Camellia Cove is dressed in its finest for the annual festival — flowers in bloom, tourists in pearls, and a gala that has been twelve years in the making. When a prominent visitor turns up dead and the investigation points somewhere no one expected to look, former insurance fraud investigator Tessa Keen has exactly the kind of background the case requires. She didn’t come back to her hometown to solve murders. But she has a notebook, a Jack Russell terrier named Pepper, and a mind that won’t let a crooked ledger go.
Camellia Cove itself is as much a character as any of its residents — a sun-drenched Southern resort town where everyone waves from the porch and everyone knows everyone’s business, which turns out to be precisely the problem. Tessa’s investigation takes her through boutique hotels, the winding lanes of the historic district, and conversations with people who have excellent manners and something to hide. The clues are all there for the careful reader. The only question is whether you’ll spot them before Tessa does.
If you love smart protagonists, charming settings, dry wit, and a puzzle with genuine teeth, Death at the Camellia Festival is the beginning of a series you won’t want to leave.
