so far, she keeps coming out on the good side of the law after all of these misunderstandings.

Oh, would you look at that. A customer! I have to go sell some books, folks, but thanks for chatting with me today.

Yours truly,

Sophie, bookstore owner extraordinaire

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Toes in the Tulips: (Adventures of Gladys) (The Mystery Book Nook Shared World) by Katherine H. Brown

About Toes in the Tulips

Toes in the Tulips: (Adventures of Gladys) (The Mystery Book Nook Shared World)
Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series
Setting - Seashell Bay, Alabama
Independently Published (September 5, 2023)
Number of Pages: 74 (word doc pages / 30k words)

Another who-dunnit featuring one of your favorite Senior sleuths as well as an exciting new installment of The Mystery Book Nook Shared World.

Gladys is head over heels excited for the new community garden project. In fact, she's created a whole new event: the Community Garden Plant Potluck. The plant potluck is more popular than even she imagined until one of the community garden members is found toes up in the tulips, dead as can be.

Gladys won't rest until the killer is planted in a jail cell and the Community Garden project is free to grow again. But when clues don't make sense, she might have to do a little out-of-the-box research using an interesting new resource, The Mystery Book Nook Forum, online.

Don't miss this fun new adventure with some favorite characters!

The Mystery Book Nook Shared World (3 books) No Good Deed Unpunished: (A Vangie Guillory Mystery) (The Mystery Book Nook Shared World) Estate in Peril: A Maude and Mabel Cozy Mystery (The Mystery Book Nook Shared World) Toes in the Tulips: (Adventures of Gladys) (The Mystery Book Nook Shared World)  

Adventures of Gladys Bonbon Voyage: Adventures of Gladys Humorous Senior Cozy Mystery Series Half-Baked Homecoming: Adventures of Gladys Humorous Senior Cozy Mystery Series Toes in the Tulips: (Adventures of Gladys) (The Mystery Book Nook Shared World)

About Katherine H. Brown

Katherine Brown is a wife, mom, Texas author, and unreformed bookaholic. From childhood, Katherine has devoured books for fun, for escape, for inspiration. As an author, it is Katherine's goal to provide that same fun escape for others and encourage a love of reading in any age group. Clean cozy mysteries with sass and good Southern manners are her specialty, though recently Katherine has taken the jump into the steampunk world with a fun twist on Mary Poppins inspired characters. When not writing, Katherine enjoys weekly trips to the library with her toddler, teaching yoga workouts, and spending time with family.

Author Links: 

Instagram instagram.com/katherinebrownkatie  

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18681694.Katherine_Brown  

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/katherine-h-brown 

 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/katherinebrownkatieauthor/  

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Katherine-Brown/e/B078J72H8M 

 Newsletter sign-ups: https://mailchi.mp/3ed2f71e303c/kbbnewsletterbookishinfo  

Purchase Link - Amazon  

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CSI: Cat Sleuth Investigation - A Review

 Review

CSI: CAT SLEUTH INVESTIGATION by Chris Abernathy
The Second Detective Whiskers Cat Cozy Mystery 

 

Detective Whiskers and Sheila's quiet life on the beach gets a little bit messier and a whole lot noisier when Sheila's grandson, Freddy, comes for a visit. Taking a job as a bartender at the local inn, Freddy learns to make cocktails, including the House Special Spanish Moss. But when a customer dies, the Chief of Police is eager to arrest Freddy since he was the one to serve the man. Now Detective Whiskers is on the job once again with Sheila and her friends also trying to prove Freddy's innocence.

I had to laugh at the disruption Freddy provides in the second Detective Whiskers Cat Cozy Mystery. Like Detective Whiskers, I too would be wishing for a shorter visit. But his stay gives the opportunity for fresh blood, a little romance, and extra snacks for Rodney!

I appreciate how Detective Whiskers has to deal with ramifications of his prior actions. I also love how he is the common sense detective, while Sheila and her friends can barge about. As a former cop, I can be critical of their actions, but I can't complain because Detective Whiskers calls them out too!

 

I really enjoyed the mystery, what a unique way to commit murder! Even more, I love the camaraderie of Sheila and her friends, and all of the animals.

 

CSI: CAT SLEUTH INVESTIGATION is a delightfully fast paced mystery filled with humor, pulse pounding moments, and friendship. Grab a cocktail and prepare to be delighted.

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Chapter and Curse by Elizabeth Penney. This book is the first in the Cambridge Bookshop Mystery series.

With nothing holding them in Vermont Molly Kimball and her mum, Nina, move to England to help run the family bookshop. Thrilled to be working at one of the oldest bookstores in Cambridge, Molly has lots of ideas to get the struggling store into the black. Their first major event, a poetry reading with Persephone Brightwell, Aunt Violet's old college classmate, is a huge success; that is until Molly stumbles upon the dead body of one of their guests in the back garden. It seems the victim wasn't exactly a nice old pensioner and when Aunt Violet becomes a prime suspect, Molly knows she can't just sit idly by. Along with her mum and newfound friends, Molly starts quietly looking into things. It turns out plenty of people had reason to want the victim dead, but who would also want Aunt Violet found guilty?