Smile Beach Murder
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
From author Alicia Bessette comes an all-new mystery series featuring Callie Padget, a former reporter turned bookshop clerk in the Outer Banks who is pulled into a deadly web of secrets when a mysterious fall at a lighthouse echoes a tragedy from her past.
When Callie is laid off from her reporting job, she returns to her hometown of Cattail Island and lands a gig at the local bookstore—the same one where she found comfort after her mother died.
In fact, the anniversary of her mother’s infamous death is approaching. Years ago, Teri Padget tumbled from the top of the lighthouse. As islanders are once again gossiping about the tragedy, devastating news strikes: the lighthouse has claimed another victim. Eva Meeks, of Meeks Hardware.
The police are calling it suicide, but Callie does not believe Eva jumped any more than she believes her mother did—especially because Callie knows that before her death, Eva had dug up a long-forgotten treasure hunt that could have put a target on Eva’s back.
In Callie’s search for answers, she enlists the help of some beloved books and several new friends, including the handsome local martial arts instructor, Toby Dodge. But when another death rocks Cattail Island, Callie must face her fears alone. As she earns enemies in pursuit of the truth, Callie knows she will either uncover the killer or become a victim herself.
Mystery Writers of America’s Lilian Jackson Braun Memorial Award nominee
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this perky series launch from Bessette (Simply from Scratch), Callie Paget, a single, 38-year-old journalist who loves Mary Higgins Clark novels, has reluctantly returned home to Cattail Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks after being laid off at the Charlotte Times. She takes a job at the island's bookstore, where she runs into high school pal Eva Meeks, who's searching for books on Blackbeard's treasure. Legend has it the treasure is somewhere on the island, and Eva believes she has dug up a clue pointing to Cattail Lighthouse. Callie demurs when Eva invites her to join her on the treasure hunt, so when Eva is found dead at the bottom of the lighthouse, Callie is devastated. Her death is ruled a suicide, but Callie can't believe Eva would do that to her daughter, who's only 12—the same age Callie was when her own mother fell from the top of the lighthouse 26 years to the day earlier. Bessette offers everything a cozy lover could possibly want: a charming setting with a host of quirky natives, a bookstore with a cat, a lighthouse, and a hunky potential boyfriend. With any luck, the appealing Callie will be back soon.
