Murder of a Bookstore Babe

Table of Contents

 

 

“The latest carefully crafted installment...features a charming heroine who is equally skilled at juggling detection and romance.”

 

“Yet another winner. A great group of characters surround protagonist Skye Denison. . . . This series always brings a smile and this one is loads of fun.”

 

“Ms. Swanson is quite crafty . . . a tightly woven mystery [and] page-turning read.”

—
Once Upon a Romance Reviews

 

“This book was very hard to put down. I enjoyed it tremendously and highly recommend it.”

—
Gumshoe

 

“Denise Swanson’s Scumble River mysteries are always fun to read . . . a strong whodunit with solid twists.”

 

“A trip to Scumble River is like visiting with old friends . . . another entry into a fine series that is sure to be on most must-read lists.”

—
The Mystery Reader

 

“Scumble River mysteries are well constructed, well written, and each one is better than the last—and they’re just plain fun to read. Readers of cozy mysteries who haven’t read Denise Swanson’s books are in for a real treat when they do.”

—
Cozy Library

 

“Denise Swanson neatly seasons the cleverly crafted plot of
Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry
with a generous dash of romance as Skye’s relationship with Scumble River’s police chief, Wally Boyd, continues to simmer neatly along.”

 

“Top-notch storytelling with truly unique and wonderful characters.”

 

“With its endearing hero, terrific cast of realistically quirky secondary characters, and generous soupçon of humor,
Murder of a Botoxed Blonde
. . . is a delight.”

 

“Tight plotting and plenty of surprises keep this series on my must-read list.”

 

“Swanson is a born storyteller.”

 

“Another knee-slapping adventure in Scumble River.”

—The Amplifier
(KY)

“[Swanson] smartly spins on a solid plot and likable characters.”

 

“[A] hilarious amateur sleuth mystery. . . . [Swanson] has a lot of surprises in store for the reader.”

 

“The must-read book of the summer.”

—Butler County Post
(KY)

 

“Current readers will appreciate the trip into Scumble River, while new readers will want to go back.”

—
The Best Reviews

 

“Swanson continues her lively, light, and quite insightful look at small-town life.”

 

“Another side-splitting visit to Scumble River . . . filled with some of the quirkiest and most eccentric characters we ever have met, with a sharp, witty protagonist.”

—Butler County Post
(KY)

 

“An endearing and realistic character . . . a fast-paced, enjoyable read.”

—The Herald News
(MA)

 

“This book is delightful. . . . The characters are human and generous and worth following through the series.”

—
Mysterious Woman

 

“A smooth, pleasant, and ultimately satisfying book.”

 

“Another delightful and intriguing escapade.”

 

“More fun than the whirlagig at the county fair and tastier than a corn dog.”

—
The Charlotte Austin Review

 

“Swanson is on her way to the top of the genre . . . a magnificent tale written by a wonderful author.”

 

“Bounces along with gently wry humor and jaunty twists and turns. The quintessential amateur sleuth: bright, curious, and more than a little nervy.”

—Agatha Award–winning author Earlene Fowler

 

“A likable new heroine reminiscent of some of our favorite childhood detectives—with a little bit of an edge.”

—
The Charlotte Austin Review

 

“A charming, insightful debut.”

—Carolyn Hart

OBSIDIAN
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First published by Obsidian, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

First Printing, March 2011

Copyright © Denise Swanson Stybr, 2011

All rights reserved

 

OBSIDIAN and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

 

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

 

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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ISBN : 978-1-101-56503-2

Thank you to Valerie McCaffrey for helping me figure out Chase’s profession and for Skye’s great vintage belt. Thanks also to Melissa Kantor for allowing me to use her book
If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where’s My Prince?
Hugs to my new grandnephew, Ethan Graham, and my new niece-in-law, Natalie Beckham Vanderhyden.

In July 2000, when the first book in my Scumble River series,
Murder of a Small-Town Honey
, was published, it was written in “real time.” It was the year 2000 in Skye’s life as well as mine, but after several books in a series, time becomes a problem. It takes me from seven months to a year to write a book, and then it is usually another year from the time I turn that book in to my editor until the reader sees it on a bookstore shelf. This can make the time line confusing. Different authors handle this matter in different ways. After a great deal of deliberation, I decided that Skye and her friends and family will age more slowly than those of us who don’t live in Scumble River. While I made this decision as I wrote the fourth book in the series,
Murder of a Snake in the Grass
, I didn’t realize until recently that I needed to share this information with my readers. So, to catch everyone up, the following is when the books take place: