Natalie Rathvon Boeken

Mystery bookstore owner Samantha Washington is trying to keep her grandmother from spending her golden years in an orange jumpsuit...The small town of North Harbor, Michigan, is just not big enough for the two of them: flamboyant phony Maria Romanov and feisty Nana Jo. The insufferable Maria claims she's descended from Russian royalty and even had a fling with King Edward VIIII back in the day. She's not just a lousy liar, she's a bad actresss, so when she nabs the lead in the Shady Acres Senior Follies--a part Nana Jo plays every year in their retirement village production--Nana Jo blows a gasket and reads her the riot act in front of everyone. Of course, when Maria is silenced with a bullet to the head, Nana Jo lands on the leading role on the suspects list. Sam's been writing her newest mystery, set in England between the wars, with her intrepid heroine Lady Daphne drawn into murder and scandal in the household of Winston Churchill. But now she has to prove that Nana Jo's been framed. With help from her grandmother's posse of rambunctious retirees, Sam shines a spotlight on Maria's secrets, hoping to draw the real killer out of the shadows... -- From back cover

Bookstore owner Samantha Washington sells and solves mysteries in North Harbor, Michigan—including the murder of her mother's wedding planner . . . Sam's mother can't wait to wed her wealthy beau, Harold Robertson. The big mystery is how they're going to pull off a lavish wedding in three weeks. Harold's snobby sister-in-law proposes a solution: engage flamboyant wedding planner Lydia Lighthouse. But their beacon of hope quickly sends everyone into a blind rage, most of all the groom-to-be. So when the maddening micromanager is strangled with her own scarf, it's a shock, but not a surprise. It’s a case of art imitating life as Sam pens her next historical mystery set in England between the wars. Lady Daphne Marsh insists on marrying Lord James Browning on Christmas Eve, three weeks hence. But when the fop planning their wedding ends up with a knife in his back, she vows to nab the backstabber before she walks down the aisle. Meanwhile, when she’s not writing, Sam and her beloved and boisterous Nana Jo rush to shine a light on Lydia's killer—so her mother's new husband won't spend his honeymoon behind bars . . . Praise for The Plot Is Murder “Readers of Carolyn Hart and Vicki Delany will appreciate the lively seniors, the humor, and the bookstore environment.” —Library Journal (Starred Review)

"To the town of North Harbor, Michigan, MISU quarterback Dawson Alexander is a local hero. To Samantha Washington, owner of the Market Street Mysteries Bookstore, Dawson is more than a tenant--he's like an adopted son. But to the police, he is their prime suspect after his ex-girlfriend is found murdered. It's more than enough real-life drama for Sam to tackle, but her role as a mystery writer also calls"--Amazon.com.

When a shady realtor turns up dead in her backyard, bookshop owner Samantha Washington investigates with the help of her feisty grandmother and an enthusiastic ensemble of colorful retirees. Samantha Washington is opening a mystery bookstore in North Harbor, Michigan, on the shores of Lake Michigan. She's also penning a cozy mystery set in England. When a shady realtor turns up dead in her backyard, the police suspect Samantha. Aided by her feisty grandmother and an enthusiastic ensemble of colorful retirees, Samantha is determined to close the case before she opens her store.