Beth Kennedy, PTA secretary and the PTA president, Erica Hale, are leaving a late meeting when they spot a car parked in the far corner of the lot. In it is another member, Sam Helmstetter, with his head on the steering wheel. At first he seems to be asleep, not a good thing in the Wisconsin winter, but he doesn't respond when they try to get his attention. As Beth is dialing 911, Erica opens the door, Sam falls out and they realize he's been strangled with a scarf.
With planning to host her entire family for Thanksgiving, finding a new bookseller, and preparing her children's bookshop for Christmas, Beth has plenty on her plate to keep her from getting involved this time. But when the Children's Bookshelf is boycotted because people believe the new employee is the murderer, Beth is forced to investigate.
Beth is a fairly typical divorced mother of two, struggling to run a business and raise her children with little help from her ex-husband, and somehow managing to successfully handle a romantic relationship and a position on the PTA board as well.
Occasionally the reader is required to suspend disbelief rather high, but this is the case with most small-town mysteries. Beth is an appealing protagonist, and the other characters fulfill their rôles admirably.
*FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the publisher, who sent me a copy of the book for review purposes.
Thanks for the review, Marlyn!
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