Synopsis

Actress Veronica Walsh receives an unwelcome present when she returns to her Adirondack hometown after her soap opera’s cancellation. Hours after arriving, Veronica’s life imitates art when she finds her neighbor’s body. She assumes the role of sleuth, fingering suspects in the powerful businesswoman’s death— the retail tenant threatened with eviction, the mall developer whose deal she thwarted, and the broken-hearted suitor.

Twists straight from a script, including two leading men vying for her attention, entangle Veronica as she gathers clues. Will Veronica solve the case, or will the killer be as elusive as an acting job? And will she play the heroine or the damsel in distress?

Review

I think this is going to be a fun cozy series. I like that the protagonist is a “retired” soap opera star, sure it was a forced retirement since her show went off the air. She is a bit older, probably in her 50’s so she has a different outlook on life.  I won’t say I grew up watching soaps, but there was a time where I watched General Hospital faithfully.

The mystery is well written because I didn’t figure it out until nearly the very end. There are several potential killers, all with good reasons to kill Anna, but only one could be the culprit.

And of course there is a love story in the making which will be nice for Veronica because while she may have been married 6 times on her soap, that doesn’t make for real life romance. We’ll see how this story line progresses in the next book.

We give the book 4 paws up!

Excerpt

I climbed Anna’s front steps at nine-thirty, convincing myself that coffee with her would not be a trial. Tim’s caution to be careful was my silent mantra.

I pressed the doorbell and waited for Anna. After a few moments, I rang again. Still no response. I rapped three times on the door.

“Anna?” I called.

I wondered for a moment if she had forgotten her invitation. Considering she might be in her backyard, I walked around the house—her car was in the driveway—and turned into the yard. No Anna.

I swept up the back porch steps to the kitchen entrance. The door was ajar. I tapped on its frame, calling Anna’s name.

Hearing no response, I again said, “Anna?”

I pushed open the door and took a step into the kitchen. The breakfast table, usually parallel to the island, stood at an angle, one corner shoved against the wall. Two chairs had been overturned. Scattered across the floor between the table and island were shards of china, cloth napkins, silverware, and a dented box from Rizzuto’s, its red and green string still tied around it. The napkins soaked up coffee spilled from a smashed glass carafe. The damage reminded me of the “redecorating” Melanie and I would do to a set during one of our characters’ famous brawls.

And then I noticed one of the red stilettos Anna had worn the night before on the floor between the stove and island. A cast-iron skillet lay beside the shoe.

I stepped to the right of the island to avoid the mess and instantly knew I wasn’t in a television studio. Anna lay sprawled on her side, her hair splayed across her face and her right arm extended across the floor.

I rushed to her. “Anna!” Kneeling, I pulled back a few locks of the hair covering her face, flinching when I saw blood around her nose and on the floor.

I pressed my fingers to her neck to check for her pulse. “Come on!” I pleaded as my fingers swept across her skin searching for rhythm in her heart as my own heart hammered a frantic beat.

About the Author

Jeanne Quigley grew up reading mysteries, watching soap operas, and vacationing in the Adirondacks, never imagining these pleasures would inspire the Veronica Walsh cozy mystery series. Jeanne’s love of characters—real and fictional—led her to study Sociology and English at the University of Notre Dame. Jeanne has never been a soap star, but she has worked in the music industry and for an education publisher. She resides in Rockland County, New York and is a member of the Sisters in Crime.

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