Peril in Pink

February 1, 2024
Murder threatens the opening weekend at an upstate New York bed and breakfast. Jess Byrne and her business partner, Kat Miller, have every reason to be optimistic about the future of Pearl, their pink-themed B&B in Fletcher Lake. Ever since they were featured in the New York Times' list of up-and-coming Hudson Valley hot spots, they've been booked solid for the entire season. But disaster strikes quickly. On their second morning, Jess' sister-in-law finds a body in the lake, threatening the chill vibe that had been building from the inn's free-flowing ros� and a successful set from guitarist George Havers, a last-minute replacement for Jess' ex-boyfriend Lars Armstrong. Lars' now-late manager, Bob Strapp, was so universally despised that Jess can think of nearly a dozen suspects. There are so many characters, in fact, that Leigh sometimes seems to lose track of what they're up to. Some of them comment on events they've never been told about, as when Kat taunts Lars about his financial woes, which he's revealed only to Jess. Jess decides that her mother's aid will be pivotal to solving Bob's murder, then drops Mom for a dozen chapters. Leigh can forget what she's written earlier in the very same scene. When Jess and Detective James Holloway interview Havers in his room, the musician is "using a towel to shield his lower half." A page later, he sweeps up his paramour in his arms and carries her to the bed, still in front of Jess and James. What happened to that towel? After interviewing a suspect, Jess sits in her van and confesses herself "now more confused than ever." She's not the only one. Pearl survives its debut, but Leigh needs better expository strategies if she's planning a follow-up.

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April 1, 2024
The opening weekend of a hot new bed-and-breakfast gets thrown off course by a pair of murders in this charming debut cozy from Leigh, a former high school English teacher. Jess Byrnes and her best friend, Kat, have finally finished converting a Fletcher Lake, N.Y., mansion owned by Jess’s grandmother into the Pearl B&B. For opening weekend, they’ve booked a performance from Jess’s high school boyfriend, Lars Armstrong, who’s fresh off of winning the latest season of the reality competition show Sing It!. Other guests include Jess’s school nemesis and Lars’s obnoxious stepfather/manager, Bob. The weekend hits the skids when Bob is found dead in his room, and Lars no-shows for his scheduled performance, creating an opportunity for surprise guest George Havers—runner-up to Lars on Sing It!—to step in and save the day. Scrambling to salvage a positive experience for her guests, and aid the handsome Detective Holloway in solving the murder, Jess panics when a second homicide rocks the Pearl and Lars is found at the scene. Could her old flame be a cold-blooded killer? Though Leigh stocks the pond with one too many suspects, she keeps things breezy and bright. Bring on the sequel. Agent: Carol Woien, Blue Ridge Agency.

March 8, 2024
The grand opening of Pearl, the B&B Jess Byrne and her best friend Kat Miller are launching in their hometown of Fletcher Lake in the Hudson Valley, should be a success. Cool Vibes Caf�, run by her brother Nate in the adjacent garage, gets good crowds. Jess has lined up a special performance by up-and-coming rock star Lars Anderson. It's a favor to Jess, his high-school sweetheart, but his return also brings Jess' high-school rival Britt--and her new client, competing rock star George, and Lars' manager and stepfather, Bob, generally loathed throughout Fletcher Lake for his past shady dealings. But Lars stands Jess up, and George gamely fills in. The next morning, Bob is found dead, and the B&B is put on lockdown while police investigate. Desperate to be sure her new enterprise survives, Jess calls in her mother and her best friend, the intake clerk at the police station, to help. Even Aunt Marnie, a Deadhead, and Jess' husky Duke get involved in the drama of this new series launch.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.