Conch Shell Murder (Five Star First Edition Mystery Series)

Newly licensed Private Detective Katie Hasworth faces her first murder case with more than a little anxiety - not only is she a newcomer, but the Chitting family would give Sherlock Holmes a migraine. Who murdered Alexa Chitting before she had time to change her will, leaving her fortune to the Key West Preservation Society rather than to friends and family? Her husband? Lover? Daughter? Katie faces more questions than answers as she faces the dangers awaiting her as she solves his murder.

In the wake of a traumatic classroom shooting, teacher Katie Hassworth turns private detective in Francis's stylish, fast-moving adult mystery debut, set in Key West. When an intruder bludgeons prominent entrepreneur Alexa Chitting to death with a conch shell in what appears to be a drug-related robbery at Alexa's marina office, the victim's daughter gets her close friend Katie to investigate. With her partner, Mac McCartel, away on another assignment, the less-than-secure Katie must do her best to crack her first case on her own. Conflicts over an endangered salt pond, an affordable housing project and a sudden change of will beneficiaries provide a murder motive for everyone from the panhandler selling information to the stunningly efficient manager of the Department of Community Affairs. An attractive and intelligent sleuth, Katie thoroughly explores all leads, albeit considerably distracted by the attentions of the town's tanned and handsome mayor, Rex Layton. Local lore, history, food, and fauna and flora add interest without overburdening a smoothly written and suspenseful tale.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Francis, known for her mysteries for young adults, has written her first for adults. The story introduces Katie Haswoth, a recently licensed private detective in Key West. As a newcomer to the community, she faces a complicated case involving a prominent family. Alexa Chitting, owner of a prosperous marina, lies dead in her office. Someone killed her before she had a chance to sign a new will leaving her fortune to the Key West Preservation Society instead of her family and friends. The list of suspects includes her husband, lover, daughter, son-in-law, and secretary. The mayor and the housing-development director may be involved, too. Sorting out family entanglements and political corruption will give Katie a chance to establish herself as a detective if she can survive to solve the crime. Most Key West mysteries lean toward the hard-boiled, but this one gives cozy fans a chance to enjoy Margaritaville, too. Barbara Bibel
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