Peril in Pink: A Hudson Valley B&B Mystery

The opening weekend of a hot new bed-and-breakfast gets thrown off course by a pair of murders in this charming debut cozy from Leigh, a former high school English teacher. Jess Byrnes and her best friend, Kat, have finally finished converting a Fletcher Lake, N.Y., mansion owned by Jess’s grandmother into the Pearl B&B. For opening weekend, they’ve booked a performance from Jess’s high school boyfriend, Lars Armstrong, who’s fresh off of winning the latest season of the reality competition show Sing It!. Other guests include Jess’s school nemesis and Lars’s obnoxious stepfather/manager, Bob. The weekend hits the skids when Bob is found dead in his room, and Lars no-shows for his scheduled performance, creating an opportunity for surprise guest George Havers—runner-up to Lars on Sing It!—to step in and save the day. Scrambling to salvage a positive experience for her guests, and aid the handsome Detective Holloway in solving the murder, Jess panics when a second homicide rocks the Pearl and Lars is found at the scene. Could her old flame be a cold-blooded killer? Though Leigh stocks the pond with one too many suspects, she keeps things breezy and bright. Bring on the sequel. Agent: Carol Woien, Blue Ridge Agency. (Mar.)