BREAKING THE RULES

An advice columnist learns the hard way that sometimes it’s easier to mind your own business.

Laura Magee, The Ravensford Chronicle’s advice columnist known as Auntie Mabel, doesn’t intend to get herself into trouble when she answers the letter of a local resident concerned about a house being built on a local historical site. But when she goes to check it out for herself, she ends up on the receiving end of an attack. Although she gets away safely, her curiosity is sparked, and she wants to find out what someone’s so determined to protect. Laura might have more time to investigate if she weren’t busy trying to run interference for her heartsick housemate Ronnie. The quintessential romantic, Ronnie falls in love at least once a week, but now that she’s met wealthy Everett Houser, she’s certain it’s for real. Laura approves of the sweet, if naïve, couple, but Everett’s closest friend, architect Nick Manning, is convinced that Ronnie is a user only interested in Everett’s money. Trying to protect the new couple from Nick’s skepticism, Laura finds herself at odds with the architect; the two can’t see each other without an argument. She struggles with the question of which problem to tackle first: the ongoing drama in her personal life or her increasing certainty that there’s something to discover at the building site.

A cozy with a fun and flirty edge, the latest from Ebisch (When the Last Dance is Over, 2012, etc.) is a deft balance of mystery and romantic comedy.