A Willing Murder

July 16, 2018
Bestselling romance author Deveraux (Ever After) sets her overwrought debut mystery, an apparent series launch, in familiar territory. Successful romance writer Sara Medlar has returned in style to the Florida equivalent of Peyton Place, her hometown of Lachlan, which teems with rivalries, jealousies, and long-held grudges. Finding retirement dull, Sara welcomes her long-estranged niece, Kate Medlar, to live with her in her newly renovated mansion. Sara and Kate, along with local contractor Jack Wyatt, the self-made grandson of Sara’s first love, soon get caught up in a murder investigation when two skeletons are discovered on land Jack purchased to develop. One of the murder victims is long-missing Cheryl Morris, a beautiful girl from the wrong side of the tracks. The necklace Jack gave her years before not only identifies her body but stirs up ugly rumors from the past. Kate, Sara, and Jack’s attempt to solve the murders reveals Lachlan’s dark underbelly. Mary Higgins Clark fans will best appreciate this one. Agent: Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media.

August 1, 2018
The mystery debut of bestselling romance author Deveraux (As You Wish, 2018, etc.) starts with an unhappily-ever-after--an unsolved murder. But its heroine, a romance novelist, has a better ending in mind.After purchasing a house in her hometown of Lachlan, Florida, Sara Medlar makes a gruesome discovery in her yard. Buried beneath a poinciana tree with flaming red leaves are the skeletons of a mother and daughter. Sara's housemate, Jackson "Jack" Wyatt, knew the victims well. Cheryl Morris skipped town 20 years ago, just after her 16th birthday, presumably with her mother. Although Jack was younger, the two were friends, and he knew she aspired to be a television journalist, not a runaway. But Cheryl's mother was believed to be a prostitute, which was why only Jack questioned the family's disappearance. Jack is now a construction worker and the grandson Sara wished she'd had with his late grandfather, who married someone else. He's haunted by the car accident that killed his half brother and left him on crutches. Meanwhile, Sara's niece, realtor Kate Medlar, has joined Sara in Lachlan to learn more about her late father. Kate and Jack fight like siblings, but there's room for romance in future books. For now, Sara, Kate, and Jack form a trio of unlikely sleuths, using Sara's fame as an author and the house's notoriety as a crime scene to pump the locals for more information. Although the story's tone is dark, Deveraux's signature humor often peeks through, especially when the sheriff points out all the ways the trio's meddling has jeopardized the case.Fans of Deveraux and the cozy mystery genre will find common ground in this twisted tale of forgotten graves, small-town grudges, and new friends.

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August 1, 2018
Upon learning she has an aunt?famous, reclusive romance writer Sara Medlar?Kate Medlar becomes a real-estate agent in insular Lachlan, Florida, so she can learn more about her father, who died when she was a child. Sara enthusiastically welcomes her, inviting Kate to stay in her large home along with construction-company owner Jack Wyatt, on crutches recovering from a car accident that killed his half-brother. At one of Jack's sites, the three accidentally uncover the skeletons of Cheryl Morris and her mother, who supposedly left town 20 years before. Sara, Kate, and Jack, who at 11 worshipped the then-teenage Cheryl, investigate, determined to find justice for the two, uncovering decades-old secrets and stirring up a killer determined to protect those secrets. Complicating matters, the suave Alastair Stewart is romantically interested in Kate, annoying Jack. The three well-drawn main characters, plot twists, verbal sparring, and the romance elements distinguish this gentle suspense novel, the first venture into crime fiction by romance-megastar Deveraux. There's enough romance here, though, to interest those who enjoy reading Phyllis Whitney and Barbara Michaels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from August 1, 2018

When best-selling romance author Sara Medlar retires to her hometown of Lachlan, FL, and buys the mansion she'd admired as a child, she hires Jack Wyatt, grandson of her childhood boyfriend, to remodel it. She also offers her niece a place to stay when Kate accepts a job as a real estate agent in Lachlan. But Kate and Jack, who is also a house guest, are like oil and water, each irritating the other. When a storm knocks down a tree and uncovers human remains, the trio discover they do have something in common: the need to seek justice for the two women who disappeared 20 years earlier. It's not easy to uncover secrets in a small community. However, Sara, Kate, and Jack are pushy enough to ignore warnings and additional murders, even as they bicker with one another. Acclaimed romance author Deveraux (A Knight in Shining Armor) makes her mystery debut with this delightful small-town tale headed by three engaging leads, whose banter is amusing. At the same time, readers will sympathize with the victims. VERDICT Suggest for readers who enjoy witty mysteries, such as those by Deborah Coonts, as well as Deveraux's many fans. [See Prepub Alert, 3/12/18.]--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2018

Surprised that the author is Deveraux, mega-best-selling author of romance and women's fiction? Here she switches gears to write a mystery that opens with two corpses found in small-town Lachlan, FL. Everyone wants them buried figuratively as well as literally, and it takes a trio of risk-taking protagonists to uncover the truth. With a 150,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.