Killer Calories: A Savannah Reid Mystery

Transplanted Georgia peach and former police officer Savannah Reid (last seen in Bitter Sweets, 1996) must quell her penchant for fattening foods as she looks for a former screen star's killer in this predictable but entertaining tale. After disco legend Kat Valentina dies at her Southern California health spa, Savannah, who operates the Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency, receives an envelope full of money. A note is enclosed asking her to investigate Kat's death, which the coroner has already ruled accidental. Suppressing her sweet tooth, Savannah goes undercover at the spa. She is suspicious from the beginning of those closest to Kat: her ex-husband, now the spa's manager, who's been trying to keep it afloat; a convicted stalker turned masseur; and an outspoken doctor who champions physician-assisted suicide. When she discovers that Kat was suffering from breast cancer and refused to submit to an operation, Savannah wonders if the death might have been suicide. Still unsure that the woman was indeed murdered, she and the members of her agency use their moxie to track down what really happened to the aging movie star. Astute readers will solve the mystery quickly, but McKevett's snappy style may hold their interest to the end anyway. (May)