LITERALLY DEAD

By Lois Winston

Gracie Elliott is back, and fans of Lois Winston’s hilarious Empty Nest Mystery series couldn’t be happier. After her disastrous attempt to earn cash by starting an introduction service for seniors in Book 1, “Definitely Dead,” Gracie decides that she wants to be a published romance author. She’s thrilled when her first manuscript wins the Cream of the Crop award, a contest for unpublished writers. And off she goes, along with her hunky husband, Blake, to accept her award at a three-day conference in NYC.

Naturally, being Gracie, things don’t go exactly as planned, beginning with the moment she learns her idol, Lovinia Darling, a.k.a. the Queen of Romance, is nothing like the friendly author she expects. In fact, if her peers gave a prize for most-hated romance author, there’s no question that Lovinia would win. Not only is Lovinia an odious bully who treats her peers and assistant like dirt, she’s also being sued for plagiarizing.

There are some helpful people at the conference, however, including bestselling author Paisley Prentiss, who takes Gracie under her wing and guides her through the intricate backstage politics of the event. Paisley insists that the real place for Gracie to make contacts isn’t at the conference sessions but at the hotel bar, where she introduces Gracie to her own agent. Gracie is thrilled when the agent asks to see her manuscript. She’s on her way!

A short time after leaving the bar, Gracie discovers Lovinia’s lifeless body in the hotel stairwell, apparently, the victim of a fall. But since Lovinia was hated by so many people, the always curious Gracie suspects her death was no accident and decides to figure out whodunit.

“Literally Dead” is a well-crafted mystery that will delight and entertain cozy fans, as well as offer a backstage look at what can happen at a high-powered publishing conference. I can’t wait to see what trouble Gracie will get herself into next. I loved this book. Literally!