A Colorful Scheme
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4.5 • 28 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
After a wedding guest’s murder, Florrie Fox sees a picture taking shape . . .
Coloring-book creator and Washington, DC, bookstore owner Florrie Fox is attending the wedding of her wealthy boss and a famous romance author, who are taking their vows—for the second time—on the grounds of the gorgeous Maxwell mansion. But it soon becomes clear that the soothing vibe of coloring books is very different from the stress and backstabbing in some corners of the literary world.
Arthur Bedlingham, for example, barely makes a living despite the many awards he’s won—and his chances for better sales haven’t been helped by the vicious review he just got from another guest at the party. Then there’s an ex–FBI agent whose popular thrillers are a magnet for female fans; a less-successful romance writer; and an ambitious waitress who’s intent on a career in journalism.
When Arthur’s assistant, an aspiring writer, is murdered during the festivities, Florrie realizes this is no color-by-numbers case, and she’ll have to sort out the complicated secrets among this creative crowd of suspects . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the start of Davis's lively fourth Pen and Ink mystery (after 2021's Murder Outside the Lines), coloring book designer Florrie Fox, who lives in the carriage house behind the mansion of wealthy John Maxwell in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., is alarmed when Mr. DuBois, Maxwell's butler, bangs on her door. Mr. DuBois is looking for Jacqueline Liebhaber, an internationally known romance author who's due to wed his master that day. Florrie discovers the bride-to-be, dazed and disoriented, lying behind a nearby garden hedge. Jacqueline recovers quickly and begs Florrie not to call an ambulance or involve the police. The 500-guest wedding goes on as planned, and the reception is a hotbed of enjoyable snarkiness as the authors, book reviewers, and agents in attendance share their views on success and, of course, money. The following morning one of them is found dead, floating in the Maxwell swimming pool. Davis juggles several intriguing mysteries that keep readers eagerly turning pages while, perhaps, munching a strawberry cupcake or sipping on a Lemon Drop Martini, for which recipes are included. Cozy fans will be well satisfied.
