Roundtree Days

This exceptional series launch from Elias (the Daniel Jacobus mysteries) introduces Jefferson Dance, who steps in as deputy sheriff of Loomis City, Utah, during the town’s annual Roundtree Days Festival Weekend. The event, which celebrates a contemporary western TV series focusing on the dysfunctional Roundtree family, brings in mostly elderly tourists, who crave the opportunity to see their favorite stars in the flesh. Meanwhile, Dance is called to Sheriff Merle Tuttle’s ranch to investigate a suspicious fire at his stable. Returning to town, Dance is summoned to the Vermillion Inn to find that actor Maddison Hadcock (aka Alexis Honeycut Roundtree) has been stabbed to death in her hotel room and that Harold Wohler, a series fan who has dementia, has disappeared. To further stir the pot, Conrad Michener, who plays Sheriff Vernon Roundtree, the series lead, is urged by his publicist to lend “his legendary investigative skills to assist local law enforcement.” Sections wittily narrated by the self-deprecating Dance are followed by often hilarious narratives of the same incident told from the point of view of the breathtakingly overconfident Michener. Elias tells his nicely plotted tale with brio. Readers looking for plenty of laughs will be more than satisfied. Agent: Josh Getzler, HGH Literary. (Aug.)