Faith on the Rocks: A Daisy Arthur Mystery

Early in Malik’s entertaining first novel, Lt. Gabriel Caerphilly of the Littleton, Colo., police calls on the Hugs ’N’ Kisses Romance Writers’ Critique Group to inform them that one of their two male members, Fr. Rico Sanchez, has been found dead in the Platte River, an apparent murder victim. At the previous week’s meeting, recently widowed Daisy Arthur, a former special education teacher, was dazzled by the charms of the “scrumptious” Rico, despite his criticism of her work, and stunned to learn that he was a Catholic priest. Where did Rico get the fodder for his romance writing, she had to wonder. Now, with time on her hands, Daisy resolves to dig into whodunit. She soon discovers that everyone in the group and others outside it had motive for wishing Rico dead. Meanwhile, Gabe, the single father of one of Daisy’s special-needs students, lends some romantic interest. Cozy fans will look forward to seeing more of Daisy. (June)