Color Me Murder

In Davis’s diverting premier Pen and Ink mystery, Florrie Fox, adult coloring book artist and manager of Color Me Read Bookstore in Georgetown, Va., turns sleuth when her beloved mentor and boss, Professor John Maxwell, is accused of murdering his loathsome nephew, Delbert Woodley. Florrie discovered Delbert’s body in a bootleggers’ hidey-hole in the floor of the bookstore, stabbed in the back with a spear that had previously been on the wall in Maxwell’s office. Delbert was a con man and a creep, so there are plenty of people who may have wanted him dead, many of whom Florrie cares about—including her own sister, Veronica. Fortunately, everyone in the Washington, D.C., area is willing to tell Florrie everything they know about Delbert. The mystery is pleasantly twisty, but Davis is more interested in introducing her appealing cast of characters—including a hunky blue-eyed cop, a fatherly butler, and a popular author on the run—whose backstories lend themselves nicely to future plots for this carefully crafted cozy series. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds. (Mar.)