Always With a Book

First line: It’s like dancing sitting down. From the inside cover: Jack Mullen is in law school in New York City when the news comes that his brother, Peter, has drowned in the ocean off East Hampton. Jack knows his brother practically grew up in the water, and that this couldn’t be an accident. Someone must have wanted his brother dead. But the police say otherwise. As Jack tries to…

First line: “Girlfriend, this is not your thing,” Lance said as he passed over three napkins, then clucked his tongue. From the back cover: WANTED: -Single mom seeks billionaire’s pocketbook to fund dying son’s research cure. Will seduce if necessary. Blackmail is not out of the question. Miracles welcome. -Cynical billionaire seeks working mom with a heart of gold for PR campaign to improve his standing in the community. Must…

First line: Most people hate Mondays. From the back cover: I don’t meddle, honest! But can I help it if my nose for injustice is as keen as my green thumb? Now I, Abby Knight, law school dropout, am the proud new owner of Bloomers, my hometown flower shop. I’m devoted to making my business grow, but I’m no shrinking violet if someone needs my help to right a wrong…

First line: Dear Sophie, My fiance’s former girlfriend showed up at our engagement party uninvited and released four dozen white mice. From the back cover: Sophie Winston’s sister, Hannah, is getting married – again! And if you ask Sophie, her future brother-in-law is no prince. But is he a killer? That’s the question on everyone’s mind when his ex-wife is found hanging from a pergola. This is one event Sophie…

First line: “That’s the place,” said Carmela Bertrand. From the inside cover: Carmela, owner of Memory Mine scrapbooking shop, and her best friend, Ava Gruiex, owner of Juju Voodoo, have a big project ahead. Melody Mayfeldt is converting an old mansion in the Faubourg Marigny district into an unforgettable haunted house for those who flock to New Orleans for a creepy fix. She needs Carmela’s crafty touch to make the…

First line: It wasn’t that Carmela didn’t like Mardi Gras. From the inside cover: Amid zydeco rhythms and popping champagne corks, bead-draped revelers are moving into the streets, and Jekyl Hardy is playing host to a party in his elegant French Quarter apartment. On a wild night like this, anything can happen. The guests – including Carmela – never imagine it will be murder. But as the evening progresses, Jekyl’s…

First line: “A loup-garou!” exclaimed Carmela Bertrand. From the inside cover: With Halloween barely a week away, things are getting even spookier than usual in New Orleans. A party at Juju Voodoo draws a fabulous throng, and Carmela’s friend Ava has hired a sexy tarot reader named Giovanni to work the crowd. What he doesn’t foretell is that on her way home Carmela will find the body of a beautiful…

First line: “My very favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.” From the back cover: Few can compete with the Natasha Smith when it comes to entertaining, but her childhood rival, Sophie Winston, certainly tries. While Natasha is known for her intricate centerpieces and painstakingly prepared gourmet meals, Sophie likes to keep things simple…real simple. Natasha may have stolen the spotlight – and Sophie’s husband – but Sophie is determined to take home…

First line: It was only the second time in the more than twelve years since her divorce that Megan O’Brien had been home in Chesapeake Shores during the holiday season. From the inside cover: After years apart, Mick and Megan O’Brien are finally ready to make it official…again. Most of their grown children couldn’t be happier about their rekindled love and impending marriage this holiday season. Only Connor is a…

First line: Something drew Kiley Gray to the antique shop. From the inside cover: On a blustery afternoon, Kiley Gray wanders into an antique shop and buys an enchanting snow globe. “There’s a story behind that snow globe,” the antique dealer tells her. The original owner, he explains, was a German toymaker who lost his wife and son right before Christmas. When the grieving widower received the handcrafted snow globe…

First line: Francesca Moretti thought she couldn’t be seeing what she was seeing. From the back cover: The bodies of seven women have been discovered in Skull Valley, Arizona. Jonah Young, a private security operative from Department 6, has been hired by the Yavapai County sheriff to assist in solving these murders. But Jonah’s not prepared for the complications that arise when he’s forced to work with a woman from…

First line: “…seven-teen, eight-teen…nine-teen…twenty!” From the inside cover: Her friends are stunned when Phoebe Swift abruptly leaves a plum job at the prestigious Sotheby’s auction house to open her own vintage clothing shop in London – but to Phoebe, it’s the fulfillment of a dream. In the sunlight-flooded interior of Village Vintage, surrounded by Yves Saint Laurent silk scarves, Vivienne Westwood bustle skirts, cupcake dresses, and satin gowns, Phoebe hopes…

First line: My father would never have asked me to take a leave of absence from my job in New York City if he could have handled my sister’s wedding and the “Jezebel” plotting to preempt it without me. From the back cover: With years of experience working for a top New York designer, Madeira Cutler has learned to appreciate the clean line, rich texture, and elegant draping of a…

First line: From her window Kit Zanetti can see absolutely everything that happens on Commerce Street. From the back cover: It is 1950 in glittering, vibrant New York City. Lucia Sartori is the beautiful twenty-five-old daughter of a prosperous Italian grocer in Greenwich Village. The postwar boom is rife with opportunities for talented girls with ambition, and Lucia becomes an apprentice to an up-and-coming designer at chic B. Altman department…