A Fatal Chapter

Zusatztext “Engrossing...credible characters.”— Publishers Weekly “Barrett! as always! balances her tale between the murder and the ever-changing lives of Stoneham’s residents. And the result is another winner.”— Richmond Times-Dispatch Informationen zum Autor Lorna Barrett is the New York Times bestselling author of the Booktown Mysteries, including Book Clubbed and Not the Killing Type . Klappentext New York Times bestselling author Lorna Barrett presents another page-turning chapter in her Booktown Mystery series as mystery bookshop owner Tricia Miles finds out that murder is no walk in the park… While out walking Sarge! her sister's bichon frise! bookshop owner Tricia Miles is led by the agitated dog to a man lying in a gazebo. She's startled when she recognizes Pete Renquist! the president of the Stoneham Historical Society! who appears to be suffering from cardiac arrest. When Pete later dies at the hospital! the discovery of a suspicious bruise and a puncture mark on his arm suggests he may have been murdered. Haunted by Pete's enigmatic last words to her! Tricia begins to consider who had a motive to kill her friend. Did Pete take his flirting too far! only to have a jealous husband teach him a lesson? Or did he discover something in the town's historical records that his killer wanted kept secret? Tricia is determined to get to the bottom of things before someone else becomes history… ACKNOWLEDGMENTS CONTENTS ONE “Say cheese,” Russ Smith called, and Tricia Miles watched as her sister, Angelica, and Pete Renquist dutifully smiled for the camera. They stood at the north end of the Baxter Building, a three-story brick edifice that housed By Hook or By Book, Stoneham’s crafty book-and-craft shop. Its owner, Mary Fairchild, stood to one side, waiting her turn to grin for posterity. Pete kept his gaze on Tricia and not the camera, waggling his eyebrows, smiling, and winking at her. After interacting with him for the past few months, she knew not to take him too seriously. Although he had a glib tongue, she knew he was all talk and no action. Still, his charm won out and she couldn’t help but like him. The camera clicked as Russ took another shot. Angelica posed à la Vanna White, showcasing a gilded plaque that proclaimed the year the building had been constructed, 1842, and that it had been presented by the Stoneham Historical Society, which Pete, its current president, represented. Eventually all the historic structures in the village would sport such plaques—but as the oldest structure along Main Street, the Baxter Building had the honor of being first. What seemed odd about this gathering was that the building’s owner, Bob Kelly, who had never missed an opportunity to toot his own horn, was not present. As far as Tricia knew, he’d been invited, but perhaps because his former lover Angelica, who now also possessed his former position as head of the Stoneham Chamber of Commerce, was present, he’d chosen not to attend. It was just as well. Lately Bob had become an even bigger pain in the butt than usual. Since the fire at Tricia’s mystery bookstore, Haven’t Got a Clue, almost seven months before, Bob had been pressuring Tricia to buy the building, something she’d be quite happy to do—if the price was right. Bob was asking for much more than Tricia wanted to pay. Of course, for months she’d been paying rent on a building she could neither use nor live in while she waited for the insurance company to decide what they’d pay toward her losses. Angelica had rented out the top floor of the Chamber’s new home to Tricia for a modest fee, since Tricia, who had nothing better to occupy her time, found herself working for the Chamber as an unpaid volunteer. “Let’s get Mary in the shot,” Russ called, his eyes suddenly visible above the viewfinder and flash on his Nikon. <...

Product details

• Authors: Lorna Barrett
• Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 03.05.2016
• EAN: 9780425262153
• ISBN: 978-0-425-26215-3
• No. of pages: 304
• Dimensions: 107 mm x 169 mm x 20 mm
• Series: A Booktown Mystery; Booktown Mysteries; A Booktown Mystery; Booktown Mystery
• Subject: Fiction > Suspense