Cold Feet: A Stella Lavender Mystery

Stella Lavender, the appealing 26-year-old heroine of Pullen's absorbing first mystery, welcomes the chance to attend an outdoor wedding after spending long hours buying drugs undercover for North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation. Stella accompanies her book illustrator grandmother, Fern, to the Rosscairn Castle Bed and Breakfast, where Mike Olmert, whose mother is a new client of Fern's, is due to marry the curiously friendless Justine Bradley. Just before the ceremony, Justine is found dead in one of the B&B's guest rooms, evidently the victim of some lethal poison. To Stella's embarrassment, one of those investigating the homicide happens to be her philandering ex-fianc%C3%A9, an SBI researcher. That Justine's murder might never be solved brings back chilling memories of Stella's mother, Grace, who at age 23 was abducted during a gas station robbery and never seen again. Readers will hope to see a lot more of Stella in future installments. (Jan.)