Drop Dead Sisters

Three siblings scramble to dispose of a dead body in this delightful mystery debut from romance author Coombs (All Alone with You). Much to their parents’ dismay, Elaine, Maeve, and Remi Fitch aren’t close—especially the much younger Remi, who suffers from what her therapist calls “millennial ennui.” As the sisters prepare to gather on the Fourth of July to celebrate their parents’ anniversary, Remi braces herself for three days of camping and togetherness at California’s Fallen Lake State Park. Early in the trip, a frightening run-in with the odious Guy Morton—Remi’s childhood tormentor—leads to his accidental death. No one knows exactly what happened, but the sisters bicker and bond as they try to hide Guy’s body without tipping off Leo, a handsome park ranger. With the park locked down as the police hunt for Guy, Remi begins to see her family in a new light; after all, they know where the bodies are buried. Coombs laces the proceedings with plenty of black humor, à la Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble with Harry, and works in surprisingly moving meditations on sisterhood. Here’s hoping a sequel is in the works. Agent: Melanie Figueroa, Root Literary. (Nov.)