January 15, 2022
A bartender's third entanglement with murder is her most dangerous yet. Librarian Chloe Jackson left Chicago behind to help the grandmother of an old friend, little knowing she would have to become a sleuth. She now owns a quarter of the Sea Glass Saloon in the Florida Panhandle town of Emerald Cove and has made some good friends in fellow worker Joaquin and her partner, Vivi Slidell, who is always trying to set her up despite the fact that Chloe is in a slowly developing relationship with Rip Barnett. When a plane flies overhead carrying a banner saying "I love you Chloe Jackson" followed by the delivery of a large bouquet of her favorite lilacs and a magnum of her favorite wine, Chloe is at a loss as to the identity of her secret admirer. When she takes a run on the beach and Deputy Biffle stops her to announce that a dead man floating in a dune lake has a picture of her, she identifies the body of Perry Franklin, her ex-fiancee from Chicago, putting her at the top of the suspect list. Unfortunately, it also puts Rip in the frame, and Chloe has to investigate to clear them both. A little research reveals that Perry was totally different than the man she thought she knew, and the fact that several of his other former girlfriends are in town only adds to the confusion. Despite her brother's arriving to protect her, Chloe's adventurous spirit puts her in mortal danger. An enjoyable cozy read with plenty of suspects, romance, and a beachy vibe.
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