Three Bedrooms, Two Baths, One Very Dead Corpse

James’s sparkling debut introduces an appealing new sleuth, dizzy Palms Springs, Calif., realtor Amanda Thorne. Still adjusting to single life after divorcing Alex, her super successful but decidedly gay husband, Amanda yearns to become Apex Realty’s number one agent. Sadly, her first showing of a major listing is a total disaster when she discovers environmentalist Doc Winters fatally poisoned. As Amanda races to clear her name, Alex lends support and police detective Ken Becker offers welcome romantic distraction. Since Doc was against the development of land on the Chino Cone, a local landmark, Amanda suspects that pro-development realtor Mary Dodge might be guilty. The subsequent murders of another agent and Doc’s girlfriend add a stressful twist, and Amanda figures there’s more at stake than just closing a deal or saving the environment. Witty, accident-prone Amanda should attract fans of Rick Copp, Laura Levine, and R.T. Jordan. (Oct.)