Part of Blue Ridge Library Mysteries
First published 2021
Amy Webber thought married life in Taylorsford, Virginia would be peaceful. Her husband Richard works on choreographing a folk dance suite while Amy researches the source material at the library. Then a woman's corpse appears in Zelda Shoemaker's backyard gazebo. Chief Deputy Brad Tucker finds a blackmail letter in the victim's pocket and puts Zelda at the top of his suspect list. Amy's aunt Lydia pleads with her to clear Zelda's name, but Zelda refuses to explain why someone would blackmail her. Amy digs into old records and discovers a past tragedy that makes Zelda look guilty. She recruits Richard, Lydia, art dealer Kurt Kendrick, and other townspeople to help prove Zelda's innocence. The investigation grows dangerous as the real killer remains free. Amy must solve the case before she becomes the next victim.
Genres: american-fiction, mystery, contemporary, adult-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, engaging, small-town, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family, small-town-secrets
Setting: Taylorsford, Virginia
Period: 21st-century
352 pages · Kindle Edition · Crooked Lane Books
Content warnings: death, murder